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Dec 09
0

What Plan B means for panto

By | News, Panto

The government last night introduced new measures against Covid-19 that affect theatres, such as mandatory face masks for indoor public venues.

This includes Social, where our panto Rapunz’ull runs from 16-24 December.

Vaccine passports do not apply, however we are still kindly asking if you could do our team and fellow audience members a huge favour and take a lateral flow test before you leave home.

What else we’re doing

As we wrote last week, our cast and crew are taking lateral flow tests every day, while some of the wider Middle Child team have now returned to home working.

Social will also be deep cleaned every day throughout the run and has a ventilation system, while contactless e-tickets are the default and contactless payments are accepted at the bar.

We’re so excited to be back and part of your Christmases again, but we also want to keep everyone safe, so please follow the guidance and help keep pantoland magical.

Lots of love,
Middle Child x

Nov 23
0
Headshots of the eight performers of Rapunz'ull

Meet the cast of Rapunz’ull

By | News, Panto, Shows

We swear it’s still September, but the calendar don’t lie and rehearsals for this year’s panto, Rapunz’ull, start a week today. Ye gads!

In which case, we better introduce the talented performers who will be taking to the stage at Social this Christmas, from 16-24 December.

Alice Beaumont returns to panto to play the lead role and hero with the magic hair, Rapunzel.

Alice’s previous work with Middle Child includes pantomimes, The Little Mermaid and Cinderella, as well as All We Ever Wanted Was Everything.

Jack Chamberlain will be tapping those toms and slapping those snares in musician’s corner, as well as getting up to mischief on the stage itself as Dogbreath.

Jack has appeared in numerous Middle Child Christmas shows, including as the Mirror in last year’s animated panto.

The multi-instrumentalist Alex Turner aspires to be, James Frewer will lead musical proceedings as Piano James and the show’s musical director.

Frew, as he likes to be known, has written music for Middle Child since the beginning on various shows, including All We Ever Wanted Was Everything, Us Against Whatever and The Canary and the Crow.

Marc Graham returns as Pattie Breadcake, Hull’s favourite guitar-shredding, husband-shedding panto dame.

Marc won a Stage Award for Excellence for his turn as the MC in All We Ever Wanted Was Everything and has handled more hecklers than Social has been called Fruit.

Making his panto debut under the lights at Social, as villain Mayor Gothel, is Angelo Irving.

You may recognise Angelo from his Black Boris viral videos, as well as Netflix’s Death to 2020, for which he also has a writing credit.

Angelo also reviews theatre for the likes of Exeunt and The Stage, after participating in our New Critics Programme in 2019, and also wrote for our summer cabaret, we used to be closer than this.

Anna Mitchelson joins the cast as understudy, part of our Covid-19 precautions to ensure the show can go on, ready to step-in should a performer fall ill.

Anna starred in our 2019 production of One Life Stand and also appeared in our comeback cabaret earlier this year, we used to be closer than this.

Panto regular Josie Morley stars as Ace Ladd, the Hull botanist in search of his radical roots who wants to start a revolution.

As well as appearing in countless Middle Child pantomimes, Josie also performed in our karaoke cabaret, Us Against Whatever and starred in The Roaring Girls’ Beach Body Ready.

The man whose face launched a thousand squeaks during Cinderella, Andrew Ross is the deadpan extraordinaire bar none.

Andrew will double-up stage management and clowning duties as Baron von Stagehand and has previously appeared as Pattie’s sister, Chips, in The Little Mermaid.

And joining us on Saturday 18 December as BSL interpreter for three performances, including family and late-night shows, is Dave Wycherley.

Dave has interpreted our pantomimes every year since 2017 and we are delighted to have him join us again this Christmas.

Production team

Working their wizardry behind the scenes is our amazing production team.

Natalie Young is the brains behind our set, props and costume design, bringing Hull Fair to Social, with special thanks to the University of Hull drama department for building the set.

Adam Foley is working wonders with the lights to capture the neon atmosphere of the fair on the usual modest budget.

