Tag: Tiger Country

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REVIEW: York Actors Collective, Tiger Country, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York ****

Medical matters: Mick Liversidge, left, and Chris Pomfrett in discussion in York Actors Collective’s Tiger Country

TIGER Country is drama on the cutting edge, taking its title from the term used by a surgeon when conducting an operation near a major blood vessel.

Hospital dramas are two a penny on TV, whether made in the UK or imported from the USA and beyond. They are, however, a lesser spotted breed of theatre: York Actors Collective director Angie Millard could recall Peter Nicholls’s 1969 black comedy The National Health, but nothing since.

It would be too much of a stretch to include the 1997 musical version of Jekyll & Hyde or Dr Frank N Furter in Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Director Angie Millard and stage manager Em Peattie

What’s more, Nina Raine’s focus falls on the doctors and nurses, rather than the patients, whose stories tend to be front and centre in the TV shows.

Premiered at the Hampstead Theatre in 2011, and last performed at the same London theatre in 2014, Tiger Country receives its belated York premiere this week, reaffirming Millard’s knack for reactivating works that may otherwise have escaped our attention,  in her desire to bring more political, thought-provoking theatre to the York stage.

After Joe Orton’s Entertaining Mr Sloane, Alexander Zeldin’s slice of agitprop Beyond Caring and Millard’s adaptation of J M Barrie’s rediscovered 1920 supernatural drama Mary Rose, now Millard matches Raine’s meticulous research in her theatrical representation of operations and procedures.

Sri Lanka-born actor and nursing care assistant Madusha Fernando in Tiger Country

She calls them “mimes”, but they have the feel of authenticity, albeit making allowance for being in a theatre, not a hospital theatre.

Millard has drilled into her cast the need for speed at all times, on entries and exits, to match the hectic day in a life of a hospital for her “most challenging production” to date.

Drawing on her extensive research observing daily practice in hospitals in London, West Sussex, Staffordshire and Oxford,  and her interviews with candid doctors, Raine favours quick scenes, in keeping with TV and film editing.

Glove story: Victoria Delaney, left, and Clare Halliday in Tiger Country

In turn, Millard uses hospital signs, and sometimes video footage, to denote a change from  A & E to the Doctors’ Mess to the Consultant’s Room with the minimum fuss on an open-plan set where beds, a desk, mess chairs, a wheelchair and a CPR dummy are whizzed on and off.

All human life (and death) is here amid the badinage and the bandages. As Millard observes in her programme note, “what shines through is the humanity needed to be an NHS worker in today’s world”, one she she updated to post-Covid times. Humanity is shown in both a good and a bad light, not least in the machinations of the NHS, where medics and surgeons argue over procedure and protocol, to the detriment of patients.

Victoria Delaney’s consultant, uncompromising and demanding in a male-dominated  environment, stands out. Friction sparks in the mess, especially between Laurence O’Reilly’s cynical medic and Xandra Logan’s restless trainee doctor, whereas Chris Pomfrett’s unflappable consultant always suggests a good night’s sleep is the solution to any problem.

The impatience of being earnest: Xandra Logan’s trainee doctor, anxious to learn on the job in Tiger Country

Lucinda Rennison, Mick Liversidge and Clare Halliday multi-role play with impressive diversity, and Madusha Fernando brings humour when most needed.

Teamwork is everything in the play and performance alike, but with individual will having a huge impact too, both positive and negative. When Delaney’s consultant has to inform Liversidge’s cancer patient that he is dying, a chill stillness takes over Theatre@41. Theatre at its most powerful, when even medicine is powerless to change life’s path.

York Actors Collective in Tiger Country, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, until May 31. 7.30pm tonight, Thursday and Friday; 2.30pm and 6pm, Saturday. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

York artist Karen Winship’s painting from the Tiger Country programme cover, painted for her series of Covid portraits in 2020

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What’s on in Ryedale, York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 21, from Gazette & Herald

Simon Withyman’s photograph of an urban fox from the British Wildlife Photography Awards exhibition at Nunnington Hall. Picture copyright: British Wildlife Photography Awards/Simon Withyman

GO wild in the country, have  fun at the fete or make a date with dramatic dancing, recommends Charles Hutchinson.  

