URY Speech

Review: 'As Thyself'

2012-02-24T06:04:00.001-08:00

By Kat Ronson,

Before reading our review catch our preview of the production on the ((URY PLAYER)) here now!

The first thing to note about this play is that I was completely immersed in every word from beginning to end. The set was very sparse and simple, with writer and director Isla Van Tricht choosing to keep the Barn a black box. There were little props involved and chairs were used to change the scenes. There was partial use of the sides of the Barn, as we were sat in thrust seating whilst the rest of the audience faced the actors. The set was extremely simple and perhaps a little bland; however this totally contrasted the writing.

This play was incredibly well-written and the concept was beautifully innovative. Based around three main characters; A, B and C, we are taken through their past experiences with 1, 2, 3 and 4 portraying some of their stories. This included some direct participation with the audience and even had some characters sitting next to us. Every cast member was brilliant, especially Ryan Hall. He portrayed C to be a wonderfully eccentric professor-type and he helped break the fourth wall. A particular moment of brilliance was when he analysed the relationship between 3 and 4 - comic genius. 1 and 2 were played by Lorrel Chakelian and Qaisar Siddiqui, who were performing a movement piece along to the Beatle’s track Blackbird. The juxtaposition of this gentle song with the aggressive beatings was totally captivating. It should also be noted that they were so carefully and realistically portrayed that I had to stop myself from cowering behind the person next to me. The movement slowly morphed into beautifully soft, bird-like gestures; expertly choreographed by Gabrielle Holcroft. 3 and 4 (Edd Riley and Harriet Cox) contrasted this with some light-hearted comic moments which gave the audience a much needed sigh of relief. My only disappointment was that these two actors were not involved more, their comic timing was excellent and having interaction between characters contrasted the long monologues of A, B and C.

The production as a whole was totally slick and well –rehearsed, which shone through every minute of the performance. However, the staging of the play was slightly less innovative than the writing. Van Tricht did tend to re-use the same techniques, such as characters speaking in unison, but the short length of the play meant this was less of an issue. Nevertheless, the play had different tones throughout; a triumph considering the little interaction between characters, a sparse set and non-descript settings of scenes.

This play makes you look at your own experiences; some funny and some extremely dark. Isla Van Tricht has an exceptional talent for writing. The play was short, but the rollercoaster you experience in those forty minutes is extraordinary. All of the performances were sensitive and entrancing, the choreography harrowing yet beautiful and the production on a whole completely fascinating. I wanted more.

Hear our full audio review now on YorWorld on the ((URY PLAYER))!

Review : 'The Spaghetti Western Orchestra'

2012-02-19T07:14:00.000-08:00

by Laura Stratford,

Before reading our review why not hear our interview with performer and creator of 'The Spaghetti Western Orchestra' on the ((URY PLAYER)) here now!

The Spaghetti Western Orchestra, currently on their UK tour, stormed the Grand Opera House the other night and took the good people of York into some ‘serious sonic territory’.

You know as soon as the show starts that you’re going to be taken on a journey. Lights fade. Darkness on stage. A raucous Texas accent whispers ‘Once upon a time in the West’. We’re told they’re looking for a Bob Robertson. That’s a gentleman called Mr...Bob Robertson. The rousing ‘Fistful of Dollars’ medley is then played out. If you don’t know what that is, look them up on YouTube.

The Gold-Schmeller, Lieteller, Bankteller, Youngfeller and Storyteller are all from Australia, musicians and actors with diverse backgrounds that are passionate about the Spaghetti Western genre. When interviewing Patrick Conin recently for YorWorld, he commented on how it was natural in Australia for eclectic and musical collaborations to take place, which comes through in their performance. They take foley artistry to the next level, creating bar hubub with beer bottles, footsteps with crushed cornflakes and falling dead birds with marigold gloves. A highlight had to be the moment when the Bankteller plays the ‘theremin’ in ‘Once upon a time in the West’, a cracker of an instrument that involves metal antennae and no physical contact.

As well as the unpredictable source of instruments, there’s an entertaining mélange of improvisation, farce, grunting, synchronised choreography and audience participation. I won’t spill all the details, but there’s a surprise encore which involves the crushing of a lettuce. Out of the blue and hilarious at the same time. To give you an idea of how much the audience enjoyed it, everyone started stamping their feet on the floor when applauding the quintet. The last time I saw that happen was at my school teachers’ pantomime.

The Spaghetti Western Orchestra will be performing in Leeds Town Hall this Saturday. An uplifting way to start a night out. See http://www.spaghettiwesternorchestra.com/ for more details!

YorWorld: 19th February 2012

2012-02-19T06:59:00.000-08:00

Chris Ramsey, Fosters award nominated stand up, joins us on the show to talk ‘8 out of 10 Cats’, how he feels about hecklers, and life as a professional comedian ahead of his appearance at the ‘Hyena Comedy Club’ in York on the 18^th of March.

We also preview next weeks Dramasoc Production ‘Posh’ which was first staged at the Royal Court Theatre downstairs in 2010. The play is set in an Oxford student dining club called "The Riot Club" which represents a fictionalised version of the Bullingdon Club to portray the upper echelons of society.

Our reviewers Alex Boyall and Kat Ronson turn their critical eye to this weeks Dramasoc production ‘As Thyself’. This post-dramatic style play centres on three characters whose story unravels through anecdotes, memories, poetry, dance and more. A, B and C, with the help of 1, 2, 3 and 4, explore what makes up identity, the inner turmoil between loving and hating yourself, how memories shape you, the context of this generation and how everyday life is a performance. Dramasoc promised parts to make you laugh, to make you cry, to make you uncomfortable, and to make you think. Find out if the production lived up to expectations!

We also previewed this Mondays Open Drama Night which is an ambitious production of the hit musical ‘Avenue Q’ addressing and satirizing the issues and anxieties associated with entering adulthood through puppets!

Catch the show now on the ((URY PLAYER)) here!

Review: 'Twelfth Night'

2012-02-17T06:14:00.000-08:00

By Kat Ronson,

Before you read our review, check out our preview of the production on the ((URY PLAYER)) here.

The barn was in very good order for this production with a clean set clearly divided into three different locations. There was a simple but very effective use of the stage, with carefully selected greenery and simple pieces of furniture to symbolise interior and exterior settings. There were however, a few parts of the play where our views were obstructed; due to some parts of the stage being used more frequently than others.

As with all Shakespearean texts, let alone one as popular as Twelfth Night, there are always high expectations. Such expectations make it difficult for a director to make striking or risky decisions. However, director Cat Gobert-Jones, made some inventive but sensitive choices. She chose to have Feste played by a girl, the priest and Curio to be played by the same actor and set the play in WWI to name just a few. Handling of such choices made it clear that Gobert-Jones had a very strong understanding and genuine passion for the text.

In recent Drama Barn productions the acting has been phenomenal and Twelfth Night is no exception. Helen Peatfield played a highly entertaining Olivia, characterising her as obnoxious and spoilt .Her exchanges with other characters were faultless and she was surprisingly natural when addressing the audience directly. Toby King and Richard Spears were a fantastic double act as Sir Toby and Sir Andrew, injecting pace with their exchanges. Their performances were physically demanding, yet their energy never faltered. Malvolio, played by Peter Marshall, had great comic appearances; his unrequited love for Olivia provided many of the laughs for the production. Laura Griffin’s Feste was also a joy to watch, with her singing providing an incredibly refreshing soundtrack for the performance. At one point, however, Griffin did have a weak moment. Whilst performing a solo dance and monologue simultaneously, she looked very uncomfortable, making her performance less fluid. For the most part however, the production was brilliantly cast and the execution of each character was excellent.

The technical aspect of this production was less inspiring but nonetheless effective. It is refreshing to see direction that does not feel the need to drown the stage in music, lights and costume. The lighting system was mainly a simple wash. However, there was the occasional use of red and blue lighting, though there could have been a more distinct purpose for this. Spotlights were used to highlight important speeches or letters; an innovative touch that further drew the comedy out of the performance.

My main regret with this production was there were very similar tones throughout; I would have liked to see a few changes in direction to keep the energy at peak. Gobert-Jones was selective over the jokes she chose to highlight from the text, which meant there was less reliance on slapstick or less sophisticated humour. Nevertheless, the comical parts were very well executed and all worked beautifully. Overall, Gobert-Jones provides a very eloquent understanding of the text that shone through most aspects of the production. A treat for Shakespeare lovers.

And you can hear Kat and Tom Bonnington's full audio review now on the ((URY PLAYER)) here!

Review: Cloud 9

2012-02-14T02:41:00.000-08:00

By Hana Teraie-Wood

Before reading our review check out our preview of the production on the ((URY PLAYER)) here!

Cloud 9 is the first completely student run effort from TFTV, and what a triumph it was. Clever, nuanced, delightful and tragic, this production matched all of the best traits of Caryl Churchill’s script to take it beyond the level of a “student play”. For the first time I couldn’t feel the weeks of effort from cast and crew, because the calibre of the performances made it feel effortless.

Casting choices were impeccable. The real treat was Tom Giles’s performance as Betty. As the tallest and slenderest male of the cast, his clumsy effeminate manoeuvres such as hugging a (shorter) Steven Jerram from behind elicited much unaffected laughter from the audience. This succeeded in communicating Churchill’s reflection on the inherently funny role of women in society, a matter only made explicit when we see its characteristics enacted by a male. What is more ridiculous, a man playing a woman or a woman playing this role on a daily basis? This well acknowledged insight into Victorian social constructs is not ground-breaking stuff, which allows the first act to be kept light-hearted whilst it makes its socio-political mockeries. The intermitting sing-a-longs sung by all the cast helped add to the joyous satire of the first half, with the samba influenced tracks by Bengee Gibson creating an exotic spatial distance between the colonial setting and our contemporary habitation.

In a trademark Churchill style, this distance is closed down by actors playing two or more parts. Steven Jerram’s switch from Clive to Edward suggested a causality between Clive’s patriarchal dominancy and Edward’s sexual oppression. Jerram’s switch from a character of overbearing forcefulness to one of conscientiousness and sensitivity was incredible, both were acted convincingly and neither bore a trace of the other. Out of her three roles, Emma Henderson’s portrayal of Betty was the standout performance; her monologue alone onstage was incredibly touching, revealing her loneliness and sexual suppression shared by her younger self from the first act. This connection was one of the many made with aid of the large projections made at the back of the stage, as videos of characters from the first half ‘spoke’ to the characters of the second half. This was particularly poignant when Clive, who wants to change his sex, is revisited by the younger Edward (Flora Ofilvy), visually projecting his inner self who is by nature a woman.

These choice of doublings have, from what I perceive, been altered from the original. If this is proved accurate, the team behind this TFTV production have done incredibly well to create articulate and insightful connections not explicit in Caryl Churchill’s script. Cathy’s (Rory Hern) doubling as the Soldier killed in Afghanistan gave the play a contemporary edge as well as a foreboding subtext. The child, who plays with a toy gun, holds a real gun in Act One when playing Joshua and is killed as the dead Soldier by another gun in Act Two. From a production that made use of very few props, the moment when Cathy plays on the swing stays imprinted in the mind as a reminder of the child’s innocence which through Hern’s other characters is corrupted and lost. With an unusual level of clarity and skill, these students delivered a play with a confidence and ability that puts them a cut above the rest.

