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Gemma's Journey
By Gemma Louise HirstArts
Gemma's Journey episodes
- Blue Badge Bunch
A hilarious game show where each game represents a different disability, giving kids and grown ups the chance to learn about Autism and Cerebral Palsy among others. Host Benny Shakes invites the audience to help join in the games, while the panellists battle it out to come up trumps, in a show where disadvantage is an advantage!
★★★★★
“Lots of fun”
★★★★
“Cleverly thought out and engagingly interactive.”
★★★★★
“Extremely inclusive”
Blue Badge Bunch is an interactive, disabled led game show for all ages funded by Arts Council England. Created by comedian Benny Shakes and produced by Ingenious Fools, the project has been running for three years, and in that time has toured the UK twice, had a successful run at the Pleasance Courtyard at the Edinburgh Fringe, appeared at Vault Festival and many other prestigious theatres and festivals across the UK, as well as at schools and community groups, receiving critical acclaim for its disabled representation, educational value and innovative, fun games.
The format is a game show, where each game represents a different disability – drawing with your feet, making lunch one handed while being prodded, sensory overload while following instructions or guessing the symbol sentences from an AAC device.
Creator Benny Shakes has been performing comedy since 2019. After making a splash on the comedy scene, the pandemic hit, and Benny was forced to take his ideas online. Benny created a game show where comedians sent in videos of themselves taking part in challenges that highlighted disability. Once Benny was allowed to perform in person again, he took the show to Bradford Fringe and never looked back.
Benny found through his life that people would show him pity, not speak directly to him, assume that he was intoxicated, or unable to communicate. The driving force behind the show is to show people the societal and physical challenges disabled people live with every day, to inspire celebration of disability and educate children and adults.
This issue of disability is very badly neglected in most discussions around diversity, and as a result voices of disabled people themselves are almost absent. Benny continues to research and present insight into disabled people’s experiences and recommendations for the future and is determined that as Blue Badge Bunch grows it will provide many more professional and public opportunities for disabled people.
The show and workshops were initially supported by New Art Exchange’s European Regional Development Fund and has subsequently gained two rounds of Arts Council Funding for development and touring and more recently has been supported by Attenborough Arts Centre.
The show was shortlisted for the Neurodiverse Representation Award at the Edinburgh Fringe 2022, where it received fantastic reviews. The team are heading back to Edinburgh in 2023 for a full run at the Pleasance Courtyard.
MixUpTheatre.comThreeWeeksA Young(ish) Perspective
For more info visit: https://bluebadgebunch.com/https://bluebadgebunch.com/
26 min - Aimee Shields- The Club
Aimee isTheatremaker from the North East of England, currently based in Yorkshire. They are lucky enough to write, direct, lecture in and perform theatre across the UK. Aimee is currently creating The Club at Laurels in Whitley Bay.
Aimee Shields website: https://www.aimeeshieldstheatre.com/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/aimeejshields/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aimee.j.shields
Twitter: https://twitter.com/aimee_j_shields
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aimee-shields-2b893662/?originalSubdomain=uk
Laurels website: https://www.laurelswhitley.co.uk/Book Tickets to see The Club: https://app.lineupnow.com/event/the-club
31 min - Robert ScraggRobert Scragg is a northerner born and bred, and has had a random mix of jobs to date, including bookseller, pizza deliverer, Karate instructor, and Football Coach. He originally intended to join the legal profession, but after getting his degree, ended up with a job in Telecoms.Writing was something he hadn’t done much of since he left school, until around seven years ago when an idea for a book popped up that he found too interesting to ignore, and his lead character, Jake Porter, plus his partner Nick Styles started to nag him to write it. His first novel, What Falls Between the Cracks, is the first in the Porter & Styles series. It was pitched during the 2016 Theakston’s Crime Festival at the “Dragon’s Pen”, to a panel of agents and editors, managing to get four ‘yes’ votes, and has since been picked up by Allison & Busby. It’s due to be released in Hardback and e-book on 19th April 2018, with paperback to follow on 20th September.Robert lives in Tyne & Wear, with his wife, children and dog. Away from work and writing, he’s a long-suffering follower of Newcastle United, fan of all things martial arts, scuba diving and mountain climbing, and self-confessed crime fiction junkie. His favourites in the genre include Harlan Coben, Robert Crais, Linwood Barclay, Lee Child, Michael Connelly, Sarah Hilary, Mari Hannah, Mark Billingham and Howard Linskey to name but a few.Robert is also a founding member of the North East Noir crime writers group that was born following a workshop at Newcastle Noir crime writing festival in 2015, which meets regularly to discuss each other’s WIP’s, offer/receive feedback & chat about all things crime fiction related.Check out Robert’s blog for his latest ramblings on his journey so far into the world of crime writing.Website:https://www.robertscragg.com/books/30 min