Exhibition of the week: British Wildlife Photography Awards, Nunnington Hall, Nunnington, on show until July 13

THE British Wildlife Photography Awards exhibition celebrates the diversity of British wildlife and wild spaces through a collection of inspirational photographs and films, while raising awareness of British biodiversity, species and habitats. Normal admission prices apply, with free entry to National Trust members and under fives. Tickets: nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/yorkshire/nunnington-hall.

Mick Liversidge, left, and Chris Pomfrett in a scene from York Actors Collective’s York premiere of Tiger Country

Hospital drama of the week: York Actors Collective in Tiger Country, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, 7.30pm, tonight to Friday; 2.30pm and 6pm, Saturday

NINA Raine’s doctors-and-nurses drama, last performed at Hampstead Theatre, London, in 2014, is revived by Angie Millard’s company York Actors Collective.

This fast-paced play considers doctors’ dilemmas as a range of clinical and ethical issues come under the spotlight in a busy hospital. Professionalism and prejudice, turbulent staff romances, ambition and failure collide as Raine depicts an overburdened health service and the dedicated individuals that keep it going. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

May half-term event of the week: Fun At The Fete, Nunnington Hall, Nunnington, until Sunday, 10.30am to 5pm daily; last admission 4pm

BE transported to the fun of a village fete with themed games throughout the gardens. Families can compete against each other in hoopla, tin can alley, stilt walking and more besides.

For children who prefer a more relaxed day out, a creative hub is set up in the cutting garden for drawing and painting, while inside the house they can  create their own mini-maypole wand to take home. Normal admission applies, with free entry for National Trust members and under fives. Tickets: nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/yorkshire/nunnington-hall.

Nick Mohammed’s alter-ego, Mr Swallow, in Show Pony, cantering into the Grand Opera House next week and in the autumn. Picture: Matt Crockett

Comedy gig of the week: Nick Mohammed Is Mr Swallow in Show Pony, Grand Opera House, York, tonight and October 23, 7.30pm

COMEDIAN, writer, Ted Lasso regular and Taskmaster loser Nick Mohammed transforms into his alter-ego, Mr Swallow, in Show Pony, a new show that will “cover everything from not having his own sitcom to not having his own sitcom… and everything in between (critical race theory). As per – expect magic, music and a whole load of brand-new mistakes”.  Box office:  atgtickets.com/york.

Jenny Don’t And The Spurs: Country meets garage at Pocklington Arts Centre. Picture: Chris Hogge

Country cowpunk gig of the week: Jenny Don’t And The Spurs, Pocklington Arts Centre, tonight, 8pm

AFTER playing Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark, the Portland, Oregon garage, country, honky-tonk and rock’n’roll band Jenny Don’t And The Spurs bring their European tour to Pocklington for one of only four English shows, kitted out as ever with rhinestones on their custom outfits, handcrafted by Jenny herself.

As heard on June 2024 album Broken Hearted Blue, her songwriting is influenced by the contrasting landscapes of the Pacific Northwest and Southwestern desert, with her band of drummer Buddy Weeks bass player Kelly Halliburton and lead guitarist Christopher March merging their garage-rock origins with country driving tempos, gritty fuzz tones and outlaw attitude. London-based Californian country singer Savannah Gardner supports. Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.

Sir Tim Rice: Mulling over a life in musicals at the Grand Opera House, York

Musical knight of the week: Sir Tim Rice, My Life In Musicals – I Know Him So Well, Grand Opera House, York, tomorrow, 7.30pm

LYRICIST supreme Sir Tim Rice reflects on his illustrious career at the heart of musical theatre, sharing anecdotes behind the songs, both the hits and the misses, complemented by stories of his life and live performances by leading West End singers and musicians, led by musical director Duncan Waugh. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Freida Nipples: Baps And Buns Burlesque at Bluebird Bakery in Acomb

Cabaret night of the week: Freida Nipples presents Baps And Buns Burlesque, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb Road, Acomb, York, Friday, 7pm to 11pm

YORK’S queen of burlesque, Freida Nipples, returns to Rise with her latest selection of sensational cabaret artists, from drag queens to acrobats. Prompt booking is advised as her Baps And Burlesque shows have a habit of selling out, in keeping with her burlesque nights at York Theatre Royal Studio, The Basement at City Screen and Impossible York.

“Prepare yourselves for an evening of debauchery and glamour in Acomb,” says Freida. “The big question is: are you ready for it?!” Box office: bluebirdbakery.co.uk/rise.

