We are closed for the Easter Bank Holiday (Good Friday to Easter Monday) and will re-open again at 10am on Tues 2 April as usual. Tickets can still be booked on the website or just call the box office on 01865 319450 and leave a message – we’ll get back to you as soon as we return.
Hope you all have a lovely weekend!
This Easter, the North Wall has been transformed in a theatre laboratory. Which sort of sounds like all of the team are wondering round in white lab coats growing news plays in test tubes – an odd thought, though not far from the truth…
If our brochure were to be believed, it looks as though we’ve all taken a long holiday but the building is actually a hive of activity. Three different theatre companies will be in residence over the Easter holidays in the main auditorium and our two studio spaces, creating new work that will eventually be staged not just here in Oxford but all around the UK as well.
At this very minute, award-winning puppetry specialists Pickled Image are perfecting their ventriloquism skills in the dance studio with some very creepy looking puppets, putting the finishing touches to The Shop of Little Horrors, which will premiere at the North Wall at the end of May. A dark and twisted horror show with a wicked sense of humour, it should be a marvellously macabre event! You can buy tickets online by clicking here.
Also resident (as of next week) are European ensemble New International Encounter who you might remember from their previous ventures, Past Half Remembered and Tales from a Sea Journey. N.I.E will be working on their new play North, North, North which will be staged at The North Wall in the autumn. They’ve just returned from a research trip to Svalbard, and need time and space to experiment and explore the visual life of their new piece. Check out some of their photos from the expedition here.
Finally, our artistic director Lucy will be working with six young actors and Catriona Kerridge, an emerging writer, on Fast Track, a play which Cat wrote whilst here for last summer’s outreach project. Catriona has now been awarded funding by the Arts Council and new writing powerhouse HighTide Festival to develop a second draft of her script, which we are hoping to stage at The North Wall in Spring 2014. According to playwright Fin Kennedy’s recent report, In Battalions, it is the development of new work which has been most affected by cuts to arts funding, so we recognise the importance of supporting the theatre of tomorrow.
Watch this space for snippets of behind-the-scenes action – we’ll be posting photos, videos and Q & As with all the visiting artists so you can see how things are progressing.
Tomorrow night marks the start of our first So Comedy Night of 2013! And with the new year comes a few changes: we’re excited to introduce Matt Richardson as our brand new resident MC! We had a few questions for Matt on the eve of his debut…
How does your role as MC differ from performing as a stand up? Which do you prefer?
I love performing as both, really – it’s hard to decide. I like chatting to the audience and improvising and it’s nice to know you made a night work and great for the other acts, but for flat-out glory doing a set is the best because you don’t get people coming up to you after saying “You were pretty funny, you should be a comedian” like you do when you MC! I like MCing because it means I can go back to the same clubs more often, such as the lovely North Wall So Comedy Club!
Your first solo show Hometown Hero will premiere at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe…can you tell us a bit more about what we can expect?
You can expect lots of high-energy, fast talking stories about things that are probably too rude to mention here! Audience chat, and it’s essentially a show about growing up – which is what I am still doing, I guess. It should be great fun and I am taking it on a national tour in the autumn (dates: www.mattrichardsoncomedy.co.uk/gigs) and will hopefully bring it to Oxford!
The Guardian recently called you “the next bright young sensation of comedy” – which comedians inspired you to get into stand up?
The first comedian I ever saw live was Jimmy Carr at the New Theatre in 2007. Last year I gigged at that venue with him, so that is certainly something that reminded me he inspired me to give it a go. Russell Howard was a big hero of mine when I started out, as was Greg Davies and Sarah Millican.
Twitter tells us you’re from Didcot – do you prefer performing for a local crowd or a London crowd?
Not only am I from Didcot, I still live there! I love performing locally, it’s great fun and you have an instant connection with the audience. When you start out lots of the new act gigs in London are hard and pretty poorly attended, but I’m at a point now where I get to play some amazing gigs in London, so I do enjoy it there. However, performing at The Cornerstone in Didcot was my only dream when I started and I’ve had a couple of solo shows there now, so that trumps everything – nothing beats walking out to a sold-out hometown crowd, where you can pretend to be a Hometown Hero (see what I did there? very clever!)
What’s your ideal Oxford night out?
