#Liverpool Everyman

[jazzreloaded]

Play On! By Talawa Theatre @Belgrade Theatre 26 / 09/ 24

Review by Vidal Montgomery

The press night performance of Play On! - A Broadway Blues with a twist on "Twelfth Night" - was not undersold in terms of bums on seats ( because it was a full house, and based on this showing it deserves a full house everywhere it goes!), but in terms of spectacle; because for the near-three hours running time, it was thoroughly engaging, spectacularly entertaining and, despite dealing with some serious subject matters ( such as how a misogynistic Harlem resists change, made all the more relevant with the recent revelations around Music Moghul Sean Comb's recent indictment), it was joyful for the audience from start to end, evidenced by the raucous laughter, gasps and applause throughout.

The title "Play On!" may also refer to the four year development process to get a work of this magnitude and depth and craft and intimacy and nuance in front of a live audience; it is no mean feat that this splendid work of Ellingtonian excellence by Liam Godwin and Benjamin Burell is finally in front of an audience, and with a truly magnificent cast from top to bottom:

Although the dramaturgy obviously has its focal characters, the dancers / understudies / supporting cast acquit themselves equally well, and the audience is gifted with over a dozen amazing voices ( of which Lifford Shillingford was my personal favourite ), who perform comparably, shouldering the responsibility of energetic dance, tense drama and soulful song, and carrying the narrative along. This for me is the most captivating thing about this show. Tanya Edwards as Miss Mary and Llewellyn Jamal as Jester deliver stylish and soulful performances late on into the second act just I thought the show had probably reached its peak - boy was I wrong!

The core story of Play On! revolves around the day Duke Ellington loses his muse, and the lengths- and distance! - one lucky lady will go to to help him get it back; Earl Gregory, Koko Alexandra, Tsemaye Bob Egbe, and Cameron Bernard Jones play the four pillars of the love quadrangle that is "The Duke", his old flame ( lady Liv ) , his new muse ( Viola "Vyman" ) and Rev, the manager of the Cotton Club clutching at straws and clasping his hands in his hopes of keeping the four together as exemplars of Ellingtonian Excellence - and also keeping the show on the road...

Sadly the live band - directed by the unassuming Ashton Moore and delightfully driven by the delicate drumming of Empirical's own Shane Forbes - are not featured as characters in their own right - I am sure that later productions in the three month run will attend to this oversight.

Despite this, the mix of moods and blues and beats and grooves from the bandstand become the main character, and for me ( as a musician! ) this is the star of the show: Ellingtonian Classics like Mood Indigo, I got it Bad, It Don't mean a thing, Black Butterfly Rocks In My Bed and In a Mellow Tone are turned inside out and taken back from the trash heap of Abersold Appropriation,and are played in a way that suits the strengths of individual artists, and balances temperaments of their characters as a whole as they play moves towards reaches its climactic reveal; at this moment the only other disappointment was that the band was not as big as, say, the English Touring Opera's for the recent run of "The Rakes Progress" : With this amount of dramatic tension in the stage, and with the audience in the palm of the band's hands the Ellington Big band, really needs to be a BIG band.

As it was, on the night Kaz Hamilton and Alexander Polack acquited themselves very well, making a myriad of moods that were both historically authentic and stylistically de jour. And the commitment to shared seat of Chris Hyde / Josh Vadivello on Double bass ( NO electric big band era please! ) brings gravitas authenticity and sensuality to the greatest american songbook in a way that only a Double Bass can. This show is all about that bass!

Having recently sat through the often turgid and salacious KAOS, a reworking of the mythology of Orpheus and Euridice, ( which was not a patch on Marcel Camus Seminal 1950's classic ) and also attended the afforementioned reworking of Igor Stravinsky's "Rake's Progress" ( often not my sense of humour, albeit markedly less turgid and salacious than Charlie Covell's Netflix Production ) I was far from convinced that , per se, " A reworking of Twelfth Night " was going to as vivacious, contemporary , and nourishing to the soul as it turned out to be. But on this occasion I was rewarded for my bravery ( And by "bravery" I mean only braving the inclement British weather ) , and I will forever regard Play On! as somewhat of a late birthday present - ( or maybe early Christmas gift? )

Ironically, whilst sipping free Prosecco and listening to a(nother) jazz function band in the reception area after the show , I had the good fortune to speak with one the trustees of the Talawa Theatre and we discussed how important it may be to not label Play On! as ( simply ) a "jazz show", because of how many people may miss out on an amazing contemporary socially and culturally relevant human experience, simply because they do not know or have not yet been sold the depth and breadth of the jazz canon.