New Adventures in the 2021 production of Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell, returning to York Theatre Royal next week. Picture: Johan Persson

Dance return of the week: New Adventures in Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell, York Theatre Royal, June 4 to 7, 7.30pm plus 2pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees

IN 1930s’ London, ordinary people emerge from cheap boarding houses nightly to pour out their passions, hopes and dreams in the pubs and fog-bound streets of Soho and Fitzrovia. Step inside The Midnight Bell, a tavern where one particular lonely-hearts club gather to play out their lovelorn affairs of the heart; bitter comedies of longing, frustration, betrayal and redemption. 

Inspired by the work of English novelist Patrick Hamilton, Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell returns to York Theatre Royal, where it first played in October 2021, with a 14-strong cast of New Adventures’ actor-dancers, alongside the Olivier and Tony award-winning team of Terry Davies (music), Lez Brotherston (set and costume design), Paule Constable (lighting design) and Paul Groothuis (sound design). Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk

Strictly between us: Aljaž Škorjanec and Janette Manrara look forward to A Night To Remember at York Barbican

Strictly show of the week: Aljaž And Janette: A Night To Remember, York Barbican, Sunday, 7.30pm  

STRICTLY Come Dancing husband-and-wife duo Aljaž Škorjanec and Janette Manrara team up in their new show with their live big band, fronted by boogie-woogie maestro Tom Seals and an ensemble cast of dancers and singers.

Strictly regular Aljaž and It Takes Two and Morning Live host Janette take to the York Barbican dancefloor to perform routines to music from the Great American songbook right up to modern-day classics. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

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York Actors Collective play doctors and nurses in Nina Raine’s hospital drama Tiger Country at Theatre@41 from tomorrow

Victoria Delaney, left, and Clare Halliday in a scene from York Actors Collective’s production of Tiger Country

NINA Raine’s hospital drama Tiger Country derives its title from a term used in surgery. When operating near a big blood vessel, a surgeon is in dangerous territory and might warn the team: “Careful, you’re approaching tiger country”.

Premiered at a sold-out Hampstead Theatre in 2011, this meticulously researched play was last staged in its revival at the London theatre in 2014. Now, Angie Millard gives it a contemporary, post-Covid setting in its York premiere by her York Actors Collective (YAC) company, with advice from a couple of medics to update it.

“I read a lot of plays to find something that’s suitable for YAC to stage. I don’t do potboilers. I do plays that interest me. If I’m going to make theatre as a hobby, I’m not doing soap opera material! After reading Tiger Country I thought, ‘wow, I must do this play’. It’s so different from anything I’ve done before,” says Angie, who has undergone hospital surgery herself recently.

 “It’s about doctors, which struck me as interesting, as in so many plays, or if you watch Holby City or Casualty on TV, you empathise with the patients. The last play I could think of that touched on this subject was Peter Nicholls’ black comedy, The Health Health [or Nurse Norton’s Affair] at the National Theatre, and that was decades ago [1969, to be be precise].

Madusha Ferdinando: Sri Lanka-born actor and ward nursing assistant, who will perform in Tiger Country

“Raine’s play sees it from the surgeons’ point of view, drawing attention to the effect the pressures have on the medical staff’s daily life, and I’ve never seen a play that’s done that before. As with the TV dramas, you don’t ‘go home’ with the surgeons and see the impact on their home lives that way, but you hear them talk about it in the mess. You really feel for the medics.”

For research, Oxford-educated theatre director and playwright Raine spent months embedded in an urological surgeon’s surgical team, learning about the mechanics of a hospital and what makes doctors and surgeons tick.

The resulting play considers doctors’ dilemmas as a range of clinical and ethical issues come under the spotlight in a busy hospital. Professionalism and prejudice, turbulent staff romances, ambition and failure collide in a frank account of the dedicated individuals that keep our overburdened health service going.

“It’s hard to direct and to perform because it’s almost cinematic in its style,” says Angie. “Characters will come on, do one quick scene and then they’re off again, so it’s fast-paced dialogue to match what’s happening.”

Mick Liversidge, left, and Chris Pomfrett in rehearsal for York Actors Collective’s York premiere of Tiger Country

In the cast at Theatre@41, Monkgate, from tomorrow are Victoria Delaney, Madusha Ferdinando, Clare Halliday, Mick Liversidge, Xandra Logan, Laurence O’Reilly, Chris Pomfrett and Lucinda Rennison.

