Newcastle Improv Festival - Review - Alphabetti Theatre

Improv Triple Header Long Form Night Alphabetti Theatre - Newcastle Improv Festival

Old haunts from Open Heart Theatre / Couch Improv / 4 One Night Only


Tonight was a treat for the seasoned improv theatre goer. Two brand new formats and one format I have never seen before from Couch Improv. To kick us off was Open Heart Theatre assembled from the hang, a local improv group. This was a brand new format known as old haunts, involving some scene painting from two spirits of a transformed space that used to be something else. In this case the old haunt used to be a fire station and is now an art center for troubled souls.

Open Heart performed some entertaining scenes, while the spirit members paused the action to do some scene painting bringing more history and life to the space, from what it used to be when it was a fire station and what it now is. Four characters had good chemistry and there were some heartfelt and amusing scenes.

Next up was Couch Improv with a standard harold format , the original long form created by Del Close. They took a one word suggestion, which was freedom, that sparked off some fascinating scenes including the guy who had the hots for his captors, a very anti-semitic Mel Gibson and a teacher who taught failure. Very funny scenes. Their second format took its inspiration from tracks people have added to their spotify playlist, an example was Nena's red balloons song. There were some call backs to earlier scenes and some great characterisation. The devil made an appearance at some point, with an offer of taking someones soul for an Uber.

Last but not least was 4 One Night Only - a local night of long form exploration featuring some bright talents from the local improv scene. The concept was a live radio episode of the famous fictitious fifteen year old soap opera North Eastenders. I wonder where the name inspiration came from?

Several stock characters were used, but expanded on throughout the two episodes, we saw one current and one classic episode all improvised. Firstly set in several locations all suggested by the crowd. Most actors played several characters, which was sometimes confusing, but entertaining, especially when characters had conversations through the same actor. Highlights include several women giving birth and an affair that ends in disaster. Both episodes end on cliffhangers as you would expect. Great stuff.

All this is part of the very first Newcastle Improv Festival, which started on Saturday the 27th July and concludes on Sunday the 4th August. Bev Fox and Ian Mclaughlin have put together a great set of shows and workshops, most of which have sold out so far. So grab tickets for shows workshops when you can, information below :

www.newcastleimprovfest.co.uk

Remaining workshops :

Friday 2nd August

Improv comedy 12-2pm Alphabetti Theatre 16+ £10.50
Jason Perez improv masterclass Alphabetti Theatre 2-5pm Adults £18-£20

Saturday 3rd August

Stella Duffy Improv for writers Jurrys Inn 10-5pm
Laughter yoga with Melissa Alphabetti Theatre family friendly 12-1pm £5.50-£7
Improv for beginners Alphabetti Theatre Adults 2-4pm £12-£15

Sunday 4th August

4 hour film challenge  Alphabetti Theatre 12-4pm Adults £20



Remaining shows :

Friday 2nd August

The Suggestibles comedy Alphabetti Theatre Adults 16+ 8-10pm £10-12.50
Nerdfest's pissed up podcast Adults 16+ 10.30-11.30pm Free to Suggestibles ticket holders

Friday 3rd August

Picture this Seven stories Family friendly 2-3pm £4.80-£6

Suki Webster's guest speaker Adults 16+ 7.30-8.45pm £7-£8
'Aspects of...' The Suggestibes with Suki Webster and Stella Duffy musical improv Adults 16+ 9-10.15pm £7/£8
Double bill £11-£13
Nifty disco with DJ Paula Penman music and dancing 10.30pm-12am free for Guest speaker or aspects of shows

Sunday 4th August

Say what? improv jam Adults 14+ 4.30-6.30 pay what you feel.

Other than that see you all next year!


Frank Cromartie Murphy

Pricks - Alphabetti Theatre - Review

Pricks by Jade Byrne

www.alphabettitheatre.co.uk

Alphabetti Theatre

Thursday 14th June, 2018

I wasn't sure what to expect from this play, all I knew was its core subject was diabetes type one. None of that 'type two reversible with a balanced diet' nonsense, this was the real deal. Jade starts at the very beginning when she contracted a virus that caused her diabetes at just age 4.  She acts out various incidents between then and now which were affected by her diabetes, all acted with help from her Dennis the menace doll.