But Play On! is "Jazz Hands" in safe hands. And I can say with confidence that Talawa Theatre have a winner on their hands; it is Black Joy. And "Black Joy" may turn out to be a better euphemism for the vibrancy we expect "Jazz" to bring to us. Congratulations on the fully immersive experience that Director Michael Buffong brought to the Belgrade Theatre tonight.

PS: As with many theatre shows, the stupidly difficult train schedule doesn't really support the 2+ hour format, but I can only say that on this occasion it was worth missing our last train to catch the "A Train" one more time...

Talawa’s Black Joy season presents:

Play On!

A new Jazz musical

Based on Shakespeare’s

“Twelfth Night”

Conceived by Sheldon Epps

Book by Cheryl L.West

Music by Duke Ellington

Produced by Talawa Theatre Company and The Belgrade Theatre

Co-produced with Birmingham Hippodrome, Bristol Old Vic, Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and Wiltshire Creative

Artwork by Feast Creative

For the full programme, click or scan the image below:

[poetickrogan]

Saw a great play last night that contained multiple instances of cat murder, torture and 90's dance sequences in the context of Irish liberation

[kirstythejetblackgoldfish]

Tonight, I was in Liverpool for my younger sister's amateur dramatics show!

It was songs from musicals and it was amazing!

The theatre they performed in wasn't the Everyman but the Freemason building across the road 😶

As a teenager, I had a massive special interest in the actor Ian Hart and his acting career actually started at the Everyman. IIRC, when he started classes there, he was 14 and at first, was too shy to join in

[luvliverpool]

The old Everyman

[mydaddywiki]

Alan Scarfe

Physique: Average Build Height: 5′ 10¾″ (1.80 m)

Alan John Scarfe (8 June 1946 – 28 April 2024; aged 77) was a British–Canadian actor, stage director and author. He was an Associate Director of the Stratford Festival (1976–77) and the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool (1967–68). Best known for the films Lethal Weapon 3 and Double Impact, Scarfe won the 1985 Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for his role in The Bay Boy and earned two other Genie best actor nominations for Deserters (1984) and Overnight (1986) and a Gemini Award nomination for best actor in aka Albert Walker (2003). Besides his film roles, he also appeared in the TV series Seven Days and Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Being a Star Trek fan, I should be more familiar with him, but on the show he’s usual covered up that handsome face in make-up. Though I did take notice of his characters whether it’s his performance or his hotness shining though the make-up is up for grabs. One thing for sure, this guy should be more famous. I mean look at him. Handsome and he has a sexy voice. That all I need.

Born in London, but raised in Vancouver, he attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art from 1964 to 1966, and then went on to appear in more than 100 roles in stage productions. Sadly, Scarfe retired from screen acting in 2007.

Twice married, his first wife was actress Sara Botsford and later actress Barbara March, who played Lursa, one of the villainous Duras sisters, on three Star Trek series. They were married for 40 years before her death in 2019. Scarfe died on April 28 from colon cancer at his home in Longueuil, Quebec, Canada. He is survived by his daughter Tosia and son and actor Jonathan Scarfe, and grandchildren.

RECOMMENDATIONS: The Hamster Cage (2005) - Rear Nudity Seven Days (TV Series 1998–2001) Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series 1991–1993) Double Impact (1991)

[theburialofstrawberries]

none of you understand king lear's 2008-09 run at the everyman theatre in liverpool is my retroactive 9/11

[tavolgisvist]

Roger McGough was a docker’s son who went to university, and in his poems caught the wayward nature of Liverpool speech. 0f the musicians, only John Lennon really matched him for that. It’s not surprising that McGough was drafted in by the makers of Yellow Submarine to give its script a tang of that Scouse whimsy which could easily pass as psychedelia.

His parallel pop career began when he met Paul McCartney’s younger brother Mike. Though employed by day in Andre Bernard’s hairdressing salon (an establishment for upmarket ladies, opposite the Adelphi; it’s now a burger joint), McCartney had artistic ambitions: he designed posters for his brother’s band and was infatuated by photography and Surrealism. He found his way up Mount Pleasant to the basement of the Hope Hall (later re-styled as the Everyman Bistro) where a curious group of young experimentalists were gathering. There they were, these strange people,’ Mike recalls, ‘Adrian Henri, Roger McGough, John Gorman - he was a telephone engineer, who knew how to make free phone calls all over the world - the painter Sam Walsh. It didn’t have a name, it was just a collection of people. In fact it was originally called the Merseyside Arts Festival.