Danielle Harris joins the rehearsal room as deputy stage manager and will run the show from the tech desk in the venue.

Paul Smith, Middle Child’s artistic director, has not only penned the script but will once again direct the show.

And finally the Middle Child core team will produce, production manage, dramaturg and market the show.

  • Tickets for Rapunz’ull are on-sale now, available from £10.50-£16.50.
Sep 30
0
The Little Mermaid - Hull Pantomime

Where have the panto family tickets gone?

By | News, Panto

Audience development manager, Jamie Potter, writes about the pressures of putting a pantomime on-sale – and what it means for our family tickets.

Back in early 2020, before the pandemic upturned everything, we were evaluating The Little Mermaid and how well it had gone. In particular, we had some questions about our family ticket offer, which gives people a discount when they buy two standard and two children’s tickets.

We learned from audience feedback that while the offer was very popular, not all families have two parents and two children. Single parents – especially single mothers – are excluded from any kind of discount and some people simply don’t have families.

That didn’t sit well with us, so we spoke about it, a lot.

We were aware how much that discount was appreciated, especially when, despite our best efforts to keep prices low, £16.50 for an adult is still an expensive ticket in a place like Hull.

But we were also uncomfortable with providing a discount that favours one particular social group to the exclusion of others.

And there was no other way to provide discounts to different family types, other than by keeping prices low across the board.

So that’s what we decided to do: keep our ticket prices as low as possible and discontinue the family offer, as the most equitable way forward.

Production shot from The Little Mermaid - Hull Panto

The Little Mermaid (2019)

Before we could go on-sale however, Covid-19 struck and in 2020 our panto went online, for free.

Fast forward eighteen months and we’re able to announce a new production, Rapunz’ull, on an actual stage, in front of a fleshy, bony audience, back in our spiritual home on Humber Street.

First though, we had to go through hours, days, weeks even, of planning and forecasting to try and make the budget work. And it still looks tight. Like, really tight.

Aware of the financial pressures people are under right now, we revisited our family ticket discussion. However, we worked out that if we reinstated the offer, the discount would roughly double our expected loss in our best-case sales forecast.

That’s not a typo. We were already expecting to make a loss on panto.

Even if we sell every ticket this year, to a total audience size similar to previous years, but amid the uncertainty of Covid-19, we will still not cover production costs.

This is where the hard reality of panto finance crashes the Christmas party: making theatre is expensive and our panto is no exception.

Production shot from The Little Mermaid - Hull Panto - Photo by Sarah Beth

The Little Mermaid (2019)

Unlike the rest of our work, we receive no additional funding to stage panto, now in its tenth year, so it must always wash its own face through box office income.

Whereas in large venues Christmas shows often subsidise work the rest of the year, for Middle Child it’s the other way round.

That puts us in perennial conflict between balancing production costs with the price of tickets.

What we’ve done then is trim the budget the best we can, while still paying people properly, and made the show as small as we’re comfortable to take it without losing its essence of a messy, anarchic, musical night out.

We’ve also applied to the third round of the Culture Recovery Fund, to cover against any potential losses from Rapunz’ull.

Success here would make a huge difference, but we still need to make a workable budget in-case we are turned down, and all the while remembering we will face the same puzzle in 2022.

Despite our work on the budget, we are still forecast to make a loss, though it’s one we’ve managed to reduce to a figure we can absorb. Nonetheless, it’s still a risk.

Production shot from The Little Mermaid - Hull Panto - Photo by Sarah Beth

The Little Mermaid (2019)

Every year there is at least one moment, in planning, when we ask the dreaded question: “Should we even do panto anymore?”

But the answer is always yes. Because Middle Child is panto.

It’s our most popular show, with our largest audience, who return year-after-year.

Panto is an entry point to theatre for so many people and it encapsulates our entire approach to form: the spirit of panto – loud, fun, audience-centric – runs through our work all year round, not just at Christmas.

Why are we telling you this?

To be honest and open about the realities of making theatre, especially a production that is so loved by audiences in Hull, as well as by the dedicated people who make it.

