Soft or Spiky?
Directed by Daryl Beeton
Polka Theatre & UK tour
Director - Daryl Beeton
Composer - Miss Jacqui
Designer - Ingrid Hu
Lighting Designer - Jonathan Chan
Stage Manager – Lucy Geevee
Assistant to the Director – Eddie HM
PERFORMER
Stacha Dukic
Photography by Steve Gregson
Devised and directed by Daryl Beeton, Soft or Spiky? is a Half Moon and Polka Theatre co-production: an exciting collaboration by two of the UK’s leading children’s venues and touring companies.
This playful and interactive show is full of shapes, sounds and textures, exploring different ways to connect and understand each other.
Inspired by heartfelt conversations with new parents, this humorous production explores the multiple ways we communicate, ensuring that no one is left out.
Glorious!
Directed by Kirk Jameson
Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester
Writer - Peter Quilter
Director - Kirk Jameson
Musical Supervision - Nick Barstow
Scenographer & Costume Designer - Ingrid Hu
Lighting Designer - Mike Robertson
Sound Designer - Mark Goggins
Wig Designer - Helen Keane
Costume supervisor - Lorraine Parry
Italian translation & dialect coach - Judith Blazer
CAST
FLORENCE - Wendi Peters
COSMÉ - Charlie Hiscock
MARIA/DOROTHY/MRS VERRIDER-GEDGE - Anita Booth
Photography by Cian O’Riain
Set in 1940s New York, Glorious! follows Florence, a wealthy socialite with a dream of operatic stardom. Despite a complete lack of vocal skill, her exuberant and wildly off-key performances earn her a devoted following—culminating in a concert of a lifetime at Carnegie Hall.
Starring Wendy Peters (Coronation Street, ITV; Hetty Feather, CBBC), this witty and uplifting show charts the unlikely rise of a woman whose passion for music far outweighed her ability to sing in tune.
At the heart of the story is her relationship with pianist Cosme McMoon, played by Charlie Hiscock (Ted Lasso, Apple TV+), who finds himself caught between admiration, frustration and reluctant loyalty as he helps bring her vision to life.
★★★★
‘Ingrid Hu’s design is seriously impressive. Jenkins’ period apartment, complete with vintage furniture and opera posters on flock wallpaper, is transformed effortlessly into a bare recording studio.’ (North West End Theatre)
★★★★
‘Ingrid Hu’s settings and costumes are simply but exquisitely done and are very evocative of the 1940s era.’ (Musical Theatre Review)
★★★★
‘Ingrid Hu’s set, which – unusually for Hope Mill Theatre – includes a front-of-house curtain, is handsome and quite formal, which suits the structure of Quilter’s play as the action is divided into four distinct scenes building up to Foster Jenkins’ triumphant final concert.’ (The Stage)
‘Unusually for Hope Mill each scene is separated by the closure of a theatre curtain. The gradual unveiling allows the audience to appreciate fully the sophistication of Ingrid Hu’s stage set. Moving from a discreet sitting room and recording studio to a very impressive silk-screened recital area.’ (The Reviews Hub)
‘Ingrid Hu’s costume design was fantastic. Timely, glamorous and believable. This, together with the set design, brought the audience into the 1940s.’ (All That Dazzles)
WE RAISE OUR HANDS IN THE SANCTUARY
The Albany, London
Writers, directors – Daniel Fulvio, Martin Moriarty, Inky Cloak Company
Choreographer Mina Aidoo
Set and Costume Designer – Ingrid Hu
Lighting designer –Marty Langthorne
Sound – Xana
Cast – Jahvel Hall, Oseloka Obi, Carl Mullaney, Dean Graham, Jordan Ajadi, Shawn Willis
Photography by Leon Csernohlavek
Co-produced by Inky Cloak and The Albany
The Albany, London
2-11 February 2017
Combining dance, drama and the club sounds of the 1980s, We Raise Our Hands in the Sanctuary tells an uplifting story of the power of gay friendship and the enduring importance of queer spaces.
Disenchanted by the London gay disco scene of 1981, two best friends build their own underground club where devotees escape the racism, hardship and homophobia that stalk the city’s streets. But just as they make it big, ambition, addiction and the dawning onslaught of AIDS threaten to tear their friendship apart.
‘A vibrant exploration of nightclub culture in the 1980s… expertly integrates drama, music and dance.’ ★★★★ Sunday Express
‘Taking inspiration from an eclectic mix the decade’s idols ranging from Freddy Mercury to Boy George, the costume design works in conjunction with Ajadi’s and Willis’ performances… to set the scene in a satisfying way unattainable by traditional prop methods. The Albany’s stage gives a robust platform to each any every scenario, at one point mirroring the DJ booth with a church pulpit seamlessly and reinforcing the spiritual and therapeutic value of the sanctuary.’
The Prickle
‘Ingrid Hu’s colourful and multi-levelled tetris style set doubles as runways and cloakrooms, DJ booths and dance floors. No setting is improbable as we are lifted out of the realm of verisimilitude and the actors move around the space beautifully. The cabaret, semi-thrust configuration of the room evokes a club atmosphere and is sympathetic to the Albany’s slightly unusual layout.’
Max May (Live Theatre)
