Dreaming With Open Eyes – The Films of Derek Jarman
In many ways, it is surprising that Chris Goode’s realisation of Jubilee, Derek Jarman’s 1977 state-of-the-nation punk film fantasia, is the first adaptation for the theatre of an original work by the late, great artist, director, writer, designer, activist and gardener.
There are many lenses through which one can consider this hugely influential maker and his prolific, fecund and diverse oeuvre, but the ‘theatrical’ is certainly absolutely central to Jarman’s vision of creative possibility, regardless of the medium in question.
Even before one encounters his work – and this is most resonant for those who actually met him – the ‘staging’ of his persona, his declared ‘self’, a dynamically creative gay man in a generally hostile culture, suggested how importantly he viewed the productive tensions implicit within the very idea of theatre: I am, and am not, the person I present. This extended to his choice of living space, at once private and public, from the pioneering loft on London’s Bankside to his final years at Prospect Cottage on the windswept shingle of Dungeness.
• Continue reading at the Royal Exchange Theatre.
“40 years since Toyah starred in the cult punk film ‘Jubilee’, she’s back in a new stage version“. Watch a short clip of Toyah discussing Jubilee at BBC Breakfast‘s Twitter.
Further airings for Jubilee on London Live.
Jubilee: London Live: Tuesday 7th November: 10pm
Jubilee: London Live: Saturday 11th November: 1.20am
Queen Elizabeth I travels through time from 1578 to 1978, where she sees what has become of her once glorious kingdom: law and order have broken down and punks roam the streets. Director: Derek Jarman. Starring: Jenny Runacre, Nell Campbell, Toyah Willcox, Hermine Demoriane, Ian Charleson, Karl Johnson. (Click here or below to browse our comprehensive Jubilee news archive) NB: London Live available on: Freeview 8, Sky 117, Virgin 159, YouView 8.
Diane Morgan Believes in Ghosts: BBC Radio 4 Extra
Saturday 28th October: 9am/7pm
Made for 4 Extra. Diane Morgan trawls the BBC archives for real-life tales of ghost-hunting, hauntings, and the unexplained. Diane is joined by guests who have all had paranormal experiences, including Toyah Willcox, Steve Punt and Maxine Peake. In the run-up to the transmission you can read more about some of the stories she uncovered here, from Toyah Willcox’s haunted house to the chilling apparition on the stairs in a hotel in Wales.
• Further info on Diane Morgan Believes in Ghosts here and here. The programme will be available to listen to BBC iPlayer Radio post-airing,
40 Years On Derek Jarman’s Cult Punk Film Is Remixed For The Social And Political Turmoil Of 2017
A free-spirited, gloriously rude, take-no-prisoners blast of a show with a soundtrack to die for. Marking the 40th anniversary of Derek Jarman’s iconic film, the Royal Exchange’s world premiere of Chris Goode’s stage adaptation of Jubilee is sure to appeal to young punks, old punks, and anyone who’s ever wanted to set the world on fire.
A marauding girl gang are on a killing spree and a time-travelling Queen Elizabeth I, played by original film cast member and legendary punk warrior Toyah Willcox, observes it all. An electrifying ensemble cast, including Lucy Ellinson as Ariel and Travis Alabanza as Amyl reimagine JUBILEE for a 2017 audience. A co-production with Chris Goode & Company this riot of a show will run from 2 – 18 November.
• Continue reading at About Manchester.
The spirit of punk — and ‘Jubilee’ — lives on
In director Derek Jarman’s cult punk film Jubilee (1978), three characters stand on a London rooftop considering some high-rise housing. “Never lived beneath the 14th floor till I was old enough to run away,” says Sphinx, a young man who lives in a squat, played by Welsh actor Karl Johnson. “Everything was regulated in that tower block . . . didn’t know I was dead until I was 15 . . . my generation’s the blank generation.”
• Continue reading at the Financial Times.
Two great pics of Toyah in character/preparation as Queen Elizabeth I for Jubilee onstage, and Dr. Bennett in the forthcoming film SwipeRight. (Photos © Toyah Willcox)
• Opening Night: There’s less than a week until Jubilee opens at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester. Click here to book tickets.
