Flamenco Festival London 2012

February 7-19, 2012

at Sadlers Wells

"The Flamenco Festival is now an eagerly anticipated annual fixture" Daily Express
A treat for flamenco enthusiasts and newcomers alike, the ninth annual Flamenco Festival London at Sadler's Wells presents the world's finest flamenco dancers and musicians. This two week festival includes performances of flamenco in both its traditional and contemporary forms and features a special gala with performances by Carmen Cortés, Rafaela Carrrasco and Olga Pericet, being held on 11 and 12 February.

The festival opens on 7 February with Paseo de Gracia by Latin Grammy Award-winning Vicente Amigo who has been described as one of the most accomplished flamenco guitarists of his generation and has won many of Spain's most prestigious music awards.

On 13 February, leading flamenco guitarist Gerardo Núñez and his quintet, known for his awe-inspiring speed and cross-cultural collaborations, is joined by guest gypsy dancer Carmen Cortés who performs alongside Núñez and his quintet in Travesía.

From 14 -16 February Antonio Gades Company of 19 dancers and seven musicians performs his folk-dance-drama interpretation of Lope de Vega's play, Fuenteovejuna. Famous for his flamenco-based versions of Blood Wedding and Carmen, the work of the late Antonio Gades never fails to deliver "drama of the highest order" (The Times).
Also celebrating the life of Federico García Lorca is Rafael Amargo, who brings Poet in New York to Sadler's Wells on 17 and 18 February. Based on a poem by Lorca, the show evokes the time, place and culture in which Lorca was writing through stunning 1930s inspired video and imagery.

Other highlights of this year's festival include gypsy flamenco dancer Manuela Carrasco, described by the Financial Times as "a monumental artist", who returns to London with Suspiro Flamenco on 8 and 9 February. The Olga Pericet Company performs Rosa, Metal, Ceniza (Rose, Metal, Ash) on 10 February, combining Pericet's demanding technique, different dance styles and jaw-dropping athleticism. On 18 February alternative flamenco act La Shica performs Supercop a show that features music derived from flamenco as well as copla that incorporates aspects of both hip-hop and pop in in the Lilian Baylis Studio.

Closing this year's Flamenco Festival London on 19 February is the famous cantaor José Mercé who returns to Sadler's Wells for the first time since 2003. The evening includes all of Mercé's biggest hits from a 15 year career that has seen him sell over half a million albums.


Flamenco Festival London 2012, listings information:
Vicente Amigo Paseo de Gracia
Tuesday 7 February
Performance at 7.30pm
Manuela Carrasco Company Suspiro Flamenco
Wednesday 8 & Thursday 9 February
Performances at 7.30pm
Olga Pericet Company Rosa, Metal, Ceniza (Rose, Metal, Ash)
Friday 10 February
Performance at 7.30pm
Flamenco Gala
Saturday 11 & Sunday 12 February
Performances at 7.30pm, Saturday at 4pm
Gerardo Núñez Travesía with guest Carmen Cortés
Monday 13 February
Performances at 7.30pm
Antonio Gades Company Fuenteovejuna
Tuesday 14 - Thursday 16 February
Performances at 7.30pm

Rafael Amargo Company Poet in New York
Friday 17 & Saturday 18 February
Performances at 7.30pm, Saturday at 4pm
La Shica Supercop (Co-produced with Instituto Cervantes)
Saturday 18 February
Performance at 8pm
José Mercé In Concert
Sunday 19 February
Performance at 7.30pm

Flamenco Festival London 2012

UK Premiere
Sadler's Wells
Tuesday 7 - Sunday 19 February 2012
Tickets: £12 - £40
Ticket Office: +44844 412 4300

Brilliant Corners

Emanuel Gat

at

Sadlers Wells

October 10 - 11, 2011

Brilliant Corners is the newest work from Israeli choreographer and performer Emanuel Gat. Created for ten dancers it is set to an original score composed by Gat himself. An explosion of simultaneous ideas, this new work is a choreographic playground of multiple perspectives, exposing both the fragility and burning relevance of the moment.

Brilliant Corners is the title of Jazz musician Thelonius Monk’s 1957 LP. Using the name of the album to prompt a line of thinking, Brilliant Corners is made of carefully assembled details, complex in its structure yet simple in its ability to convey the immediacy and intimacy of the human presence.

Emanuel Gat is one of contemporary dance’s most exciting young talents. His work has been presented internationally and since founding his own company in 2004 he has collected several high profile awards. His company previously performed at Sadler’s Wells in both 2008 and 2010 to critical acclaim.

Part of Dance Umbrella 2011


the review:

Brilliant Corners proved to be a one hour display of great choreography cobined with extremely talented dancers.

The action took place within a large rectangle which lit the stage floor, but this was contemporary dance with a twist as precise and almost symmetrical shapes appeared from the dancers as the individuals linked their movements in a very modern fashion.  From this critic's perspective the interactions between the members of the company illustrated a wide variety of relationships between groups and individuals and never failed to impress and entertain.

However, what let the show down was the music which seemed to interrupt the choreography rather than enhance it.    Music is often a matter of taste;  but in this particular case it seemed intrusive and invasive - although perhaps intentionally?

A star in the making!

Dance Umbrella presents internationally acclaimed Israeli choreographer and performer Emanuel Gat (Sadler's Wells: 10 & 11 Oct) with the UK premiere of Brilliant Corners, his latest work. Commissioned by Dance Umbrella, as part of ENPARTS, Brilliant Corners is an explosion of simultaneous ideas, a choreographic playground of multiple perspectives, exposing both the fragility and burning relevance of the moment. Created for ten dancers, Brilliant Corners is set to an original score composed by Gat himself.