- Sarah HardySarahIs has been a lifelong creative, exhibiting internationally as am artist and a therapist of 18years. Whilst experiencing the wider benefits of yoga and it’s teachings, she decided to do her yoga training in several strands of the practice to extend her therapeutic toolkit. She coaches one to one and in corporate settings.Whilst beginning to join the dots, she found the elements of well-being to be far wider than simply applying a balanced diet and exercise - of any kind. Art and a drive to create provide healthy expression in various forms alongside, social time in unique and mindful amounts to us all with regards to our well-being. Taking time to get to know ourselves is so important when it comes to our health and well-being. And then there’s nature the way we receive and perceive it, the effect of the surrounding environment and the lessons that nature teaches us. Learning to let it guide us and ultimately inspire us to live more fulfilling and healthier lives. Instagramsarahhardy.art.yogasarahhardy.artvividlilyart26 min
- Dora FrankelDora Frankel trained at Rambert School of Ballet 1967-71 and later as choreologist at The Benesh Institute. She joined Rambert Company as choreologist, also performing in Cruel Garden among other works. During her 50 year career here and abroad, mainly America and Scandinavia, she has combined choreography and dance and theatre performance with education and outreach work, including most notably, the design and leadership of Angered Gymnasium’s dance programme(s). On her return from Sweden she gained an MA Choreography, Middlesex University and located to Newcastle upon Tyne, where she formed Dora Frankel Dance, before re-visioning it as Fertile Ground, touring contemporary dance company in 2013. She stepped aside in 2018, handing over to Malgorzata Dzierzon and Renaud Wiser and continues an eclectic independent career.Notable works include Images for Two 1977 - Rambert Choreographic and Design collaboration Jeanetta Cochrane Theatre, LondonAngel of the Odd 2010 - dance theatre inspired by four stories by Edgar Allan Poe Gateshead Town Hall· Trio 2010 - Gateshead Town HallOn the Darkened Wing 2016 – an investigation into the dark side of fashion, referencing Jewish women working in the ostrich plume industry in South Africa. Music collage Kroke among others The Witham Barnard CastleAward winning gothic romance screendance Touch the Beast 2019 - inspired by Edgar Allan Poe and visually by Aubrey BeardsleyThe Turner Trilogy 2022 a retrospective of the three JMW Turner, climate change and colonialism inspired works, created with composer Peter CoyteWebsite Dora Frankel & Linkedin profileFertile GroundFB: DoraFrankelChoreographer Instagrm @frankeldora T. @dorafrankel28 min
- Jim DalySocial media links are:twitter.com/jimdalycomedyinstagram.com/jimdalycomedyfacebook.com/jimdalycomedytiktok.com/@jimdalycomedy?lang=enWebsite is jimdalycomedy.comDebut show from award-winning (and he will prove it) internet comedy sensation, Jim Daly (50+ million views). Jokes, songs and stories on his two biggest two loves: his two-year-old daughter and football. He negotiates the first year of being a new dad with the help of his love of the beautiful game and one of its most noteworthy and loved players, Ireland legend Tony Cascarino. Featured on JOE.co.uk, Amazon Prime, Yahoo Sport, BT Sport, and Blank Podcast. 'Very funny' (Daily Mirror).Viral sensation Jim has had more than 50 million views on his YouTube channel, with 145,000 subscribers. His warm and engaging style has seen him performing at comedy clubs all over the UK. Jim’s a multifaceted act with a wealth of experience in presenting, podcasting and the world of sports. He’s written and performed for sketch show News Revue and as an experienced presenter Jim’s worked with BBC 5live, BT Sport, London Live, TalkSPORT and JOE.co.uk's Friday Football Live.24 min
- Wildcard Theatre*Talking about coercive control, but we won't be going into the details.*The effect of being told you’re loved is very powerful. But what happens when that love becomes an invisible threat? Wildcard Theatre’s Ruckus is a compelling, unsettling one-woman thriller exploring the suppression and destruction caused by coercive control. Taking the audience through the sensations of being at the beginning of a coercively controlled relationship, this tense and thought-provoking drama will raise questions about women’s vulnerabilities to psychologically violent relationships within today’s patriarchal society. It explores how easy it is to be trapped in a cycle of threats, humiliation and intimidation and the system of power in our society which enables and protects the actions of perpetrators. Lou (Jenna Fincken, writer and performer) is a 28-year-old primary school teacher who’s wholly aware the audience are watching her. She wants to show them exact moments in her relationship, breaking down the progression of coercion as Lou journeys from freedom to being trapped. With the incorporation of a visceral sound design, Fincken draws us from our comfortable place as an audience, right into Lou’s experiences as she explores how a relationship that’s anything but loving can develop. From establishing love and trust, via isolation, monopolising perception, inducing debility and exhaustion, enforcing trivial demands, punishments, rewards, threats and degradation, the audience are with Lou every step of the way – right through to what kind of ending this could lead to. The moments that make up Ruckus are inspired by real women and real stories. Fincken makes use of reports from leading charities such as SafeLives as well as the work of leading sociologists, investigative journalists and researchers tackling domestic abuse and coercive control, to create an accurate and experiential play. Coercive control is an issue that is still not widely recognised, yet its side-effects kill up to three women every week in the UK. In Scotland, the police receive a call about domestic violence every nine minutes. Audience members needing help or advice after the production can access discrete care packages with details of various resources and charities.Rukus site: https://www.wildcardtheatre.co.uk/current-productionshttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKMFtscf7YtMQrkcb4hsGDghttps://www.facebook.com/WildcardTheatre/https://www.instagram.com/wildcardtheatre/https://twitter.com/wildcardtheatre24 min