And you can hear Hana's full audio review of the production as well as our other reviews and previews in 'YorWorld' on the ((URY PLAYER)) here now!

YorWorld: 12th February 2012

2012-02-12T08:53:00.000-08:00

From Spaghetti westerns to ‘Painterly Effluvia’, YorWorld this week was packed with reviews, previews, and interviews form across York’s artistic and cultural spectrum.

On the show this week Laura Stratford speaks to Patrick Cronin, founder and ‘Storyteller’ in the ‘Spaghetti Western Orchestra’, an incredible ensemble performing the spine tingling music of Ennio Morricone who are coming to York’s ‘Grand Opera House’.

We’ve also got our indepth audio reviews of Central Hall Musical Society’s annual musical spectacular which this year was Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s ‘Into the Woods’. We’ll examine whether the performers, musicians and directors can pull off this challenging piece of musical theatre.

Hana Teraie-Wood reviews the first ever independent Theatre Film and Television Student production, which was ‘Cloud 9’ by Caryl Churchill's which has been described as one of her best known and funniest plays. Did they pull it off?

We also review this weeks Dramasoc production of William Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’ which is running until Sunday the 12lth in the Dramabarn. Kat Ronson and Tom Bonnington tell us whether they think this is a production that will have you rolling in the isles or perhaps an updating of a play which is simply very hard for modern directors to get to grips with.

If that wasn’t enough Amelia Watts also takes a look at the student run Norman Rea gallery’s latest exhibition ‘Painterly Effluvia’ to give you a taste of what the Languith based gallery space has to offer this week.

If that wasn’t enough we also have our much acclaimed performance previews which this week looks at next weeks Dramasoc Production ‘As Thyself’ – a new student written piece – and our preview features dramatic pieces and interviews with the cast and production team to wet your appetite.

We also have exclusive recordings of the cast of ‘Into the Woods’ from CHMS’s latest production.

And that’s all available now on the ((URY PLAYER)) here.

Review: 'Into the Woods'

2012-02-10T03:31:00.000-08:00

by Laura Stratford,

Before reading our review have a listen to our preview of the production here.

Let’s be honest, Sondheim isn’t the easiest of composers to perform, with those chromatic scales and nuances in rhythm and harmony. However, Central Hall Musical Society doesn’t fail to please in this impressive production, with a talented cast of singers.

As trivial it may seem, I was very excited to see the large tree that was professed to have been squashed into Central Hall in Alice in Wonderland fashion, but I was disappointed to find pieces of cloth draped over some scaffolding. Nag over, my tree obsession was put aside as soon as the first act begun, where we were introduced by the Narrator to a vast spectrum of well-known fairytale characters; Cinderella, the ugly sisters and stepmother, Red Riding Hood, Jack the Giant Killer and his cow, Milky White, the Baker, the Witch and more. Before we knew it, the cast were belting out the infectious title song, making use of all the space on stage with their catchy choreography.

Whether it was the lack of dramatic lighting from the first instance the cast appear on stage or opening-night nerves, Act One seemed to be the warm-up to Act Two. Nevertheless, it was an exciting one, where we had the chance to relive infamous moments in fairytale history, such as Little Red Riding Hood bumping into the big, bad wolf, and Rapunzel throwing down her golden hair, singing out golden melodies, whilst backlit with a, quite literally, blinding light. Particular mention has to go out to the adorable puppetry of Milky White, the hilarious duo of the charming Princes, the painstakingly repetitive Mystery Man and the terrifying Witch. At the end of Act One, there are so many happily ever afters, you’re tricked into thinking you’ve seen the show, but there’s a whole lot more.

Act Two is, frankly, carnage. Not to give too much of the show away, it becomes a fight for survival as the Giantess threatens to slay anyone in revenge for her husband’s death. It’s ironic how as the plots develops into something more sinister, the harmonies are more and more beautiful, finally giving the talented singers a chance to shine. Highlights were the Baker (Alex Wilson), his wife (Jenny Sterling), the Witch (Emilie Smith), the two Princes (Tristan Landymore & Ali Phillips), Cinderella (Amy Walsh), Red Riding Hood (Bethan Williams), Jack (Louis Lunts) and Mystery Man (Luke de Belder). It’s just a shame that all the cast were miked up, when the strength of their voices didn’t need amplifying, but instead you got the occasional distraction of rustling costume.

Apart from the little technical hinges, this really is a fab production with a very impressive cast behind it. For someone who’s never seen a Sondheim musical before, I was definitely pleasantly surprised, and even more surprised to find myself singing ‘Into The Woods’ on the way home. Beware, that tune’s contagious!

Look out for our full audio review this Sunday at 2 on YorWorld!

YorWorld: 5th February 2011

2012-02-10T03:22:00.000-08:00

On this weeks show we take a look at the huge variety of productions that are opening on campus this week as well as York Theater Royal's new production of 'The Diary of Anne Frank', catching up with the shows star. More info about the production can be found on York Theatre Royal's Website here.

We preview Central Hall Musical Society's production of Sondhiems dark fairy tale inspired musical 'Into the Woods' which opens this Thursday in the newly rennovated Central Hall , TFTV's 'Cloud 9'and Dramsoc's production of Shakespeare's 'Twelfth Night'. If that wasn't enough we review last weeks Dramasoc production 'Dorian'.

Discribed as rivaling Radio 4's weekend and daytime speech programme, YorWorld is the weekly magazine show from URY's multi award winning speech team.

You can hear the programme now on the ((URY PLAYER)) here!

Review: 'Dorian'

2012-02-05T06:12:00.000-08:00

by Kat Ronson.

Before reading our review of 'Dorian' why not check out our exclusive preview of the production here.

I entered the barn excited as three actors stood in precarious and stylised poses dressed in slick black and white. The set was quite stark and followed the theme of black and white. The audience was immediately drawn to the nine television screens at the back of the stage, which played the dual role of producing backdrops to scenes as well as being the infamous Cathode Narcissus -a truly innovative approach. The play begins with three narrators introducing the characters on stage. Other than this job, I did not see any other use for the narrators and the script was somewhat less innovative than the setting.

The first note of triumph is with Hayley Thompson, who should be commended for her excellent choreography. The movement sequences broke up parts of blocky dialogue and I found myself looking forward to the next bit of choreography. I feel without the arrangements the performance would have fallen flat. This notion was prevalent in the second act where there was less movement and considerably less use of film, in comparison to the first half which started with vigour and was almost flawless. I would have liked to have seen this creative genius sustained throughout.

This leads me to think that a more distinct direction would have been beneficial. This is reflected in many aspects of the production such as acting style and costume. Many actors seemed to be taking different approaches to the script from farcical, exaggerated portrayals to toned-down, naturalistic performances. The cast worked well individually but did not quite gel as an ensemble. There were three actors dressed in black and white and the rest of the actors were dressed in their character’s costume. Consistency through all the costume would have diminished any confusion and would have amplified the desired effects. A decision needed to be made; stylised black and white or realistic character costumes? The actors in black and white had multi-roles and so a blank canvas seemed apt, but this could be interpreted as their roles having less importance; which is disappointing.

Helena Clark being the only female in a cast of men and having a multi-role part was one of the strongest actors. Her portrayal as Fergus was comical and gave the play a light-hearted lift. Although Clark, in reality is a pretty, petite girl, she portrayed Fergus to be a haggard and grotesque old woman very convincingly; an extremely difficult task with no costume or make-up to help convey her age. A great performance came from Ryan Hall playing Henry Wotton one of the more farcical performances from the cast. He also provided some humour and in the second half showed a vulnerability to the character that was not present at the beginning of the play. He thought about his character’s journey well and this shone through. There were a few awkward interactions between characters. In particular there was a moment when Dorian, played by Connor Abbott, sat on Henry’s knee which looked and felt incredibly uncomfortable. The comical performances were not the only highlight to the acting; Jonny Glasgow played Basil Hallward as a wonderfully awkward yet passionate artist which was very sensitive and endearing. One of the characters I connected to the most.

Technology was at the forefront of this production, with music, film and lighting used to produce dramatic effect and less reliance on the substantiality of the acting. There were severe technical issues that needed to be addressed, with actors not being lit for whole scenes, sound being too loud or too quiet at times and abrupt finishes to music. Scene transitions were sometimes seamless but mostly messy and were done by the three actors dressed in black and white. There were also many parts of the play where the trio were cramped in a corner of the stage waiting to come to change the scene or to be ‘extras’ in party scenes; again providing a note of insignificance.

Overall, this is the sort of theatre I would like to see more of in the Barn. Director, James Soldan has pushed boundaries and used technology in remarkable ways. Adapting the book and directing it himself was a brave and ambitious move. I would have enjoyed his adaptation to have ended the performance on a more dramatic and dark tone than it did. The first half was breathtakingly imaginative but sadly the second half needed a lift. Sometimes the Barn was not the ideal setting that could give this performance and concept the theatrical prowess it deserves. However, anyone who enjoys artistic, creative theatre and wants to see something with a fantastic, dark story should see Dorian.

Catch the full audio review on YorWorld, coming soon to the ((URY PLAYER))

Review: Animal Farm

2012-01-28T11:02:00.000-08:00

by Kate Bull

"All animals are created equal, but some are more equal than others"

A fairy tale or a nightmare? It all began with a dream of equality and freedom from oppression but slowly a tragic tale of hierarchy, betrayal and dictatorship unravels.

Before reading our review catch our preview here

This weekend saw the Drama Barn transformed into the ‘Drama Farm’ for Ian Wooldbridge’s stage play of Orwell’s allegorical novella.

The set was fantastic – appealing to all the senses: smell, sound, sight and touch. It was a visceral treat for the audience, for it involved them in a way that did not patronise (unlike some examples of audience interaction). The viewers were amalgamated to become part of the set – locked behind fences and pens. The transverse stage configuration was inventive: we became both audience and participants, unable to control the monstrous, swine-led events that unfold. Sarah Palmer and Kat Ronson deserve congratulation for their work. Although, this inventive stage proved haphazard at times both for the actors and audience, as no one seemed safe from the 'splash zone' of various liquids and fruity debrees, and the issue of broken glass at the end of the performance obliged the audience to leave through the back door. The ‘fourth wall’ was well and truly broken with the audience encouraged to feed the actors on entry.

Technically, lighting was used very effectively. Use of blackouts (which normally seem to me amateurish) worked well to enact the Battle of the Cowshed. Combined with a red gel and threatening tableaux, the blackouts were a contrast to the deafening chaotic atmosphere created by the anthropomorphic action. Music, again, was used well to work against the constant, rasping speech of the cast. The most notable musical interlude was Ross Cronshaw’ saxophone playing – live music on stage is always impressive. Equally, the (there is no other word for it) hearty singing of the cast at the beginning of the play, led by Mungo Tatton-Brown’s Old Major, was emotional and rousing. (Tatton-Brown’s acting was especially impressive as he created two greatly differing pig characters – Old Major and Minimus).