Betsy Gregory, Artistic Director, Dance Umbrella said: "This year we are delighted to offer significant support to Emanuel Gat, an artist we have been following for several years. We presented him for the first time in Dance Umbrella 2010, when he choreographed part of a mixed programme for Candoco. This year we will present his marvellous company in a full evening work, Brilliant Corners, commissioned as a result of our membership of ENPARTS, an EU-funded initiative that enables us to leverage both significant financial support and Europe-wide touring opportunities for selected artists."

Brilliant Corners takes its title of Jazz musician Thelonius Monk's 1957 LP. Using the name of the album to prompt a line of thinking, Brilliant Corners is made of carefully assembled details, complex in its structure yet simple in its ability to convey the immediacy and intimacy of the human presence.

"Monk's music appears in no way in the score of this piece, but many aspects of his music are very much present. I have always found in it endless inspiration for dance making, and although the piece contains no direct reference to this music, it shares with it a certain understanding regarding the process of transforming concrete artistic matter, into environments where both artists and audiences are offered a somewhat clearer glance at life" - Emanuel Gat

Emanuel Gat is one of contemporary dance's most exciting talents. He was born in Israel in 1969 and studied music at the Tel Aviv Academy. His career in dance started at the Liat Dror Nir Ben Gal Company creating his first solo piece Four Dances in 1994. Gat established his own company Emanuel Gat Dance in 2004 at Suzanne Dellal Centre in Tel Aviv, before moving to France in 2007. In 2006 he was named a chosen artist of the Israel Cultural Excellence Foundation IcExcellence, one of Israel's highest honors for artists. The company has since created nine pieces that have toured around the world. In 2006 Emanuel Gat received a Bessie Award for the presentation of The Rite of Spring at the Lincoln Center Festival in New York. He is invited regularly as a guest choreographer to create work for other companies such as, Paris Opera Ballet, Ballet de Geneve and Sydney Dance Company.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Brilliant Corners

Commissioned by: Dance Umbrella (London), La Biennale di Venezia (Venice) and Dansens Hus (Stockholm) within ENPARTS - European Network of Performing Arts, with the support of the European commission.

Co-production: Festival MontpellierDanse 2011, Sadler's Wells, deSingel.

With the support of BNP-Paribas fondation, Régie Scènes et Cinés-Théâtre de l'Olivier, Conseil Général des Bouches du Rhône - Domaine de l'Etang des Aulnes

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Dance Umbrella 2011 is supported by Arts Council England and runs from Sat 1 Oct until Sat 29 Oct at venues across London including - Southbank Centre, Barbican, Sadler's Wells, The Place, The Gate Theatre, Victoria and Albert Museum, Linbury Studio Theatre at the Royal Opera House and Stratford Circus.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

7.30pm.

ticket line:0844 412 4300

10 & 11 October



Tickets: £10 - £20 (US$16-32)

Dance Umbrella Ticket Line: 0844 412 4312

(Transaction fee and restrictions apply and tickets also available from venues).

Road to 2012: Changing Pace

through October 2, 2011

at

The National Portrait Gallery


review below
  

The portraits should be seen just because this particular edition of Road to 2012 at the NPG shows  a selection of the diverse group of people involved in the Games and the Cultural Olympiad.

Putting faces to the names is always a good thing to do; and the quality of composition of these portraits are very different and benefit from their variety.

No images in this review - just an invitation to go see the exhibit!

Seb Coe, LOCOG Chairman, Chris Holmes, LOCOG Director of Paralympic Integration, and London 2012 Cultural Olympiad Director Ruth Mackenzie
World and European Triple jump Champion and Beijing 2008 Olympic silver medalist Phillips Idowu and coach Aston Moore
Wheelchair-racing champion David Weir - Beijing 2008 double gold medalist and 2011 World Championships triple gold medalist with coach Jenny Archer
BBC broadcaster Sue Barker, BBC London Olympic correspondent Adrian Warner and Roger Mosey, BBC Director of London 2012
Lucy Macgregor with her world number one-ranked racing team Annie Lush and Kate Macgregor and their Dutch coach Maurice Paardenkooper
Children’s Laureate Michael Morpurgo, writer of the story of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games mascots Wenlock and Mandeville for a series of animated films building up to London 2012 with Greg Nugent, LOCOG Director of Marketing, who commissioned him
Pippa Funnell, three-day event rider, member of medal-winning GB Olympic Eventing team in 2000 and 2004, with her husband, international show-jumper William Funnell

Emma Hardy’s portraits show the people responsible for staging the Olympic and Paralympic Games in pursuits which in some cases reflect their former sporting careers. Finlay Mackay photographs athletes with the trainers, coaches or family members whom they nominated as being pivotal to their sporting success.

Thanks to funding from BT, Road to 2012: Changing Pace continues the journey to London 2012 that started with last year’s exhibition Road to 2012: Setting Out. The three-year project will create up to 100 newly commissioned photographic portraits celebrating the people who will collectively make the London 2012 Games happen. Each annual phase will be displayed free to the public at the Gallery. The final display in summer 2012 will be part of the London 2012 Festival, the finale of the Cultural Olympiad, and will include new portraits plus highlights of all the commissioned work.

if you wantto take a close up look at some of the potential London 2012 athletes then go see the exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery.

