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Jan 22, 2025 | 
the-tls.co.uk | Amber Massie-Blomfield |Michael Caines |Maria Margaronis |Harrison Stetler
A cyclist accusing a driver of getting too close. A quarrel with a man spreading his legs open across two seats of a bus. Kyoto begins with a montage of volatility ripped from the mobile screens of our fractious age. “I think we can all agree on one thing”, the protagonist and narrator Don Pearlman tells us at the top of the play.
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Nov 13, 2024 | 
the-tls.co.uk | Paul Griffiths |Harrison Stetler |Anna Aslanyan |Amber Massie-Blomfield
Fantasy, folly and frolic: those tutelary deities of Offenbach’s operettas did not quit the scene when he turned to the heavier material of The Tales of Hoffmann. They stuck around to oversee atmospheres of irony and unlikelihood, as well as the occasional romping tune. Productions tend to make physical room for all these in the background, in crazy sets and choral shenanigans.
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Nov 7, 2024 | 
lithub.com | Amber Massie-Blomfield
We marched, that day, towards the Houses of Parliament, leaving the square outside the Tate Britain and forming a procession along the Thames. Someone had brought branches to the protest, green and freshly coppiced from a managed wood, and we held them aloft like we were extras from Macbeth, converging on Dunsinane. As a line of figures dressed in red moved past, we stopped, marking their slow, silent choreography. Smoke bombs exploded outside the Department of Transport.
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Oct 30, 2024 | 
the-tls.co.uk | Anna Aslanyan |Amber Massie-Blomfield |Toby Lichtig |John Stokes
“Based on a true story” has become a fashionable tag to attach to any work of art. Some stories are, naturally, more interesting than others. In 1981 Nick Yarris, aged twenty, got into a fracas with a Pennsylvanian policeman. He was arrested, charged with a murder he hadn’t committed, found guilty and sentenced to death. Several attempts to overturn the conviction were thwarted by bad luck. All hope lost, Yarris wrote to the authorities asking to be executed.
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Oct 16, 2024 | 
the-tls.co.uk | Amber Massie-Blomfield
Welcome to the TLSWinner of the 2024 Niche Market Newspaper of the Year Award and proudly niche since 1902.
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Aug 13, 2024 | 
thestage.co.uk | Amber Massie-Blomfield
OpinionEdward Muallem and Iman Aoun in Oranges and Stones. Photo: Brian RobertsArt can be a potent form of resistance, says Amber Massie-Blomfield. She explores how theatre can be used as a medium for dialogue and resistance, and the importance of giving a platform to artists in places such as PalestineSupport The Stage by registering or subscribingTo continue reading this article you must be logged in. Register or login below to unlock 3 free articles every month.
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Aug 2, 2024 | 
thebookseller.com | Amber Massie-Blomfield
What kind of stories do we need to save the planet? That question has been on my mind again in the wake of the news that last Monday world temperatures reached the hottest levels ever recorded. Many of us know the implications of the trajectory we’re on in terms of climate change — scientific consensus is now that we are heading for 2.5 degrees of global warming, which will bring with it “catastrophic consequences for humanity and the planet”.
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Feb 27, 2024 | 
thebookseller.com | Amber Massie-Blomfield
What is the value to a society of its dissenting artistic culture? This question has been on my mind as I’ve watched the debate about Arts Council England’s recent updates to its guidance for National Portfolio Organisations (NPOs) around managing reputational risk. Many have echoed the sentiments of English PEN who We are very concerned about the updated ACE policies on 'reputational risk' and the chilling effect it may have on artistic expression.
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Feb 20, 2024 | 
thestage.co.uk | Amber Massie-Blomfield
ObituariesTim Joss. Photo: Helen MurrayArts administrator and charity boss who founded Aesop, championing the role of culture in the health and care sectorsSupport The Stage by registering or subscribingTo continue reading this article you must be logged in. Register or login to unlock 3 free articles every month. OR Or, even better, subscribe for unlimited access and help support independent journalism from as little as £5.99. Remember Login
