Unity Youth Theatre performs a new play by Esther Wilson this Saturday in Unity’s Dark Dark Wood

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Unity Theatre

This Saturday, December 17 at 7.30pm & 8.30pm, Unity Youth Theatre will give a special Christmas performance - 'Once There Were Trees' - inspired by the setting of the Dark Dark Wood and written by the members themselves with award winning Liverpool playwright Esther Wilson ('Ten Tiny Toes', 'Tony Teardrop', 'Unprotected').

Esther Wilson is an award-winning Liverpool playwright and screenwriter. She has written for Bafta and Emmy award winning shows The Street and Accused. She has also won an RTS Award for best newcomer for The Street.

Unity Youth Theatre and their directors, Laura Campbell and Carl Cockram worked with Esther Wilson to bring together the following programme note:

“Britain is the loneliness capital of the world.

“Shockingly, it is a greater concern for young people than it is for the elderly. Loneliness is linked to stress, depression, anxiety, paranoia and addiction. The Internet and social media can be great at keeping us connected to the wider world but it can be detrimental when it replaces personal interaction.

“We are bombarded with information on how we should look, think, feel and experience the world. We often find ourselves lacking in comparison. Everyone seems to be out there having a great time…except ‘me’.

“Or we are faced with the notion that the world is a terrible place. Death, war, famine, climate change. We struggle with great waves of guilt and compassion while feeling inadequate at not being able to do anything to make the world a better place. We have invented all these wonderful systems - science, religion, technology - to help us understand what it is to be human. But they often overwhelm and control us. And stop us from accepting that there are many unknowns in the world…things that can’t be explained or put in a ‘box’. Young people look to the adult world for answers…but we simply don’t have them all. We don’t have many. In reality we are all curious children negotiating an unfamiliar path that can be both terrifying and exciting. Isn’t it our duty to enable those coming after us to trust in their own instincts and thoughts? To help them develop the courage to step into the unknown on their own terms? Original thinkers dare to question what the world accepts as fact. In order to move forward we have to learn and adapt.

“We are a creative species. Look around you. Most things you see have been thought into being. Whatever terrifying things happen around us the desire to celebrate life will still course through our veins. It is manifest in our singing, our dancing and our laughter. It’s the subversive two fingered salute to oppression, suffering and death. It comes from our young people. It is a glorious cause for celebration.

“This piece has been inspired by Dante’s inferno, The Bible, The Viz, Iceland, Carl Sagan, the Beatle’s White Wlbum, Prince, the Anglican Cathedral Gardens, Sting, Night of the Hunter, the 80’s music scene, Red Riding Hood, Absurdism and the courage of the original thinkers of Unity Youth Theatre.

“A collective endeavour involving Unity Youth Theatre, Laura Campbell, Carl Cockram and Esther Wilson.”

Working with Action Transport Theatre and Katie Scott, a designer from Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, the Dark Dark Wood draws on visual ideas from the Christmas show, Little Red and the Big Bad Wolf. The theatre is delighted to have received a grant from the PRS Foundation, which has made the series of events possible.

Tickets can be booked via Unity Theatre’s Box Office, by calling 0151 709 4988 or via www.unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk.

Patrick Dineen performs in Unity Theatre’s Dark Dark Wood

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Unity Theatre

Patrick Dineen, composer for Christmas Show, Little Red and the Big Bad Wolf, performs in Unity Theatre’s Dark Dark Wood

Regular Unity Theatre and Action Transport Theatre Christmas show collaborator, composer Patrick Dineen will use the setting of Dark Dark Wood to continue his own exploration of music inspired by dark fairy tales on Thursday December 15 at 8pm.

Patrick Dineen is a composer, lyricist and orchestrator. He began in music began by touring and recording with his own band Kan Kan and then ran a tango nightclub in London’s West End while writing songs and music for fringe theatres. His work led him to becoming a freelance composer for theatre, TV radio, and film and subsequently being invited to study with Stephen Sondheim in his Master Classes in Music Theatre at Oxford University. Since then he has written many scores, for theatre, ballet, TV, radio, independent film as well as large-scale site-specific projects.

Patrick said: "I'm excited to be writing and developing music which thematically links to the music I’m writing for Little Red, I've always been fascinated by the darker side of fairy tales, and this project has allowed me to go deeper and further into the imagination.”

Working with Action Transport Theatre and Katie Scott, a designer from Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, the Dark Dark Wood draws on visual ideas from the Christmas show, Little Red and the Big Bad Wolf. The theatre is delighted to have received a grant from the PRS Foundation, which has made the series of events possible.

Tickets can be booked via Unity Theatre’s Box Office, by calling 0151 709 4988 or via www.unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk.

Little Red and The Big Bad Wolf

Image Source: Unity Theatre

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Pantomime
Genre: Comedy
Date: December 3 2016
Location: Unity Theatre, Liverpool, England

The fairytale of Little Red Riding Hood is known by virtually everyone, with the target audience obviously being young children. The story has slight differences in some versions, but needless to say, the core elements remain the same, including the relatively short time it takes to tell the tale.

Therefore, Little Red and The Big Bad Wolf was an intriguing prospect. How do you take a story which everybody will know, and which doesn't last too long, and create a theatre show out of it that will maintain interest and provide entertainment for attendees of all ages? Well, anybody who feels that this is an impossible task would be surprised, because Little Red ... ticks all the boxes, whilst adding some unique layers which ensure that it stands out from the classic fairytale.

You won't need me to explain the plot, but I will tell you why this show is different. For starters, there are a number of original songs featured in each scene, which help to either move the story along or emphasise certain character traits. The settings are also a stand-out element: we're taken into the woods, including the use of gravel to represent the muddy fields walked through by Little Red. But it's the use of comedy which helps to make this show: there are frequent moments of comedy, ranging from standard lines appealing to younger members of the audience to clever one-liners and even some occasional ad-libbing to match the opinions of those warning Little Red and her grandma of impending doom.

I also appreciated the smaller touches: the story wasn't afraid to poke fun at itself on more than one occasion, and there are also nods to other classic fairy-tales, including one amusing reference to Jack and The Beanstalk. The costumes were effective, and helped to hide the fact (or perhaps promote it in a satirical manner) that the same crew of four performers were playing all of the characters (besides Luca Rutherford, who plays Little Red, the remaining members of the cast have more than one role). Speaking of which, all four actors and actresses - Luca Rutherford, Harvey Robinson (who plays the Big Bad Wolf), Simone Lewis and Natalia Campbell - adapt well to their interesting surroundings (a greater achievement considering the very intimate theatre setting for the show), with each having an important part to play and with the performances being strong throughout, ranging from drama to comedy to mild horror (one very young child near me got a bit frightened towards the end!). And without spoiling the details, I will urge that the kids look out for moments of audience participation, as there may be a chance to not only get involved, but to also pick up a little treat!

The only thing I would say which could have been better was that, as a show which will be held over the Xmas season, there wasn't anything particularly Christmassy. Some decorations, one holiday-themed hit or even a Christmas-related scene tacked onto the finale would have gotten the young 'uns into that festive spirit. Otherwise, though, this was a really fun show, one perhaps better for those who have kids aged between 5 and 10, but I feel that all members of the family will enjoy this unique retelling of a classic story.

Overall Rating: 8/10 - Very Good