The Middle Child panto is incredibly rewarding for all involved, but it’s a thin and wobbly tightrope that we must walk to ensure it can happen. Hence the transparency about the decisions we make.

Through all of this we are still very aware that 2021 has been and continues to be very difficult for many financially.

That’s why, before we discontinue the family ticket, we’re going to make one last revised offer – a Friends and Family offer – available for one week only. This will give you a fiver off any four tickets bought together, when you buy at least one adult and one children’s ticket.

It’s a little compromise we’ve decided to make, as we balance on that tricky tightrope during a year that the entire theatre world has found difficult to navigate.

Beyond all the budget chin-stroking, we’re enormously excited to be back on-stage with panto, after two years away thanks to lockdown.

And this year it’s not any old stage – we’re also back in the warehouse, albeit with a different name and a lick of paint or two, where it all began in 2011.

Social on Humber Street is our spiritual home, not just for panto, but for countless Middle Child shows over the past ten years.

The script is hilarious, the cast and creative team are super talented and the tunes we will cover are some proper bops, so we can’t wait to see you there at Christmas.

Is there anything else – apart from buying tickets, of course – that you can do to help?

Become a Middle Child Mate. This is our monthly pay what you can supporters’ scheme, in which you receive a free tote bag, pin badge and exclusive bi-monthly newsletter from the team, plus other occasional perks.

Sponsor us. We have a number of reasonable packages available for local businesses, with a series of benefits including shout outs on social media, inclusion on print and thank yous in our 20 shows. Contact Hattie for more information.

Buy a Solidarity Ticket. Every year we give away tickets to charity and community groups working with people in Hull, who otherwise wouldn’t be able to see a Christmas show. These are funded by a post-show collection on the door and this year we are now able to accept donations when you buy a ticket online.

Cross your fingers. And your toes, that we’re successful with our application to the Culture Recovery Fund.

Rapunz’ull runs from 16-24 December 2021, at Social on Humber Street, Hull

Sep 07
0
The front of a Victorian brick warehouse, called Bond 31

Middle Child move into Bond 31

By | News
The front of a Victorian brick warehouse, called Bond 31

We have a new moonbase: Bond 31.

One year after we left Darley’s, our home of nine years, and set-up shop on our various sofas throughout lockdown, Middle Child have moved into a new space in Hull city centre.

We’ve taken over the ground floor of the old Bond 31 warehouse at 42-43 High Street, which backs onto the river Hull.

The suite will house an accessible rehearsal space, theatre library and office, as well as a new writing room, hot desking space and kitchen facilities.

Middle Child HQ isn’t open to the public just yet, as we are still decorating, but will be soon.

We’re working with Resolve, who recycle and refurbish commercial spaces, to prepare it to meet our needs and those of theatre workers in Hull.

As with Darley’s, we will open-up our new home for others to use.

Once again, we’d like to thank those freelancers who took part in our Imagine the Future day, earlier this year, and fed back what you need from a space in Hull.

We’ll soon have more information available about Bond 31 and its facilities.

In the meantime, our core team is working from here Tuesday to Friday every week, as we settle in and make it our home.

Do give us a knock on the big window if you pass by!

Thank you to Wykeland and the Cultural Recovery Fund for their support. 

A brown door set into Victorian brickwork

Main entrance

Books on wooden shelves

Theatre library

An office inside an old warehouse building covered in dustsheets

Office

A white room with grey beams

Rehearsal room

Jul 14
1
A montage of headshots of the eight writers

Behind the writing – “we used to be closer than this”

By | News, Shows, Uncategorised
A montage of headshots of the eight writers

If you’ve been keeping up with us, you’ll know that we are celebrating togetherness by being back on the stage Friday 16th – Sunday 18th July with a live audience with ‘we used to be closer than this’, a cabaret of songs written by 8 talented writers from Hull and across the UK.