The physicality of all the cast members was impressive, but it was Peter Marshall’s Napoleon that stole the show. With great presence on stage, he commanded both the characters and audience admirably. Terrifying, monstrous and disgusting, his performance was enthralling. Adam Seldon’s obsequious Squealer worked fantastically well with Marshall’s character: they created an infuriating duo. Physically, all the cast should be congratulated for putting such immense effort into the creation of their animal aliases, seen too in the vocal variety on show. Power relations were impressively through Palmer and Ronson’ direction and good special awareness. Pig power was easily recognisable.

Oliver McKinley as Benjamin the Donkey was very good, as was Mitch Holder-Mansfield’s Boxer. (I am very protective of Boxer as a character, whose story has always touched me. The play made me well-up as he was taken away, and thus, to me, was a success.) Boxer’s opposite number, Clover, was sensitively portrayed by Hannah Schembri.

Generally, this performance was very impressive. First night nerves slightly affected occasional lighting and scene transitions, but otherwise, it is a treat to not only to be beheld, but to be immersed in.

Review: 'Stars in the Morning Sky'

2012-01-23T13:14:00.000-08:00

By Hana Teraie-Wood.

Before reading our review catch our preview of the production here.

With the London Olympics only round the corner, Stars in the Morning Sky can be mistaken to be both topical and relevant. Alexander Galin’s play is set during the 1980 Moscow Olympics, an event swamped in politics and extensive propaganda. This is a habitual facet of the Olympics only taken to the extremes by the Soviet Union. The pseudo ‘evacuation’ of prostitutes from Moscow during the games can be taken as a theatrical trope (although based on true happenings) for every country’s political spins and facades spun during their time as Olympic hosts. Yet Stars in the Morning Sky feels like an outdated exposé, morphed by time from a contemporary and audacious drama into a historical commentary which relies on the strength of the production to pack a punch. It could be affecting and engaging, but sadly this Drama Barn production failed to breathe life into a play that dearly needs it.

The cast lacked the necessary confidence to command the content-heavy dialogue; Anna’s (Georgie Du Mello Kenyon) drunken warble was comic at times but incomprehensible and parodic for the most part. There was a lack of direction in Valentina’s (Harriet Myzak-Douglas) character, flitting unexplainably between acting cruel, caring and nonchalant, which was unfortunate for her role as the landlady requires a sturdy consistency in order to give the play its structure and backbone. The play’s drama and emotional impact depends on the delivery of the affecting monologues, and these lost their potency with mumbled lines and stuttering dialogue.

Saying this, the performances by Klara (Lucy Lesley) and Alexander (Patrick Forrester) were funny and at times enthralling, and it’s a shame that they had such small parts. The set was interesting, framed by two beds and sheets hanging from the Barn, but the lighting lacked creativity; staying on at the same level throughout except from the times that it awkwardly cut out to indicate the end of a scene.

All these critiques point to a shyness coming from the inexperience of the cast and crew, which, with first years across the board is both expected and understandable. However, Stars in the Morning Sky probably wasn’t the best play to choose.

Catch our full audio review as part URY's weekly magazine YorWorld on the ((URY PLAYER)) here now!

Competition: Win Richard Herring Tickets!

2012-01-22T10:05:00.000-08:00

This week YorWorld launched our brand new competition to win 2 tickets to see Richard Herring Live at the Grand Opera House on the 4^th Febuary. We have 3 pairs to give away!

All you have to do is answer the following questions

1. Which comedian was Herring Famously part of a double act with?

2. What is the name of his latest show?

3. At 2011’s Edinburgh festival what did he refer to himself as?

And email the answers to competition@ury.org.uk with the subject ‘Richard Herring Competition’.

Get your answers in by midnight next Saturday and the winners will be announced on next weeks show!

Good Luck!

Yorworld: 22nd January 2012

2012-01-22T10:04:00.000-08:00

On YorWorld this week we continue to follow the world of arts around York!

We chat to highly acclaimed stand up and actor Omid Djalili about his latest tour, his life as an actor, how being a family man effects his career and some celebrity anecdotes and more!

We also previewed Dramasoc’s weekly 3 production which is of George Owell’s chilling polemic ‘Animal Farm’ and Hana Teraie-Wood reviewed last weeks this weeks dramasoc production ‘Stars in the Morning Sky’.

Additionally we took a look at Pantsoc’s much anticipated winter pantomime ‘Aladdin’ which is sure to have you rolling in the isles and Amelia Watts took a look at the Norman Rea Gallery’s latest exhibition ‘Vessels of Memory’.

If that wasn’t enough we launched our latest competition to see Richard Herring Live in York on the 4^th of Febuary. All the details can be found above and on our facebook event page! The winner will be announced on next weeks show!

Hear the whole programme now on the ((URY PLAYER)) here!

Competition: Win Omid Djalili Tickets!

2012-01-16T10:50:00.000-08:00

We're giving away 2 pairs of tickets to see Omid Djalili live at the Grand Opera House in York this Thursday.

All you have to do is go to our facebook event page and at exactly 2:00 PM this Wednesday we'll post a question and the two people to answer the question correctly by commenting will be awarded a pair of tickets to Thursdays show each!

If you want to learn more about Omid you can listen to our interview with now on the ((URY PLAYER)) here and find out who he'd most like to work with? What life was like on set on Gladiator? And what his family think of his stand up!

You can hear celebrity interviews, reviews and more every Sunday at 2 in YorWorld, URY's acclaimed magazine show.

YorWorld: 15th January 2011

2012-01-15T15:37:00.000-08:00

YorWorld turned 1 this week with an special extended show packed with interviews, features, previews and live music!

On our first show of the term we spoke to Helena Blackman, acclaimed west end star who leapt into the public eye after singing her way to the final of the BBC's hit reality tv series 'How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria'. Hear about Helena's latest tour as well as her career as a musicals leading lady including how she met musical legend Stephen Sondhiem.

John Wakefield looks at the life and work of possibly York's most famous artist William Etty through York Art Gallery's Latest exhibition, William Etty: Art and Controversy' including a personal tour of the exhibition by the gallery's curator Laura Turner. (Images of some of the paintings featured can be seen below).

Also on the show this week we previewed the first show of the Dramasoc term 'A Star in the Morning Sky', a play set during the 1980 Moscow Olympics which follows a group of prostitutes who are made to leave the city.

We were also joined on the line by acclaimed British composer and conducter Ron Corp who was recently awarded an OBE who talked to us about his career in music and offers some advice to anyone at the university considering a career in the music world.

If that wasn't enough we were also joined by Charly Hancock and Emma Harpur from the 'Society of Art and Architectural Scholarship of York' (SAASY), we found out more about this Wednesday's concert in the York Concert Series in the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall.

And we had live music from York Student band 'Climbing Trees'!

You can catch the show on the ((URY PLAYER)) here now!

Candaules, King of Lydia, Shews his Wife by Stealth to Gyges, One of his Ministers, As She Goes to Bed by William Etty.

Pandora Crowned by the Seasons by William Etty

Sleeping Nymph and Satyrs by William Etty

Comedy: The Shambles! Episode 1

2012-01-11T12:34:00.000-08:00

Brand new comedy comes to URY with 'The Shambles', a special improvised show with some hilarious sketches, songs and more taking us from Margaret Thatchers bedroom to a table tennis lesson at the YMCA with Tim Henman and everything inbetween all created from ideas as suggested by the audience!

The Shambles started in Autumn 2006, led by Jenny Hibberd of the Oxford ...Imps, and are York's premier improvised comedy troupe, performing at the University of York, around the York area,

and the Edinburgh Fringe.

With every show being unique catch Episode 1 now on the ((URY PLAYER)) here!

Drama: The Term in Review

2011-12-15T09:10:00.000-08:00

This term has been an astounding time for drama and performance across both the University and the city of York and URY's National Award Winning Speech team were there

URY has become well known for its previews of productions across both the city and the university of York which have been described as 'worthy of radio 4' and by national judges as 'unique, engauging and beautifully produced.'

Congratulations to all involved in both our previews and the incredbible actors and actresses from Dramasoc, York Theatre Royal, Happilly Ever After Society and more who gave up their time to speak to us and show us the emmense talent present in York!

Also keep your eyes out for our very own home grown URY drama such as our full series length sitcom 'Going Solar' and an adaption of Ben Jeapes' increbible science-fiction/ historical novel 'The New World Order' in the new year!

You can always hear our previews on the ((URY PLAYER)) as well as alongside reviews and celebrity interviews in our weekly magazine show YorWorld which is on Sundays from 2.

Panto: The URY Panto!

2011-12-12T11:29:00.000-08:00

Brian Blessed confimed to star in the URY PANTO!

National Award winning URY presenters Charles Lewis and William Chalk with the help of a team of writers and performers (including writer of 'The More Beautiful Game' James Bugg) and star of pretty much everything he's been in...

BRIAN BLESSED

put on the ((URY PANTO)) this Wednesday Week 10 at 2 on ((URY)).

Performed LIVE on air this will be the perfect way to get you in the Christmas mood with leud jokes and our head of music Jack Lucket as Santa theres no way you can miss it!

Catch the trailer now on the ((URY PLAYER)) here or listen to YorWorlds Interview with Charles on the ((URY PLAYER)) here!

And you can now hear the entire pantomine from start to finish with every rude line and innuendo avaliable now on the ((URY PLAYER)) here.

YorWorld: 11th December 2011

2011-12-11T07:25:00.000-08:00

This week we talk to Charles Lewis of the National Award winning URY programme 'The Chalk and Charles Show' about their URY Panto this Wednesday which will feature the vocal talents of Brian Blessed himself as well as other members of URY!

We have our reviews for YUSU Drama Society's production of 'Butley', their final show of the term, and Third Year Theatre Film and Television Students production of 'Metamorphposis'. We'll also have an exclusive preview of the new production of 'Hannah and Hanna' opening at the Dixon Theatre in Wentworth tonight in aid of charity STAR, and we take a look back and celebrate some of the fantastic performances we've covered over the past term!

If that wasn't enough we also have exclusive live recordings of Barbersoc carolling at Rag's Winter Wonderland Last Week! Merry Christmas! - YorWorld is the acclaimed weekly magazine programme from the national award winning speech team at URY!

Catch the programme now on the ((URY PLAYER)) here!

Review: 'Butley'

2011-12-11T02:12:00.000-08:00

By Tom Bonnington,

Before reading our review listen to the ((URY)) Preview now here!

The rarely performed gem by Simon Grey was a suitable choice for the Drama Barn’s latest comedy drama, ‘Butley’. First performed in 1971, with Alan Bates taking the lead role, the play shows the self-destruction of an academic’s relationships with all those dear to him, including his wife, best friend and current students. The play’s intellectually stimulating script along with the larger than life character of Butley make this a hugely enjoyable play when performed to its full potential and this production can stand as one of the Barn’s best this term.