Copyright: © Bettina von Zwehl - National Portrait Gallery/BT Road to 2012 Project
Nathan Stephens (1988) Barry Island

you may recognize some of the more familar elite athletes above, but take a closer look at the backroom talent photographed by Brian Griffin below

Tony Winterbottom (b1944) and Ken Livingstone (1945) City Hall, London 

Copyright: © Brian Griffin - National Portrait Gallery/BT Road to 2012 Project (above and below)

Jim Heverin (b1969), Zaha Hadid (b1950), Stuart Fraser (b1946) and Mike King (b1968), Olympic Park, London

ROAD TO 2012: A LOCAL STORY

The National Portrait Gallery/BT Road to 2012 Project

plus

View Tube, Pudding Mill Lane, Stratford, London 27 July-2 October 2011

Admission Free Open daily 9am-5pm

- An exhibition of portraits and stories of East London community groups by photographer Katherine Green to complement the ‘Road to 2012: Changing Pace’ exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery.

Exploring stories of inspiration, talent and team-work in the five Olympic host boroughs, Road to 2012: A Local Story features a selection of images and recordings of community groups. These include Repton Boxing Club in Bethnal Green, Docklands Sailing and Watersport Centre in the Isle of Dogs, Youngs Table Tennis Group in Abbey Wood and the East London Wheelchair Athletics Club in Mile End.

Documented by East-London photographer Katherine Green Road to 2012: A Local Story highlights east London perspectives on the changing landscape and the impact of the Games on the local environment. The exhibition shows young people and adults actively involved in community sport and social groups in the boroughs of Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Newham and Greenwich. Road to 2012: A Local Story is a participation strand of the National Portrait Gallery/BT Road to 2012 Project and complements the recently opened Road to 2012: Changing Pace at the National Portrait Gallery.

Katherine Green is a photographer, born in East London, UK in 1974. Katherine studied postgraduate photography at Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design, London and fine art at Surrey Institute of Art & Design. Her work has been published in ‘The Guardian’, ‘Time Out’ and ‘The Big Issue’ and she has had solo shows in London and Wolverhampton. She has self-published two books, ‘Wood Street, E17’ and ‘Last Days at the Dogs’. Katherine’s work often focuses on documenting communities through photography and oral history, exploring what community means to different people. www.katherinegreen.co.uk

Alongside the exhibition, the National Portrait Gallery is running a series of photography masterclasses on Saturdays at the View Tube with high-profile photographers involved in the National Portrait Gallery/BT Road to 2012 Project. These free workshops open to all will focus on portrait photography using the Olympic Stadium as the backdrop. The photographers leading the workshops are Brian Griffin, Bettina von Zwehl, Emma Hardy and Katherine Green.

The View Tube is a vibrant cafe and arts space that look directly over the Olympic Park and has impressive close-up views of the Stadium, Anish Kapoor’s Orbit, and the Aquatics Centre. It is the best place in London to see the constantly changing landscape of the park and includes bicycle hire, an artist garden and social events.

In addition to the community groups featured in this exhibition, Road to 2012: A Local Story is also working with the Royal London Society for the Blind in Tower Hamlets, Branches homeless shelter in Waltham Forest, London Fields Lido in Hackney, Blackheath Fencing club in Greenwich and Ashton-Mansfield community centre in Newham.

EXHIBITION

Road to 2012: A Local Story
At the View Tube, Stratford, E14 2PJ

Open daily 9.00 – 17.00

Tube: Pudding Mill Lane, 1 stop on the DLR from Stratford
Admission Free

PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS

Saturdays 11.00 – 13.00 at the View Tube
13 August – Brian Griffin
27 August – Bettina von Zwehl
10 September – Emma Hardy
17 September – Katherine Green

The locations of this latest exhibition include:

Docklands Sailing and Watersports Centre, Isle of Dogs - The charity delivers affordable water sports sessions to the local community, focussing particularly on underprivileged young people, disabled people and those with special needs.

Greenwich Table Tennis Group, Abbey Wood - The group play regular tournaments, working with young people and adults to encourage the participation of table tennis.

Repton Boxing Club, Bethnal Green - The club grew out of Repton Boys Club, which was established in 1884 by Repton Public School as a way of giving support and encouragement to the young men in one of the country's poorest communities. Boxers such as John H Stracey, Audley Harrison, Maurice Hope, Gary Barker, Sylvester Mitte and Tony Cesay have trained here.

East London Wheelchair Athletics Club Newham, Mile End - The group deliver an extensive programme of sessions for children, young people and adults who are disabled. Sessions are delivered at Mile End Leisure Centre.

About the Cultural Olympiad and London 2012 Festival

The London 2012 Cultural Olympiad is the largest cultural celebration in the history of the modern Olympic and Paralympic Movements. Spread over four years, it is designed to give everyone in the UK a chance to be part of London 2012 and inspire creativity across all forms of culture, especially among young people. Since the Cultural Olympiad started in 2008 11.2million people from across the UK have participated in or attended over 5,400 public performances as part of the Cultural Olympiad and programmes inspired by 2012 and funded by our principle funders and sponsors. Over 67,000 people have attended 6,800 workshops as part of Cultural Olympiad programmes. The culmination of the Cultural Olympiad will be the London 2012 Festival, bringing leading artists from all over the world together from 21 June 2012 in this UK-wide festival – a chance for everyone to celebrate London 2012 through dance, music, theatre, the visual arts, film and digital innovation and leave a lasting legacy for the arts in this country.

Principal funders of the Cultural Olympiad and London 2012 Festival are Arts Council England, Legacy Trust UK and the Olympic Lottery Distributor. BP and BT are Premier Partners of the Cultural Olympiad and the London 2012 Festival.

June 16 through September 18, 2011 at the National Portrait Gallery

The four artists shortlisted for the 2011 award are: Ian Cumberland for Just to Feel Normal; Wim Heldens for Distracted, Sertan Saltan for Mrs. Cerna and Louis Smith for Holly.