The story telling flows and is impressively acted. This show is very informative and covers many misconceptions people make about type one diabetes, such as it bankrupting the NHS, or it being a sexually transmitted disease. It's heartfelt throughout and also explores other people's stories involved with type one as well as her own.  There's a semi immersive aspect to the show which comes in at the end (you’ll have to catch the show to experience that).

The show clocks in just shy of an hour and can be seen in Darlington at Jabberwocky Market Sat 23 4.30pm. Also at Pleasance Courtyard at 2:15 throughout the Edinburgh Fringe in August

Frank Cromartie Murphy

The Restless State - Alphabetti Theatre - Review

The Restless State  

Alphabetti Theatre

17th April 2018

This one man show written by Danielle Pearson and performed by Jesse Fox spans three different time lines, from three different people from the past (1989), the present (2018) and the future 2052. The general theme that connected all the time periods was political change. From the end of the Berlin wall, the day after brexit and the future referendum on a one child policy. The stage is sparse, but effective and the one man show switches from monologues to what equates to an audio narration of what is happening. Sound is used often and effectively creates atmosphere when needed, including music, sound effects and sound bites.  

There’s an underlying sense of nostalgia even in the distant future. The locations switch from Berlin (1989), London (2018) and Rome (2052). In the past hope is prevalent, yet the further we get into the future the more bleak we get. Due to the switching and the pace of the piece it can be confusing in places, but all becomes clear at the end. The plot quality varies and is best paced in 1989. Overall this was a very entertaining and evocative hour long piece and it felt something quite different from what I’m used to. If you like something a bit different, I definitely recommend checking this out. 
It runs at Alphabetti until Friday 20th April.

Frank Cromartie Murphy 

John Scott: Delusions - Alphabetti Theatre - Review

John Scott - Delusions

Photo from www.alphabettitheatre.co.uk 

Alphabetti Theatre

Wed 21st March

John Scott's gig on his mental health doubled up as a showcase for students of his stand up course. Each night involves several comedians new to comedy, some doing their very first gigs. They were impressively cohesive and funny,  and if you hadn’t been told it was their first time doing stand up you might not even know it.

John Scott briefly MCed the acts before coming  himself in the second half to do his one hour show (which featured at Edinburgh Festival last year).

It was a witty, clever, political and very polished performance. He delved into his mental health history with a great deal of tact and really gave the audience an insight into having a mental health condition His own condition is bipolar disorder type one, a diagnosis I share, so I can highly relate to the things he was talking about, such as hypomania, feeling like you are Jesus and self harming thoughts.

I thoroughly recommend this show if you're in need of a good belly laugh and have ever wanted to know more about what it's like to suffer with a mental health condition.

Playing Thursday and Friday this week at 9pm.

Frank Cromartie Murphy

Find more info about John Scott at:

www.facebook.com/johnscottcomedy  twitter.com/JohnScottComedy mindpalaver.com/

Bankers - Alphabetti Theatre - Review

Bankers

Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle
15th February 2018 7PM

“As a company, Write On Tap aim to make work that is culturally aware and politically relevant” writes producer Becci Sharrock of Bankers.

Ten years after the Northern Rock collapse this theatre production, written by 4 emerging North East playwrights, looks at the issues, the aftermath (including the ever increasing usage of food banks), and even the possibilities beyond the present day. 

The theatre was packed (some people had to stand it was so well attended) as the show began. For research and inspiration, they had spoken to food bank volunteers and clients, ex Northern Rock employees and academics - some of whose words could be heard playing through the speakers. Statistics, both informative and more tongue in cheek, were displayed on a screen behind. This changed and updated throughout the different scenes.