Dan Wood, who plays Butley, gives a sensational performance, never leaving the stage and having countless lines. Every mannerism he gave fitted in with the character he portrayed and there was never a moment where he seemed to tire or lose focus. With the play running at just under two hours, his dynamism as an actor is seen through his seeming control over what was happening on stage. Playing such an arrogant, unpleasant person, he shines at dealing with his interactions with the other more submissive characters. It would be no stretch to say that playing Butley is the most difficult part given at the Barn this term and Wood becomes the character with such visible effortlessness that it’s clear he has a future in drama.

While you will walk out the Barn talking about Wood’s performance, the other actors deserve to be praised too. Grey’s script has the brilliance to know that in order for Butley to reach his full comic potential, the other characters should affect different parts of his personality. Freddie Elletson delivers a classy performance as Butley’s friend, Joey, understanding his character is meant to take a back seat to Butley’s antics while giving his character warmth and depth that makes the audience empathise with him. Claire Curtis-Ward and Pete Watts also give memorable cameos that instil hilarious yet tragic moments for Butley to handle.

With its simple set and enjoyable characters, it’s a wonder why students do not perform this play more often. The character of Butley can give an actor a chance to demonstrate his full abilities to an audience, who will enjoy the rapid-fire dialogue and amusing situations. The director, Adam Alcock, should be very proud of what he has achieved.

Hear our full review in YorWorld on the ((URY PLAYER)) here now!

Review: 'The Trial'

2011-12-11T02:07:00.000-08:00

by Alex Gordon

This weekend, the Theatre, Film and Television Department presented two third-year assessed productions; Steven Berkoff's Metamorphosis and The Trial (after Franz Kafka), taking place in the Black Box Theatre.

The Trial tells the story of Joseph K., an 'everyman', who wakes up on the morning of his thirtieth birthday to discover that he is under arrest and is to be put on trial. He has no idea who has accused him, what he has been accused of, or even what authority is conducting the trial.

Not having read or seen any Berkoff before, and with a preference for plays grounded in reality, I was initially somewhat apprehensive. There is never any real sense of time or place in the play, and the performance styles are a radical departure from naturalism, with exaggerated and nightmarish caricatures. In simple terms, you could say that, at first, I just didn't 'get it.'

As the play progressed though, I put my inhibitions to one side, and found myself enjoying a compelling, blackly funny, and, at times, disturbing piece of theatre. I came to appreciate more the complexity of its dark, deeply political themes, and the heightened style of performance that it demands of the actors.

Ryan Lane did an excellent job of guiding us through this strange world as the protagonist Joseph K. His increasing desperation allowed us both to empathize with his situation and see how the creeping influence of madness is never far away. However, he is by no means the 'star' of this production, as what came across more than anything, is that this was truly an ensemble effort.

This was demonstrated to great effect by the use of a chorus, made up of Ellie McAlpine, Grace Calder, Miriam Gilkes, Sarah Lewis and Samuel Williams, who portrayed a whole host of characters, as well as parts of the set. Particular mention must go to Williams for his un-matched, slightly intimidating charisma as the court painter Titorelli, whose Italian flamboyance and bulging eyes soon had the audience in hysterics.

Strong performances were also seen across the board. Tom Holmes was both pompous and senile as K.'s ageing lawyer Huld, creating many comic moments. Ela Gaworzewska as his nurse Leni was unsettling in her sly, seductive manner - she also has eyes in her hands. She is sexually attracted to 'accused' men, demonstrated in her memorable reply to Huld asking what she thinks of his new client as she cries out at the point of orgasm, 'I - hardly - know him!'

Joel Brooks' distraught, hysterical characterization as Block - another accused man whose case is 'going badly' - provided some of the most tragic and frightening moments in the play. In contrast, Michael Middleton's straight-forward delivery as the Inspector and the Priest was sufficiently sinister in reminding us of this seemingly omnipresent judiciary.

It is clear that a great deal of attention has been given to making the ensemble strong as a cohesive whole under the direction of Rebecca Murphy. This was exemplified by some very precisely choreographed movements - Tom Holmes flinging the bodies of his colleagues to the floor comes to mind - to emphasize moments of heightened drama.

The Black Box itself was used to good effect. A bare scaffold structure (designed by Sashika Sullivan) creates an intentionally non-specific setting. Aided with simple but effective use of lighting by Willl Edwards, this space can change in the blink of an eye from the claustrophobia of K's banking firm to an eerily silent Cathedral. There were times though, when the stage felt too bare in what was used to illustrate the mise-en-scene. Puritans on the power of the audience's imagination will undoubtedly disagree with me on that one.

However, the costume and make-up by Sarah Lewis effectively served to mark out K. from the rest of the ensemble - in the form of a Nineteen Eighty Four-esque set of pyjamas - while other characters dressed in an assortment of tattered garbs and suits, with skeletal-like faces.

I still have my reservations about the play, for it has some inherent flaws in its structure. Consequently, Berkoff's adaptation of Kafka's novel is rife with unanswered questions (yes, you can argue that is the point, but give me a moment), under-developed characters and unexplored sub-plots. Despite its lack of continuity between scenes, which can be jarring at times, the pace was generally handled very well in this production, and I cannot recall a moment where the actors lost engagement with the audience.

This production was not only exciting and disturbing (in a good way) to behold, but approaching professional in its standard. It was clear that this watertight cast were not only functioning as one body, but they had lived and breathed the theatre they were to perform in for the past eight weeks of rehearsal. And what a pay-off.

Comedy: 'Shambles' Recording

2011-12-07T08:12:00.000-08:00

This Saturday at 5 in VO45 'The Shambles' are recording a special improvised show for URY, come along for some hilarious sketches, songs and more as suggested by you the audience!

The Shambles started in Autumn 2006, led by Jenny Hibberd of the Oxford ...Imps, and are York's premier improvised comedy troupe, performing at the University of York, around the York area,
and the Edinburgh Fringe.

Our shows are based around different games, in the style of the popular TV show "Who's Line Is it Anyway". Some of our games are popular classics, whilst others have been invented by Shambles members. Every show however is unique, as all scenes are based entirely upon audience suggestions, and sometimes they may even be called to participate.

More info on our facebook event here! See you there and get your laughter on your national award winning student station!

YorWorld: 4th December 2011

2011-12-04T10:11:00.000-08:00

URY's weekly magazine show returns for another week.

On the show we review dramasoc's ambitious production of 'Cabaret' and see whether they really did manage to recreate the KIT KAT Club and transport the audience back to 1930s Berlin.

We take a look at Theatre Film and Televisions Third Year production of 'Metamorphosis' where GREGOR SAMSA, a travelling cloth salesman, lives a life of routine. Every day he wakes up, takes the train, goes to work to earn enough money to support his family and returns home. However one day, without explanation, Gregor wakes up to find that he has transformed into a gigantic insect.

We review Katie Lambert's new play 'Scooped' which was on at the Friargate Theatre and we'll be previewing Dramasoc's final show of the term, Simon Gray's 'Butley' which looks at a day in the life of academic Ben Butley which unfolds leaving him to face his life's tragedies.

If that wasn't enough we're also chatting to SASSY and have some specially recorded cast recordings from Cabaret exclusive to YorWorld.

Catch the programme now on the ((URY PLAYER)) here.

And of course as this weekend was RAG's Winter Wonderland, we broadcast our very own production of Charles Dickens' Classic novel 'A Christmas Carol'. It is avaliable now on the ((URY PLAYER)) here.

Review: 'Cabaret'

2011-12-02T17:05:00.000-08:00

by Laura Stratford

Before reading our review check out our feature on 'Cabaret' on the ((URY PLAYER)) now!

'Cabaret', the infamous musical, takes place in 1930s Berlin. It tells the tale of Sally Bowles, a young English cabaret performer at the Kit Kat Klub who falls in love with a young American writer called Cliff Bradshaw. Upon Cliff's arrival, Ernst Ludwig, later revealed to be a Nazi follower, refers him to a boarding house owned by Fraulein Schneider, who becomes engaged to Herr Schultz. However, the prospect of their marriage is truncated by the uprising of Nazi power. Emcee, the flamboyant Kit Kat Klub owner, oversees the action and reminds us how in a post-war time of political instability, people endeavour to hold on to a sense of normality in their lives; even if that means rolling up lace stockings from time to time…

Directed by Thomas Jones, this is a fabulously bold and sexy production. As you walk into the drama barn, you're transported back to 1930s Berlin and truly feel part of the Kit Kat Klub. Sally Bowles, Emcee and the rest of the chorus go all out with silk suspenders and PVC, and shamelessly perform very naughty choreography by Janey Stephenson. The audience are constantly drawn up-close to the drama as the cast make full use of the space, highlighted by the creative use of lighting by Jim Bulley.

It doesn't stop there. The cast are fantastic; Emilie Smith (Sally Bowles) provides touching scenes and sings spine-tingling numbers, Joe Williams (Emcee) is unpredictable as the flamboyantly lascivious club owner, William Descrettes (Cliff Bradshaw) plays well the charming yet innocent American, Milana Smolkina (Fraulein Schneider) is believable in her simultaneous strength and vulnerability, Luke de Belder (Herr Schultz) is funny in his portrayal of an inexperienced romantic, Florence-Anne Stratton (Fraulein) is hilariously flirty and cheeky, Pascal Dubois (Ernst Ludwig) is intimidating as the Nazi follower and the rest of the chorus (Lottie Johnson, Hayley Thompson, Anna Thirkettle, Gabby Holcroft, Richard Spears and Alistair Kerr) work brilliantly together as lustful 'showgirls'.

It's fun, sexy, moving, dark and not for one minute loses your attention. See it while you can!

Listen to our full audio review in YorWorld now on the ((URY PLAYER))

Review: 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'

2011-12-02T02:32:00.000-08:00

by Laura Stratford

That really was a dream...

So first we're fooled into thinking that Brian Blessed will make a guest appearance. Then a warm-up comedian manages to squeeze a volunteer out from the audience to play the part of Bottom.

Already, it's clear, this is no ordinary adaptation of one of Shakespeare's best loved comedies. This is precisely why you should try and catch this production whilst they're at York. Not only will you get a refreshing take on such a well-known play, you'll feel like you've completely misread the original.

Favourite moments have to be Bottom and Titania 'rocking out' together, Lysander and Demetrius's fight being likened to a video game, Barry White moments of love potion attraction and the marshmallow war between Hermia and Helena (and eventually the rest of the audience). It's also nice to see how the stage is constantly shared by actors and band members, working together to put on a show in a collaborative way; perhaps this captures the true spirit of Shakespeare's work.

'A Midsummer's Night Dream' will be playing until tomorrow night at York Theatre Royal. See http://www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk/cgi/events/events.cgi?t=template&a=854 for more details.

YorWorld: 27th November 2011

2011-11-27T02:55:00.000-08:00

URY's magazine show, described as rivaling many Radio 4 weekend of daytime speech programmes by Student Radio Award Judges, returns with an packed mix of interviews, reviews and drama previews to keep you up to date with everything culture in York!