Not too long ago, we sent a brief to writers asking them to respond to the idea of coming together again through writing a music-led piece of writing which is celebratory, hopeful and challenging in equal measure. But what can you expect from each piece? We’ve asked our writers to tell us more about their song:

Use the arrows to scroll through all of our writer’s stories-behind-the-songs

Behind the songs:

  • Something Really Good’s About To Happen by Tom Wells

    “My mate’s mum took some diet pills once that (it turned out, much to everyone’s surprise) were laced with speed. He asked her what it was like and she told him it felt, all the time, like something brilliant was about to happen. Which, I think anyway, is quite a helpful approach to have to life and the world and the future, especially at the moment. The sense that stuff’s about to change, to get better, to get fairer. So: it sounds a bit naff but what inspired the story behind my song is, um, hope.

    “The song is about three people who are all on the cusp of something new in their lives. They’ve struggled a bit, but I think they’re all determined to make sure that, post-pandemic, the world is a bit fairer, kinder, and huggier than it has been in the last year and a half.

    “It’s lovely to be making theatre again with Middle Child, who are my heroes and who have supported the Hull theatre community so much, through such a tough time. And it’s lovely to be in such a brilliant gang of artists – I can’t wait to see and hear what everyone has come up with.”

  • The Biggest Bestest Summer Of Our Lives by Kobby Taylor

    “The Biggest Bestest Summer Of Our Lives is really about a mum, a dad, a daughter and the pandemic and how the members of the family navigate the difficulties of lockdown, whilst trying to remain positive. The title may suggest it’s the happiest song in the world, but actually, the song is about hope. Hoping that this summer is amazing is what is holding this family together as lockdown has been tough on all of them.

    “I think my writing tries to touch on the fact that this could be a hugely positive summer when restrictions are lifted and the masks come off. It tries to show that parents and families have done their absolute best to remain positive despite the very negative nature of the pandemic.
    “It’s been so, so important for me to be back in the room writing and playing with Middle Child. It’s no secret they have guided me from a complete novice, to having the opportunity to act and compose music and now the opportunity to write a song has allowed me to extend my experience. The rehearsal room felt so safe and so covid secure that it felt ‘normal’. Obviously, there were numerous restrictions on contact, but everyone has rigidly stuck to the rules and it allowed us to create an amazing cabaret show about connection.
    “I wouldn’t say any further reading is required after watching my song, but certainly connecting with your family, household and close circle is so important. Just having brutally honest conversations about how we feel pre-, mid- and post-pandemic can certainly be the best therapy. The aim isn’t to try and ‘fix’ our problems; it’s merely to listen and understand, as in many cases, simply understanding is enough to heal.”

  • Lockdown Baby by Abbi Greenland (RashDash)

    “Helen and I (RashDash) both had babies during the last year and have been negotiating lockdown pregnancies, births and babies. My babe was born before Christmas when we had lockdowns two and three and we couldn’t get together with friends and family. Since we’ve been able to see friends again and touch friends again, it’s been incredible to introduce babe to his family – those that he’s related to by blood and those that will just always be in his life.

    “The day he met my oldest friend for the first time – having only facetimed and waved from a distance for months – was a very special day and I wanted to write about that and celebrate it. This song is about the first time my oldest friend got to hold my new baby for the first time. Just a really important moment that we had to be so patient and wait so long for.

    “I went to university in Hull with Middle Child and we were all really close and made a lot of work together while we were studying, and a bit after we graduated too. It’s really special to be working with the company again, and to be making work for a Hull audience.”

  • Am I Ready (Steady Go) by Tabby Lamb

    “Back in March 2020, when covid first hit, I was about to go on a big holiday for my 30th – visiting friends in America, who I haven’t seen for years, and of course that trip was cancelled. But I still spent most of the pandemic planning dream trips to far off places. It was my escape from the monotony of lockdown. I wanted to imagine a time when I felt safe enough to travel and the horrors of the past 18 months were long behind us.

    “This song is all about new experiences, something none of us have been lucky enough have for the past year and a half. It’s about feeling safe enough to travel and explore a brand new location. It’s about having the option to go out or stay in.