The four stories performed by local actors, ranged from an unapologetic banker looking to expand on his social portfolio, a couple caught in the crisis when Northern Rock crumbled, to 2 families' first hand experience of food banks. They gave an informative and entertaining look at one of today's very current and real facts of life. I found it very interesting and informative and whilst certainly the subject matter is a serious one, it was written and told in a realistic and believable way, that got the message across without being patronising or preachy in any way. There was lots of topical humour interspersed throughout. 
I found this a great balance of telling a story and giving information.

Alongside the show Write On Tap are also running a special campaign in partnership with Alphabetti Theatre and Newcastle’s West End Foodbank, encouraging audiences to support the foodbank. It aims to fill Alphabetti’s lift with donations from Tuesday 13th February to Saturday 24th February. Donations can be dropped off during the theatre's opening times.

The following items are requested for donation *tea bags *instant coffee *sugar (500g) *cereal *pasta *milk (UHT or powdered) *fruit juice (long life) *tinned tomatoes *tinned vegetables *tinned fish *biscuits/snacks *tinned rice pudding *rice *tinned fruit

Alternatively if you wish to make a financial donation via a regular direct debit go to https://newcastlewestend.foodbank.org.uk/give-help

Belinda Bekki-Winter

Bankers showed for two nights on Thursday 15th and Friday 16th February at 7.00pm as Pay What You Feel shows. Hopefully people felt a lot. 

An Audience with Michael Brunström and the Silly Billies - Review - Alphabetti Theatre

An Audience with Michael Brunström and the Silly Billies
Alphabetti Theatre
10th March 2017

Friday Evening saw me at the final show in the Basement of Alphabetti Theatre. Coming straight from work (a goodly trek up the A19 from Hartlepool) I arrived early (probably a good thing as within 20 mins the little bar was full to bursting).  
As I entered the bar a very tall man in tights, feathers and a bird mask was greeting and chatting with people. Unfortunately the resident hound was not quite impressed with this large feathered friend and proceeded to see him off at every opportunity, until he was taken out in disgrace (the dog, that is, not the birdman). 

I wasn't sure what to expect from the evening - I'd read the press release, and been told(warned) that it would be off the wall. I might hate it, or I might love it. All I knew at that point was the guy in feathers and tights had better legs than me. 

As it transpires this scene in the bar was a perfect set up for what was about to transpire on stage. (They should make the dog part of the show...)

The Silly Billies are a couple of mad guys with an equally insane sense of humour. Michael Brunström is equally crazy but a tad, just a tad mind, more subtle). Over the best part of two hours we saw Giant babies, Stirrups v Vitamin A elections,  Mary Quant whaling, the Birth of Parsley, a tour of Madchester,  and some very sinister Venga Boys, to name just a few. 

The audience laughed, sometimes in unexpected places, they joined in sometimes voluntarily with enthusiasm, sometimes not quite so keenly but always with good humour. Audience participation is key to the success, had the audience not been engaged then we'd have had three guys on stage acting the fool in silly costumes. 

Imagine Monty Python meets Reeves and Mortimer with a bit of the Goons thrown in. This sketch show was strange, it was bizarre, it was hysterical. It takes hold of the establishment and shakes it by the balls - under the buffoonery there is some serious social and political comment. I'm not sure they'll appreciate that idea getting out though. Pop culture, politics, gentrification, are all topics that are placed under the Order of the Silly Billiy's microscope. What it reveals is weirdly and terrifyingly funny. 
Best bit for me? The cockney market calls. Excellent. Classic pointlessly insane humour. It shouldn't have been funny, but it was. 

This was a fitting finale for the end of the Alphabetti basement. Hopefully we'll be seeing more such in a new venue soon. 

If you like your comedy strange, interactive and at times incomprehensible, watch out for more of the Silly Billies and Michael Brunström.  