‘We attracted this underground movement: Ginsberg and the beat poetry was getting to Liverpool then. Merseybeat was going on at the same time. We’re doing this up in Hope Street, our kid and the beat groups were down in the centre of town, in the Cavern. We’re near the art school and the university. That’s your marketplace. So our thing was different: it was poetry, art, comedy, rhythm and blues. We’d go into town to see the Beatles and sometimes they’d come up to see us.’

One day the TV people came to Liverpool to investigate these mixed-media happenings. McCartney, by now trading as Mike McGear, was performing comic sketches with a Joose grouping called the Liverpool One Fat Lady All-Electric Show. It was the TV people who picked a trio from the chaos: in Gorman, McGough and McGear they’d found a talented clown, a bespectacled intellectual and a good-looking boy whose brother was in the Beatles. The new group took its name, the Scaffold, from a Miles Davis record.

‘We were satirists,’ says McCartney. ‘Our main thing was to comment on life. A ladies’ barber, a Post Office engineer and an English teacher, jobs for life, and they dangled this carrot, said “Would you like to go on the telly?” So all these serious jobs, we just jacked them in. We realised that when comedy got to a wider audience it would be good to include music. We couldn’t do rock’n’roll because we couldn’t sing or play instruments. But we had this Cockney dirge, “2day’s Monday”, and George Martin was interested in producing it. We liked that idea, not because of the Beatles but because he did the Goons. We went on Juke Box Jury with it and Spike Milligan said, If there was a comedy chart this would go to Number 1.

‘Now that we were involved with George Martin and EMI we went to Brian Epstein and said, You’ve got all the pop groups, but can you do a theatre comedy group? Eie goes “My dear boy!” - ’cos he was a failed actor - “Of course. We’d love to have you aboard.” So we thought, with his enormous NEMS agency we had nothing to lose.’ But the Scaffold were frustrated by Epstein’s stalling over their next single, ‘Goodbat Nightman,’ built around McGough’s wry commentary on the Batman craze then raging. ‘It was released too late. Died a death.

We got disillusioned with Brian after that. I went out with him in Wheeler’s in London and said “Brian, it’s like a racetrack and we’re on the outside. All your heavyweights, the Beatles and Cilia and Gerry are on the inside. It’s just not working for us.” He says, “Oh I quite agree, Michael.” I felt like hitting him, to tell you the truth. So we left. ‘There was this other song I’d written where we’d thank the audience for coming along: “Thank you very much for keepin’ the seats warm” and so on, just to close our show. So we recorded “Thank U Very Much”, a good strong track. We had a hit there - it was Harold Wilson’s favourite record - and it got us on the telly in a major way. Top of the Pops!���

By November 1968, Paul was no longer the only McCartney brother to top the charts: the Scaffold scored a Christmas Number 1 with ‘Lily the Pink’. The song was just as insanely memorable as Thank U Very Much’. And thanks to Lily, the Scaffold were propelled from a world of fringe theatre groups and college satire fans, on to the lucrative cabaret circuit. ‘We’d created this monster of success,’ says Mike, ‘but it was the wrong success and we got disenchanted. You stuck to your songs and played the same bloody thing every night. We were bored and the audience was bored. That’s the tragedy of Scaffold, that we were known more for the silly songs because they reached more people, than the stuff we really enjoyed doing, the satirical comedy and the poetry.’

So the Scaffold resigned from pop and submerged their act inside a new ensemble, Grimms: the name came from their initials plus those of Andy Roberts from the Liverpool Scene and Neil Innes and Vivian Stanshall of the Bonzo Dog Band. (It was Mike who’d secured the Bonzos’ appearance in the Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour.) There were contributions too from Adrian Henri, Brian Patten and others. Grimms’ shows were an often inspired collage of rock, comedy and poetry, and a chance for the ex-Scaffolders to rediscover the edgier aspects of their act. But the troupe was unwieldy, bedevilled by drink and personality clashes. One night, as their tour bus reached Huyton, McGear declared, ‘Stop the coach, 1 want to get off. And I did.’

The Scaffold re-appeared a few years later, signed to Warners by Derek Taylor, where Paul McCartney produced a stirring version of the Dominic Behan folk song ‘Liverpool Lou’. Mike McCartney would subsequently concentrate on photography; Gorman became a regular on children’s TV. McGough remains that rare thing, a genuinely popular poet; in 1996 he collected an OBE from Buckingham Palace on the same day as Cilia Black, while Paul McCartney became a knight of the realm.

