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Holly Stars is inspired. From the producer of Gals Aloud starring Cheryl Hole – 2019’s West End Cinderella starring Baga Chipz – comes the brand new mini-series, Holly Stars: Inspirational. 

Over six episodes launching on YouTube from February 4 2020 discover what a ‘mamman’ is, what Michael from the Great British Bake Off’s flat looks like, and a squirrel’s favourite food; all part of Holly’s mission to discover what-in-the-world is inspirational. Answering such questions as, nature? When is it green? When is it brown? How does camouflage work? 

Holly Stars is a stand-up comedian from ‘The North’, where she enjoys a leisurely life of Tia Maria and petty theft. Constantly the victim of her terrible neighbours, Fat Julie and Posh Sue, Holly regularly escapes to London and Manchester to run her comedy cabaret, Holly Stars’ Time of the Month. 

Holly’s husband Gary is getting out of prison next week, and until then Holly will be entertaining audiences all over the UK (anywhere that’ll have her) in cabarets and comedy clubs.

Tuckshop are a London based Drag producing powerhouse, on the scene since 2018, making work with the best in the business for stages around the UK and further afield. Holly Stars: Inspirational is their first mini-series. Tuckshop is headed up by Christopher D. Clegg, director of Holly Stars: Inspirational. 

How did some rowdy crows nearly mark the beginning and end of the six part series? Find out, with Holly Stars.

Presented by Sonnet Youth and Company Many

Tap – scroll – like – click – follow – repeat… Award-winning writer and director Drew Taylor-Wilson’s thick skin, elastic heart explores the everyday overwhelming instability of life in modern Britain through a hopeful millennial gaze.

Scrolling through porn addiction to miscarriages to mental health to queer identity, this darkly comedic show is about the overwhelming pressure of high societal expectations and constant digital connection. thick skin, elastic heart is a hybrid poetic theatre production encapsulating the current zeitgeist of life in your late twenties. 

As the rise of poetry native to Instagram gives birth to a new literary genre providing words of comfort and clarity to millions of young people, unbeknown to the cynics who may not approve of it’s literary prowess, it has given way to a renaissance in spoken word for those seeking more resonant prose beyond their screens. Performed by the punchy and diverse cast of Cameron Fulton (Scottish Feature Film: CONNECT), Danielle Jam (TV’s Molly & Mack), Robert Elkin (TV’s Peaky Blinders) and Charlotte Driessler (BBC Radio 3’s Midsummer Night’s Dream), this is Under Milk Wood for and by millenials, exposing the inner thoughts, fears and aspirations behind the Instagram filters and the 280 character tweets. 

Playing like a frenzied scroll through a social media feed, the show takes the audience on an exhilarating and emotional journey through the characters’ lives. With seemingly disconnected pieces running into one another at speed, woven together with athletic physical delivery, thick skin, elastic heart showcases a kaleidoscope of voices from across the UK and one particular generation often dismissed as ‘snowflakes’. 

Drew Taylor-Wilson commented; “thick skin, elastic heart has been in development for ten years; the language of the work is really unique, it’s equal parts poetry and character driven dialogue, a style that I have been working for a long time to hone. It’s a labour of love that I am so excited to share across Scotland. 

“I wrote it because I wanted to give more of a voice to a group in our society that is so frequently dismissed, but the themes throughout have a universal appeal that spans generations. I’ve created a forum for topics that are affecting our younger people now, presented in a way that feels appropriate to the time and their short-form digital interaction. The performance is messy and elegant and at least one of the segments will resonate with everyone’s own personal experience.” 

thick skin, elastic heart comes to Eden Court, Inverness on Saturday 1 February.

“The spoken word medium proves to be a touch of genius that gives this electrically-written play some moments to savour long after the show has ended.” ★★★★ The Wee Review 

“Unmissable reflection on theatre as a site of progressive expression” – The List.

As the homelessness crisis continues to soar, a brand new work uncovers the forgotten LGBTQ+ displaced youth finding solace in gay saunas. 

Working together with a mix of young LGBTQ+ homeless and ex-homeless people in London, Vicky Moran (former Assistant Director at Cardboard Citizens), has created a play that shines a light on a staggering 24% of the UK’s homeless youth population. 

