Audiences for Theatre Lovett’s new show, The House that Jack Filled, have an extra treat to enjoy as we introduce issue one of the un-put-down-able Theatre Lovett Trumpeter.

Download your free copy here and print it in double sided format to create a booklet, Theatre Lovett Trumpeter Issue 1 (Printable PDF)

Share your feedback with us here Feedback Form – The House that Jack Filled 2012

We are delighted to be the 2012 recipients of the David Manley Emerging Entrepreneur Award.  Thanks to Business to Arts for the support.

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The House that Jack Filled

Theatre Lovett are currently polishing the silverware for our upcoming show The House that Jack Filled by Finegan Kruckemeyer. We’re particularly tickled that the show will premiere at the Dublin Theatre Festival this October performing at the Project Arts Centre as part of the main festival programme. Theatre Lovett are also delighted to be performing at the Baboró International Arts Festival for Children followed by a ten-venue tour to The Strollers Network venues.

Theatre Lovett were able to commission this show on receipt of the Strollers Production Award. Thanks to this generous partnership, and the support of the Arts Council Touring and Dissemination of Work Award, we look forward to bringing this show to children and adults across Ireland.

The production reunites writer Finegan Kruckemeyer and performer Louis Lovett, reigniting that unique relationship that fuelled the acclaimed production of The Girl who Forgot to Sing Badly (The Ark and Theatre Lovett), and is set to delight both children aged seven plus and adults of all ages. The House that Jack Filled tells the story of Jack McNally’s Hotel which has 13 rooms (all of them sunny) for 13 people (all of them different). There is old Mrs Chelsea, who is noticeably wobbly, Norma and Dorma the Italian twins, and Mr Truro who plays the spoons. Lionel O’Brien talks about trains, and his son Little Lionel does too. Brenda and Michael can seem a bit rough – but their hearts are as big as their record collection. Melanie Woodcott dreams of the sea, while Jack McNally dreams of Melanie Woodcott. But when the visitors stop visiting, and the dust settles on the furniture, Jack McNally must breathe life, love and laughter into this hilarious hotel. He takes a deep breath, puts on a wig, and opens the door…

2012-2013 Residency

Our Kildare neighbours Riverbank Arts Centre have welcomed Theatre Lovett beyond the Pale as the Arts Council of Ireland grant Theatre Artist in Residency Award to Riverbank and Theatre Lovett. From August 2012 Theatre Lovett will spend one year presenting a programme of events at Riverbank including workshops for both schools and public, staged readings, actor training, professional development opportunities for teachers and joyous theatre experiences for everyone.

We have already received a very warm welcome as the finishing touches are made to The House that Jack Filled in the rehearsal room. We are delighted to be collaborating with a venue where theatre for young audiences is being fore fronted, developed and enriched. This project is made possible with the support of the Arts Council of Ireland, Kildare County Arts Service and Kildare Library Services.

Actor Training

Just in time to warm up for the winter, Theatre Lovett are planning our next phase of actor training to take place in December. Details will be available on the Theatre Lovett website and through Theatre Forum Ireland shortly.

USA Tour

After a great run at IPAY in Texas earlier this year, Peggy O’Hegarty is packing her boxes once again to make the trip across the water on a US tour in 2013. Culture Ireland are generously supporting Theatre Lovett as we tour The Girl who Forgot to Sing Badly to six venues along the East Coast of America including a stint at The New Victory Theatre in New York.

New Appointment

Theatre Lovett is delighted to announce the appointment of Jeanine MacQuarrie as our new General Manager (part-time). Jeanine joins us from The Ark, A Cultural Centre for Children where she spent five years on the front line as the Box Office Manager and Audience Development Coordinator. Originally from the UK, Jeanine graduated from Hull University with a 1st Class BA (hons) Drama degree. She has since followed her love for the performing arts, undertaking technical and administrative roles within theatres and festivals in Scotland and Ireland. Working at The Ark opened up the wonderful world of creating cultural work for young audiences and newly inspired, Jeanine hasn’t looked back.

Where we’re at – Irish Theatre Institute

Theatre Lovett’s office is situated again this year in the top floor of the Irish Theatre Institute’s building at 17 Eustace Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2. This gorgeous attic space has been configured to provide room for six company ‘pods’. This Six in the Attic initiative, funded under the Arts Council’s Resource-Sharing Scheme, allows ITI to provide six theatre artists (or companies) with space, time and practical resources needed to explore, develop and make work in a conducive environment. A great initiative run by great people.

Danish Trip

Theatre Lovett have just spent some time in Denmark shadowing the wonderful Bodil Alling and Gruppe 38 as they went about their business. During our time there we met with Theatre Refleksion, Carte Blanche, Theatre Hund, Gronnegards Theatre (Det Lille Turné Teatret). This project was made possible by an Arts Council of Ireland bursary award and we truly appreciated this opportunity to experience (and roll up our sleeves with) these actors, technicians, craftspeople, administrators, writers, artists, animators, puppeteers work and play and we enjoyed the genuinely warm welcome and hospitality of the Danes. And who knew herring could taste so good!

The Girl who Forgot to Sing Badly (The Ark and Theatre Lovett).

The Girl who Forgot to Sing Badly travels to The Purcell Room in the Southbank Centre London at the beginning of June as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations. The Girl who Forgot to Sing Badly will then travel to Cork to the Cork Midsummer’s Festival. We are delighted to be part of Tom Creed’s first year at the helm of this Leeside feast of culture. In January, The Ark and Theatre Lovett made the long trip to Austin, Texas to this year’s IPAY festival. The show went down extremely well with presenters, programmers and public alike. Thanks to Culture Ireland for their generous support of these trips. Theatre Lovett are currently progressing a tour of the USA for 2013.

The Strollers Touring Network

2012 sees Theatre Lovett collaborating with The Strollers Touring Network of ten venues. Earlier this year we were the recipients of their Strollers Production Award. This award supports artists and audiences and encourages companies and producers to make work with the cooperation and collaboration of the 10 venue partners in the Strollers Touring Network. This award made possible the commissioning of Theatre Lovett’s new show for family audiences. We are currently in the pre-production stages of this show that will open later this year. Through the support of the Stroller’s network and an Arts Councils Touring and Dissemination of Work Award this show will take to the road this Autumn and Winter.

Workshops

We continue to bring our How Do Actors Play? workshops to children and adults around Ireland. (Thanks to the Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar and their Roola Boola festival for an A.O.I.F.E. award nomination for this particular workshop earlier this year.) In June Louis will introduce more willing troubadours to the trickery of his trade in our Playing for Your Audience workshop for professional actors. (Among his bill of fare will be included such stalwarts as How to Properly Receive a Bouquet on the Cork Stage. Essential to any touring company player.) Further details of these workshops and our next course of Actor Training will be available shortly on our website and through Theatre Forum.

In Development

Spring 2012 saw the first phase of development of another new show scheduled for production in 2013. Walter de la Mare’s 1939 Animal Stories involves actors, musicians and technicals collaborating and learning the two-step. Always tricky.

The David Manly Emerging Entrepreneur Award.

And finally, this year saw us scooping the overall prize in the 2012 David Manley Emerging Entrepreneur Award. Spread across three categories: Business, Social and the Arts, we were delighted to accept the overall award and fly the flag for the Arts and theatre in Business and for Theatre for Young Audiences especially. We worked very closely with the super team from Business to Arts and received wonderful support from our mentors Andrew Hetherington, Rowena Neville and Stuart McLaughlin.