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Theatre Critics

Through the Theatre Critics project, young people from across our weekly workshops went to see plays and local events, and then worked with a professional theatre critic to learn about writing theatre reviews. 

The group saw five professional performances including: Melmouth the Wanderer at the Tron, Hand Me Down at Platform, Betrayal at Citizen's Theatre, Infamous Brothers of Davenport at the Citizen's Theatre and the Man Who Lived Twice at The Arches.

After the shows, the Theatre Critics had the choice of media tools with which to share their critique. Below are the written and recorded reviews of the five performances.

Melmouth The Wanderer - The Tron 23rd February

Comedy or horror? The play was very interesting  and it dealt with a lot of Comedy but with some tragedy also .The play focused on a man who gave his soul for eternal youth and charm as he tortures people as a part of his deal with the devil  but he falls in love with a young  woman named Emily and decides he can no longer do the devils wishes  but his life falls apart as he loses  his wife and child and always has to relive that for the rest of his life and suffer  forever ,The play adds  tension and heartbreak .So you decided comedy or horror.

By Chantelle Hosie

 

I would suggest for anyone to go and see this theatre show. I thought there were different sides to the show, where it starts off with a choir singing out aloud then followed by a young women’s love life gets involved in the story where each other’s feelings can’t be shown fully and shows a bad sign to a bright audience and gets badly tortured and then ending with Emily’s child as she only got 1 day to see her child and ending up killing it before she had to give it away. Then the choir went begging because they were poor and got great

By Ashley Carson

 

Melmouth the wanderer was a show we went to see that was showing in the tron theatre. The show was a comedy horror based show which we thought was quite a weird thing to do but it worked really well in the show. We thought the plot was really hard to figure out as it had far too much going on in one show. We kind of got the plot but we only got the parts that king of was the main parts and never got the small parts that put all the story’s together. The setting stayed the same all the way to the end but they made the most out of it and put on a really great show. The setting was fab though with the big scream lowering from the floor really added to the setting. The show I would never have picked to go and see but I am actually quite happy that I got see. My favourite character was Polly as she lifted up the spired when it was scary and funny as they were getting annoyed at her. I would give the show out of 5 stars a three as the setting and the characters and the masks that covered their faces all the way through the story but the only thing that let me down was the plot as it was confusing and really hard to get sometimes plus it leaves you thinking why would they have done that. At the end I would love to see it again and really liked it. 

By Andrew Melrose

Watch the fantastic video review.

Hand Me Down - The Platform 3rd March

Very heart-warming touching natural theatre which made me think about my family. I would definitely prefer to see it in a more intimate space to give to the feeling of the story.

By Jasmine Main 

An emotional experience of a family’s life and the up and downs families go through in in everyday situations and how looking back on their lives and seeing how much has changed and then me myself imagining it with my own family .An amazing emotional experience!!

By Chantelle Hosie

Hand me down was a really nice sad happy play that made you think about stuff before you were born and took you back to the days were you gran and grandpas young days . It was a show made by a real family that kind of made the story more alive. I would give the show 3 out of five as they took a long time to bring on props and we were all sitting waiting for a very long time. Loved the show loved that it was a real family loved that it had a lot of funny and sad story’s they had but really loved the end when they saw pic of the whole family. So I would love to go and see it again and would quite like to take my gran as she would of have loved that thought it was excellent.

By Andrew Melrose

Watch the wonderful video review.

Betrayal - The Citizen's Theatre 15th March

I think going to see betrayal was different from what I’ve seen recently. I thought it was good and interesting because it felt like a dream from going forward in live but going back in time at the same time.

By Ashley Carson

Watch the excellent video review.

Infamous Brothers of Davenport - THe Citizen's Theatre 16th February

This show I enjoyed because it was different from what I have  seen before and had a lot of mystery and magic in it ,it also tugged on the heart strings because the brothers lost their sister ,it was also kind of dark because they lied about seeing ghosts or did they? .in one word I’d describe it as Fantabulous!

By Chantelle Hosie

Watch the enlightening video review.

The Man Who Lived Twice - The Arches 23rd March

Watch the great video review.

In the Autumn term, the group went to see TAG's Monster in the Hall at the Citizens' Theatre, The Weir by Mull Theatre Company at the Tron, and the NGARN Winter Carnival of all things (Winter COAT!).

So far 2011 has seen trips to Wrestling at the Arches, a double-bill of family opera at the Citizens' Theatre, and Smalltown at the Tron .

Read on for a selection of reviews, articles and even some art work...

Review of Wrestling, by Stephanie Love (Blackhill Workshop)

Who?	Rob Drummond, Damian O'Connor, James Tyler, Joe Coffey
What?	A play based on Rob Drummond's experiences of wrestling - the show includes a wrestling match and a behind-the-scenes film.
Where?	The Arches
Why?	Rob Drummond has always loved wrestling, as he tells us in the play, but has never actually been in a fight.  He decides that this is how he will "become a man" and says that this is also his tribute to wrestling.