Denise Sparrowhawk

Preview - An Audience with Michael Brunström and the Silly Billies - Alphabetti Theatre

The Order of the Silly Billies present

An Audience with Michael Brunström

and the Silly Billies

Silly Billies present some of their finest, golden moments in front of a live celebrity audience. Joining them will be alternative comedian hero Michael Brunström.
All your favourite catchphrases and nightmares over one night.For one night only (due to popular demand), your favourite Newcastle-based absurd, surrealist, occult anarchic collective will present a selection of the greatest hits plus a few new golden nuggets.

Joining them will be alternative comedian hero Michael Brunström (“Big, bold and dumb” – Chortle). A seeker, a weirdo and a winner of the prestigious 2015 Malcolm Hardee award for Comic Originality. “He’s my favourite” – Jack Gardner from Silly Billies. It’s promises to be sensual. Are you sensual? Then join us.

Silly Billies Comedy is an alternative comedy night that celebrates the anarchic, strange and surreal. Hosted by The Order of the Silly Billies.

"Silly Billies has fast become the place for the best alternative comedy the North East has to offer... developing a cult-like following in the process" - Narc magazine

"A comedy night where it’s okay for the performers to be batsh*t mental... In the same way that people are blown away by Tony Law’s one-man shows, there’s a real sense that Silly Billies is more than just a comedy night; it’s great fun and an immersive experience that you won’t forget in a hurry" - Giggle Beats Comedy

"Silly Billies seem to spurn repetition and make originality their life-blood, I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it before. They didn’t avoid all the dreaded clichés of comedy... originality and pure lunacy - they're absolutely mental." - The Courier Newcastle

"A bunch of gay commies singing lullabies about pigs" - Ian from Durham

Where: Alphabetti Theatre, 18 New Bridge Street West, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8AW

When: 19:30 10/03/17

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1054335964692731/

Book tickets: £5 @ https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/date/324872

Rob Hudson Needs to Talk - Alphabetti Theatre - Review

Rob Hudson Needs to Talk
Alphabetti Theatre

10th Feb 2017

As I entered Alphabetti for tonight's show I was greeted by a sign on the door that sais I should be aware that the performance contained partial nudity. Another sign reiterated the message on the door to the bar...I get the feeling that someone has complained somewhere down the line. I don't recall seeing such signs when I came to see Jon Coleman trying to be a man and there was a fair bit of partial in that. Still, I was a little bit concerned for Matt Miller - Alphabetti is never warm at the best of times and tonight it was actually snowing outside. I feared he might catch his death. I needn't have worried - the partial nudity was very partial as it happens (just his bum showing).

The auditorium is declared open and we file in - collecting a rug for our knees on the way (like I said, snowing out) and choose a seat. Alphabetti seats are mildly famous - infamous? - a mishmash of chairs - some padded, some not - and there was a friendly scuffle in the front row over a "squidgy" chair. I can understand that - I have sat on one of the lesser padded seats and it can be distracting. Tonight however I chose with care and sat comfortably on red velvet for the hour of the show. And what a show! I almost don't know where to begin, as you can probably tell by the previous preamble! This is a fifty minute one man show and it is packed full of laughs, observations, advice, onions, sadness, pain, more laughs, self help, lies, more onions, questions, relationships, friendship, heartbreak. And laughs. And darkness. It soars up into the brightness of a new relationship, and it plumbs the depths of its break up.

Matt Miller leads us through the relationship between Rob and Sarah - how it all began, and how it all ended. Rob needs to talk. Sarah has broken his heart, and for a while ruined his life. But he's getting better. He is better thanks to his mother (she likes to help) and his self help books: Louise Hay's "You can heal your life" and "F**k It, the Ultimate Spiritual Way". Yes, it is a real book, written by John C Parkin. You can borrow it from the library, as Rob did. And you can breathe in and release the stress from your life by naming the stressor and then, instead of breathing out, you say F**k it. Rob invites us to try and asks if anyone has anything that is causing us angst. Either no-one in the audience has any anxieties or they are too shy. Surprising really because they appear to be a group of drama students. So, to help out I share the current propensity for parts of my car to drop off, making life a tad difficult lately. We breathe and F**k it. We laugh. I feel better.