Combining lived experiences from some of the production’s cast and creatives, verbatim interview clips and an original score, No Sweat gives voice to those underrepresented in theatre, and reveals the real stories of a portion of society at risk, finding temporary shelter despite a dearth of safe spaces.

Transforming London’s Pleasance Theatre into a steamy sauna, this in-your-face experience will immerse the audience in a carefully constructed set complete with locker rooms, toilets, towels and benches where they meet Tristan; made to feel like a monster whose toothbrush had to be kept a safe distance from his family’s, Charlie; a Pakistani Asylum seeker, fighting to prove his sexuality to gain citizenship, and Alf; whose Mummy loves him but God doesn’t, so he was left with only one option…to run.

In a world where stability is a second from slipping through your fingers, austerity combined with prejudice sees young people putting themselves at risk all too often. No Sweat tells the truthful, dark and difficult story of three people navigating a new frontier of the homelessness epidemic. 

‘It’s unseen. No one’s telling the stories. You don’t see us on the streets because saunas and Grindr mean that gay men don’t have to be homeless in the traditional sense. It’s all hidden.’ 

The cast features three of the UK’s most exciting actors emerging on screen and television; Denholm Spurr (Tristan) who has his own experience of homelessness, best known for The Grass is Always Grindr; Manish Gandhi (Charlie) a TV and Theatre actor with credits ranging from Hallelujah at Bridge Theatre to BBC’s Silent Witness; and James Haymer (Alf), an in demand associate artist of Hampstead Theatre, Battersea Arts Centre, Roundhouse and Cardboard Citizens.

Brought together under one temporary roof, running head on into threats of violence, sexual exploitation and mental health problems, Tristan, Charlie and Alf represent a notoriously vulnerable segment of the population.

But they are just one pocket of the invisible homeless. How long can they battle against the system? No Sweat is an examination of friendship, family and the fight for recognition. 

The team is also running a Paying it Forward scheme, to which you can donate here.

Presented by Christopher Green and The Yard Theatre
25th February – 8th March 2020

Olivier Award winner Christopher Green (The Home, Tina C, Office Party) has, for once, got cold feet.

Renowned for creating spectacle after spectacle which have wowed, intrigued and beguiled audiences internationally, this time the responsibility may become a little bit much.

‘Christopher Green: No Show’ has been over two decades in the making. It’s the culmination of 25 years of entertaining tens of thousands of audience members and learning exactly what makes them tick, what they want.

For his next trick, our hero toys with what keeps an audience in the room. Tension? Anticipation? Entertainment?

In an moment when political leaders fly to Hawaii while their country burns; would rather play golf than actively govern; and where hiding in a fridge is a better option than allowing press to see you are vastly unprepared; Christopher Green asks who will step in when the person who’s meant to be ‘running the show’ just doesn’t. Is this the perfect metaphor for the state of everything – or just another gimmick?

Christopher Green has decades of experience in the industry – creating bespoke, immersive and experiential work around the accepted areas of live art like The Home – an overnight stay in a nursing home – Office Christmas Party, a massive night out in, well, an office. He is a Music Hall cabaret legend, has had a successful career in comedy and play writing for BBC Radio 4 and has really lovely hair.

Join Christopher Green, the reluctant performer. So what if he’s a No Show?

On ‘Ida Barr’s Mash Up’

“Marie Lloyd meets Missy Elliott. Awe inspiring” – The Guardian

On ‘The Home’

“an unforgettable feat of emotional engineering.” – ★★★★ The Guardian

On ‘Prurience’

“… a disorientating, provocative experience….  Theatrically the piece is audacious, springing a series of head-spinning surprises.  This is the kind of art that leaves its mark on you.  Unnerving, and uncomfortably compelling” – The Times

Green creates “..a deeply unsettling experience; one that gets right to the core of contemporary life” – ★★★★ What’s On Stage

“Tests the limits of theatre…. Very funny and genuinely discomforting…at its fiendish, exhilarating best it makes you question not just attitudes to porn but how we experience reality.” – Lyn Gardner

Tickets are available here