Rob Drummond trained for 5 months to become a decent wrestler in time for his show entitled Wrestling.  In his play, filled with drama, he tells us about the history of wrestling and his story of how from a young age he has loved the sport.  He tells the audience about how he missed his 'fight window' and that he feels this has stopped him from becoming a man.  After running away from every 'fight window' he decided it was time for him to man up and learn how to wrestle.

Wrestling at the Arches

In this theatre show, the audience are engaged in Damian O'Connor's speech, as he tells them how people are born wrestlers and how, as long as people exist, wrestling will exist.  Then Rob Drummond tells us, more or less, his life story, even though he has a broken arm.  James Tyler comes on and tells Rob to stop complaining, and challenges him to a wrestling match.  The stage gets pulled away and the curtains are drawn to show a wrestling ring and a tag team match takes place.  Afterwards, the audience see a film of Rob's journey.  I felt this play was exciting, although parts were unnecessary. Overall, this show was definitely worth seeing.

Review ofSmalltown, by Ashley Scott (Blackhill Workshop)

Who?	Random Accomplice, written by D.C. Jackson, Johnny McKnight and Douglas Maxwell
Where?	Tron Theatre
What?	A show about 3 towns.  The water in the towns is polluted and it turns everyone who drinks it crazy!

I really enjoyed Small Town because it was really funny, but there was a lot of bad language in it, and I don't think that it was suitable for anyone under the age of 14! In the show the costumes and sets were really interesting.  The show was written by 3 different writers so each of the scenes were very different.  At the end of the show you get to choose what town to save, but I'm not convinced you do really get to choose!  Some of the scenes in the show were very rude and the audience loved it, but if you took the rudeness out then it would still be funny.

Smalltown at the Tron

 

Review of Monster in the Hall, by Stephanie Love (Blackhill Workshop)

Monster in the Hall was an entertaining play about a young carer, Duck, and her dad, Duke, who has MS.  Duck and Duke think life couldn’t get any better – they eat pizza and crisps all day, and watch TV all night.  However when Duck’s school set up a meeting with a social worker, Duck panics, and everything that could go wrong, does go wrong.

Also, as Duck is a teenage girl, other things are on her mind – her biggest ambition is to become a world-famous author and she has a boy crush on Lance, the nicest looking boy in her class.  However, with pressure from the school, her dad, dad’s girlfriend, care plans and boys, Duke is set to explode.  This play shows the challenges young carers face, in a witty and musical way.  It was performed amazingly in the Citizens’ theatre with an imaginary set and an amazing cast.

Image courtesy of TAG Theatre

 

Review of Monster in the Hall, by Shannon Gale (Blackhill Workshop)

What?	Monster in the Hall, a play about a girl and her dad!
When?	November 9th 2010, 7.30pm
Where?	Citizens’ Theatre, Circle Studio
Why?	They did it because they are good actors and actresses.  We went to see it because it sounded good, and we were correct!
Who?	The characters are called Duck, Social Worker, Laurence, Beast and dad.  The play was at the Citizens’ and was written by David Greig.

Review: I really enjoyed the play and I think the actors and actresses are really good.  Their voices are very clear and the singing made me laugh.  I think they should get a contract to go on TV!  If there was follow up, I would definitely go and see it.  Go and see Monster in the Hall!

 

Review of The Weir, by Ciara Brand (Balgrayhill Workshop)

The Weir was a production that was performed at the Tron Theatre from the 15th – 20th November but will tour round the country.  It was very long play that is set in a pub.  Most of the play was spent in the pub and no one really left, a lot of dialogue was used.  The five actors that were in it spent their time getting drunk, smoking and telling old folk stories, some of which were quite scary or very sad and traumatic!  Overall, The Weir was very long and slightly dragged in, but why not check it out for yourself?

Image courtesy of Mull Theatre

 

About the Theatre Critics Committee, by Ashley Scott (Blackhill Workshop)

What?	A group of people who get together to write reviews about plays and things that happen in the area.
When?	Every Tuesday from 5-6.30pm
Where?	At the Toonspeak Studio
Who?	Toonspeak members from different weekly workshops
Why?	To learn more about writing reviews and about different plays

The Theatre Critics Committee are a group of young people from Toonspeak who get together every Tuesday to write reviews on plays and things that happen in their area.  It takes place in the Toonspeak Studio.

 

All About Toonspeak Young People’s Theatre, by Stephanie Love (Blackhill Workshop)

Toonspeak Young People’s Theatre is a free weekly drama workshop for young people, between the ages of 11 and 25, living in North Glasgow.  It gives young people a chance to have fun, meet new people and do some acting.  Everything Toonspeak does is completely free because of all the amazing support and funding it gets.

So, what are you waiting for – join today!

Who?	Toonspeak!
Where?	Blackhill, Springburn, Royston, Summerston, Milton, Balgrayhill
What?	Free weekly drama workshop for young people living in North Glasgow
Why?	To give young people aged 11-25 a chance to have fun, meet new people and do some acting
When?	Springburn Summerston Blackhill Balgrayhill Royston Milton	Tuesday, 6.30-8pm Tuesday, 6.30-8pm Wednesday, 7.30-9pm Wednesday, 6.30-8pm Thursday, 6.30-8pm Thursday, 6.30-8pm

   

The Runaway Mind Train!