On this weeks show we have an interview with the acclaimed actor Oliver Ford Davies whose carreer has ranged from appearing as Polonius in Hamlet with the Royal Shakespeare Company, alongside David Tennant and Patrick Stewart, to starring in Star Wars.

Fresh from his sell out performance as the title role in 'Goodnight Mr Tom', Oliver Ford Davies comes to York to look at problems with Shakespeare and talks to us about his life as an actor.

As well as that we have our preview of this coming weeks dramasoc production 'Cabaret' where the Dramabarn will be transformed into the into the infamous KITKAT CLUB with music interviews and drama giving you a unique look at this exciting upcoming production.

We also have our review of this weeks dramasoc production 'Suddenly Last Summer' by Tennessee Williams. (also have a look at our written review below) And we chat to Anna James of Sixlips theatre about their latest production 'Hands Off'. More info http://www.wix.com/sixlipstheatre/website

And if that wasn't enough we have URY Music's sessions from Broken Sunsets and we announce the winner to our Chris Addison ticket competition.

Catch up with the programme now on the ((URY PLAYER))

Review: 'Suddenly Last Summer'

2011-11-27T00:22:00.000-08:00

by Hana Teraie - Wood

Before reading our written review listen to the URY Preview here!

The form of a one act play makes its structure and emphasis pliable in the actors’ hands. The room for manoeuvre is particularly acute in Suddenly, Last Summer, which with the help of Williams’ trademark oblique dialogue can swing anywhere between a socio-political polemic and a straight forward ‘whodunit’. Possibly due to a lack of strong direction, this production hangs uneasily between the two and finishes without securing its seat along the spectrum. A wealth of loaded socio-historical comments on the subject lines of rape, racism and homosexuality aren’t explored enough through subtleties in order to develop into questions pointed to by the play. However, the play’s Oedipus complex undertones are brought to the fore through a strong performance of Violet, (played by Henrietta Mitchell) who really is a menace and an exciting character. The misunderstood ‘crazy’ is also delivered convincingly by Fran Isherwood’s portrayal of Catherine, a character that shares many inter-textual similarities with other female protagonists such as Jane from Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper and Esther Greenwood from Plath’s The Bell Jar.

The set worked well in tandem with these narratives; a wash of whites and creams, tropical plants, dainty garden furniture and tea-time crockery rattled in response to Catherine’s frustration with the sticky, claustrophobic atmosphere. The neutral tones worn by the rest of the cast blended them into the narrative of the set to pick out Catherine – in red - as the scarlet woman, and Violet - in black - as the dark, dying and depressed widow. The use of shadows behind a translucent set window was intriguing but, like the complexities of the play, not fully explored. Interesting uses of lighting were employed but lacked enough subtlety to succeed in its full dramatic effect.

This production could have benefitted from a little more time and polish. The American accents were at times grappled with in order to stay fixed; overlapping dialogue was sometimes left suspended between the first speaker and the next; crescendos came in recurring bouts, spreading attention evenly rather than dramatically through the act. The play started with an awkwardly long pause between lights up and the characters’ entrance. But all these trips may fall away by the second and third night, which could leave this production in much more accomplished form.

And hear our full radio review in YorWorld now on the ((URY PLAYER))

Competition: Win Chris Addison Tickets!

2011-11-20T10:11:00.000-08:00

The URY Speech Team are offering you and two friends to go and see Chris Addison LIVE at the Grand Opera House York

All you have to do is post the question you'd most like to ask Chris Addison our facebook event wall!

and the person who submits the best question (as judged by URY's multi national award winning Speech Team)

will win 3 tickets to see Chris Addison LIVE at the Grand Opera House on the 4th December and have a chance that their question will be put to Chris!

The winner will be announced on YorWorld, this Sunday at 2!

Fresh from The Thick of It, Mock The Week, Have I Got News For You and his sell-out 2010 tour, Chris Addison, the man who put the 'Chris Addison' into, 'I see Chris Addison is touring again,' is touring again. He's written a brand new show, The Time Is Now, Again, specifically for the venue this website refers to.* (*And about 40 others, but the point still stands.) Top class stand-up from one of the classiest, toppiest stand-ups around. You should come and see him.!

In the Stalls: 20th November 2011

2011-11-20T09:59:00.000-08:00

On the show this week, we preview Tennessee Williams’ challenging play 'Suddenly Last Summer', next weeks Dramasoc production, our review of this weeks dramasoc production, Samual Beckett’s most famous play 'Waiting for Godot'. (Also see our written review now)

W also have our preview of the York Settlement Players Production of 'Travels with My Aunt. 5 actors switch identities, nationalities, ages and genders to play 23 parts in Giles Harvergal's lively stage version of Graham Greene's popular novel. This production of 'Travels with My Aunt' is brought to life by premier theatre group, York Settlement Community Players More information is available on the York Theatre Royals Website here.

In the Stalls is the National Award nominated arts programme from URY's speech team and is available now on the ((URY PLAYER)) here.

Review: Waiting for Godot

2011-11-20T09:45:00.000-08:00

By Laura Stratford

Before reading the review listen to our exclusive preview now on the ((URY PLAYER)) here!

Autumn leaves scatter the floor of the stage. A tree naked of leaves stands in the corner. Estragon faces us sitting on a wooden stump whilst Vladimir faces the wall. Estragon pulls at his boot, but gives up and says the opening line, 'Nothing to be done'.

'Waiting for Godot', Samuel Beckett's most famous play, is essentially a play where nothing occurs. It tells the tale of Vladimir and Estragon, two homeless men who painfully spend their days in monotony waiting for a man called Godot. During their wait, they meet the grandiose Pozzo, a man clinging on to a sense of his self-importance with the company of his man-servant, Lucky. Twice over the course of the two acts a young boy comes to announce that Godot, in effect Vladimir and Estragon's leader, will eventually arrive the next day. Unfortunately, that's not the case, which is leaves them considering suicide on several occasions. After that plan fails, they decide to leave for good, yet we see them in the last moments rooted to the floor.

From the beginning, the chemistry, timing and fast-paced dialogue between the characters is superb. Rory Hern is great as Vladimir, in his Charlie Chaplin-esque appearance and mime-like movements. Nick Devlin, plays well the quieter, exasperated and boot-less partner, who joins him in the endless wait. Pozzo, played by Pete Watts comes close to stealing the show with his fantastic portrayal of a comic bipolar psycho and Peter Marshall as Lucky is equally brilliant, especially when it comes to the intense crescendo of the infamous 'stream of consciousness' monologue.

Considering that this is commonly perceived as one of Beckett's hardest plays to make sense of and act, it was impressive to see how effortless Dramasoc's adaptation was. Due to the quality of the acting, the tragi-comedy aspect of the play is well portrayed. Along with the comic timing of their performances, there are muted moments where we realise the sad reality of their situation; four men wasting away their lives and precious time with banal actions, slowly falling into a pit of memory loss and lack of direction. Perhaps this was made all the poignant by the fact that students were portraying these characters, young people in the prime of their lives.

With light direction from Anjali Vyas-Brannick, delicate use of lighting (Sam Thompson), especially in the moonlight scenes, minimalist use of props and good acting, I don't think it'd be an exaggeration to say that this would have rivalled the adaptation at the Theatre Royal Haymarket with Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart. It's a well-executed and engaging production, one that would definitely do well off-campus.

Listen to the full audio review on 'In the Stalls' now on the ((URY PLAYER)) here.

In the Stalls: 13th November 2011

2011-11-13T09:48:00.000-08:00

Your weekly dose of theatre in York returns for another week.

This week we preview a play described as "the most significant English language play of the 20th century", Samual Beckett's 'Waiting for Godot'.

We review this weeks Dramasoc's production of 'The Saliva Milkshake' and we have our preview of The York Shakespeare Project's ambitious production of 'Troilus and Cressida'.

Star-crossed lovers, epic battles and an empire on the brink of collapse . . .

The mighty Greek campaign against the Trojans has reached stalemate, with both sides quarrelling amongst themselves. Against this turbulent backdrop, Troilus and Cressida must battle the power politics and ruthless diplomacy which threaten to crush their newfound love.

York Shakespeare Project’s production of ‘Troilus and Cressida’ re-locates Shakespeare’s classic tale of love and war to York, 1644. The English Civil War provides a dramatic fictitious setting for this timeless story, which explores the potent mix of conflict, romance and chivalry amidst turmoil.

Combining period music, live accompaniment and singing with edge-of-your-seat combat, ‘Troilus and Cressida’ promises a memorable evening’s entertainment.

More information about the production avaliable on the York Shakespeare Project website here.

And on a personal note; Congratulations to everyone who helped us achive national recognition in The Student Radio Awards. We have highlights of the ceremony to round off todays show.

Hear the programme now on the ((URY PLAYER)) here.

Review: 'The Saliva Milkshake'

2011-11-13T06:48:00.000-08:00

Reviewed by Kate Bull.

Before Reading our review hear our preview of the production now on the ((URY PLAYER))

The director’s choice of “The Siliva Milkshake” was a good one. It is topical in so much that today’s funding for the Arts is being cut, and the role of student protest is at the fore front of people’s minds. Plays for Poor Theatre are once more becoming a necessity; Brenton’s play is an enjoyable necessity.

Unfortunately, the URY preview promises something the play itself fails to deliver: a fast paced thriller of political intrigue and paranoia. Perhaps the stress of being both the narrator and protagonist of this play was too much for Abbott, for his character’s emotions, to us, seemed stilted and unnatural. The peak of Martin’s paranoia was never fully reached, affecting the play’s success in affecting the audience. As a result, I felt no empathy with the protagonist as the final scenes unfolded. Lily Cooper, as Joan (the extremist ex-student whose one action the play forms around) was very good, delivering intense scenes with confidence and understanding. Ryan Hall as Rafferty also deserves mention – his sadistic scenes had a childlike quality that added to a characterization that was quite threatening.

Matthew Lecznar’s direction deserves praise for it’s ambition, although some of the intensity apparent in Brenton’s writing did not quite translate effectively to the stage: some of the monologues became dull and stilted. However, there were some truly excellent scenes in which Lecznar’s understanding of the space, and the space between the actors, really shone. One example of this was the split stage moment of near total darkness, apart from a cigarette end and a red gel. This was fantastically effective. Otherwise, moments of slow motion throughout and the use of the projector screen as a gauze with silhouettes behind, were creative and well thought through. I believe, that with further experience, Lecznar will become an interesting director indeed.

Katie Lambert’s lighting design was effective, if slightly under-rehearsed in places. The use of an OHP projector worked cleverly to demonstrate change of scenes, and bring home Brenton’s ideals of Plays for the Poor Theatre. The blank, black space of The Drama Barn again demonstrated Lecznar’s understanding of the play’s context.

Overall, an engaging production, but one that just fell short of its director’s promise to teach the audience “something about themselves, about society and about real life”.

