On embarking on her multimedia version of Virginia Woolf’s The Waves director Katie Mitchell was warned that she was committing career suicide. After garnering rave reviews and a sell-out run at the National Theatre, Mitchell can rest assured that her gamble has paid off.

Waves was the first foray into the multimedia techniques which she has since explored in productions such as …some trace of her and Attempts on Her Life at the National. There is no safety net; all the footage is live, as are the music and sound effects.  A simple story lies at the heart of Waves, that of six friends brought up together in a nursery in St Ives who forge friendships that last their entire lives.

Mitchell’s admiration for Woolf is evident: “Woolf can appear like a frightening writer but she’s very insightful and tender about human experience and perception, she’s very precise and careful.”  The novel, and consequently the production focus on internal experiences. (more…)

This competition is now closed. The winner is Lynne Kennedy.

Win tickets to see the European tour of Disney On Ice presents Disney /Pixar’s Finding Nemo, which is coming to the MEN Arena from the 15th-19th October 2008.

We have 1 family ticket (admits four) up for grabs from our friends at Disney On Ice.

THE SHOW:
This all-new ice show invites audiences to dive down and experience a thrilling adventure with curious clownfish Nemo, his overprotective father Marlin and their relentlessly optimistic pal Dory!

Disney On Ice presents Disney/Pixar’s Finding Nemo, produced by Feld Entertainment, will take audiences to great depths on a comical escapade to reunite father and son.

THE PRIZE:
Disney On Ice and WOS Manchester are offering one lucky person the chance to win a family ticket (admitting four people) to see the show on Wednesday 15th October at 7pm.

HOW TO WIN:
What kind of fish is Nemo? (more…)

This competition is now closed.

The winner is Debbie Loton.

Distinguished Shakespearean actor and director Michael Pennington presents Sweet William, a one-man show weaving together many aspects of the life and work of the greatest playwright in history, William Shakespeare, at the Library Theatre in Manchester on Sunday 28 September.

You could win tix!

We have 1 pair of tickets up for grabs from our friends at the Library Theatre!

THE SHOW:
Michael Pennington has enjoyed a 40-year stage career which has taken in all the classic roles with companies such as the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre. In 1986, he co-founded the English Shakespeare Company, which toured to all four corners of the globe. (more…)

Venue: Palace Theatre
Date reviewed: 21st September, 2008

A few years ago, Victoria Wood introduced a character called Stacey-Leanne; a brassy Northern singer, famous for her emotional ballads, who found fame on board a cruise liner, whilst being followed by a TV docu-soap crew.  The inspiration for this was unmistakably Jane McDonald.

If Wood successfully managed to capture McDonald’s more ‘diva-esque’ moments, what she failed to communicate is the Wakefield bombshell’s powerhouse vocals, and endearing stage presence. (more…)

We are now one year old!

WOS Manchester started life as a blog 18 months ago and finally became a fully fledged theatre site last September.

In the beginning, it wasn’t easy as we were a micro-site and people were crying: Why bother? After all, we were a spin off from one of the most successful theatre sites in the UK.

Therefore, if theatre fans already had WOS, who would visit us in the North?

It was also run in the beginning by lonely old me on my tod. This meant teaching by day, rushing home and then hot-footing it to the theatre three to four times a week to get you the reviews, news, interviews and competitions that you were all waiting for. (more…)