• QEI: Toyah will play Queen Elizabeth I in the production.
• BBC Breakfast: Toyah guested on BBC Breakfast on Wednesday to discuss the production.
• Toyah @ Twitter: Yesterday Toyah tweeted: “Less than a week to opening. So excited. We are now in the space & learning our routes around this extraordinary theatre.”
• Royal Exchange Theatre: Inside Rehearsals… Week 3 of Jubilee – Alex Hurst – Observer Mondays Director – gives us an insight into the third week of rehearsals for Jubilee, directed by Chris Goode – Continue reading…
The Lyric Hammersmith in London has announced its 2018 season, which will include Chris Goode’s stage adaptation of Jubilee, starring Toyah Willcox.
Sean O’Casey’s The Plough and the Stars will also feature in the upcoming season, in a co-production with the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. Philip Venables’ opera adaptation of 4:48 Psychosis, Sarah Kane’s play, will return to the Lyric as part of the season, produced by the Royal Opera.
Jubilee, based on the 1977 film of the same name, plays at the Lyric in February following its premiere at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, as previously announced. It will be co-produced by the two theatres, with Chris Goode and Company.The Lyric’s auditorium will be reconfigured to recreate the Royal Exchange’s in-the-round space
• Continue reading at The Stage.
Toyah Willcox to star in new season at Lyric Hammersmith
The actress and singer will star in a new stage adaptation of Derek Jarman’s film Jubilee
The Lyric Hammersmith has announced its 2018 season with highlights including a new stage adaptation of Derek Jarman’s punk film Jubilee. The new season will kick off with Frantic Assembly’s Thing I Know To Be True, which returns to the venue following an acclaimed run last year.
Then from 20 February to 10 March, Toyah Willcox will star in a new staging of Derek Jarman’s seminal film, Jubilee, adapted and directed by Chris Goode. Wilcox starred in the original film about the height of punk, forty years later the piece has been remixed for the social and political turmoil of 2017. The Royal Exchange, Lyric Hammersmith and Chris Goode & Company co-production will see the Lyric’s main house reconfigured to recreate the Royal Exchange’s theatre-in-the-round.
• Continue reading at What’s on Stage.
Jubilee: London Live: Tuesday 7th November: 10pm
Queen Elizabeth I travels through time from 1578 to 1978, where she sees what has become of her once glorious kingdom: law and order have broken down and punks roam the streets. Director: Derek Jarman. Starring: Jenny Runacre, Nell Campbell, Toyah Willcox, Hermine Demoriane, Ian Charleson, Karl Johnson. (Click here or below to browse our comprehensive Jubilee news archive)
NB: London Live is available on: Freeview 8, Sky 117, Virgin 159, YouView 8.
Aaaaaaaah! receives its UK television premiere this weekend on Film 4.
Check out our huuuuge Aaaaaaaah! news archive here or by clicking on the poster below. (Thanks to Darren)
Aaaaaaaah!: Film 4: Sunday 29th October: 00.30am
Writer-director-star Steve Oram’s experimental satire is set in a parallel present in which, despite wearing clothing and developing advanced technology, mankind never attained the power of speech. Instead, people communicate in gestures and non-verbal vocalisms, ranging from grunts to whistles and growls. And this isn’t the only similarity to our great ape cousins, as social and sexual behaviour is closer to that of gorillas or bonobos and is completely shorn of social niceties. The film opens with a grieving alpha male and his companion ritually urinating on a photo of the dominant male’s wife to mark her loss. They then move through woodland and into London’s sprawling suburbs, intent on staking out new territory for themselves…
Starring: Jade Alexander, Julian Barratt, Missa Blue, Holli Dempsey, Marcus Dempsey, Noel Fielding, Toyah Willcox.
Filmfear Interview Special: Film 4: Tuesday 24th October: 11.20pm
Filmfear Interview Special: Film 4: Saturday 28th October: 8.55pm
Filmfear Interview Special: Film 4: Monday 30th October: 3am
Features interviews with the talent behind FilmFear 2017’s British premieres: actor-director Alice Lowe talks about Prevenge; actor-director Steve Oram talks about Aaaaaaaah! and A Dark Song; director Gareth Tunley and star Tom Meeten talk about The Ghoul; director Liam Gavin talks about A Dark Song; and director Nick Gillespie talks about Tank 432. (Photo © Film4 FrightFest)
Rock legend and actress Toyah on the road to Stow
Rock legend Toyah Willcox will be performing at St Edward’s Church, Stow-on-the-Wold, on Saturday, October 28, at 8pm as part of the Music at Stow concert series.
