Worcester Standard anticipates “a powerful and funny play”

by Site Admin on Saturday, August 9, 2008
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Newspapers, Publicity, STAC productions, Worcester Live

This week’s Worcester Standard, out yesterday, looks forward to STAC’s Worcester Festival production, The Memory of Water by Shelagh Stephenson.

The article is online: “Sister act at the Swan”.  The Standard calls the play “powerful and funny”.

You can read more about The Memory of Water here on the play’s dedicated page, or at the Worcester Festival website’s event page.

Worcester News awaits The Blue Room

by Site Admin on Friday, May 2, 2008
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Newspapers, Publicity, STAC productions, Worcester Live

The Worcester News anticipated this week’s STAC production, The Blue Room, with another article (we covered the first here). And the show’s director Chris Jaeger, in role as Worcester Live boss, discussed the play in his Centre Stage column.

The text of both articles follows below.

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Going… Going… Go!

by Site Admin on Sunday, March 9, 2008
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Worcester Live

The Swan Theatre holds an auction tomorrow night, Monday 10th March, raising funds for the theatre.

Unique items and experiences are up for grabs, including theatre tickets, spa breaks, family days out, private tours of hte House of Lords, dinner at top Worcester restaurants, premier sports tickets and private film screenings.

This is an important fund raiser aimed at keeping STAC’s Swan Theatre open and the broader arts community surrounding Worcester Live… well, alive.

Chris Jaeger says “We are passionate about keeping the arts alive in Worcester but we need your help. Please come along on the night and join in the fun. It’s a great evening.”

The auction begins at 7.30pm tomorrow (Monday) night.

Christmas “Centre Stage”

by Site Admin on Friday, December 14, 2007
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Newspapers, Worcester Live

 

Chris Jaeger’s Centre Stage column in the Worcester News this week, mainly covering the pantomime, also delivers a wider Christmas message to arts patrons in Worcester.

May I take this opportunity to wish everybody a very happy Christmas? So many of you support us during the year, at the Hall, the Swan, the Festival and for the first time this year, at Shakespeare at the Commandery.

It is always tough financially in the arts, so your support is essential to the well-being of the arts provision in Worcester. So many of you do come regularly, and we love you! Please keep coming in 2008!

Aladdin at the Swan Theatre

by Site Admin on Tuesday, December 11, 2007
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Newspapers, Other local arts, Worcester Live

If you are still hankering for more Christmas theatre at the Swan following last week’s sell-out STAC production Dig In For Murder, then Worcester’s annual seasonal pantomime might be the answer to your wishes. This year Aladdin literally flies into town on his magic carpet.

John Phillpot gives a very positive review in the Worcester News:

this is a rootin’ tootin’, rip-roaring rampage through a roster of one-liners, with the gags coming thick and fast. Not only that, but writers Paul Milton and Chris Jaeger also add some topical jokes into the festive mix to give the show extra spice and immediacy.

The cast is a glittering showcase of talent. Worcester lad Ben Humphrey returns to his native city to make a formidable Aladdin, ably partnered by Claire Rimell as Princess Jasmine.

 

Chris Jaeger has said, “We were blown away with the success of last year’s pantomime, I still have people come up to me in the street and comment on what a great pantomime it was! This will be our 5th pantomime at the Swan Theatre now and we’re confident that we have the perfect recipe for success.”

Aladdin is showing now and runs until Sunday 30th December. Tickets from £8.50 to £14.50 are available from the Worcester Live Box Office.

Vote for “Millions” to come to Worcester’s Cripplegate Park

by Site Admin on Wednesday, November 28, 2007
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Other local news, Worcester Live

Worcester Live is supporting (via their email list) the Cripplegate Park bid to receive a small portion of the “People’s Millions”, being given away tonight on ITV1.

From the City Council:

People’s Millions
I-Play bid goes to the public vote!!!

Please call 08702 433 302
You can call from 9am to Midnight.
Each vote from a landline costs less than 10p.
Mobile calls will be a bit more.
You are allowed 10 votes from each phoneline.

A bid to turn a small, underused area of Cripplegate park into a play and meeting space for teenagers has won through to the final round of the ‘People’s Millions Project’. The bid is for £44,558 and covers the cost of the I-Play game, an up to the minute youth shelter and contemporary setting.

I-Play is a brand new concept in play, designed to counteract the current trend in obesity and ‘couch potato’ syndrome. It is solar powered and uses computer and mobile phone technology to motivate children into activity. Participants play the physically active game and compete with themselves or others in the park, city, or county in order to complete the game in the fastest time. One of it’s strongest points is that it can be played by children in wheelchairs or those who have hearing or sight impairment.