- Quick Duck Theatre CompanyFounded in 2018 by Will Jackson and Lucy Bird, Quick Duck is an award winning West Midlands based theatre company. They make interactive shows with a fun and comic twist to create unforgettable live experiences.Confetti:Felix is uptight and unlucky in love. He’s the mate of honour at his best friend’s wedding - one they’ve been planning since childhood - and he’s going to make sure it’s absolutely perfect. That is, as long as there are no distractions along the way…It’s Helen’s surprise Hen Night, and you’re all invited! Join Felix for the week leading up to the wedding as he’s swept up in a tumultuous, secret romance, and facing weather, workouts and the worries of a bride-to-be.Confetti is produced by Quick Duck Theatre with funding and support from New Vic Theatre, Arts Council England & Attenborough Arts Centre.Fashion Spies:A queer, choose-your-own, family adventure filled with deception, divas and catwalk crooks.At fashion weeks across the globe, expensive must-have items have been stolen, and every top-secret agent sent to investigate has been kidnapped! With the infamous annual Burnwell-upon-Twynne Fashion Week around the corner, the Secret Agency Service has no other option but to send in the spy academy’s entire undergraduate class to solve the case - that’s you!A queer, choose-your-own adventure made for families, Fashion Spies puts audiences right into the heart of the show. Find yourself on an undercover mission as you travel around the world with Quick Duck Theatre - your choices will help to thwart the biggest threat that fashion has ever seen. You’ll be equipped with a spy pack for the duration of the mission, with all the gadgets you might need, disguised as pieces of fabric and toilet roll tubes. The stakes and the shoulder pads have never been higher.Fashion Spies is produced by Quick Duck Theatre with support from the New Vic Theatre, Peggy Ramsay Foundation & Arts Council England.https://quickducktheatre.wixsite.com/quickducktheatrehttps://linktr.ee/QuickDuckhttps://www.facebook.com/QuickDuckTheatre/https://twitter.com/Quick_Duck_https://www.instagram.com/quickducktheatre/?hl=en24 min
- Aimee Shields
Aimee isTheatremaker from the North East of England, currently based in Yorkshire. They are lucky enough to write, direct, lecture in and perform theatre across the UK. Aimee is currently directing The Beatles were a boyband for F-Bomb Theatre that is going to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Aimee Shields website: https://www.aimeeshieldstheatre.com/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/aimeejshields/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aimee.j.shields
Twitter: https://twitter.com/aimee_j_shields
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aimee-shields-2b893662/?originalSubdomain=uk
F Bomb Theatre: https://fbombtheatre.co.uk/
The Beatles were a boyband: https://fbombtheatre.co.uk/edinburgh-fringe-2022-womens-theatre
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fbombtheatre
Twitter: https://twitter.com/fbombtheatre
IG: https://www.instagram.com/fbombtheatre/
23 min - Expial Atrocious
We are Expial Atrocious - a West Midlands-based theatre company who specialise in absurdist theatre and abstract methods of storytelling. This year, we'll be taking our latest absurdist drama, 'BUTCHERED', for a limited run at the Lime Studio, Greenside, Nicholson Square. Created in just under five months, taking inspiration from Alfred Jarry's iconic play 'Ubu Roi', Splendid Productions' choreography and video game music, this two-hander is a monster of a show. It features dynamic physicalization, new writing and an original soundtrack to immerse, unsettle and shock our audiences...
"A sausage-maker and an apprentice walk into a kitchen, but this is no joke.
After working in a basement kitchen for as long as they can remember, Master Sausage is content with their life.
They work hard and cannot imagine doing anything else. They can't do anything else.
But when a fresh-faced apprentice arrives, babbling streams of consciousness, artistic passions
and a harsh reality are brought with them. With their daily routine disrupted, the Master is forced
to look their life in the eye and climb into the belly of the beast. With tensions rising, sinister questions start to rear their heads.
What does it mean to be happy? Is there more to life than this? What's in those sausages anyway?
'BUTCHERED' is a new, blood-thirsty absurdist drama about challenging tradition,
escaping the mundane and doing what has to be done."
Following the success of our 4-star digital show 'Hear. Speak. See.' from last year's Fringe, we can't wait to visit Edinburgh in the flesh and give audiences a twisted tale to sink their teeth into.
Tickets for Fringe Festival: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/butchered
26 min
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