    “Middle Child are one of my favourite companies of all time, so to work with them at all is an honour – but to work with them on a project of this scale, with [pay what you can] tickets is even more special. It’s such an accessible project and after a year plus of online work making accessibility key, it’s great to see Middle Child continue that.”

  • I bet that we look bad on the dancefloor By Jay Mitra

    “I had a literal nightmare during the pandemic about being at a club and it being incredibly awkward due to everyone forgetting how to dance during lockdown. Isolation has caused a lot of people’s social skills to suffer – particularly those who, like myself, have been shielding for over a year due to underlying health conditions.

    “When I had my first public appearance after isolating I felt hypersensitive to my surroundings; it was a struggle engaging with people again. After speaking to other people who endured the same level of isolation, I quickly realised I am not alone in my anxiety of having to relearn in-person communication skills. Slowly but surely, we will have to recharge our social batteries.

    “Clubs have been the last on the agenda to reopen and I know a lot of young people in particular are looking forward to this restriction being lifted. I miss the reckless and euphoric unity of dancers in a club, the feeling of being surrounded by strangers yet simultaneously feeling connected through music, the immense support from random drunk girls in the club toilets – I miss it all. I’m so excited to come together with people in clubs and re-emerge as a terrible, yet incredibly happy dancer. I want to be just another grinning face on a sticky dancefloor.

    “This is such a fantastic opportunity and I’m so happy I got a chance to voice some of the anxieties a lot of people are probably feeling right now – especially those with disabilities, who have had limited contact with the outside world out of fear of contracting a virus that could potentially kill them.

    “‘We used to be closer than this’ is an opportunity to voice a certain revival of culture. I used the brief to explore my personal experiences of suffering socially and my anxieties surrounding returning to relative normalcy. Though a lot of us will struggle in adapting again after long periods of isolation, being able to see our friends and family again will give many of us the strength to keep pushing through.

    “Hannah Hodgson (a fellow Writing Squad member) is a brilliant poet whose work surrounding her own experiences with disability are particularly important to read right now. I have become enthralled with her work recently. It’s witty, honest, provocative, and she truly is a poet to keep an eye on. As restrictions lift, many people will soon forget about those who still have to shield but Hannah’s poetry is truly unforgettable. If anyone else is feeling isolated or anxious about the world slowly reverting back to ‘normalcy’, Hannah’s poetry is a great source of solace, comfort and reflection.”

  • Now’s The Time For Dancing by Leo Skilbeck

    “I wanted the song to be rooted in cabaret and queer forms and also to be something accessible and uplifting. I was aiming for pride meets Eurovision meets cabaret down your local. I wanted to write something that didn’t shy away from challenges life throws up, but also something that was fun.

    “I imagined Love, Hindsight, Envy, Death, Pride and Hope and they arrived as these very rounded and very queer entities – Pride on a motorbike and Hope in the sidecar clutching champagne; Death singing by the bins; Envy with his cheesy chips; and I imagined this big party where it’s possible to let them all be free, to let them all go.

    “I was really pleased to be asked to write a song for Middle Child and for this in particular. Cabaret and queer performance are fantastic ways of bringing people together, finding community and having a laugh, which let’s face it, we could all do with.”

  • FIRST KISS by Natasha Brown

    “I got into a relationship a few months before the first lockdown and it was such awkward timing. Here you are in the honeymoon period, where you desperately want to spend every time with this new, interesting person and then – BOOM! – just like that, you can’t be in the same room as them anymore. That situation inspired this song: what if two people met right before lockdown and they never even got to have their first kiss? It’d suck! But the anticipation of that kiss would keep you going.

    “The song takes place in a nightclub, where there are loads of other people around, the music is loud, everyone is dancing. It’s an experience many of us haven’t had over the past year. An actual nightclub!

    “It’s important to me [to be a part of this show] for a couple of reasons. Firstly, this is my first time being commissioned to write a song (just call me Beyoncé now) which was a really enjoyable experience. It’s always rewarding to be pushed as a writer. And, secondly, I really love the idea. It’s important to cultivate as much collective joy as possible coming out of this pandemic. It’s been a rough time, to say the least, and people need opportunities to reconnect.”