Rob however has taken a good while to feel better. Sarah has not been a perfect girlfriend. She has not been entirely honest or open and this has taken her to a dark place, a place that Rob understands, and he endeavours to help her out of it. He helps her so successfully that she moves back to London. She is still not very honest and open. Another book helps him to understand Sarah. This one is not from the library though. This one is Sarah's diary and it is full of truth, and lies. Truth that she has not shared with Rob, and lies that she has. The truth and lies break him and he spends a very long time getting better.

This show is a conversation with the audience, and at the end we are left with a decision - he needs our advice on what to do next, we are invited to help him decide by placing our "pay what you think" envelopes in a "burn" or "return" bucket. Whichever bucket gets the most votes will be the final course of action for Rob. As I put my vote in the bucket it seems most people have gone for burn. I hope he follows the advice - he really doesn't need to give Sarah any more ammunition. Burn the book, Rob, and close the chapter.

Rob Hudson has talked for the last time at Alphabetti tonight, but am sure he'll be talking in other venues. If you get the chance to hear him go along - he's worth a listen.

Denise Sparrowhawk

How Did We Get to This Point - Alphabetti Theatre - Review

How did we get to this point / Wrong Place, Wrong Time 
Alphabetti Theatre 
Wednesday 7th December 2016

Alphabetti Theatre’s story is amazing and I got to hear it through different voices. If you don’t know their history, it starts in 2011 and is still going strong!!

I don’t want to spoil it for you but Ali Pritchard’s story of how he created a space for artists and the public alike is astounding, from starting out at The Dog and Parrot to a basement in Newcastle via The Edinburgh Fringe. .

The play is directed by Ben Dickenson and includes stories about homelessness and problems that come from that; the struggles that people face in those environments. Some of these I have personally experienced.

Now Ali hasn’t experienced Homelessness himself but has experience in helping people who have found themselves in that situation (one of them I know quite well). Ali has been working with the charity Crisis who’s details I will put below.

The Actors were awesome Rosie Fox, Dean Logan and Rosie Stancliffe played many different roles and all played the role of Ali at various points in the play.

The show also had Animations by Ben Walden which helped the public understand what was going on as well as Music by Haythem Mohamed which was a fantastic addition to the show and gave it another dimension, Technical Manager was Adam Goodwin who didn’t put a foot wrong.

The play left me with many questions and not many answers. I'll give you my final thoughts later after I have spoken about the second play which was a response to How Did we get to this Point. Wrong Place, Wrong Time Performed was by the brilliant Paula Penman (who reminded me of my sister in law - please don’t kill me) and written and directed by Steve Byron.

It tells the story of a girl born at what people could say was the wrong time, wrong place. Born into a family with an abusive mother and with brothers who don't give a damn, it follows her story as her life spirals out of control.

Both plays were fantastic and a joy to watch but as I mentioned before they left a lot of questions for me and the main one was why in the 21st century do we still have homeless people and why haven’t realised that we can change the world just by being nice to each other and being the change that the world needs - that together we can end the problems in the UK and even the world if we try.

This show is on till Saturday and I definitely think this is not to be missed.

Reuben Hiles

Edit: For me it was like being blasted in the face with a hand grenade! Wrong Time, Wrong Place really made me sit up and take notice. An incredible play. - Michael

How to be a Man - Review - Alphabetti Theatre

How to be a Man
Alphabetti Theatre
2nd Dec 2016

We enter the theatre to the strains of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons' "Walk Like a Man". The falsetto exhortations of a father to his son always struck me as a little ironic as a child (yes, I was a child who got irony) but it is the perfect theme tune for Jon Coleman's exploration of manliness. Jon himself enters the stage clad only in a pair a grey underpants. He begins with an explanation and an apology - he is white, privileged and manly - proud of, and comfortable with, his masculinity and yet, he is not. He is not really sure whether his idea of being a man is correct. The show, he says, will not explain how to be a man. It will not answer the important question. It will explore the ideas of manliness and masculinity, with help from his friends Leo and Manfred (two mannequins) and A Guide to the Art of Manliness (a real book).  Jon chooses clothes from a rack and shrugs himself into a red, sparkly dress. Skin-tight, it shows off his assets, though perhaps not quite his manliness. Or does it?