From punk princess to high priestess of TV, Toyah is a uniquely gifted performer. Charismatic, outspoken and impossible to categorise, she is one of Britain’s iconic household names – an award-winning rock legend as well as a much-loved actress and music composer. Toyah is one of our most versatile and popular personalities whose vibrance and energy has won over many audiences in a career spanning some 40 years.
• Continue reading at Loving The Cotswolds.
Trailblazers: Sky Arts: Sunday 29th October: 8pm
Punk. Narrated by Noddy Holder, this eye-opening series turns its attention to the origins of punk music. With Toyah Willcox and DJ Annie Nightingale. (Episode, Series 1, Episode 5)
How Toyah Willcox lost her punk virginity: the making of Derek Jarman’s Jubilee
There were two Englands in 1977. There was the Establishment England, ready to wave flags and hold street parties as Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her silver jubilee. And then there was the alternative England, embodied by the rise of the punk movement and, in particular, the Sex Pistols whose single God Save the Queen equated the monarchy with fascism. The song was rumoured to have been kept from the number one spot by the British Market Research Bureau on account of its seditious intent.
The film-maker Derek Jarman represented the dichotomy of England at that time. A middle-class, ex-public schoolboy, he was starting to get noticed as a film-maker at the forefront of the avant-garde.
• Continue reading at The Telegraph (subscription required).
Alex Hurst – Observer Mondays Director – gives us an insight into the first week of rehearsals for Jubilee, directed by Chris Goode. Click below to read.
Kim Wilde and her band will be joined by special guests Lawnmower Deth, Carol Decker and Toyah for their Wilde Wild Christmas Show at Manchester O2 Ritz on Thursday 22nd December 2017. Tickets are available by clicking below.
Released today by the Network label, Shoestring Complete Collection DVD. Toyah guests in the fantastic episode “Find The Lady” which originally aired in 1979.
Trevor Eve stars as radio “Private Ear” Eddie Shoestring in the massively successful BBC drama series.
Co-created by Robert Banks Stewart, Shoestring also stars Michael Medwin as Eddie’s long-suffering boss Don Satchley; Liz Crowther as station receptionist Sonia; and Doran Godwin as Eddie’s landlady, on-off lover and occasional assistant Erica. This complete-series set also features appearances from Diana Dors, Harry H. Corbett, Toyah Willcox, Geraldine James and Michael Elphick.
Poison phone-ins and threats to a disc jockey lead Radio West to hire private investigator Eddie Shoestring – who discovers it may be a longer-running job than he first thought!
This set also includes a brand-new book on the making of the series by archive television historian Andrew Pixley, with contributions from original cast and crew members.
Another chance to catch Toyah’s 2016 guest appearance on ITV’s The Chase, the celebrity special which also featured Germaine Greer. (Photo © ITV)
The Chase: Celebrity Special:
ITV4: Sunday 22nd October: 8pm
Bradley Walsh hosts the quiz show as four celebrities take on the Chaser. Singer Toyah Willcox, ex-footballer John Barnes, writer Germaine Greer and heavyweight boxer Audley Harrison pit their wits against one of the country’s finest quiz brains in the hope of winning thousands of pounds for their chosen charities.
This November, our friends at The Royal Exchange Theatre are staging a free-spirited and gloriously rude reimagining of Derek Jarman’s classic punk movie Jubilee.
The Royal Exchange Theatre are looking for a group of participants to take part in the show, specifically to perform in a key scene set in an outrageous underground club venue.
They are seeking a diverse range of people – from club kids to fetish fans; queer teens to drag queens; New Romantic throwbacks to old-school riot grrrls; and old punks and young punks alike. The Royal Exchange Theatre are looking to represent a real variety of cultural backgrounds, body types, ages and styles.
• Continue reading at Superbia.