  • Now/Then by Angelo Irving

    “Now then is a phrase that powerfully reminds me of Hull. A term of greeting and one that because of the pandemic, I hadn’t heard for a long time. We’ve lost a lot during the last year and a half; the ability to hear such a small but beautiful phrase inspired me to write the song. It took me a while to think about what coming together again meant to me and what the new normal would look like.

    “The more I thought, the more I realised that one of the beautiful things about reconnecting with the people was the chance to tell new stories and reminisce over old ones. Being with people that you love is therapy and now/then explores how those that love you can heal you.

    “Like many people, the last year and a half has afforded me a lot of time to reflect and one of the things I have tried committing to is being around people that nourish me. Working with Middle Child is always a highlight and working on this show, in particular, has been a real honour. It put me in a creative space where I could respond to the events that have changed the world in a creative way. That has been healing for me and, I hope, will provide something to those that watch it.

    “I have so many influences. The words of Kae Tempest; the work of local artist Emma Crick; the music of Chiedu Oraka. I wrote this at the same time as reading The Secret Commonwealth, the fifth book in the His Dark Materials series and the lengths that people go to to reconnect was a true inspiration”

Jul 06
0
Collage of eight headshots of the cast

Meet the cast and writers for “we used to be closer than this”

By | News, Shows

After 18 months away from the stage, the cast of we used to be closer than this have started rehearsals today, for our first in-person performance since covid-19 struck the UK.

The show, an outdoor cabaret celebrating connection and togetherness, is written by Natasha Brown, Angelo Irving, Tabby Lamb, Jay Mitra, RashDash, Leo Skilbeck, Kobby Taylor and Tom Wells, with original live music by James Frewer.

It will be performed in Queen’s Gardens from 16-18 July, as part of Absolutely Cultured’s Creative Hull festival.

The cast includes Lauren Azania, Rachel Barnes, Tommi Bryson, Jack Chamberlain, James Frewer, Marc Graham, Anna Mitchelson and Kobby Taylor, with BSL interpreter Stephanie Raper joining the company for both performances on Saturday 17 July.

The writers

A montage of headshots of the eight writers

Top, left-right: Natasha Brown, Angelo Irving, Tabby Lamb and Jay Mitra
Bottom, left-right: RashDash, Leo Skilbeck, Kobby Taylor and Tom Wells

Natasha Brown is a writer, performer, theatre maker and facilitator based in London. Her work interrogates power, identity and community. Natasha is an associate writer of Middle Child.

Angelo Irving is a writer and actor whose career started because of covid. He loves to learn and build with others and wants to be a difference maker.

Tabby Lamb is a non-binary trans femme writer whose work focuses on moments of queer joy and gender euphoria. Tabby is an associate writer of Middle Child.

Jay Mitra is a non-binary British Indian punk poet, writer and artist based in Hull and Manchester.

RashDash are about dancing, making space to be yourself, cultural change and radical pleasure.

Leo Skilbeck is the artistic director for Milk Presents. They write, direct, make short films, and run workshops and training.

Kobby Taylor is an actor, composer and youth worker, who is passionate about all three.

Tom Wells is a Hull-based playwright and associate artist of Middle Child.

The cast

Collage of eight headshots of the cast

Top, left-right: Lauren Azania, Rachel Barnes, Tommi Bryson and Jack Chamberlain
Bottom, left-right: James Frewer, Marc Graham, Anna Mitchelson and Stephanie Raper

Lauren Azania is a British-Caribbean Motown/Disco singer, actress and dancer, based in London.

Rachel Barnes has previously appeared in The Canary and the Crow and I Hate Alone for Middle Child.

Tommi Bryson is Sheffield-born-bred-and-based performer, writer, producer and facilitator; best known for her vibrant comedy music and her varied work at Sheffield’s own Crucible Theatre.