Listen in to the full review on 'In the Stalls' now on the ((URY PLAYER))

National Award Winning URY Speech

2011-11-11T04:58:00.000-08:00

The URY Speech team have managed to win two National Student Radio Awards at a ceremony at the O2 in London. (Above URY at the SRA's!)

In the Best Speech catogory our highly acclaimed orginal comedy drama 'The More Beautiful Game' grabbed a BRONZE Award putting it in the top 3 orginal speech programmes from student radio this year.

On top of that 'The Prince of Humberside' won the prestigious Kevin Greening Award.

Kevin Greening started his radio career as presenter and Station Manager of CUR. He was the Chair of the Radio 1 Student Radio Awards from 2000 - 2003 and was made a Fellow of the Radio Academy for his work promoting student radio and the awards and making it a spring board and vibrant training ground for new radio industry talent. His distinguished radio career included numerous accolades, including presenting Radio 1's Drivetime, Weekend Breakfast and ultimately the Breakfast Show with Zoe Ball.

This category is a special annual award to recognise the unique on air creativity of a presenter and/or show team's exceptional execution of innovative radio. This could range from a link from music or speech radio, a feature, a drama or interview to an overall programme, competition, or station message.

Each first round judge were asked to listen out for something they feel fitted the criteria of creativity out of all the entries. It should be something new and creative that stood out from the standard criteria of their category that made the judge stop and listen. They will be passed onto the judges of this award and judged accordingly. Judges in the first round do not have to refer an entry to this category.

The Prince of Humberside, originally a half an hour black comedy, deals directly with the issue of depression in young people and is written and directed by Tess Humphrey who has had personal experience in dealing with the issue. The play represents the power of two talented actors speaking on radio to engage and grip the audience.

It charts the phone conversation between Laurie (an aristocratic student) and his opposite Arrabella (a NHS call centre worker in London). Not only is there great drama as Laurie sad story unfolds but also tinged with comedy as the two struggle to understand what the others going through) Over the half hour both develop as characters which I hope the audience have an emotional attachment to.

And of course our Arts programme 'In the Stalls' was Nationally nominated even if not making the top 3 and continues this weekend with a preview of 'York Shakespeare Project's production of 'Troilus and Cressida', Dramasoc's production of 'Waiting for Godot' as well as our review of 'The Saliva Milkshake', this weeks dramasoc production!

You can listen to all our programmes now on the ((URY PLAYER)) and of course catch our national award winning content every Sunday from 2 on URY.

Congratulations to everyone involved in any of our entries and of course to URY for winning Silver for best station!

And if you want to be part of our national award winning drama here on URY then don't miss our Sitcom auditions for 'Going Solar' this weekend. More info here.

In the Stalls: 6th November 2011

2011-11-06T09:48:00.000-08:00

This week on the programme we have reviews of Happily Ever After Society’s production of Thoroughly Modern Millie and Dramasoc’s latest production ‘A Day in the Death of Joe Egg’ by Peter Nichols.

Also our preview of next week's Dramasoc production ‘Saliva Milkshake' and, courtesy of the award winning news team here at URY, we have an interview with Cherie Federico, the founder of the Asthetica Short Film Festival which concludes today.

If that wasn't enough we also have our interview with Martin Barrass, on playing the role of Stan Laurel in York Theatre Royal's production of 'Laurel and Hardy'.

Catch the national award nominated programme on the ((URY PLAYER)) here!

URY Debate: 6th November 2011

2011-11-06T08:39:00.000-08:00

We'll be talking public sector strikes and the Greek bailout, plus Iran's nuclear weapons programme: how far should we go to stop it? Plus the Archbishop of Canterbury's been having his say on economic policy: we ask whether he's right, and whether he should be keeping his views to himself. Our guests are political blogger Adam Alcock, the Green Party's Spin Pitman and Daniel Murphy of the Conservative party.

The programme is produced by Paddy Evans, George Viner and Nick Duquemin.

Catch the programme here on the ((URY PLAYER))

In the Stalls: Laurel and Hardy - Martin Barrass Interview

2011-11-04T13:25:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week John Wakefield met up with Martin Barrass, one of the stars of York Theatre Royals production of ‘ Laurel and Hardy’ and I spoke to him about the experience of performing the play as Stan Laurel and his opinion of the comedy Duo.

York Theatre Royal's Production of Tom Mcgrath's 'Laurel and Hardy' is an incredible show that shouldn't be missed!

'Both incredibly funny and deeply moving' - URY Review

Don't miss your chance to see this fantastic show as this Saturday (4th Nov) marks the end of the run. Tickets avaliable from http://www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk/

Listen to the interview NOW on the ((URY PLAYER))

And make sure you tune into 'In the Stalls' for all the latest theatre and arts news on campus this Sunday at 2!

Review: ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’

2011-11-04T07:23:00.000-07:00

Before reading our review, get a taste of the show by listening to our preview here on the ((URY PLAYER))

Happily Ever After Society’s latest musical offering is their production of ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’. The performance provided a showcase for some of the finest vocal talents at the university yet the production never quite captured the air of a professional production.

For those who don’t know the premise of this unusual musical it provides a combination of 20s jazz, love triangles, money and of course white slavery (what comedy musical would be the same without that key ingredient). The show mixes superb jazz with Gilbert and Sullivan for a mix that must be unique in musical theatre.

The performances of the leads were astounding. Lottie Johnson as Millie shone with an infectious enthusiasm and enjoyment of the production. Tom Jones felt relaxed and charming in his role as Jimmy (Millie’s love interest) and Melissa Layton was delightfully evil as the pantomimic Mrs. Meers. Yet the show was stolen by Luke de Belder and Bethan Williams as Trevor and Miss Dorothy who both provided spot on comedy as well as impressive vocal performances which combined had the audience in the palm of their hands.

While the chorus initially seemed unnerved in the opening scenes they soon settled into the performance and the final chorus numbers couldn’t help but bring a smile to my face and raise the hairs on the back of my neck. Equally when in smaller groups, such as at the Society Club the male chorus provided a superb barbershop backing to the sexy jazz vocals of Claire Lawrence’s Muzzy. While the dancing was by no means perfect and often felt forced instead of flowing into the overall continuity of the show it still provided some great moments such as the letter writing scene which was a highlight of the first half.

Many people will be aware that the production has faced the problem of not being able to use its Central Hall home stage because of renovation being carried out by the University. The decision, however to move the production to the Joseph Rowntree Theatre did suit the production. As the stage show is an adaptation of the 1967 film the theatre’s plush ex cinema feel suited the show perfectly.

However despite the incredible performances by the leads the cast and chorus often failed to fill the stage or bring many of the settings alive. This was often due to unimaginative staging and a lack of props to punctuate the different locations which wasn’t helped by incredibly poor lighting design which lacked subtlety and rarely aided the empty staging. Furthermore the Joseph Rowntree theatre had facilities that performances in Central Hall could only dream of, such as a fully functional stage loft which was only used once in the entire performance.

In conclusion the show was an enjoyable evening despite its problems and the superb performances made the journey to the theatre well worth while even if the staging and technical aspects of the show made some parts of the evening underwhelming. Yet a recommendation is by no means hard to give and it still is a good introduction to the abilities of the performing arts societies at the university, even if it never attained the air of professionalism they set out to achieve.

The show is running at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, 7:30 every night until this Saturday. There is free transport to the venue from James College at 7:00 each night.

Hear our full audio review now in the National Award nominated 'In the Stalls' on the ((URY PLAYER)) here!

In the Stalls: 30th October 2011

2011-10-30T05:47:00.001-07:00

The National Award nominated arts programme returns for another week.

This week we will be previewing YUSU Drama Society's production of 'A Day in the Death of Joe Egg' and reviewing this weeks production 'After Miss Julie'. We will also be previewing Happily Ever After Society's ambitious production 'Thoroughly Modern Millie' which is opening at the Joseph Rowntree theatre this Thursday.

You can hear the programme on the ((URY PLAYER)) here now.

And make sure you don't miss another chance to hear original URY drama with Tom Crowley's gripping sci-fi thriller 'The Matchstick Man' at 2:30 and at 3:20 we have our final episode in our original history series 'How the Radio Changed the Nation'.

Comedy: The URY Sketch Show

2011-10-30T05:37:00.000-07:00

Ever wondered what 'Top Cat' would sound like if directed by Quentin Tarentino or what Camarons secret reaction was to the Student Protests.

Listen in now to brand new sketch comedy from York Student writers in the 'URY Sketch Show!' to find out!

Available now on the ((URY PLAYER))

A New Year for Speech at URY!

2011-10-07T05:02:00.000-07:00

Welcome to all freshers joining the University this year! Coming up this term we have fantastic selection of orginal programmes written and produced by York Students!

This Sunday from 2 we have Yorworld, where we will be previewing Dramasoc's 'The Acrington Pals', speaking to Andrew Caspari, the man behind 'A History of the World in 100 objects' as well as highlights from Ian Hislops Q and A session at 'The National Student Media Summit'.

And then at around 2:30 we have brand new sketch comedy from York Student writers in the 'URY Sketch Show!' Ever wondered what 'Top Cat' would sound like if directed by Quinten Tarentino or what Camarons secret reaction was to the Student Protests. Tune in to find out!

Our programmes have been described as 'radio 4 quality' by industry judges and with a host of brand new shows coming this term always tune in Sundays 2-4 to make sure you don't miss out!

Alternatively you can catch up on many of our previous shows on the ((URY PLAYER)) now and look for the green covers!

If you want to get involved there's plenty to do this term. We will teach you how to use all the professional equipment at our disposal and you can either help out with a current show or make your own drama/documentary comedy (or anything really) programme from scratch!

A few of things you get to do if you join the speech team..

Celebrity interviews
Hone your skills on the celebrities you've always wanted to meet! We interviewed Mark Watson, Milton Jones, Greg Davies, Angelon Epitheomou and many many more last term!

Alternatively we love hearing from anyone whose interesting so you can interview whoever you want if you can get hold of them and with a name like ((URY)) behind you that makes it a whole lot easier!

Review
Ever fancied yourself as a critic? We have excellent connections with the performing arts societies on campus as well as the theatres in the town centre which means free tickets for our reviewers to see some of the finest performances in the country. Our reviewers air their thoughts on air in our weekly magazine show as well as contributing to this blog!

Be a Producer
Make your very own programme, from comedy to documentary or help craft somebody elses ideas into radio perfection!

Get involved in radio drama!
Last year saw a flourishing of radio drama at ((URY)) with more on the way. Fancy writing, directing or performing on air? We will be auditioning for our new radio sitcom 'Going Solar' soon from the writer of the highly acclaimed 'The More Beautiful Game' so watch out for audition information by joining our facebook group!

The York Project
We are trying to create a soundscape of York with hundreds of stories from real people in York. Want to help us record or fancy composing some orginal music for the exciting project!

And of course presenting and much much more!

Please direct all get involved (speech) enquiries to head.of.speech@ury.org.uk

I look forward to hearing from you and please don't hesistate to contact me at the above address.