“I said I wouldn’t do this play if I couldn’t find actors from different cultures because the NHS is so diverse in its ethnicity. Thankfully I found Madusha Ferdinando through the York Mystery Plays Supporters Trust.

“He was an actor in Sri Lanka before coming here, and then played a king in A Nativity for York. He’s a comic actor at heart, who plays the doctor who’s the joker in our play.

“The rest of the cast is like a rep company of regulars, and they don’t let me down. They know that I only work for eight weeks on each play, where I like the rehearsals to be intense.”

Several cast members work in the health service in various roles – community nurse (Chris Pomfrett), ward nursing assistant (Madusha Ferdinando) and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (Laurence O’Reilly, at Northern General Hospital, Sheffield), all helping to conjure up a credible portrait of hospital life.

On call: Xandra Logan in a scene from Tiger Country

“They’re aware of what it takes to work in the hospital environment, so it’s been handy to have them on board,” says Angie. “Chris, for example, worked with his consultant, who took him through all the procedures he needs to do in the play. We also consulted with a medical advisor and resuscitation officer to help the team learn how to manage procedures.

“They were shown how to mime stitching, draining a lung and general examination techniques. I don’t think anyone realised how tricky it all is. The trick on stage is to get all the ‘mimes’ correct and not do them in a fussy way.”

Angie has paid for a torso and head from the British Heart Foundation. “It’s usually used to teach CPR, and we do have CPR in one scene after a heart attack. We put a wig on the head and it does look quite real as the torso bounces up and down!” she says. “Earlier in rehearsals we had to use a rolled-up duvet!”

Assembling the set has been “fun”. “It features hospital beds and operating tables, which would cost £500 even to hire, so I got beds that are used by massage therapists – I bought two on the internet – and  some tables and chairs that could be used in the NHS or in the mess,” says Angie.

“Whatever we couldn’t manage to get in the way of items, we learnt how to use mime for them, like scalpels or oxygen supplies. You will be watching a dramatic theatrical representation. That’s the point of theatre!”

York Actors Collective in Tiger Country, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, May 27 to 31; tomorrow to Friday, 7.30pm; Saturday,  2.30pm and 6pm. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

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More Things To Do in York and beyond as wizards and Stars Wars take over. Here Hutch’s List No. 21 from The York Press

The Wizard of York, Dan Wood, sets his spellbinding WizardFest in motion for three magical days. Picture: The Story Of You

NOT only a new festival of wizardry, but Charles Hutchinson has plenty more wizard ideas too for the Bank Holiday weekend and beyond the wand.

Enchanting festival of the week:  WizardFest, waving a wand over York, today to Monday

ORGANISED by The Wizard of York, Dan Wood, York’s first ever festival of wizardry promises 25 activities, events, workshops and fantastical food and drink, featuring  the city’s most magical businesses.

Highlights include Wizard Walk of York walks; a Brick Magic LEGO workshop; screenings of the first three Harry Potter films at City Screen Picturehouse; Professor Kettlestring’s Puzzling World needing  help to defeat dark wizard Mortius Darktrix; The Cat Gallery’s Black Cat Trail and Make It York’s Owl Trail; Monday’s Magical Night Market at Shambles Market and a fancy dress parade between St Helen’s Square and York Minster at 3pm on Monday. Plan your magical itinerary and make bookings at wizardwalkofyork.com/wizardfest.

York Printmakers’ poster for the 2025 Festival of Print

“More than an exhibition” of the week: York Printmakers, Festival of Print, 22 High Petergate, York, until July 20, open every Friday and Saturday, 10am to 5pm, and Sundays, 10am to 4pm

YORK Printmakers celebrate creativity, craft and community in a curated exhibition of original prints, from linocut and etching to screenprint and collagraph, complemented by demonstrations, talks and workshops. Visitors can explore the stories and processes behind each piece and meet the makers behind the art.

“This year’s festival is more than an exhibition,” say the organisers. “It’s an invitation to discover, to ask questions and to support York artists keeping traditional and contemporary printmaking alive.” Entry is free.

Festival Of The Force: The Star Wars convention from another galaxy, here in York

Film convention of the week: Festival Of The Force, York Railway Institute, Queen Street, York, Sunday, 10am to 5pm

MAY the Force be with you for this Star Wars convention, Festival Of The Force, whose mission is to deliver an immersive experience in celebration  of the Star Wars universe while building a strong sense of community among collectors, fans, and cosplayers of all ages. Look out for a galaxy of merchandise, celebrity appearances and fan-led events. Box office: eventbrite.co.uk/e/festival-of-the-force-tickets.