In addition to a prize of £25,000, the winner of the BP Portrait Award will receive a commission worth £4,000. The second prize will be £8,000 and third £6,000. For the fifth year there will be a BP Young Artist Award of £5,000 for the work of an entrant aged between 18 and 30. Both Ian Cumberland and Sertan Saltan are eligible for this award.

The award and the winners of the prizes will be announced on the evening of Tuesday 14 June.

The Portrait Award, now in its 32nd year at the National Portrait Gallery and 22nd year of sponsorship by BP, is a highly successful annual event aimed at encouraging artists to focus upon, and develop, the theme of painted portraiture within their work.

BP PORTRAIT AWARD 2011 – OVERALL FIGURES

• Total number of entrants 2, 372, of which
• UK Entries 1, 644 and  International Entries 728

BP PORTRAIT AWARD 2011 – EXHIBITION FIGURES
(55 SELECTED FROM TOTAL ENTRY)

Exhibition entrants 41 or over 21
Exhibition entrants 30 and under 10
Exhibition entrants 31 – 40 years 24
International artists 17

Countries represented by artists in Exhibition:

England (33); Wales (1); Scotland (3); Northern Ireland (1); Ireland (1); USA (4); Netherlands (2); Spain (5); Israel (1); Czech Republic (1); Latvia (1); Italy (1); Canada (1);

The four artists in consideration for the BP Portrait Award 2011 are:

Ian Cumberland (16.03.83) for Just to Feel Normal (oil on linen, 1500mm x 1000mm)

Ian Cumberland lives and works in County Down, Northern Ireland. Since graduating in Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Ulster in 2006 he has had a solo exhibition at the Albermarle Gallery in London and has won several awards. Ian’s work is represented in public collections in Ireland. He was a BP Portrait Award exhibitor in 2009. His shortlisted portrait is an enigmatic half-smiling head-and-shoulders study of a friend, who has a tuft of short blond hair and slightly-closed left eye lids perhaps indicating a more melancholy demeanour. ‘This is a painting of a friend whose story is like many others from my generation that have fallen victim to themselves and their preferred habits’, says Cumberland. ‘The title Just to feel Normal refers to his answer when asked why he continues along his chosen path’.

Wim Heldens (29.03.54) for Distracted (oil on canvas, 750mm x 550mm)

Wim Heldens is a self-taught, professional artist who lives in Amsterdam and whose work has been seen in numerous group and solo exhibitions in Europe and the United States. He was a BP Portrait Award exhibitor in 2008 and 2010. His sitter is Jeroen, a 25-year-old philosophy student to whom the artist has been a father-figure since he was four. He has sat for him over 20 times, and is pictured here leaning on a section of wall with a pencil in his hand wearing the black and grey of which Heldens says, ‘he only seems to be wearing these days’. The simple white studio walls are used as basics for his composition, focusing on his sitter in the light from the window. ‘I have been fascinated with painting Jeroen in all stages of life through growing up. While I have painted him many times in groups, once in a while there is the desire to paint a simple portrait of just him. Now, he is an intelligent and sensitive young man’.

Sertan Saltan (17.09.82) for Mrs. Cerna (oil on canvas, 410mm x 510mm)

Born in 1982 in Eskisehir, Turkey, Sertan Saltan now lives and works in Avon, Connecticut (USA), where he is developing a studio. He studied painting at a famous atelier in Istanbul before moving to the United States in 2006 to continue his studies at New York State University where he gained a BFA in Product Design. His sitter Mrs Cerna is the younger sister of a friend in New York City, who is caught glancing at the artist, almost menacingly, in her hair rollers and latex gloves sharpening a large knife. ‘The contrast of knife, gloves and rollers brought both humour and horror to mind’, he says. ‘The animated sharpening of the knives and thoughtful facial expressions were burned into my mind’s eye. I wanted to capture on canvas that moment which allows the viewer to meet this extraordinary woman and experience the richness and complexity of her preparation for Thanksgiving dinner’.

Louis Smith (14.08.69) for Holly (oil on canvas, 3640mm x 2430mm)

Louis Smith, from Manchester, studied painting at Sheffield Hallam University and scene painting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He has exhibited in Britain and Italy and at the 2009 BP Portrait Award. His eight-foot portrait shows a naked model called Holly hand-cuffed to a rock in a wild cave-like landscape. The Allegory of Prometheus is re-imagined in female form. Prometheus stole fire from Zeus and give it to mortals; as punishment he was bound to a rock while an eagle ate his liver daily only for it to grow back to be eaten the next day. Holly looks into the eagle’s face with calm resilience, accepting her fate. ‘It’s a message of composure in the face of adversity, something we can all draw strength from in our struggle to make a daily living.’ The portrait has a huge gilt frame with a marble plaque at the base, inscribed with the name ‘Holly’. ‘It’s an extravagant attempt to illuminate the Baroque style,’ says Louis, who was helped with set, frame and background painting by Carmel Said.

The competition was judged from original paintings by this year’s panel:

Sandy Nairne, Director, National Portrait Gallery, London (Chair)
Paul Emsley, Artist, BP Portrait Award First Prize Winner 2007
Jonathan Jones, Art Critic, The Guardian
Iwona Blazwick OBE, Director, Whitechapel Gallery, London
Rosie Broadley, Associate Contemporary Curator, National Portrait Gallery, London
Des Violaris, Director, UK Arts and Culture, BP

CATALOGUE

A fully-illustrated catalogue accompanies the exhibition and features an introductory essay by Alison Weir, the author of The Six Wives of Henry VIII and the recent bestseller The Captive Queen. Her new book Mary Boleyn: 'The Great and Infamous Whore' is published by Jonathan Cape in October 2011. The BP Portrait Award 2011 book will be published on 16 June 2011, and will include over 55 colour illustrations, price £8.99 (pbk).