Jack Chamberlain is an actor, director, producer and co-artistic director of Brick By Brick. He has appeared in multiple pantomimes for Middle Child.

James Frewer is a composer and musical director, who has worked on multiple Middle Child shows, including The Canary and the Crow, Us Against Whatever and All We Ever Wanted Was Everything.

Marc Graham is an actor from Hull and a founding member of Middle Child. In 2017 he won The Stage Excellence Award for his performance in All We Ever Wanted Was Everything.

Anna Mitchelson is a performer from Hull who has previously appeared in One Life Stand and multiple pantomimes for Middle Child.

Stephanie Raper is a BSL interpreter from Lincolnshire who works across live music, theatre and performance.

Kobby Taylor, as well as being a writer on the show, is a performer who has previously appeared in The Canary and the Crow and The Little Mermaid for Middle Child.

we used to be closer than this is directed by Paul Smith and the production team also includes: Belle Streeton (assistant director), Natalie Young (designer), Jess Addinall and Adam Foley (lighting designers), Jay Hirst (technical stage manager) and Oliver Strong (assistant stage manager).

  • Pay what you can tickets are on sale now, through Absolutely Cultured.

Dates

Fri 16 – Sun 18 July
Queen’s Gardens, Hull
Pay What You Can

Book Tickets
Jul 05
0
A woman with orange hair in jeans and black vest leans to her right

Gallery: Recover, Restart and Reimagine

By | Artist Development, News
On Friday 2 July we drew to a close Recover, Restart and Reimagine, our gently radical programme to support Hull theatre makers to emerge from lockdown – and what a time it has been.
The wonderful people you see in the photos below spent three weeks exploring and growing together, leaving feeling ready for the future.
A white woman with long brown hair, in black dungarees, sits with hands in a notebook
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A white woman with fair hair, black sweater and grey jogging pants sits on a chair, clutching a notebook
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A white passing woman with orange hair and black vest claps her hands above her head
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A white woman with ginger hair and glasses lies on the floor reading a playscript
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A woman in pink jumper and denim shorts speaks to a group while sat cross legged
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A short white woman and tall Black man walk down a cobbled Hull street
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A woman with orange hair in jeans and black vest leans to her right
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A woman sits cross legged, watching another woman dance
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A group of performers stand and watch somebody speak via a projector screen
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A white man and white woman sit on a floor discussing a playscript
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A white man in grey sweater sits on a chair reading a playscript
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A video camera pointing at a tall Black man in a white t-shirt
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Middle Child would like to say thank you to all of the team who made this possible: from our workshop facilitators and Jack Chamberlain for producing, to Princes Quay Shopping Centre, for providing a space so we can be safely together and The HEY Smile Foundation and Culturad Recovery Fund for funding.
And finally to the participants, Ellen Brammar, Adam Foley, Angelo Irving, Alice Beaumont, Josh Overton, Alex Parker, Kerrie Marsh, Lizi Perry, Michelle Dee, Alice Palmer, Emma Bright and Rachel Dale.
Paul Smith, artistic director, said: “The feedback has been fantastic, with many of the participants commenting on how valuable it has been to spend paid time focusing on themselves and building a new network without the pressure of output.
“We’re delighted with how Recover, Restart and Reimagine has gone and would love to find similar ways to support freelancers in the future.”
Photos by Anete Sooda.
Jun 22
0
Surrealist collage of two female burlesque characters sat amongst blue and turquoise flowers, butterflies and dragonflies

Middle Child return to the stage with a summer cabaret in Hull

By | Events, News, Shows
Surrealist collage of two female burlesque characters sat amongst blue and turquoise flowers, butterflies and dragonflies

After more than a year away from the stage we make our long-awaited return with a brand new cabaret, celebrating connection and togetherness, as part of Absolutely Cultured’s Creative Hull festival in July.

we used to be closer than this features songs by writers Natasha Brown, Angelo Irving, Tabby Lamb, Jay Mitra, RashDash, Leo Skilbeck, Kobby Taylor and Tom Wells, with original live music by James Frewer.