It is a trail blazing piece of equipment and how wonderful would it be if Worcester was one of the first places to install it?

We need your vote if we are to win.

The Swan is “a genuine community resource with a balanced programme”

by Site Admin on Thursday, November 22, 2007
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Newspapers, Other local arts, STAC news, Worcester Live

STAC member, Bob Churchill, and head of Worcester Live, Chris Jaeger, independently had letters printed in the Worcester Standard last week. Both were defending the Swan Theatre against the peculiar charge that it does not cater for a wide enough range of tastes, especially family audiences.

A letter in the Worcester Standard, 9th November (note: the page online is inaccurately dated as the subsequent Friday, the 16th), had complained that “what is on offer generally at the Swan theatre these days” is too often like the recent tour, Get Naked. (This was a nude a cappella performance by a troupe of male singers, though even this was aimed more at philosophizing about attitudes to the male body than simple lude entertainment.) These shows, Joan Ritchie argued, “are not suitable for a mixed age audience. It seems a shame that a theatre that was brought about by the people, for the people now only attracts limited audiences.” (Her letter is reproduced below.)

Bob Churchill and Chris Jaeger’s responses can be found online on the Standard’s Letters page for the 16th November (or in full below). Bob talks from the perspective of his “own theatrical experience in Worcester (acting) … with the STAC”, detailing the shows STAC have performed in the last year or so, many of which were suitable for a wide range of audiences. And he also mentions the STAC Children’s Theatre shows: “they are very popular, and, I’m proud to say, they cost just £1.50 a ticket. If that’s not inclusive I don’t know what is!”

Meanwhile Chris gave a similar rundown of shows from the broader perspective of the whole theatre, concluding that the Swan “is a genuine community resource with a balanced programme, If you choose not to come, that is your prerogative, but please don’t pretend that there is nothing here for mixed audiences. There is something here for everybody.”

All three letters are reproduced in full below.

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The New Skell

by Site Admin on Friday, October 12, 2007
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Newspapers, Other local arts, Personal, STAC news, Worcester Live

The Standard reports on a familiar face today.

Jared Thomas joined the Swan Theatre Amateur Company last year, first playing a love-sick Jack in Charley’s Aunt (alongside Keith Thompson and Bob Churchill who are both currently playing in Relatively Speaking) and then playing the lecherous best friend in Babysitting Calvin earlier this year. He has since played one of the “rude mechanicals” in the Invitation Company’s Midsummer Night’s Dream this summer.

And now… he is the new Skell, leading Worcester Live’s ghostbusting tours for children around the city.

The Standard article can be found online: “Ghostwalk starts up for new series of fright nights”. Also see the Worcester Live Children’s Ghostwalk page.

Who needs Barcelona?

by Site Admin on Friday, October 5, 2007
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Children's Theatre, Newspapers, Other local arts, STAC productions, Worcester Live

Director of Worcester Live, Chris Jaeger, is in the Worcester News today with his regular “Centre Stage” column, this month considering the “vexed question” of art funding.

He argues that because local authorities are constrained by their budgets “they always ask what things are going to cost”, and yet the arts are not a cost, they are an investment.

[Barcelona] just shouts culture’ - and surprise, surprise, it is one of the most desirable and exciting destinations in Europe.

People flock there, and the art contributes hugely to their experience.

It’s a sound argument! And with the nights closing in, why not make next week a time to delve into the artistic life of Worcester? There is dance, drama and music to enrich the Worcester experience!

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The birds descend on Worcester Festival

by Site Admin on Saturday, August 25, 2007
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Other local news, Worcester Live

It is the final weekend of the Worcester Festival organised by Worcester Live. Chris Jaeger has pointed out that “Apart from the opening Saturday, the weather has been as best indifferent, and sometimes downright awful”, but that all changed yesterday with a glorious sunny day and good weather predicted for the rest of the bank holiday weekend. Chris says he is “looking forward to a great last weekend. There will be loads of street theatre in the city on Saturday as well as great music on the CrownGate Live Stage. [...] And then of course, the fireworks at 10pm on South Quay.”

And joining in the relaxed atmosphere down by the river at the quay fountains are a pair of peregrine falcons, who have become an attraction all of their own, with a RSPB tent setting up stall under the spire next to the college (see Worcester News).

Left: the RSPB telescope set up to train on the roosting male falcon. Center: A 3x zoom shot of the falcon on the spire from the ground. Right: A many-more-x zoom shot of the falcon on the spire, taken through the telescope.

Apparently the peregrine falcons may attack pigeons and even seagulls. Let’s hope Percy the Festival Peacock doesn’t get too close.

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