500 PORTRAITS BOOK: THE BP PORTRAIT AWARD

500 Portraits presents a unique selection of some of the most exciting contemporary portraits selected for the National Portrait Gallery’s annual competition from 1990 to 2010. It also features the winners’ commissioned portraits for the National Portrait Gallery including those of Dame Helen Mirren, J K Rowling, Sir Michael Caine, Fiona Shaw, Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Paul Smith and Dame Cicely Saunders. During the 20 years of the BP Portrait Award covered by the book, over 20,000 artists have entered the prize, which has attracted over three million visitors. This new book brings together some of these portraits in a celebration of our enduring fascination with different human faces. With an introduction by the National Portrait Gallery’s Director Sandy Nairne, 500 Portraits is published in July, price £25 hardback.

National Portrait Gallery,
St Martin’s Place, London, WC2H 0HE

Opening hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday: 10am – 6pm
(Gallery closure commences at 5.50pm)

Late Opening: Thursday, Friday: 10am – 9pm
(Gallery closure commences at 8.50pm)

Recorded information: +4420 7312 2463
General information: +4420 7306 0055

Underground: Leicester Square/Charing Cross

horla present:

A CHRISTMAS CAROL
By Charles Dickens

adapted by Joanna Volinska
directed by Alistair Green
original music by Jonathan Langford and Carole Carpenter
design by Tracy Waller

TRAFALGAR STUDIOS 2
Trafalgar Studios, Whitehall, London, SW1A 2DY

December 21, 2010 through January 8, 2011

"If your deeds come to haunt you, it is time to make amends."

This charming and delightful production which is squeezed into the smaller theatre at the Trafalgar Studios is a perfect alternative to the typical West End show currently on offer.

While London theatre and the TV seems absorbed with the story of Scrooge - did you see the Christmas Doctor Who Special? - this production neatly tells the story of Scrooge with a more than generous interpretation of what often is seen as a very mean-spirited character.   Instead, the ghost of Christmas past tells the story of a less than happy childhood which explains the more credible (rather than incredible) process of Scrooge's redemption.

Crammed into a small theatre with a tiny stage the versatile company practically trips over the audience as the characters cleverly use the flexibility of the props to give this production a legitimacy that is often missed in larger and more showy productions.

With a series of credible characterizations sticking tightly to the 'script', this talented group of actors - most of whom take on several roles, effectively draw the audience into the familiar story with a genuine entertaining and educational interpretation of this well-known tale.

If you get a chance, grab a seat for this production which is a 'chip off the old block' traditional British theatre at its best!

The heart of Ebenezer Scrooge is as cold as ice. Christmas, for the bitter old miser, is not a good enough reason to be jolly. But one Christmas Eve he is visited by the spirit of his late business partner Jacob Marley and three other ghosts...

Horla's adaptation of Charles Dickens' melancholy tale will stay true to the original novel, concentrating on the darker aspects of the story and making the embittered Scrooge's redemption all the more joyous and uplifting.

This production of a well-loved classic will be the perfect entertainment for the whole family. "May it haunt their houses pleasantly."

Joanna Volinska is the Associate Director/Literary Manager of Horla. Her writing credits include Apple Grove for GRiP Theatre, Cinnamon and Pork, Yzeegus and Don Q, as well as a number of adaptations for Horla, including A Christmas Carol, GRIMMS and Rumplestiltskin and Other Grizzly Tales.

Artistic Director Alistair Green's recent productions include Sparrow Heights at the Greenwich Playhouse, The Thingumywotsit at Hen & Chickens, GRIMMS - The Final Chapter, A Christmas Carol at the New Wimbledon Studio and Trafalgar Studio 2, Rumplestiltskin and Other Grizzly Tales at the New Wimbledon Studio and Dennis Potter's Brimstone and Treacle at the Bridewell Theatre. His other directing credits and stage adaptations comprise numerous productions at the Rose and Crown Theatre (Hamlet, A Doll's House, The Horla, Don Q, Poe and others), as well as GRIMMS 2003 at the Greenwich Playhouse, Steven Berkoff's: Decadence for GRiP Theatre, Kvetch at the BAC, and Samuel Beckett's Roughs For Theatre at The White Bear.

Music by Carole Carpenter and Jonathan Langford who previously worked with Horla on: GRIMMS 2003, Rumplestiltskin and Other Grizzly Tales, Brimstone and Treacle, A Christmas Carol and GRIMMS - The Final Chapter.

Dates:
21st December 2010 - 8th January 2011
Mon-Sat eves at 7.45pm (except 24th, 31st Dec), mats Tue, Thu & Sat at 3pm, extra mats on 22nd, 24th & 31st Dec at 3pm. (No performances on 25th, 26th & 27th Dec).

Tickets:
Full price: £22.50 (US$38 approx.), £18 (concs)
Family ticket £70 (US$105approx.) (4 people including at least 2 children)

Box Office +44844 871 7632
Group Bookings +44844 871 7644
Ticket Master +44870 534 4444

Suitable for children of 6+ and their brave adults

Road to 2012: Setting Out

through September 26, 2010

at

Copyright: © Brian Griffin - National Portrait Gallery/BT Road to 2012 Project
Ade Adepitan (b1973), LOCOG offices, London

the national portrait gallery

if you wantto take a close up look at some of the potential London 2012 athletes then go see the exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery.