(Liverpool - Wondrous Place by Paul Du Noyer, 2002)

Part (I), (II), (III), (IV), (V), (VI), (VII), (VIII), (IX), (X), (XI), (XII), (XIII), (XIV), (XV), (XVI), (XVII), (XVIII), (XIX), (XX), (XXI), (XXII)

[crepesuzette2023]

Mike McCartney was an artistic

What was the background of The Scaffold coming together?

I was a ladies hairdresser in Liverpool. One of them was Lewis Collins from The Professionals. He and I were juniors; he was younger than me at Andre Bernard Ladies Barbers in Liverpool. [...] I was passing up pins to the stylist Mike Weinblatt, he was a London boy, he said “You are arty Peter.” They had a Michael there, one of the senior staff was called Michael, so I couldn’t be called that so I went on the first name. My name is Peter Michael. So I became Peter, he said “You are an artistic, aren’t you Peter?” and I said “Why?” He said “Come down to The Hope Hall in Liverpool. It’s now the Everyman theatre. It’s a very important theatre, all the writers and the actors that came out of there was extraordinary.

But I went down with him to do these underground happenings and events and these two people were running it, John Gorman, a post office engineer and a poet called Roger McGough who was a teacher. Adrian Henri the painter, he was there as well. I just went to see it at first and they got me up and I tried to do a little sketch called “Old Folks”. I just read it from a piece of paper and the audience laughed. I thought “Ooh god, I can do this? They like it.” But we are collectively called The Liverpool One Fat Lady Non Electric Show. Then we got rid of a couple and three men emerged and we called ourselves Scaffold.

(Mike McCartney interview on The Strange Brew Podcast)

[yorkcalling]

North By Northwest Announced for York Theatre Royal

A Wise Children, York Theatre Royal, HOME Manchester and Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse co-production ALFRED HITCHCOCK’s NORTH BY NORTHWEST  Adapted and directed by Emma Rice York Theatre Royal, 18 March – 5 April 2025 Based on the Turner Entertainment Co. Film North by Northwest Produced by special arrangement with Warner Bros Theatre Ventures and Kay & McLean Productions It would be…

[vmonteiro23a]

ONCE IN ’79: Ian McCulloch of Echo & The Bunnymen . Photo by Duncan Lomax. 

ONCE IN ’79: Ian McCulloch of Echo & The Bunnymen . Photo by Duncan Lomax.  “July 22, 1979 ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN are featured in the NME on the heels of their eighth gig. It took place in Liverpool at the Everyman Theatre and staff writer Paul Du Noyer was intrigued at the band’s lack of a drummer. Lead singer Ian McCulloch “a pair of huge eyes and an elaborate quiff” explained, “Er’ that’s ‘cos…

[influencermagazineuk]

Elizabeth Line Shortlisted for Prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize

The Elizabeth line, a significant addition to London’s transport network since its opening in 2022, has been named one of the six contenders for the 2024 RIBA Stirling Prize for architecture. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) announced the nominees, highlighting a diverse range of projects that showcase architectural excellence across the UK. Among the notable nominees are the newly refurbished National Portrait Gallery, a social housing project in East London, and a renovated dairy farm in Dorset designed to be accessible for wheelchair users. This year’s shortlist prominently features London-based projects, with four out of the six contenders located in the capital. The winner will be announced in October at the Roundhouse in London. Last year, the John Morden Centre, a day care facility for retirees, took home the prize. The Stirling Prize, established in 1996, is awarded to the architect of the most significant building of the year, judged on criteria including design vision, innovation, and originality. Previous winners have included iconic structures such as Liverpool's Everyman Theatre, Hastings Pier, and the Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh. The 2024 Nominees: - Chowdhury Walk, London (by Al-Jawad Pike)Chowdhury Walk features 11 homes, seven of which are designated as social housing. Built on a former parking and garage site, this project is praised for its sculptural form and strong, confident presence. The panel highlighted it as an exemplary blueprint for social housing, offering a pedestrian and cyclist-friendly environment. - The Elizabeth Line, London (by Grimshaw, Maynard, Equation, and Atkins)The Elizabeth line has already received the title of RIBA's London Building of the Year. Judges commended it as a "transport tour de force" and a new standard for inner-city transport. The rail line, which stretches from Berkshire to Essex, was named after the late Queen Elizabeth II. - King’s Cross Masterplan, London (by Allies and Morrison and Porphyrios Associates)Two decades in the making, the King's Cross Masterplan has transformed the area into a vibrant hub of activity. The development includes new streets, squares, offices, schools, university facilities, and accommodations. The judges lauded its urban beach by Regent's Canal, calling it a valuable addition to London’s public realm. - National Portrait Gallery, London (by Jamie Fobert Architects and Purcell)Following a three-year refurbishment, the National Portrait Gallery reopened last year with significant enhancements. A new entrance featuring bronze doors with hand-drawn portraits by Tracey Emin, a light-filled learning center, and accessible public spaces have been added. Accessibility improvements, including an entrance ramp and wider doorways, have made the gallery more welcoming to all visitors. - Park Hill Phase 2, Sheffield (by Mikhail Riches)The Park Hill Phase 2 project in Sheffield is part of the continued regeneration of the iconic Park Hill estate. The development has been praised for its thoughtful design and contribution to the local community, providing high-quality housing and public spaces. - Wraxall Yard, Dorset (by Clementine Blakemore Architects)Previously a dilapidated dairy farm, Wraxall Yard has been transformed into highly accessible holiday accommodation. The project includes extensive yet discreet features for disabled guests, particularly wheelchair users. Clever landscaping has minimized the need for ramps and obvious handrails, promoting a high degree of independence for all visitors. Award Criteria and Significance The RIBA Stirling Prize is not only a celebration of architectural achievement but also a recognition of projects that contribute positively to the built environment and society. RIBA President Muyiwa Oki emphasized that this year’s shortlisted projects demonstrate the ingenuity and diversity of modern architecture. He praised the nominees for raising the bar in various aspects, from social housing and urban regeneration to accessibility and environmental sustainability. “Whether raising the bar for social housing, upgrading city transportation, or repurposing dilapidated buildings to create heritage-conscious urban and rural developments, each scheme thoughtfully adapts elements of our existing built environment,” Oki stated. He also highlighted the importance of sustainability and regeneration in contemporary architecture, commending the projects for placing these values at the forefront. As the architectural community and the public await the announcement of the winner, the shortlisted projects serve as a testament to the creativity and impact of modern architecture. The Elizabeth line, with its blend of functional design and innovative infrastructure, stands as a strong contender for the prestigious award, reflecting the transformative potential of well-executed architectural projects. Read the full article

[walkswithmycamera]

Liverpool City Escape - extended: "MOVING DAY."

"I enjoy writing about our travel trips and sharing perhaps a different perspective or slant than you may experience with other travel blog writers." 

I guess you should view them as "travel stories" 😉 and they're generally a little longer than my normal posts.

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

This story continues down below with more photos (as well as another link to the blog article) and the reason for the extension of our stay, but if you would prefer not to scroll down and read the blog article in full JUMP THERE NOW. We ended up in Southport, one day!

We're blaming it on the Rail Strike!

Here's the story.... We had to move on to a different hotel for our final night due to the ASLEF train drivers strike, which meant we couldn't get home (Friday 1 March 2024). A rather unwelcome last minute surprise, which meant we either had to forego our last night as well, thereby losing money into the bargain if we returned a day earlier. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option - we found we could only use the tickets on Northern Rail, rather than alternative rail services. Neither could we change them for an alternative ticket, as the system wanted to charge us another £20 for the change - on top of losing half of our money on the hotel room. So, that's why we said "stuff it" and booked an extra nights accommodation. Always have a PLAN B.

The story continues: The Friday night price worked out at around £104 per night if we stayed in the current hotel (paying £79 per night booked with Secret Escapes, which we couldn't justify and even after speaking with them on the phone regarding the travel disruption, the Aloft Liverpool wouldn't match the price for an additional nights' stay - hence why we ended up hopping over to an alternative accommodation due to the rail strike!

So, before moving out that lunchtime we took advantage of the free Welcome Drink. Of course, LittleManTravels joined us for this bit, he's very partial to a drop of the falling down water!

Here he is above, in the lobby bar of the Aloft Liverpool Hotel.

The Welcome Drink came as part of the deal with Secret Escapes, as well as the late checkout. Afterwards we made our way onto pastures new, down on the waterfront. The Travelodge on The Strand, where we had also previously stayed for 'one night only'.

It's turned out this particular Travelodge has become one of our 'Go To' places for last minute bookings and a single night stay. We know what we're getting and, it's a fairly straightforward walk to and from Lime Street railway station too.

TRAVELODGE LIVERPOOL CENTRAL THE STRAND.

So, we ended our final night staying just down the road at a different hotel on the waterfront. 

Here's LittleManTravels again.... Yes, there's a bottle of wine there with him, one we brought back with us following a visit to All Bar One after a visit to the Everyman Cinema.

