Nominations announced for the 2010 TMA Theatre Awards
TMA is delighted to announce the nominations for its annual Theatre Awards ceremony, which celebrates the best of British theatre from around the United Kingdom.
This year’s TMA (Theatrical Management Association) Awards will be presented at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, on Sunday 7 November. The event will be hosted by dancer, director and actor Craig Revel Horwood.
Among the presenters will be award-winning actor Daniel Evans (Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres), opera star Alfie Boe, Billy Boyd (Pippin in The Lord of the Rings and starring in The Proclaimers musical Sunshine on Leith) and Ivan Putrov, the ex-Royal Ballet principal who will star next year at Sadler’s Wells in a ballet written for him by pop legends Pet Shop Boys.
TMA members include repertory and producing theatres, arts centres, touring companies and venues, major national companies and independent producers, opera and dance companies and associated businesses.
A combination of public panellists and industry experts arrive at three nominations per award (including Best New Play, Best Performance in a Musical, Best Lighting design…)
with all the nominees invited to the Awards ceremony where they and TMA members meet to celebrate the achievements of the past year in Theatre, Opera and Dance.
The 2010 event, which takes place against an unprecedented background of likely cuts in arts funding, is a timely reminder of the huge range and extraordinary quality of theatrical talent that the United Kingdom has to offer – a range reflected in the geographical variety of nominees, with companies from Wales, Scotland, Ireland and England.
OF NOTE IS:
The Equity Award for Best Show for Children and Young People
THE SNAIL AND THE WHALE – a production by Cahoot in association with the Grand Opera House, Belfast
POBBY AND DINGAN a Catherine Wheels Theatre Company production, in association with Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh
TORO! TORO! a Salisbury Playhouse production in the Salberg Studio of the Salisbury Playhouse
Magic Spaghetti with Lickety Spit
Ashley is about to begin rehearsing for Magic Spaghetti with Lickety Spit which will tour the highlands and islands from September til November, check company website for dates and venues
Hansel and Gretel has been nominated for two awards in New York
Nominations for the 55th Annual Drama Desk Awards were announced this morning at the New York Friars Club by former Drama Desk Award winners Brian Stokes Mitchell and Cady Huffman. They were joined for the announcement by William Wolf, Drama Desk President, Barbara Siegel, Chairperson of the Drama Desk Nominating Committee, Robert R. Blume, Executive Producer of the Drama Desk Awards ceremony, and Randie Levine-Miller, Director of Special Events for the Drama Desk.
In keeping with the Drama Desk’s unique mission, the nominators considered shows that opened on Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway during the 2009/2010 season in the same competitive categories. Final deliberations took place at The Travel Inn in New York City.
The 55th Annual Drama Desk Awards will be held Sunday, May 23, 2010 in the LaGuardia Concert Hall at Lincoln Center. The awards show will be webcast live for the eighth year in a row.
Hansel and Gretel is up for Outstanding Set Design and Unique Theatrical Experience.
10k Charity Run
I am running this 10K in order to raise money for the Scottish Cot Death Trust who have supported my family as well as hundreds of others through the painful experience of losing a child, and who are therefore a trust very close to my heart.
My family lost Aaron to cot death 2 months before his first birthday. This May would have seen him turn 21 and so I wanted to do something to remember him and to give back to the trust who have given us so much.
If you can spare anything at all I would greatly appreciate it and please know that every penny will help make a difference.
I am going to try my best to run the whole thing but this is my first 10k so who knows! I will keep you updated with how the training is going and how likely it is though!!! Whatever happens I will complete the run!
To donate please visit – http://www.justgiving.com/Aaron0605
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
About The Scottish Cot Death Trust
A baby dies every nine days of cot death in Scotland and the majority of families will never know why their healthy baby has died, for no apparent reason. The Scottish Cot Death Trust is the only cot death charity in Scotland trying to find the answers through funding research. The Scottish Cot Death Trust also provides a wide range of support for bereaved families and educates the public and professionals about cot death and how to reduce the risks. By supporting the Scottish Cot Death Trust you can help us make a difference.
Thank you again for supporting my cause
Ashley xxx
Sense Synopsis
Five stories about teenagers led by their senses into playful, obsessive and extreme scenarios where reality becomes intensified and extraordinary.
Vivid characters in complex relationships played out at parties and swimming pools, in clubs, hospitals and kebab shops.
Sense is a poetic journey into touching, inhaling, tasting, hearing and seeing life with incredible intensity.
Interlinked but independent each ‘Sense’ is a play in its own right and you can see Ashley at
SCOTTISH STORYTELLING CENTRE
Sense: Nose & Skin
Thursday 13 May 10.30
Saturday 15 May 16.00
Duration: 60 minutes
Sense: Eyes, Ears & Tongue
Thursday 13 May 19.00
Friday 14 May 10.30
Saturday 15 May 19.00
Duration: 90 minutes
For more details and to book tickets click here.
Sense
Ashley can be seen next at the Imaginate Children’s Festival, Edinburgh in Sense.
For tickets and info please visit http://www.imaginate.org.uk/FESTIVAL/shows/sense.php
Pobby and Dingan Reviews
Edinburgh Spotlight – 4/5
both Turnbull and Smith manage to convince as children…
There’s some fine acting here, from Scott Turnbull, Ashley Smith, Damien Warren-Smith and Ros Sydney.
Scottish Herald – 4/5
Ashley Smith, Ros Sydney and Damien Warren-Smith – ensure that Lightning Ridge’s collection of opal-dreaming oddballs spark Ashmol’s adventure with dashes of daft humour, scary hostility and ultimately an uplifting spirit of community in times of loss and heartbreak.
Other Reviews
Edinburgh Theatre Review – no rating
All the elements for great theatre are present
TheStage.co.uk – no rating
Listen to Ashley in The Seagull on BBC Radio 3
THE SEAGULL
Siobhan Redmond and Paul Higgins head a cast of leading Scottish actors in this new production of Chekhov’s classic drama. In part a tragic play about eternally unhappy people, Chekhov has always surprised his audiences by viewing it as a comedy, poking fun at human folly. All the characters are dissatisfied with their lives. Some desire love. Some yearn for success. Some crave artistic genius. But no one ever seems to attain happiness. When famous actress Irina Arkadina arrives to spend the summer on her brother Sorin’s country estate, tempers inevitably get frayed.
Ashley plays the part of Nina.
The BBC iPlayer may only be available to listen to for 1 month. If you are unable to hear the play after this please contact Ashley about her radio work.
Pobby and Dingan
Ashley is currently rehearsing for Pobby and Dingan which will tour Scotland from 25th February until April 1st. For full tour details please visit the Catherine Wheels theatre company website
The Seagull – Pobby and Dingan
Ashley will be playing the part of Nina in The Seagull for Bona Broadcasting which will record later in December, she will then begin
rehearsals for Pobby and Dingan with Catherine Wheels in January which will tour around Scotland until April 4th.