Performed outdoors under the sun in Queen’s Gardens, audiences will be seated cabaret style, around socially distanced tables of four people, with a limited capacity of 100 per show.

we used to be closer than this runs from 16-18 July and pay what you can tickets, for all performances, are now on sale through Absolutely Cultured.

Alongside our first live performance in 18 months, budding songwriters can also take part in our free Writing Songs for the Stage workshops, on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 July, as part of the festival.

Bring along a piece of writing – be it a play, a piece of poetry, or anything in between – and work with our musicians and composers to create an original song, that will be set to live music.

  • See the Absolutely Cultured website for more information about Creative Hull.

we used to be closer than this is supported by Absolutely Cultured, Arts Council England and the Cultural Recovery Fund.

Jun 15
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Recover Restart Reimagine Artwork

Recover, Restart and Reimagine programme launches

By | Artist Development, News, Uncategorised

Today sees the start of our gently radical Recover, Restart and Reimagine programme, in which 13 Hull theatre workers will be paid to come together to think, breathe and play.

Those involved will be able to participate in organised activities and self-led time to inspire, stretch and develop creative muscles after a year of lockdown and theatre closures.

Recover, Restart and Reimagine combines masterclasses and workshops with skill-sharing and self-development and time to play, with sessions by Tabby Lamb, Nastazja Domaradzka, Tobi Kyeremateng, Mick Ord, Sagar Shah, Jon Beney and many more.

The first week will focus on recovery, wellbeing and reflection. Week two is dedicated to restarting, with opportunities to refresh skills, plan and try new things and week three is all about reimagining, with time to dream about what the future should look like – and put actions in place to make that future happen.

The programme will also form a crucial theatre worker support network in Hull as we ease out of lockdown.

The 13 participants, who were chosen by a selection panel of freelancers after applying last month, include two parents who are sharing a place around childcare.

Follow Middle Child on Twitter and Instagram for updates throughout the programme.

Recover, Restart and Reimagine is made possible by the Cultural Recovery Fund and Smile Foundation I Am Fund. Thanks also go to Princes Quay for providing us with a space for three weeks.

Alice Beaumont

Actor and theatre maker

Ellen Brammar

Writer

Emma Bright

Actor and theatre maker

Rachel Dale

Actor and writer/comedian

Michelle Dee

Writer and performer

Adam Foley

Lighting and video designer

Headshot of a smiling Black man in a yellow t-shirt
Angelo Irving

Writer, theatre maker and artist

Kerrie Marsh

Writer and performer

Freya Noman

Actor and theatre maker

Josh Overton

Theatre maker

Alice Palmer

Actor, theatre maker and facilitator

Alex Parker

Theatre maker and poet

Lizi Perry

Theatre maker

Jun 14
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A close-up selfie of Hattie Callery

Hattie Callery joins as executive director (maternity cover)

By | News

The Middle Child family is growing!

This month we welcome Hattie Callery to the core team as maternity cover for executive director, Lindsey Alvis.

Hattie is making the move to Hull from Little Angel Theatre (LAT) in London, where she has worked as tour producer for the past six years.

During her time at LAT she has produced shows and tours around the UK, to venues such as the Southbank Centre and Bristol Old Vic, as well as internationally to Beijing and New York.

Alongside the touring programme Hattie produced digital work, professional development programmes and the company’s first ever outdoor puppet festival.

Prior to working at LAT, Hattie worked at Box Clever Theatre and Manic Chord Theatre.

Hattie said: “I am delighted to be joining Middle Child as their executive director (maternity cover).

“Middle Child are an exceedingly exciting company: their outstanding productions, support of freelancers and work developing audiences and artists in Hull and nationally is second to none.

“I’m particularly excited to be here as we celebrate the company’s 10th birthday, so watch this space for some exciting upcoming projects.”

Middle Child is a proud partner of Parents in Performing Arts (PiPA).

Close-up selfie of a white woman with fair hair, glasses and a green jumper

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