I like The Living Room for a few drinks (not too many, it’s expensive) and then on to Thirst for a few more! I’d go to eat at Browns or Quod and I’d come to The North Wall to see a show, or to the Odeon on Magdalen St to watch a film (if you a pay a little extra they have sofas on the balcony)
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If you’re interested to see Matt’s MC skills in action, the first of our monthly So Comedy nights starts on Thursday 14 March at 8pm. Book tickets online or call the box office on 01865 319450.
Calling all aspiring performers, writers, designers & technicians…
The North Wall is recruiting for its annual vocational outreach project. If you’re aged 18-25 and interested in pursuing a career in the arts, you could have the chance to spend 3 weeks in our beautiful Oxford venue, working intensively with highly experienced theatre practitioners on the making of a brand new theatre piece.
Click here for more information and to download an application form.
Writers, Designers and Technicians will be called for a meeting. Performers will be selected by audition, as follows:
LONDON: Sat 6 April 2013 (RADA)
OXFORD: Sun 7 April 2013 (North Wall Arts Centre)
Closing Date: Weds 3 April 2013
To find out more about what we do, watch a video about last year’s project, Crash:
This Wednesday, we’ll be screening “The Telemachy”, an independent film written and directed by Alexander Nally.
The Telemachy is a journey of self-discovery inspired by Homer’s Odyssey. It follows Telemachus, an Anglo Greek boy who runs away from home in order to find his true father Ilias on the isle of Skiathos. Throughout the film we encounter characters with overlaying themes that remind us that everyone has a story to tell. In the epic poems of Homer, Telemachus was the son of the legendary Odysseus. Scholars often refer to the first four books of The Odyssey as ‘The Telemachy’.
The film will be screened at the North Wall on Wednesday 20th February at 7.00pm and there will be a Q&A session at 9pm with the filmmakers. Tickets are free but are offered on a first come, first served basis. To reserve a seat, call the box office on 01865 319450.
Due to overwhelming popular demand, we are pleased to announce that an extra performance of 1927′s The Animals and Children Took to the Streets will take place on Saturday 9 February at 4pm. All the other performances have now sold out so this is your last opportunity to catch the show in Oxford before it embarks on a world tour! Click here to book tickets now or call the box office on 01865 319450.
If, like us, you are too excited to wait two more weeks to see what is set to be a brilliant piece of ground-breaking theatre, then you can watch a sneak peak below:
Christmas is over, which can only mean one thing: the spring season is upon us! Here at the North Wall we’re gearing up for the return of several old friends, and looking forward to meeting new ones. For the first time, our Spring programme extends until the end of June, meaning the very organised amongst us can get out their shiny new 2013 diaries and plot in six months of culture – from punchy new writing to a cappella folk music. If you’re already on our mailing list, you should have received a copy of our new brochure but if you missed it, click here to view it online or email contact@thenorthwall.com and we’ll pop one in the post.
Here are just a few highlights from the new season…
1927 will return to The North Wall with The Animals and Children Took to the Streets following their run at The National Theatre before they embark on a mammoth tour.
Pickled Image will develop and premiere their new show Shop of Little Horrors here with us in May. This will be a dark and twisted horror show with a wicked sense of humour, featuring a macabre collection of characters, using extraordinary puppets, masks and props.
The extraordinarily moving Something Very Far Away from Unicorn Theatre uses unique live animation to tell the story of the Kepler, an astronomer, as he copes with the loss of his beloved wife.
Opera features as the inspiration for Mark Thomas’ funny and touching Bravo Figaro!, telling the story of one man’s crusade to put opera on in a Bournemouth bungalow.
Finally, we are pleased to announce that we are extending our opening hours. The North Wall will now be open every Saturday from 12pm – 4pm for those wishing to buy tickets, make enquiries, pick up a brochure or browse the gallery at their leisure.
We look forward to seeing you over the next couple of months!
A few months ago we revealed that Jos Vantyler had been nominated by the OffWestEnd Awards for Best Male for his outstanding performance as Mel Carney in our very first in-house production, Dead on Her Feet. Most importantly, however, unlike most theatre awards, the final decision is down to the public, and voting ends in just under a month!
Photo credit: Simon Annand
Jos’s portrayal of the Mephistophelian promoter won plaudits from critics across the board:
“Jos Vantyler is a tour-de-force as the promoter Mel Carney, swinging from menace to bonhomie and back.”