Why should a man have to wear a suit and tie? Can he not be just as manly in a frock? And this is the crux of the show. Through various stories, scenarios and arguments with Leo and Manfred, Jon illustrates the accepted preconceptions of being a man. From the friendly competitive wrestling to forge friendships, to the inability to express feelings and emotions and the disappointment of learning that your father is not the infallible man you thought him to be, via the correct way to execute a man-hug, and bonding over whiskey and shortbread Jon Coleman raises the question of what it is to be a man. He looks at the traditional roles and the dilemma of the modern man.

This is funny, irreverent, surprising, thought provoking and a little confusing. Leo and Manfred are essentially Jon's conscience - they act like a pair of Jiminy Cricketts, questioning his motives, offering alternate points of view, and generally disagreeing with him. He argues, and fights with them. The confusion comes because they both have pretty much the same voice, so it wasn't always obvious which one was speaking (and yes, I know, I said they are mannequins but they areas much part of the action as Jon himself). Jon mixes conversations, with Leo and Manfred, with the audience, alongside recounting stories and enacting scenes. It is a fast paced presentation - there's a lot to get through in an hour including several costume changes and an exercise regime. Jon's style is open and engaging and he has a good rapport with the audience.

I left the theatre to the sound of Four Non Blondes singing "What's Up?",  feeling good but with a lot to think about. Possibly not least the reason men have such a hard time knowing what their role is these days is because none of us know how we are meant to be; nothing is clear cut, everything is a contradiction and we will almost certainly say or do the wrong thing to someone at some point in our day, week, month, year, life...
In an ideal world a man could walk down the street in a dress and heels, if he wanted.

Denise Sparrowhawk

Sticking - Alphabetti Theatre - Review

Sticking
Alphabetti Theatre
10th Nov 2016

Matt Miller's Sticking is a tale told in music - 12 songs, six people, one term at university. The songs are a hook to hang his experience on. They punctuate the story alongside aposite snippets from his history lectures.

His story takes us from the car journey with his dad, the arrival and claiming of his student room to the end of term. We meet his friends - new people who are firm friends after just 24 hours and we live through those days and weeks of trying to fit in. The uncertainty of being in a place where no-one knows you and realising you can be whoever you want to be, but not knowing quite who that is. He invents and reinvents himself to try to fit into this new world; caught like the sticking point on a vinyl.

He tries everything that is new, some of it he likes, some of it he's not sure about but he tries it any way. One thing that he does like is a girl. She makes his insides bubble. We all know that feeling. And we know the song that goes with it. We also know the song for crossing a line, going too far. Not being able to go back.

This is the story of the start of self discovery - half way through there is the pivot point - when he realises that he wants to be more than he is, more than a person trying to fit in, and that he can be more but that this is not the way for him, he has to get past the sticking point. By the end, he is beginning to know himself, but his journey is just beginning.

This is an emtional, joyful and intense performance. Performed in the small space at Alphabetti, with minimal staging, and bold lighting. It is intimate. Matt talks to the audience, moving forward to be just a foot or two away from the front row, making eye contact with members of the audience. We were in the front row - the intensity of his stare is un-nerving! He is full of energy and emotion, you can feel it pent up and simmering beneath the surface, then bursting out in excitement and anger and confusion.

Twelve songs. Six people (well seven people). One term. Lots of firsts. Some lasts.
We all have a history and we all have songs that evoke the memories and remind us of our journey.
It is a joy to listen and watch as Matt explores this short but pivotal piece of his history.

The last show is on Saturday, followed by an after show party - you're invited to suggest a tune for the playlist https://www.facebook.com/events/1018722578250540/ .

This is a pay what you feel performance but reserve your seat in advance because it is a small venue and you wouldn't want to miss out!
Book tickets here.

Denise Sparrowhawk