Copyright: © Bettina von Zwehl - National Portrait Gallery/BT Road to 2012 Project
Nathan Stephens (1988) Barry Island

you may recognize some of the more familar elite athletes above, but take a closer look at the backroom talent photographed by Brian Griffin below

Tony Winterbottom (b1944) and Ken Livingstone (1945) City Hall, London 

Copyright: © Brian Griffin - National Portrait Gallery/BT Road to 2012 Project (above and below)

Jim Heverin (b1969), Zaha Hadid (b1950), Stuart Fraser (b1946) and Mike King (b1968), Olympic Park, London

Road to 2012: Setting Out features the work of photographers Brian Griffin and Bettina von Zwehl.

Griffin photographed the visionary figures who conceived and won the bid for London, as well as those responsible for designing, building and delivering the Olympic Park. Von Zwehl's photographs include young athletes aspiring to be selected for Team GB for the first time, World Champions, and Olympic and Paralympic medalists.

Brian Griffin (b.1948) is recognised for his groundbreaking depiction of work. He established an international reputation through his portraits of the workers who built Broadgate in the City of London in the 1980s. It was reinforced in 2007 when London and Continental Railways commissioned him to document the management and workforce who built High Speed 1, the UK's first high-speed railway, and the largest construction project in British history.
Griffin takes his inspiration from a broad range of visual culture.

German-born Bettina von Zwehl (b.1971) began making portraits as a student at the Royal College of Art. She adopted the nineteenth-century studio methodology that she had first encountered as photographer's assistant in Rome, working on 10" x 8" film with a large-plate camera. This slow, quiet process and the descriptive power of the format give her images an extraordinary intensity. Since graduating in 1999 von Zwehl's work has been collected and exhibited internationally. Her first monograph was published in 2007.

For this commission von Zwehl was invited to make a series of portraits on location to give the viewer a sense of personal encounter with her sitters. Inspiration marks the beginning of an athlete's journey to the Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Gallery's accompanying interviews, in which the sitters speak about their own inspiration, are integral to the display. Travelling across the country with her assistant and husband David Robinson, von Zwehl photographed the athletes in settings where they live or train. Robinson's control of light and von Zwehl's concentrated engagement with her subjects result in meditative observations of face, mood and physique.

To celebrate the National Portrait Gallery/BT Road to 2012 Project, BT launched a portrait competition Everyday People on the Road to 2012 looking for the pictures and stories of the everyday people who are making a difference to the London 2012 Games. The competition asked people to nominate someone who was contributing behind the scenes, without wide public recognition, to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The winner was Ray Haggan, who won for his commitment to nurturing swimming in the UK. His prize was to have his portrait taken by Bettina Von Zwehl and this is also displayed at the Gallery.

Further annual commissions from high-profile and emerging photographers will document sporting aspiration and performance as well as the staging and legacy of London 2012. The portraits will form a lasting record of the Games accessible to the public for many generations to come.
Each subsequent phase of the Project will be displayed free to the public at the Gallery in the summers of 2011 and 2012. The final display in summer 2012 will open with the staging of the Games and will culminate in an exhibition that includes highlights of all the commissioned work.

rhs hampton court flower show 2010


copyright2009: BBB WorldWide Ltd  

 
at Hampton Court Palace

july 6-11. 2010

Gardens
A to Z
Judging at shows
Show gardens
Small gardens
Conceptual gardens
Shakespeare gardens
Sustainable gardens

copyright2009: BBB WorldWide Ltd

The world’s largest flower show is packed with ideas on how to grow your own, nurture the environment and to make the most of your garden.

Unlike the buzz and energy of Chelsea, Hampton Court is like a long leisurely walk down a country lane with something new to explore at every turn.

There are always highlights... but this year it was the celebrity award winning new roses that captured the imagination.   Not only were these new varieties a collection of 'works of art'; they were also adorned by a number of guests including Dame Judy Dench introducing "Drama Queen" - a striking red and white flower; and "Team England" - a deep red climber in recognition of the 2010 England world Cup campaign in South Africa.  (No more need be said on that front other than the rose will unquestionable outlive and outshine the team!)

Rose of the Year 2011 was a stunning, creamy pastel pink full petalled bloom named Jois de Vivre and bred by Kordes of Germany.

Outstanding show gardens included "Reflections of Thailand" and the GirlGuiding UK garden. Plus their was a hefty helping of some of the most impressive and 'over-sized' vegetables on display that really did look a little futuristic.

A sunny day out at Hampton Court Flower show is one of thelondonseason's highlights and everybody who gets the chance to visit in 2010 should benefit from England's fabulous barbecue summer.

And there's much more: from cookery classes to floral fashion shows.  And don't forget the girlguide and Shakespears themes which run throughout.  A great family day out with much to enjoy for all ages!

And once agin it inspired me to take up topiary...  so now I am off to try my hand at a new 'very green' horticultural skill!

SHOW GARDEN AWARDS

Best Show Garden: Winchester Growers

Award Exhibitor Name Site Number Exhibiting

Gold

Gold Winchester Growers

Gold Quilted Velvet

Silver-Gilt Flora

Silver-Gilt Flora Whitgift School D/41 Show Garden

South Lakes Hotel in partnership with Damson Designs

Niki Palmer Garden Designs

Sadolin Woodcare in Association with Philippa Pearson

Royal Thai Embassy and Tourism Authority of Thailand

Southend-on-Sea Borough Council

Silver Flora

Boardman, Gelly & Co

Jack Dunckley

Bronze Flora

Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Trust with Kingston Maurward College

rose of the year   

grow your own food

copyright2009: BBB WorldWide Ltd

copyright2009: BBB WorldWide Ltd   Stephen Fry - just one of the celebrities on preview day at Chelsea Flower Show in 2009



rhs chelsea flower show 2010



at
the royal hospital, chelsea, london, SW3


may 25-29, 2010

copyright2009: BBB WorldWide Ltd

This year Chelsea enjoyed a cloud free, scorching summer's day.  The press were ecstatic and it seemed much more relaxed than previous years, largely due to the fact that exhibitors and press alike were not making a dash for cover every few minutes.

