Concrete Youth are back with another fabulous virtual show! Jack and Snow live in Winter Wonderland and although the season is here, there is no snow to show it is winter because the Snow Machine is broken! The only way to find out why it isn't working is with the Winterns (the audience) and then together everyone can fix the machine!
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REVIEW – The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab
The roles of women in 1714 are somewhat different to modern day. Unmarried women are looked down on and married women do not belong to themselves, but to their husbands. In panic and desperation, Addie makes a deal with a possible devil for her freedom and a life that will last forever. However, in a true Faustian manner the deal is not what it seems which leads to Addie beginning forgotten by everyone she has met and is to meet for hundreds of years later. Addie's life will never be remembered but lives through art and music. Until 300 years later when meeting one man, Henry Strauss, will change everything she has known as he remembers her the day after they first meet.
Shebaa’s Adventure to Jopplety How – A Concrete Youth Production
Concrete Youth are a Hull-based theatre company aiming to give those with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) a chance at viewing exceptional theatre where perhaps your "standard" show would lapse. By creating inclusive storytelling and a multi-sensory experience for their audiences, their productions are lovable, warm, enjoyable for all. Last year I went along to view their debut show at Hull New Theatre and it was clear that everyone in the audience, those with and without PMLD, loved every second of the show leaving the theatre with a real sense of peace and pure joy. Today however, I am here to review the story of Shebaa and her adventures to find the Wisdom Cow! "Shebaa The Sheep has never had any wool! She spends her days feeling different from all of the other sheep in her herd and it makes her feel very sad. After finding a book at her local library, Shebaa goes on a quest to meet the world’s most intelligent and wise creature in all of the land; The Wisdom Cow of Jopplety How in the hope that he can grant her one wish, to have a coat of wool her lamb friends would envy. Join Shebaa as she goes on an adventure, meets other furry friends on the way and learns that there are differences in the most unlikely of places."
Theatre in Hull during COVID19
Happy World Theatre Day! I hope you’ve all had a lovely day reminiscing of the wonderful times you’ve spent working or visiting theatres, even if sometimes it was the most stressful, hard work you have done. Since things are so uncertain we don’t know where we will be in 1 months time let alone for the rest of the year. Shows can be postponed but no one knows when we’ll even be allowed out of the house properly let alone reopening theatres. I guess all we can do it sit around and wait to find out… No, not at all. There is still a lot we can do to continue our support for our local artists, companies and venues.
Outback and Beyond
Whilst in the Dominican Republic we did a few excursions to see a little bit more of the surrounding areas. Although there is so much going on at the hotel, it can get a bit repetitive and boring so we booked the Outback and Beyond trip through our Thomson Reps for the second Monday, in hopes for an adventure. And what a day it was!
A Grand Day Out
During a few nights spent in West Yorkshire, I visited the lovely town of Hawes and had a grand day out checking out the Wensleydale Cheese Factory!
Places to go back to
Over the years, between the two of us (Edmond and I), we have be to a wide variety of countries and places and no matter where we go, we always find ourselves wanting to go back. So in short, this is a post of places each of us want to go back to!
Street Art in Playa del Carmen, Mexico
In today’s post, it is more about the photos I got. One of the things I love the most about Mexico is the creative and artistic nature of its culture. Of course we have street art in the UK but I can be blown away by nearly all of the paintings I see in Mexico compared to here. The colours, the designs, the meanings. I will forever love staring at walls in Mexico. We went for a few walks down various streets around Playa del Carmen, getting off the tourist trap of quinta avenida. 5th Ave is great but once you’ve been a few times, and have witnessed its drastic change to the American malls that it appears to be more of now, it’s easy to get bored. The parts I love are when you turn left, away from the beach and head up to the more local areas where the food is cheaper and smells incredible. I found there is less hassling of the tourists and, as for the purpose of this post, more art!
REVIEW – Dawn of the Patriot by Okimi Peters
Story wise, it is fast paced and a lot happens over the short, 30 page, first issue. It really is snippets into the life of Ziik but being so made me want to pick up the second issue right away. I love a good origin story and that’s exactly what this is yet it’s able to touch on some much deeper and real topics throughout. It becomes an interesting representation of the gang culture, corruption and poverty in busy Nigeria. We get to learn about how all this has an affect on one individual and through his eyes, we see the world around him bit by bit.
REVIEW – Ethereal Series
In some ways it becomes a classic adventure story, as he travels through this world to complete his quest and learn his truths but amongst this, it creates an interesting discussion on the idea of grief using the young adult, fantasy genre. Sam and his parents are having to deal with the death of his brother and it is very clear that each one of them is dealing with it in a completely different way. In Muanga-Atua, Sam' also comes across a number of people who have lost someone or something dear to them, especially during the current time, and each and every one of them finds their own way to deal with it. The two books together give us a lovely commentary on how we might deals with these things ourselves.
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