John Wakefield

Head of Speech Broadcasting ((URY))

Drama: The More Beautiful Game

2011-06-25T17:13:00.000-07:00

James Bugg's fantastic new comedy drama about a sport that deserves respect!

Avaliable on the ((URY PLAYER)) here now!

'The More Beautiful Game' is the story of Yorkshireman and world class athlete, Geoff Batterson (played by Chris White) who wants to see his sport in the 2012 London Olympic games.

There is a catch though. The sport is table football.

Geoff not only faces the challenge of convincing the olympic committee, but must also be wary of rising table football star Kazayuki Takamoto, who threatens Batterson's place as World Number 1.

As the hearing, and the table football World Cup final approach, Geoff, along with his best friend Alan (Dan Wood) test their friendship, their nerve and their devotion to the more beautiful game.

Geoff Batterson - Chris White
Alan Turner - Dan Wood
Commentator - Jack Roberts
Janet Batterson - Anjali Vyas-Brannick

Other parts played by
- Freddy Elletson
- Louis Lunts
- Jonathon Carr
- Oliver Hill
- Georgie Patrick
- James Bugg
- John Wakefield

Writen by James Bugg
Directed by James Bugg and John Wakefield
Produced by John Wakefield

Award Winning Speech Content

2011-06-23T15:55:00.000-07:00

The URY Speech team this evening won a couple of York University Media Awards!

Our preview of Dramasoc's production of 'Peepshow' was unanimously chosen by the judges as 'Best Feature' and praised as 'worthy of radio 4'.

You can hear the award winning feature now on the ((URY PLAYER)) here.

Also Shortlisted for the award was John Wakefield's interview with the incredible Charles Chilton (first coloquial voice on the BBC, first Jazz presenter in the country, writer and producer of the last programme to get more listeners than tv had viewers and writer of 'Oh What A Lovely War!' Despite not winning best interview it was the only shortlisted piece to be 'highly commended' by the judges.

You can hear it now on the ((URY PLAYER)) here now.

We will continue to create Award wininng content next year! Who knows SRAs here we come!

Also if your reading this we should congratulate ((URY )) on best website!

Drama: The Prince of Humberside

2011-06-19T16:15:00.000-07:00

The premiere of Tess Humphrey's black comedy 'The Prince of Humberside' about Laurie a troubled teenager who calls the NHS Suicide Hotline and recieves some unconventional advice.

The play deals with the issues of deppresion in young people in a comic yet deeply moving way in half an hour of gripping student written drama.

Joshua King - Laurie Waugh
Ela Gaworzewska - Arrabella

Tess Humphrey - Writer and Director
John Wakefield - Producer

Avaliable now on the ((URY PLAYER)) here.

YorWorld: 19th June

2011-06-19T16:09:00.000-07:00

This week on the show we speak to the cast of the latest York Theatre Royal production 'Two Planks and a Passion', we Preview 'PlayinaDay Take2' and 'The Importance of Being Earnest'. We review 'Red Snow' and 'Treasure Island' and take a look at Woodstock. If that wasn't enough, continuing our woodstock theme we have archive Jay Foreman Sessions! YorWorld is part of the Sunday Roast, great speech broadcasting every sunday 2-4.

Here it now on the ((URY PLAYER)) here.

Debate: URY Debate

2011-06-19T11:01:00.000-07:00

We’re talking private universities this week on URY Debate: is it unfair for the New College of Humanities to charge £18,000 a year.

Plus Rowan Williams’ attack on the coalition, nuclear weapons in Syria—and is privatisation partly to blame for care home abuse?

Our guests this week: George Clarke of the university’s Labour Club; Thomas Byrne, former NUS presidential candidate; Matt Kilcoyne of the Conservatives; and Mariel Stringer-Fehlow from Amnesty International.

Produced by Nick Duquemin, Paddy Evans, George Viner. Find out more by joining our Facebook group: search ‘URY Debate’.

Catch the programme on the ((URY PLAYER)) now!

YorWorld: 12th June 2011

2011-06-19T10:47:00.000-07:00

On the show this week we review York Theatre Royal's 'My Family and Other Animals' (see www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk for more info) , this weeks drama production 'Road', and we preview Pantsoc's Summer Pantomime 'Treasure Island' and James Balls impressive new musica 'Red Snow' which is in the barn next week. On top of that we have the URY Music teams sessions with rising Manchunian band 'The Travelling Band'. YorWorld is part of the Sunday Roast, great speech broacasting 2-4 every Sunday on URY.

Catch the programme now on the ((URY PLAYER))

Drama: The More Beautiful Game

2011-06-05T12:27:00.000-07:00

A Brand new comedy drama coming to URY at 3:00 on the 26th of June

'The More Beautiful Game' is a full length play coming week 9 to URY from student writer James Bugg.

Its the story of a Yorkshireman and world class athlete, Geoff Batterson (played by Chris White) who wants to see his sport in the 2012 London Olympics.

There is a catch though.

The sport is table football and he has a challange on his hands not just from the olympic commitee but also from rising table football star Kazayuki Takamoto who threatens Batterson's place as World Number 1.

As the hearing and the table football world cup final approach Geoff, along with his best friend Alan (Dan Wood) test there friendship and there devotion to the more beautiful game.

Recording has been a great experience often seeing the cast recording while playing intense and physically demanding table football in locations across campus in an effort to make one of the best dramas URY has seen to date.

Hear the full trailer below...

Or alternatively head over to the ((URY PLAYER)) for this weeks YorWorld (our weekly magazine show) where we take a tongue in cheek indepth look at the production with interviews from its writer and director, James Bugg, and stars Dan Wood (Alan Turner) and Chris White (Geoff Batterson) which is avaliable now on the ((URY PLAYER)) here.

(photos Greg Ebdon)

YorWorld: 5th June 2011

2011-06-05T06:47:00.000-07:00

This week on the show we are taking a special look at URY Drama. We have interviews with Tom Crowley, the writer and director of 'The Matchstick Man' about his writing, comedy and his experiences in radio (including standing on the famous stage at the Radio Theatre in Broadcasting House). We also have an interview with Tess Humphrey, writer of our upcoming drama 'The Prince of Humberside'.

Moreover continuing our theme of drama here at University Radio York we take an indepth look at our new comedy 'The More Beautiful Game' with interviews with the cast and the plays writer and director James Bugg including the world premiere of the plays

Looking beyond URY we have our review of William Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Nights Dream', as well as next weeks production 'Road' opening on Friday.

And if that wasn't enough we also have recordings from yesterdays 'York Carnival' and a performance from York Universities own Barbersoc.

Missed the programme? Catch it now online on the ((URY PLAYER)) here.

Hannah Gibbs' 'The Blue Guitar'

2011-05-31T15:15:00.000-07:00

Hannah Gibbs, a budding musician and radio producer here at the

University of York has produced a stunning radiophonic soundscape on the subject of insperation called 'The Blue Guitar'.

Laughing Hannah said that a radiophonic soundscape is 'an unfortunate term as nobody actually know what I mean at all by that!'

'Its creating an audio environment. Just sit back relax and let it wash over you and see if can gather anything artistic from it!'

It is a beautifully produced and through composed talk which will emerse listeners in the facinating language and musical compositions interweaved througout.

You can hear our full interview with Hannah as well as a short extract from the piece itself on the
((URY PLAYER)) here.

YorWorld: 29th May 2011

2011-05-28T11:23:00.000-07:00

The 'funniest man in Britain' is on the show this week as we speak to Dom Joly, the star of 'Trigger Happy TV' and acclaimed travel writer as well as runner up in the recent series of 'I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here'.

If that wasn't enough we also have our review of 'Art' by Yasmina Reza which is being performed this weekend in the barn.

We shine URY's spotlight onto the Aerobicsathon (a charity event for RAG) being staged by the university's Aerobics society this wednesday all around campus.

We preview next weeks dramasoc production, Willian Shakespeare's classic comedy 'A Midsummer Nights Dream'.

And if that wasn't enough we have URY's exclusive sessions with Ryan Spendlove!

Hear the show on the ((URY PLAYER)) now.

YorWorld: 22nd May 2011

2011-05-20T17:03:00.000-07:00

This week on the show we interview the former home secratary Jacqui Smith about her experience as Home Secretary, her role in the expenses scandal and life after politics. As well as that we have our reviews of York Theatre Royal's 'The Crucible', last weeks apocolyptic dramasoc production 'Ten Days' and this weeks student written production 'Knightingale' as well as our previews of both 'Knightingale' and next weeks exciting dramasoc production 'Art'. If that wasn't enough we also have exclusive URY sessions from 'Low Duo' and 'The Flashguns' courtesy of the music team here at ((URY)) and more.

Listen now on the ((URY PLAYER)) here

Debate: URY Debate

2011-05-18T17:40:00.000-07:00

URY Debate is back.

URY's discussion show is returning with topical discussion on the events of the week. Guests include (but not exclusively) members of the campus media and political societies.

On this weeks show...

This week’s campus experts are Josh Allen of the Liberal Democrats, Freedom Society’s Sam Westrop, and YUSU Women’s Officer Nell Beecham. On the agenda: has Nick Clegg left it too late to distance himself from the Tories? Plus Max Mosley and privacy laws, Pakistan’s dispute with the US over Osama Bin Laden, and the international movement known as ‘slut-walking’. Produced by Nick Duquemin and Paddy Evans. Make sure you join our new Facebook group! Search for 'URY Debate'.

Listen in to the latest episode now exclusively on the
((URY PLAYER)) here.

Review: The Crucible

2011-05-14T13:21:00.000-07:00

Kate Bull and Alex Gordon review 'York Theatre Royal's production of the Arthur Miller classic.

What were your first impressions of the show?

" For me it was quite stuning, extremly dramatic and had great impact"-Alex Gordon

"For me it was more of transverse seating than in the round which effected the performance in such that it wasn't as intimate as in the round may entail"-Alex Gordon

What did you think of the performances as a whole in such a dilema and action packed play?

"The most outstanding performer for me was Michale Roberts who played Judge Danforth...having fantastic stage presence" -Kate Bull

"The same effect he (Michale Roberts) has on the charaters he has in the play, holding them in the palm of his hand, that effect was replicated with the audience" -Alex Gordon

"Ann Putnam played by Andrina Carroll was fantasticly good...you could sense her angst..the way she acted it was very good" -Kate Bull

"Special mention should also go to John proctor played by steven billington...he played it with a very solid level headiness throught which succedded in envoking the greatest amount of sympathy from the audience" -Alex Gordon

"The emense detail they pay to every aspect of it...it worked seamlessly" - Kate Bull

So what is that you've taken from this play and what do you think people should go see it for?

"Going to see it in live action proves how much better it is to go and see them than study them" -Kate Bull

"Juliet Forster and Dawn Allsopp along with the rest of the production team succeded in creating an extremly immersing world and some really powerful preformances aswell" -Alex Gordon

Listen to the whole 10 minute review now on the ((URY PLAYER)) here now...

or head over to the York Theatre Royal's website for more details of the production which is running until the 28th May.