There's much more to this particular travel story, especially because we were staying longer than originally planned. More photography of the Aloft Hotel, photos and info about the Travelodge on The Strand, our wanders around Liverpool, discovery of a bar we never knew existed. It was hidden away in a very nice Victorian house. Why we ended up in Southport, Birkenhead over the over side of the River Mersey - read about it here.

[intercreativepudlo]

On privilege.

I was first prompted to think about my own privileged position in the world when I moved to the UK.

Growing up in Poland in the 90s and early 00s, I knew only a handful of people who weren't white and I never gave much thought to the way they experienced living in that society. I left to study a performing arts degree in Liverpool, UK in 2007.

I clearly remember that conversation I had with my friend from university. Her parents came to the UK from India and she was born in the UK. She grew up in Manchester and to me when I met her, she was just British. I didn't think about it much. But when we talked about it, she told me that despite the fact I had only just arrived there, people were more likely to assume I was from there and to assume she wasn't. I was initially skeptical about that because I really did feel like an alien in the UK when I first got there. I was the only foreigner in my class. It was a whole other world. England was strange to me, much different than the mainland. I didn't particularly try to fit in but I did my best to perfect my English accent, for perfectionism reasons, mostly, and because I wanted to act in English plays. I didn't like the idea of being treated better than someone else for no reason other than my ethnic background, it made me feel weird and uncomfortable.

My friend told me that people would simply assume I was from here because I was white and they just assumed she belonged somewhere else because she wasn't. I think that was really when I first started thinking about it and once I saw it, I couldn't un-see it. I had of course learned about slavery, colonialism, I was aware of racism, but I rarely thought about what that really meant in the context of today to everyday people, before that conversation.

Moving through the world today, the world post BLM, I find that whenever I have a conversation in which the subject of privilege comes up, it's safe to assume that people who have it will react with a degree of hostility and aggression, at the very least mockery and some mumbling about how everyone is oh, so PC these days. Something of the kind. People who have it get very defensive about privilege. The default is to come up with an endless list that's meant to prove they don't have it, how they've worked so hard to be where they are and how anybody can do what they did, all the challenges they have faced and overcome. Being privileged is hard to admit when you feel like the underdog most of the time. And in a world where your benchmark of success are everyman billionaires or at least those people who brag about their wealth and lives on social media, basically everyone feels like the underdog.

Still, personal beliefs don't change the fact that it is objectively easier for a person with Caucasian features to move through the world unobstructed than it is for anybody who doesn't look Caucasian. This includes daily life and travelling. Of course, this is utterly insane but it doesn't make it any less true. It's part of the crazy, topsy-turvy setup of the world we live in and a direct result of the not-so-distant, after all, history.

When I first arrived in Australia, what struck me was the illusion of equality. Australia does this very well - the institutions emphasise over and over just how equally they treat everybody. But it's all too plain to see that all this is mostly a sort of covering-our-arses approach, not justice. Institutions really do try to say all the right things, so I was very weirded out when I encountered Australians being casually racist and simultaneously in utter denial of the existence of racism in this country.

I often think of diversity quotas in this context. Do they really make things better or are they simply an attempt to sweep the mess under the rug and pretend that the problem of racial injustice does not exist or is no longer really relevant? Could this practice be contributing to entrenching white privilege? Overall, of course it is better to include people from diverse backgrounds and cultures than it is to exclude or ignore them. But it's always helpful, I think, to ask who gets to do the including.

This leads me to consider Pierre Bourdieu's concept of habitus, which can be defined as "self-regulating behaviour to fit social expectations - a feel for what is beneficial and what is detrimental" (Ramsey, 2003). Our ingrained social behaviours, which we acquire similarly to language acquisition, that is without being conscious of it, play a significant role in maintaining cultural capital and perpetuating inequalities. Viewed through this lens, it is clear that there exist power dynamics inherent in the act of including, therefore our goal should be to dismantle structural barriers to representation rather than being satisfied with superficial practices.

In relation to the above, I have often thought about casting choices and representation. I usually reach the conclusion that it's not enough to simply cast a person of colour in a role written for or from the perspective of someone who's white. It is still possible to adjust characters and scripts to reflect casting choices in a more sensitive and inclusive way, ideally with some consultation. But to really change the industry to reflect a full array of human stories, it is necessary for people from from diverse cultures and backgrounds to tell their own stories from their own perspective with all that entails, including writing, directing, and producing. We will not reach the kind of equality in our lifetimes where ethnicity is truly irrelevant to casting choices, nor should we.