In the half term break of October 2010, a group of young people and Toonspeak staff met at Molendinar Community Centre to devise a play exploring mental health issues and the stigma attached to them. In their own words, this is their story………

Expectations...

I expect the project to be fun and interesting just like other Toonspeak projects. The most exciting thing is meeting new people and doing a show at the end. I think the show will be a blast!   

Lauren

Weird. Embarrassing. Scary.  

Kirsty

Exciting. Happy. Friendly. Funny. Good atmosphere. Fun games. I expect that this will be a funny, good atmosphere and enjoyable spending time with friends. I also think the show will be brilliant and everyone will enjoy it.   

Chantelle

Lots of people, fun, exciting. That the show will be good but hard to put together and might be funny and embarrassing. 

Anon

 

That it was going to be exciting, strict, embarrassing……in fact it was fun, suprising and enjoyable! 

Allana

 

I think the week coming will be fun but will have some tricky parts because of the subject of mental health, This project is going to be hard going but after the show ‘Survivors Guide to Suicide’ this should be a little easier. 

Matthew

 

Nervous! I will be scared of the show but it will be fun and cool.

Anon

 

Funny and Cool! Nervous! 

William

 

First Impressions...

I love being able to work with such a serious subject and putting it across in a fun and still serious manner.

Lauren McPherson

I was a bit nervous and cautious at first but I got used to the environment and I realised that it was fun and enjoyable and I felt relaxed. It’s a great atmosphere. I’m really excited for the show on Friday. I think its going to be good fun and exciting.  

Kirsty

My first impressions are good but that it could be difficult and also it will help people understand mental health issues better. 

Chantelle

It has been fun so far, an okay amount of people who are fun.

Anon

I’m excited to fund out what the show will be like and to participate in it. I feel scared and nervous about acting in front of a lot of people for the first time but looking forward to overcoming a fear.

Allana

I liked it today it was what I thought it would be like.

Anon

Funny and Cool!

William

 

October Week Blog...

We did a play about a young girl that gets in trouble with neds and the police. This was fun because we could put in our own thoughts and feelings and say how we would react.

We did a news report about the above but exaggerated it to make the young people sound bad. This was fun because we could make it comical but also show how the media stereotype young people.

On Tuesday morning we introduced ourselves to the new members of the group with a name game. We did tongue twisters - these were fun but tricky. We then did some singing with Brian - this was fun because I can’t sing but a lot of people could and it sounded good.

Then we got in to groups and made frozen images of the different stages of a family after the birth of 2 more children and the dad loses his job. I enjoyed this and I think everybody else did too. It showed how the family coped through the difficult times but showed the good times too and how things can change.

Stephanie

 

We have learnt a lot and had a lot of fun learning about mental health.

On Monday we created a play about a young innocent girl getting the blame for shoplifting. We saw the change in the characters attitude when she had been blamed for something that wasn’t her fault. We also created a news report about the girl and made the incident more dramatic as they exaggerate what the girl had done.

So far on Tuesday we have created still images about how one family can instantly change as the father loses his job. We also did voice warm ups - this consisted of singing, doing tongue twisters and singing Happy Birthday to Brian. We thought up a song about a red hat which became catchy and we sang it along with the piano. Stephanie thinks it should be on You Tube - I second that! 

Lauren

Check out our art work...

One of the symptons and causes of having mental health problems is when people have different feelings and emotions on the inside than they are showing on the outside. But whilst this may be exaggerated when someone is suffering from mental health problems, this is actually something that we all do every day. We used our artistic talents to show an instance during this process when we have shown different feelings on the outside than we have been feeling on the inside. Here are the results……

 

James	Stephanie
Robert	Chantelle
Lauren	William

Day 3 Blog...

Yesterday afternoon, Chantelle, Robert, Lauren and Amy went away with Brian and they created a song. While the rest of the group were split in to two groups and we created scenes which were adverts for horror movies! When the others came back  we did drama and we learned the chorus from the song that they made up.

Today we started off with playing a game then we moved on to doing more tongue twisters to practice our pronunciation. Then we got round the piano with Brian to do voice warm ups. Then we started to rehearse the play.

Everything has been fun and interesting so far. The team is working really well together and we are really focussed, this is making everything more fun because there is no interruptions or silly carry on.

Amy	Robyn
Kirsty	Matthew
Alanna	James' Artist's Impression of Brian!

 

Toonspeak's Theatre Game

The first Toonspeak computer game is now ready to play!!  See if you can get the highest score and see if you can recognise any familiar faces amongst the characters!!

Thanks to all of the Games Committee who worked hard to develop the idea for the game and a huge thanks to everyone at the E-Motion Lab at Glasgow Caledonian University who designed and created the game for us!

Click here to play Toonspeak's Theatre!

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