(The Stage)
“Jos Vantyler gives a stunning performance… charismatically watchable.”
(British Theatre Guide)
We watched Jos stun audiences night after night with his relentlessly energetic performance, proving how much he deserves this award, which is why we urge you to support him by giving him your vote!
It only takes 3 minutes following these simple steps:
Voting closes on 14th Feb – thanks in advance for your support!
We’re very excited to welcome Creation Theatre back to the North Wall for Christmas! The theatre will be busier than usual and our opening hours have been extended to accommodate extra shows (as well as closing for the odd bank holiday) so check below if you’re unsure of the box office opening hours:
Monday 17th December – *Closed*
Tuesday 18th December – *10am – 10pm*
Wednesday 19th December – *10am – 10pm*
Thursday 20th December – *10am – 10pm*
Friday 21st December – *10am – 10pm*
Saturday 22nd December – *1pm – 10pm*
Sunday 23rd December – *1pm – 9pm*
Christmas Eve – *10am – 5pm*
Christmas Day – *Closed*
Boxing Day – *1pm – 10pm*
Thursday 27th December – *10am – 10pm*
Friday 28th December – *10am – 10pm*
Saturday 29th December – *1pm – 10pm*
Sunday 30th December – *1pm – 9pm*
New Year’s Eve – *10am – 5pm*
New Year’s Day – *Closed*
Wednesday 2 January – *10am – 10pm*
Jos Vantyler can currently be found treading the boards at the newly re-opened Arcola Theatre in The North Wall’s inaugral production, Dead On Her Feet.
He stars as Mel Carney, an unscrupulous promoter who exploits the dreams of six young, hopeful contestants in a marathon dance contest during the 1930s Great Depression in the United States. Seducing them with empty promises of fame and fortune to dance for days on end for the morbid entertainment of a paying audience, Mel Carney’s self-styled image as a showman bringing “joy” to the desperate lives of the disillusioned is undercut by the audience’s realisation that the contest has been fixed to ensure that Mel is the only winner.
Jos Vantyler’s portrayal of the Mephistophelian promoter has won plaudits from critics across the board:
“Jos Vantyler is a tour-de-force as the promoter Mel Carney, swinging from menace to bonhomie and back.”
*(The Stage)*
“The performances in Barry Kyle’s production are consistently, almost overwhelmingly, strong. Jos Vantyler appals as Mel Carney…veering precipitously from threatening bully to wheedling charmer with extraordinary acuity.” Whatsonstage.com – 4 STARS
“Jos Vantyler gives a stunning performance… charismatically watchable.”
British Theatre Guide
“MC Mel Carney proves to be the real attraction here, played to perfection by the mesmerising Jos Vantyler… as grotesque and gorgeous a spectacle as the whole show put together.”
A Younger Theatre
The buzz surrounding Vantyler’s stellar performance has now led to a nomination for Best Male Performance from the Off West End Awards.
Throughout Dead On Her Feet Jos gives a relentlessly energetic performance, in the final scene furiously tap dancing into the future, seemingly oblivious to the devastation surrounding him. It will come as no surprise to learn that his Great Aunt was golden-age Hollywood star Ann Miller, who in the 1940s and 50s was regarded as one of the greatest tap dancers in the world, performing alongside Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire and Judy Garland, and is best-remembered for her star turns in Easter Parade, On The Town and Kiss Me, Kate. Inspired by Ann’s distinctive style(“Very fast and showy!”), Jos introduced the idea of tap-dancing into the rehearsal room: “It suited the old Hollywood show man style of Mel Carney – and kind of grew from there…”
Jos is no stranger to accolades, having been nominated for Off West End Best Male Performance award for the role of Tom Sawyer in James Graham’s Huck, and taking home the NYC Star Best Newcomer Award for his portrayal of Rodolfo in Arthur Miller’s A View From The Bridge at The Tower Theater in New York in 2005. Though aged just 27, Jos has already played a diverse number of roles: “I am really fortunate – no one part has ever been the same. I have gone from the American classics to the most famous British farce to Jacobean Tragedy to Tennessee Williams to Shakespeare and back again, playing everything from a 13 year old boy to a 40 year old drunk. I think that’s the best bit – all so different and people have always seen me in very different lights- which always continues to excite!” Make no mistake, Jos Vantyler’s talent is a force to be reckoned with.