Amazing how wonderful Chelsea Flower Show looks on a good day- a rare sight - and the celebrities and journalists were making the most of the occasion.

As usual, the show gardens were the stars of the event and while neither of my favorites this year were selected as Best in Show, they both picked up GOLD.

Tom Stuart-Smith created a sublime garden of calm reflection for Laurent-Perrier.  The inside - outside space designed by award winning architect Jamie Fobert provided a stunning haven for entertainment or work.  Borrowed from a client, the bronze pavilion seamlessly fitted into the modern garden.  Certainly from this journalist's perspective - an ideal balance between planting and functionality.

The same may be said for James Wong's latest creation.  Once again he introduced a glamour to his design without compromising his obvious enthusiasm for clean cut design with sharp edges balanced by softer planting.  The exotic garden designed for Tourism Malaysia illustrates Wong's classic stylish design inspired by the traditional ‘kampung’ (malay village) way of life. Post Chelsea - elements of this gold star garden will be transposed into a chic courtyard garden in urban Kuala Lumpur.

The Thrive Garden - The Unexpected Gardener also proved a worthy Gold medallist.  A national charity, it is one of a kind.  Thrive uses gardening to change the lives of disabled people as gardening works as a catalyst to re-introduce those forgotten and/or on the edge of society back into the community.

And running through to June 13, 2010 there is an n opportunity to raise funds for this very worthwhile cause by visiting Battersea Park and purchasing plants, herbs and salad ingredients grown by The Unexpected Gardener.

The Grand Pavilion showcased thousands of flowers, plants, fruits and vegetables including the Gateshead Council's display which was easily identifiable as it included a partial replica of the Gateshead Bridge.  55,000 viola flower heads representing the number of runners participating in the Bupa Great North Run later in 2010 provided the garden with a stunning display of flora.  Sue Barker and Brendan Foster were on hand to provide some sporting glamour as Gateshead University is set to offer training camp facilities for Team GB during their preparations for the Olympic Games in 2012.

Other Chelsea highlights included the very impressive Leeds City Council HESCO Garden with its canal gates; The Stephen Hawking Garden; the fabulous Rainforest Garden which featured a typical mongulu or leaf house found in the Cameroon.  Green& Black's organic chocolate were the lucky 'late' sponsors of this very effective garden which also took a Gold.

Other contenders included the very unusual Kebony - Naturally Norway Garden which featured a revolutionary, environmentally friendly technology that used waste materials from sugar cane production to harden sustainable wood species; The Go Modern Boutique Garden; and the latest best of Australia as illustrated by Scott Wynd's  designer show garden filled with Aussies in red hats!

2010 also best illustrated how simpllicty,style and good taste are the enduring features of well designed gardens from around the world.

GOLD

The Daily Telegraph Garden   -   Best in Show
Exhibited by The Daily Telegraph

The Children’s Society Garden
Exhibited by The Children’s Society

Green & Black’s Rainforest Garden
Exhibited by Green & Black’s

The HESCO Garden 2010
Exhibited by Leeds City Council

Laurent-Perrier Garden
Exhibited by Laurent-Perrier

The M&G Garden
Exhibited by M&G Investments

Music on the Moors
Exhibited by The Two Moors Festival

The Upwardly Mobile Garden
Exhibited by John Woods Nurseries & Capel Manor College

The Tourism Malaysia Garden
Exhibited by Tourism Malaysia

Trailfinders Australian Garden presented by Fleming’s
Exhibited by Fleming's Nurseries

The Unexpected Gardener
Exhibited by Thrive

SILVER GILT

A Joy Forever
Exhibited by Hartman UK

The Easigrass Garden (The Urban Plantaholic’s Kitchen Garden)
Exhibited by Easigrass

Foreign & Colonial Investments’ Garden
Exhibited by Foreign & Colonial Investment Trust

Kebony - Naturally Norway
Exhibited by Kebony ASA

The L'Occitane Garden
Exhibited by L'Occitane

The Naturally Fashionable Garden
Exhibited by BrandAlley

The Pine & Conifer Enthusiast Garden
Exhibited by Walkers Nurseries Ltd

The Sun Golden Wedding Garden
Exhibited by Class Gardens

SILVER

A Centenary Garden for Captain R F Scott
Exhibited by Cardiff Council

Bradstone Biodiversity Garden
Exhibited by Bradstone

Growing World Class Talent
Exhibited by UK Skills

Kazahana (A light snow flurry from a cloudless sky)
Exhibited by Ishihara Kazuyuki Design Laboratory

Places of Change
Exhibited by Eden Project in partnership with Homes & Communities Agency, Communities & Local Government, Homeless Link

Welcome to Yorkshire's Rhubarb Crumble & Custard Garden
Exhibited by Welcome to Yorkshire

SAC Strutt & Parker Sustainable Highland Garden
Exhibited by Strutt & Parker with SAC

The Waterless Water Garden Exhibited by IN'O

BRONZE

A City Roof Garden
Exhibited by Geoffrey Whiten & Associates

Ace of Diamonds
Exhibited by Domoney Ltd

Christian before Dior
Exhibited by A Touch of France Garden Design
in association with Chilstone of Tunbridge Wells

Dyslexia – A Barrier to Education?
Exhibited by Dyslexia Research Trust

copyright2009: BBB WorldWide Ltd

Below: Highlights of RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2010:

Roger Platts will be creating a quintessentially British garden for RHS Chelsea Show sponsors, M &G Investments. Rambling roses, lavender, foxgloves and myrtle create lush border plantings around the central feature of a summer house carved from Sussex Oak.