Wanted in York: Julian Clary swaps guns for puns and putdowns in A Fistful Of Clary on Sunday

Camp sight of the week: Julian Clary in A Fistful Of Clary, Grand Opera House, York, Sunday, 7.30pm

JULIAN Clary goes Western as he saddles up for entendres at the double, sure that the men in the audience won’t be able to keep their hands off his Rawhide.

The lucky few will play with him on stage in the Hang‘em Low saloon, but life in the Old West was tough. Not all of Julian’s wild bunch will be around to witness the final shoot-out when he gives himself selflessly at high noon to the last man standing. Tickets update for Clary’s pun fight: still available at atgtickets.com/york.

Sophie Ellis Bextor: Disco nights at York Barbican and York Racecourse

Dancefloor diva at the double: Sophie Ellis Bextor, York Barbican, May 26, Spring Bank Holiday Monday, 7.30pm; York Racecourse Music Showcase Weekend 2025, July 25, after 8.23pm last race  

“IT will be wonderful to bring the disco fun to everyone,” says Sophie Ellis Bextor, lockdown queen of the Kitchen Disco online sessions, as she heads to York twice. Buoyed by Murder On The Dancefloor’s appearance in the final scene of Emerald Fennell’s film Saltburn returning her 2001 smash to number two in the UK charts, she takes to the road with a career-spanning set also featuring  Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love), Take Me Home (A Girl Like Me) and Freedom Of The Night.

The former lead singer of theaudience will be joined by special guest Natasha Bedingfield for the post-racing concert on Knavesmire in July. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk (last few tickets); yorkracecourse.co.uk.

Jon Mills’s cast for Miles Salter’s short play One Step Beyond, premiering at the Black Swan Inn next week

Premiere of the week: Yortk Settlement Community Players presents Miles Salter’s One Step Beyond, Black Swan Inn, Peasholme Green, York, May 26 to 28, 7.30pm

STEVE and Kerry have been married a long time. Steve’s vinyl collection may tear them apart. Luckily they have a counsellor…and Steve’s friend Boring Ryan on hand to help them out. It must be love, love, love. Jon Mills directs Stuart Green, Pamela Gourlay, Liz Quinlan, Chris Meadley and Jess Murray in York writer Miles Salter’s short play for YSCP’s Direct Approach project. Tickets to enter this House of Fun:  £5, pay on the door, cash or card.

Victoria Delaney, left, and Clare Halliday in rehearsal for York Actors Collective’s production of Tiger Country at Theatre@41, Monkgate

Hospital drama of the week: York Actors Collective in Tiger Country, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, May 27 to 31, 7.30pm, Tuesday to Friday; 2.30pm and 6pm, Saturday

NINA Raine’s doctors-and-nurses drama, last performed at Hampstead Theatre, London, in 2014, is revived by Angie Millard’s company York Actors Collective.

This fast-paced play considers doctors’ dilemmas as a range of clinical and ethical issues come under the spotlight in a busy hospital. Professionalism and prejudice, turbulent staff romances, ambition and failure collide as Raine depicts an overburdened health service and the dedicated individuals that keep it going. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Nick Mohammed’s alter-ego, Mr Swallow, in Show Pony, cantering into the Grand Opera House next week and in the autumn. Picture: Matt Crockett

Comedy gig of the week: Nick Mohammed Is Mr Swallow in Show Pony, Grand Opera House, York, May 28 and October 23, 7.30pm

COMEDIAN, writer, Ted Lasso regular and Taskmaster loser Nick Mohammed transforms into his alter-ego, Mr Swallow in Show Pony, a new show that will “cover everything from not having his own sitcom to not having his own sitcom… and everything in between (critical race theory). As per – expect magic, music and a whole load of brand-new mistakes”.  Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Sir Tim Rice: Mulling over a life in musicals at the Grand Opera House, York

Musical knight of the week: Sir Tim Rice, My Life In Musicals – I Know Him So Well, Grand Opera House, York, May 29,7.30pm

LYRICIST supreme Sir Tim Rice reflects on his illustrious career at the heart of musical theatre, sharing anecdotes behind the songs, both the hits and the misses, complemented by stories of his life and live performances by leading West End singers and musicians, led by musical director Duncan Waugh. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.