Our cultural background is not irrelevant to our experience of life, no matter where in the world we are. It is important for this to be reflected in the stories we tell, otherwise, we're just whitewashing and incorporating everyone into this dominant thing we broadly call western culture, proceeding under the assumption that the western experience and understanding stands for the default human experience and understanding. To question its dominance is paramount to understanding the world we live in.

References:

Ramsey, G. (20 April, 2023). Pierre Bourdieu & Habitus (Sociology): Definition & Examples. Simply Sociology. https://simplysociology.com/pierre-bourdieu-habitus.html

[kurtlukiraz]

Skinner'ın "tökezlemiş bir neo-noir" cinayet gizemi olarak tanımladığı filmin yapımı 10 yıl sürdü ve şanssız bir DJ'i konu alan, bizzat rapçi tarafından çalınan bir müzikal. Peki hayranlar ne zaman The Darker the Shadow, the Brighter the Light'ı izleyebilecek ve filmde başka kimler rol alacak? Öğrenmek için okumaya devam edin. Gölge Ne Kadar Koyuysa, Işık da O Kadar Parlaktır çıkış tarihiMike Skinner.The Darker the Shadow, the Brighter the Light ilk kez Eylül ayının sonunda Liverpool, Bristol, Birmingham ve Londra'daki Everyman sinemalarında gösterime girerken, ardından Skinner'la canlı bir Soru-Cevap bölümü yapılan gösterimler 6 Ekim'de sona erdi. Bununla birlikte, The Streets'in aynı isimli yeni albümünün bugün (13 Ekim Cuma) piyasaya sürülmesi ve 22 Ekim'den itibaren Birleşik Krallık ve İrlanda turnesiyle birlikte, bu albümle yeniden gözlerimizi şenlendirebileceğimizi umuyoruz. yakında. Gölge Ne Kadar Koyuysa, Işık da O Kadar ParlaktırMike olarak da anılan bir DJ olarak başrolde Mike Skinner'ın yer aldığı kadroda ayrıca zengin kız arkadaşı Ava'yı oynayan aktris Bella May ve Mike'ın yardımcısı Free rolünde Lateef "Teef" Ojetola da yer alıyor.Oyuncu kadrosunun büyük bir kısmı Skinner'ın kişisel arkadaşlarından oluşuyor. Gölge Ne Kadar Koyuysa Işık da O Kadar Parlak neyle ilgili? Filmde bir DJ oynamasına rağmen Skinner, filmin "hiçbir şekilde otobiyografik olmadığını" söylüyor; ancak Londra'daki Visions ve Hoxton Hall'un yanı sıra Manchester's Warehouse Project ve Club Liv gibi mekanlarda performans sergilediği gerçek görüntüler de mevcut. Buna benzer daha fazlaSkinner, filmin galasında Sky News'e "Bu bir müzikal ama şarkılar seslendirme" dedi. Ancak "caz elleri veya elektrik direkleri üzerinde dans etmeyi - bu bir sonraki film" beklemediğini de sözlerine ekledi. Bilgilerinizi girerek şunları kabul etmiş olursunuz: Şartlar ve koşullar Ve Gizlilik Politikası. İstediğiniz zaman abonelikten çıkabilirsiniz."Neredeyse kara film türü bir şey gibi başlayan ama sonra kendini kaptıran çok basit bir hikaye" dedi. Onun "çok aptalca bir hikaye" olarak adlandırdığı hikaye, DJ'lik dışı çeşitli faaliyetlere çekilen Mike'ı konu alıyor: bir uyuşturucu anlaşmasını finanse etmek ve berbat etmek, zengin bir kadınla aşk yaşamak, bir tür cinayeti çözmek.Gölge Ne Kadar Karanlıksa, Işık da O Kadar Parlak FragmanıNe yazık ki, The Darker the Shadow, the Brighter the Light için bir fragman yok ancak burayı tekrar kontrol etmeyi unutmayın, çünkü elimizde olur olmaz bu bölümü güncelleyeceğiz.Film kapsamımızın daha fazlasına göz atın veya neler olduğunu öğrenmek için TV Rehberimizi ve Yayın Rehberimizi ziyaret edin.Radio Times dergisini bugün deneyin ve yalnızca 10 £ karşılığında 10 sayıya sahip olun, AYRICA evinize teslim edilen 10 £ John Lewis and Partners kuponu da alın - hemen abone olun. TV'nin en büyük yıldızlarından daha fazlası için The Radio Times Podcast'ini dinleyin.