The Stephen Hawking Garden for Motor Neurone Disease, designed by Sue Hayward, is inspired by Professor Hawking’s book on the origins of blackholes. The theme of the garden is the progression of time which is represented by a clock set into a dry stone wall where water pours into a dark spiralling hole.

James Towillis, designer of The L’Occitane Garden has been inspired by the landscape, scents and sensations of Haute Provence. Planting includes fabulous lavender, verbena and juniper punctuated with olive and almond trees.

The ‘Places of Change’ garden by the Eden Project, will be the largest RHS Chelsea Show Garden ever built. It features five designated zones: crops and food; floristry and leisure; medicine and health; industry and manufacture which act as a metaphor for the hidden treasures that lie within communities and the most unexpected places. Eden’s Paul Stone is coordinating a team of experienced and novice garden designers on the project. These include amateur designers from the UK’s homeless centres.

Robert Myers, who has won four Gold medals and the RHS People’s Choice 2009 accolade, returns for a sixth time. ‘Enlighten’ is the theme of his design for Cancer Research UK. Robert has designed an ornamental, urban roof garden which celebrates the increased understanding of the causes, diagnosis and treatment of cancer, offering a beacon of hope.

Tom Stuart-Smith, who has won 9 Gold medals and 3 best in shows, will create for Laurent-Perrier a visionary garden of romance and elegance that offers a private, intimate space for entertainment or quiet reflection. The centrepiece of this modern garden will be a bronze Pavillion designed by award winning architect Jamie Fobert.

James Wong brings the exoticism of the Far East to RHS Chelsea Flower Show for Tourism Malaysia. His inspiration comes from the traditional ‘kampung’ (malay village) way of life. Elements of this rural idyll will be transposed to create a chic courtyard garden in urban Kuala Lumpur. The diverse planting will mix edible crops with rare pitcher plants, endangered bat lilies and unique orchids.

A re-creation of a section of the Leeds Liverpool Canal is the central feature of Leeds City Council’s The Hesco Garden. The design highlights the link between the natural landscape and public recreational space. This is demonstrated by an innovative planting scheme using hardy annuals, showing their versatility for gardeners with their extensive season stretching from early spring to the autumn.

Thomas Hoblyn’s design for Foreign & Colonial Investment Trust celebrates Voltaire’s eighteenth century classic, Candide. Set in a Turkish smallholding, it depicts the eponymous hero’s journey across oceans and rapids represented by two pools linked by a scalloped flowform. A risqué sculpture series depicts Candide’s love quest, Cunegonde, and her transformation from a precocious girl to a social climbing courtesan, thorough a series of lusty ‘thought bubbles’.

Phillipa Pearson and Jonathan Denby’s design for South Lakes Hotels - The Victorian Aviary Garden - moves forward a hundred years to the nineteenth century. The aviary is the central feature of this Cumbrian garden now used as an informal outdoor room with its two side wings planted with shrubs for year round interest. The aviary theme is reflected in other areas of the garden with a bird-themed mosaic path. The box edged borders combine late Victorian planting styles with a more modern approach.

The Fleming’s and Trailfinders Australian Garden combines the love Australians have for outdoor living with modern architecture. Key features include a swimming pool, spa, sunken lounge and functional outdoor kitchen area.

The Daily Telegraph Garden designed by Andy Sturgeon is a contemporary gravel garden influenced by the Maquis shrubland of the Mediterranean, the Chaparral of California and Mexico, the Matorral of central Chile and Fynbos from the Southern Cape. Spaces within the garden are created by Cor-ten steel screens with linear natural stone paths leading to a courtyard dominated by a stately cork oak. The sound of water creates a contemplative, spiritual space.

Kazahana, which translated from Japanese means “A light snow flurry from a cloudless sky”, has been designed by Ishihara Kazuyuki. A green oasis within an urban landscape, the majority of surfaces will be clothed in plants to create an emerald room.

The Kebony-Naturally Norway Garden designed by Darren Saines, takes inspiration from Nordic scenery including the fjords. This is reflected in an undulating water feature surrounded by planting using weather resistant species.

The Children’s Society Garden designed by Mark Gregory has been inspired by The Children’s Well-Being report. The survey of nearly 7,000 10 – 15 year olds revealed that what made children most happy were their family, friends and having freedom of choice. The garden reflects this need with a covered lounge seating area where families can unwind and relax around a safely designed fire pit.

copyright2009: BBB WorldWide Ltd

Date:

Tuesday 25 – Saturday 29 May 2010
25-26 May RHS members only
27-29 May RHS members and non-members

Time:

25-28 May from 8am-8pm
29 May 8am-5.30pm (sell off starts at 4pm)

Venue:

The Royal Hospital, Chelsea, London, SW3

Ticket hotline:

+44844 209 1810

Ticket prices range from:

£14 - £49 (US$23 - US$80) for RHS members, £19 - £55 for non-members.
All tickets must be bought in advance.

RHS show information:

+4420 7649 1885

copyright2009: BBB WorldWide Ltd