CURVE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
SAT 29 AUG 2020
Accessibility tip: To read this newsletter in an alternative font, colour, format or language, or have it read aloud by a screen reader, please launch the Recite Me assistive toolbar by clicking the pink ‘Audio Visual Help’ button in the bottom right corner of your screen.
If you would like to enjoy this newsletter in an alternative format, please get in touch at [email protected].
————————————————————————————-
Welcome to your weekly newsletter from Curve. We hope you and your loved ones are well.
This week, we’re thrilled to reveal you’ll soon be able to enjoy another Made at Curve experience at home as we release the dress rehearsal archive recording of our 2019 multi-award nominated Made at Curve drama, My Beautiful Laundrette.
At 6pm on Wed 2 Sep 2020, not only will you be able to watch this archive recording online, we’ll also be sharing a recently recorded discussion between Writer Hanif Kureishi, Designer Grace Smart and the full cast.
Working with Hanif, the acting company and production team on My Beautiful Laundrette was a truly joyful experience for all of us at Curve. And watching the dress rehearsal recording and the team reunion for our In Conversation has been wonderfully enriching, reminding us what it’s all about. Kureishi’s words remain as vital and important as they ever did. We hope you enjoy spending time with these extraordinary characters once again (or meeting them for the first time) and the cast chat that has been designed to accompany the archive.
Whilst you wait for the release of My Beautiful Laundrette, don’t forget to book your tickets for Wise Children’s Romantics Anonymous, which will be broadcast live from Bristol Old Vic to screens across the Midlands on Wed 23 Sep at 7.30pm. Wise Children is visionary director Emma Rice’s company and Emma’s work is filled with joy, humility and a sense that anything is possible! Tickets start from just £16 for this wonderful, theatrical treat and we’re pleased to be among a collective of venues bringing the show to our region. The show will be broadcast live from Bristol Old Vic, so it’s almost as good as being in the theatre and experiencing it for real!
A third show you can enjoy at home is Matthew Bourne‘s thrilling version of Romeo and Juliet, which has now been released on DVD and Blu-ray. We were delighted to pledge our support to this production as a partner venue, as well as opening the show’s national tour on our stage last March. Buy your copy now to relive this incredible reimagining of Shakespeare‘s classic, and learn more about the creative process with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage.
For more creative insights, why not grab a cuppa (or something stronger!) and watch our Curve in Conversation series this weekend (especially if the weather seems to be dragging us towards an early autumn)? There are now 18 episodes to watch, with discussions on acting, lighting, choreographing, designing and more; this is ideal viewing material for emerging actors, young creatives or anyone interested in theatre generally.
And in this week’s Creative Commentary, Associate Artist and Curve Young Dance Company leader Mel Knott recounts her experience as Movement Director on our Made at Curve co-production of Roald Dahl‘s The Witches. It’s not often you’ll see Roald Dahl, Mission Impossible and Wicca Ballrooms in the same blog, but it just goes to prove inspiration comes from all kinds of places!
Whilst these archive recordings and online activity have been a welcome tonic during lockdown, we hope very much we can start to gently reduce our onLINE content over the coming months and that we will be able to start thinking about getting back into our building before too long.
As ever, thanks to Leicester City Council, Arts Council England, and to you – our wonderful audiences – for your continued support.
Have a lovely Bank Holiday weekend,
Chris & Nikolai
THE SHOW MUST GO ONLINE
ARCHIVE RECORDING OF MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE TO BE RELEASED
From 6pm on Wed 2 Sep, enjoy Made at Curve at home with the dress rehearsal archive recording of My Beautiful Laundrette and a digital discussion with the full cast, Director Nikolai Foster, Writer Hanif Kureishi and Designer Grace Smart.
Based on Kureishi’s iconic and Oscar-nominated screenplay of the same name, the multi-award nominated stage production of My Beautiful Laundrette was directed by Nikolai Foster and premiered at Curve last autumn, before a national tour. Featuring new and original music from Tennant/Lowe of the Pet Shops Boys, the Made at Curve drama was co-produced by Curve, Belgrade Theatre Coventry, Everyman Theatre Cheltenham and Leeds Playhouse.
As well as the dress rehearsal archive recording and digital discussion, you’ll also be able to access a copy of My Beautiful Laundrette’s digital show programme and a series of audio-descriptive notes detailing the production which were created for blind and partially sighted audience members.
Matthew Bourne's Romeo and Juliet now available on DVD & Blu-ray
After opening its national tour at Curve last March, Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet is now available to enjoy at home on DVD & Blu-ray. As well as the full show, the release also includes an exclusive ‘Making Of’ documentary, giving you a unique look behind-the-scenes of New Adventures during the creation of this world premiere production.
Catch up on our full Curve in Conversation series
We hope you’ve enjoyed the insight and inspiration shared by leading creatives, artists and performers in our Curve in Conversation series over the last few months.
Hosted by our Artistic Director Nikolai Foster, catch up on all episodes with actress Jodie Prenger, Lighting Designer Ben Cracknell, Choreographer Ellen Kane and many more on our website.
Inspired by Roald Dahl, Mission Impossible and Wicca Ballrooms!
In this week’s latest Creative Commentary, Curve Associate Artist and leader of our Curve Young Dance Companies Mel Knott writes about the inspiration and legacy of her work as Movement Director on our 2015 Made at Curve and Rose Theatre Kingston co-production – Roald Dahl’s The Witches.
Missed a commentary? Catch up on the full blog series in our The Show Must Go Online hub.
LIVE THEATRE IS BACK THIS AUTUMN
Enjoy a deliciously sweet musical treat at home next month!
Angélique is a gifted chocolate maker crippled by social anxiety and Jean-René is the boss of a failing chocolate factory. Angélique is so timid, she faints when people look at her; Jean-René is so awkward he relies on self-help tapes and is prone to embarrassing sweating. When Angélique takes a job in Jean-René’s struggling factory, a fragile love affair unfolds.
Join us for the special Midlands performance of Wise Children‘s Romantics Anonymous on Wed 23 Sep at 7.30pm, brought to you LIVE from the Bristol Old Vic stage.
Captioned and Audio Described editions of the show will also be available via video-on-demand from Mon 28 Sep.