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In the words of another Liverpool playwright (and an early author of Z-Cars), John McGrath, ‘Alan Bleasdale’s writing comes out of that torrent of words that has been flowing out of Liverpool in so many ways since Tommy Handley and Arthur Askey joined forces with James Joyce to produce John Lennon, the Scaffold, Adrian Henri, Roger McGough and Brian Patten, way back in the 60s … He never lost the sharp comedy of the Liverpool street, second only to its close neighbour Dublin for Surreal wit and Byzantine inventiveness in sarcasm, pun and patter. And for its ability to express strong emotion.’

The most successful of them all, however, is Bleasdale’s friend Willy Russell. They all look alike, these bearded 'Scouse left-wing ex-teacher playwrights (McGovern is another one). Bleasdale told me that Russell used to get drinks bought for him in pubs for writing Black Stuff, while he himself was thanked in the streets for Educating Rita. I once went to visit Willy Russell in his office next to the Everyman Theatre, and asked him why Liverpool was so prolific in drama. There are probably more practising artists concentrated in Liverpool than in any other area of the country,’ he said. ‘You only have to put a sign up saying Scripts Wanted and everyone in the city is bloody writing one. ‘I’ve pondered why it is, and I don’t really know why it should be Liverpool and not Blackburn. I suppose the Irish influence must be important, and the fact that Liverpool has got its own identifiable language, which has got no root with the rest of Lancashire. The Lancashire accents overlap and are related, but you’ve suddenly got this cut-off line, round to the Bay, and it’s a language all of its own. ‘The Liverpool dialect is a terrific medium to work in, very fast and exclusive. I suppose it’s like painters who painted in certain areas because of the sunlight or sculptors who worked where the clay was good. It would be stupid to ignore this language. The only time I object to a Liverpool tag being put on me is when it suggests a parochial quality, which I refute completely. I always quote Isaac Bashevik Singer who says, If you write about any place well, you write about everywhere. <…> Russell is yet another product of the Liverpool music scene: ‘My first-ever group was an attempt to be like the Shadows, before we got to know about the Cavern and the Beatles.’ Seeing the Beatles, he once said, changed his life. ‘When I was fourteen I walked into the Cavern and saw the bloody Beatles.' It gave me something, it gave me identity. I’d be on the school bus the next day and all those pricks who were having a go at me, well, they didn’t know about the Beatles. It was so intoxicating.’ He played in a band with Tommy Evans, later of Badhnger. ‘He was a really good guitarist so I picked up things from him. Then about 1963 the Dylan thing happened, so I started to play contemporary folk music as it was called. Later I got into traditional music, a lot of fiddle and tenor banjo, then I was doing folk clubs as a singer-songwriter. You had that great platform in those days, it was a great place to learn how to hold a house. I always knew my limitations, and after Fd been at it for fifteen years Fd really seriously started to write plays, so I let it lapse.’ Fie drew on his stock of self-written songs for Blood Brothers, a long-running West End hit about a Liverpool housewife and her twin sons, raised apart. There was a comic play, John, Paul, George, Ringo . . . and Bert, that spliced the Beatle saga with fantasy.

<…>

One project that never came off, however, was the screenplay that he wrote for Paul McCartney, Band on the Run. ‘Good script as well. When 1 first heard that song I thought there was a great idea for a him in there. And when he asked me to write a movie for him, 1 threw this back at him. Fie was quite surprised because he’d never seen it in him terms. ‘The plot was just about a guy who’d become a very jaded but highly successful cabaret act, filling concert halls, who’s well pissed off with it. And there is a band who just cannot get their act together, playing in a pub four streets down from this concert. They end up in a huge hght and have to get out of town, cross-cutting with him, who actually walks off stage in the middle of a number and never comes back. Fie just pisses off. The two of them meet up and he disguises himself and joins that band. I suppose the him very m uch picks up on what McCartney did when he hrst took Wings out on the road, just turning up and playing. And by the end of it he realises that he’ll have to leave this band anyway, because he’d destroy them if he stayed, and he has to go back and face things. You can’t walk away, you have to go through whatever’s happening to you in life. ‘There was always a dispute about the end of the him because it didn’t end happily. Paul wanted it to end happily and I didn’t!’ The idea finally ran out of steam when Paul left for a tour and found himself locked up in a Japanese prison on drug charges.

(Liverpool - Wondrous Place by Paul Du Noyer, 2002)

Part (I), (II), (III), (IV), (V), (VI), (VII), (VIII), (IX), (X), (XI), (XII), (XIII), (XIV), (XV), (XVI), (XVII), (XVIII), (XIX), (XX), (XXI), (XXII)