Review: Mostly Haunted

2011-05-11T06:55:00.000-07:00

Reviewed by John Wakefield

‘Set in 2003, Mostly Haunted follows the trials and tribulations of the stars of BeingTV+1's 'Hit Show of 1998 (Within the Paranormal Investigation Genre)' as they try to climb their way back up the celebrity ladder.

An unexpected death in an isolated seaside castle brings the Mostly Haunted team back together after five year's hiatus. They're on the hunt for ghosts but don't plan on finding skeletons (in the closet...metaphorically). Join them as they journey through Sw-on-Sea's haunted DeTrouse Castle, meeting ghouls and ghosts alike. There's murder in the air and their own history comes back to haunt them.’

Dramasoc’s ODN this week was certainly one of unexpected pleasure.

While not as polished as the weekend performances it undoubtedly demonstrated the power of these free evenings to entertain.

Stephanie Bartlett and Louis Gray’s script was full to the brim with surreal lines and even more unbelievable plot twists than you could shake a golf club at. The comedy, which mixed reality TV with the 50s (or 1997) B Movie genre left a packed barn in fits of hilarity.

While the show definitely felt a little unrehearsed this added to the mood of the production. Literal corpsing and unexpected reanimation of the dead cast members gave the whole performance a feeling of fun and daring to a script which while at some moments gleamed with comic brilliance, at other seemed to flag under the pressure of the hilarious but unwieldy plot.

The Set was incredibly good for an ODN considering they only had the barn for the day and it served its purpose as beautifully as the first thing that came into your mind when you first saw it was ‘that looks just like a castle next to a Gourmet Burger Kitchen!’.

The cast too did a fantastic job in portraying the embodiment of the genres stereotypical presenters and characters whilst at moments surprising the audience such as Gray’s characters deep and moving monologue about the social death of Gerry Halliwell. Even when corpsing meant that the audience’s laughter drowned out the casts attempts to continue the scripted dialogue their ad lib witticisms added to the play even if at moments it came at the cost of the clarity of the plot.

Despite its failings ‘Mostly Haunted’ stood up as a piece of hilarious student written theatre and demonstrated that ODN’s can be as entertaining as anything else in the barn. Certainly, it was an enjoyable evening with a play with great comic potential even if it needs a little refinement.

If you’d walked past the barn between 7:30 and 8:30 on Monday night you would have heard uproarious laughter and that certainly must be the best judge of any comedy. If the production makes a return to York in the future, as I hope it will, if in a slightly more refined form, its one to watch out for!

Comedy: Got Booty: Fairy Tales

2011-05-08T08:22:00.000-07:00

Back with a whole new show the brand new Got Booty team confront a brand new situation. This time the wierd and wonderful world of Fairy Tales.

Join the teams for some brand new games like the quick fire 'hotter or colder' or the old classics like 'The Ballad of Wikipedia'.

Ever wanted to know why 'President Thatcher' was trip trapping across that bridge, or what the gifts Sleeping Beauty should have recieved then nows your chance.

Catch up now off the ((URY PLAYER)) here.

Or watch one of the stars of the show, team captain Charles Dean, recount one of his favourite fairy tales.

YorWorld: 8th May 2011

2011-05-07T15:21:00.000-07:00

URY Speech welcomes its weekly magazine show 'Yorworld' back for a second series.

The programme shines a light on campus culture, showcasing the best music talent at York University with live sessions as well as reviews and previews of Dramasoc's latest productions where we interview the cast and crew behind the many and varied productions that come to the dramabarn.

If thats not enough we also interview a celebrity every week and we've previously spoken to Mark Watson, Milton Jones, Brian Blessed among many others.

This week on the show we speak to the multi award winning BBC foriegn affairs correspondent Mike Thomson about his

life as a journalist and about both the troubling and inspirational sights he has witnessed while offering his advice to students here at The University of York as to how to pursue a journaistic career.

We also speak to the writer and director of the week 3 Dramabarn production, Quaisar Siddique, and take a sneak peak at the futuristic, isolationist vision his new play 'Ten Days' presents' as well as our preview of this weeks production 'Peepshow' by Isabel Wright. Our reviewers Kate Bull and Tom Bodington have been watching 'Peepshow' and Rosie Fletcher takes a look at the last ODN of the Spring Term 'Play in a Day'.

If that wasn't enough we are also bringing you the best of the live sessions of last terms shows including the likes of Jahangir Aziz Hyat, Josh Savage, Luke Malkin and Laurence Hobden.

Catch the show on the ((URY PLAYER) here now!

(Image above Mike Thomson in South Africa (BBC) )

Comedy: ComedySoc Stands Up

2011-05-05T08:20:00.000-07:00

Some of the finest standup comedians at the university take the stage at the Wentworth Comedy Festival in an evening of fantastic comedy and not to be missed. Recorded live by URY prepare to laugh out loud as the likes of Micheal Wilkins, Freya Winterson, Maraj Bahra, Rosie Fletcher, Ian Angel, Stuart Hall and Lewis Grey strut their stuff upon the stage of the Wentworth Edge bar.

From tales of sinister men in cars to unexpected ferrets this show is not to be missed and is currently being aired on Thursday afternoons at 6:15 on URY. This show is not avaliable on the ((URY PLAYER)) so make sure you listen in and laugh along live, online here or across campus on 1350am every thursday for the next 3 weeks beginning today.

Learn more about Comedsoc on their website...
www.comedysoc.co.uk

YorWorld: 'Peepshow' Preview

2011-04-30T01:12:00.000-07:00

Seven little lives in one big city.

Devised by Frantic Assembly and written by Isabel Wright, Peepshow gets under the brickwork of life in a tower block as two friends, four lovers and one loner expose glimpses of their urban lives to an audience of voyeurs. Can we really trust what we see through the windows or what we hear through the walls? Do we really know what goes on behind closed doors?

In our preview of the production we speak to the cast and creative team behind what looks to be an exciting, engrossing and imaginative production unlike anything seen in the barn this year.

The show runs from Friday to Sunday Week 2 and tickets are avaliable on the door and from 12-2 on Vanborough stalls Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

You can hear our preview on ((URY Player)) here.

URY SPEECH SCHEDULE

2011-04-27T15:17:00.000-07:00

Sunday Week 2 -

2:00 - YorWorld

3:00 - Comedy with ‘Got Booty: Fairy Tales’

3:30 – A look at Easter with the York CU

3:45 – Preview of URY Speech

Sunday Week 4 –

2:00 – YorWorld

3:00 - Discussion and Debate with URY

3:30 – The Blue Guitar

Sunday Week 5 –

2:00 – YorWorld

3:00 - Drama Premiere: ‘The Prince of Humberside’

(The Schedule is subject to change and times are approximate)

YorWorld

YorWorld is the weekly magazine show from URY.

If thats not enough we also interview a celebrity every week and we've previously spoken to Mark Watson, Milton Jones, Brian Blessed among many others.

Got Booty: Fairy Tales

Got Booty is a comedy, improvised panal show.

Got Booty returns with its all new teams and delves into the wierd and wonderful world of fairy tales. With new and orginal games such as 'Hotter or Colder' mix with old favourites like 'The Ballad of Wikipedia' in half an hour of great orginal student comedy.

Discussion and Debate

URY's discussion show is returning with topical discussion on the events of the week. Guests include (but not exclusively) members of the campus media and political societies.

Drama Premiere: The Prince of Humberside

The play deals with the serious issues of deppression in young people and is played out through a single dialogue between an aristocratic teenager and a worker on the NHS Suicide hotline who deals him some rather unconventional advice. By Tess Humphrey. The programme will be preceded by an interview with the programmes producer.

The Blue Guitar

Original audio exploration by Hannah Gibbs looking at inspiration and focusing on the famous Picasso Painting. Featuring a depth of beautifully worked soundscapes this is a very different approach to speech radio. The programme will be preceded by an interview with the programmes producer.

Review: Shed

2011-04-17T08:26:00.000-07:00

Hear our preview of 'Shed' on the ((URY PLAYER)) here

Reviewed by Tess Humphrey,
(presented by David Brennan)

So firstly what did you feel about the set for shed?

Tess: I thought it was very good, it was very evocative i felt because it was all made up of all the planks just so minimalist but very professional. You could actually smell the wood which was very good, it was intimate in this sense drawing you in.

I like the fact that due to the seating on all three sides of the performing area you really felt you made up the walls of the shed.

I tell you whats good was the way that Tom Crowley (writer & director) brings in the outside town into the script. He sets it up really well, making it not to blatant but you get such a clear idea of whats going on in the outside town.

I know that Shed had an original soundtrack, i was wondering what you felt this brought to the production, if anything?

I really, really enjoyed the original soundtrack, I’ve just written brilliant in great big letters across my notebook. It was going on being very kind of mellow and tonal when the old man was on stage, and it was almost like dialogue the way it complimented his mute actions. There was that shocking event at the end of act one, which i forbidden to mention, but it was so bombastic i went through your heart and you felt it.

Especially in that close space you could feel the seating itself.

I was so shocked that something i never even seen in a theatre before, it was brilliantly done.

Really well done i have to agree with you there. So lets got onto the story line, written by Tom Crowley who is brilliant i must say wrote our radio production of matchstick man last year now moving onto the drama barn with shed. What did you think of the storyline?

I thought it was very original, what i liked about it most was how all the characters feel the shed is their own personal hiding space which i thought was extremely original. Bits of it were sort of Alan Ayckbourn-esque , buts that’s probably to be expected in most theatre. I was a tiny bit confused at some points, but that’s just tiny little adjoining words that was missing from the script however I thought the dialogue was incredibly naturalistic though.

I found that the script and staging lent itself to a very claustrophobic atmosphere, which really helped you believe you were in a shed. I know from interviewing Tom earlier that he wanted to get this across and i definitely felt it.

So what did you think of the twist at the end of act 1?

I thought it was over, and really didn't know where it could go from there. I was completely stunned that it could be developed from there, but act 2 was really worth coming back for with people sitting around me saying they think they were considering going home because it was quite late and very cold. But act 2 was very well thought out, wrapping everything up in a way you could credit it could have from act 1. With the end of act 1 being something that is one of my big theatre moments of all time.

The interval was definitely need to recover from the end of act 1. Trust me the ending is brilliant. It really shocks you.

In terms of the cast audience members described Luke Malkin as ‘enthralling and funny’ and Rebecca Darmody seen as one of the favorites as well. People were really admiring of the way she could bring humor to a female role because a lot of female roles are played all lovely and stoical. I was prepared not to like her at first but i really got into her through her performance.

May i just get some last closing comments of you?

I think Shed and Tom Crowley in particular is proof of what I’ve long thought. That theatre is best left in the hands of the young people, rating it 9/10 as its absolutely fantastic!

And you can hear the original review (along with live music and comments from cast member Luke Malkin and an interview with with one of the most important figures in 20th century radio broadcasting, Charles Chilton) in YorWorld on the ((URY PLAYER)) here.

Review: Jekyll and Hyde

2011-04-15T13:24:00.000-07:00

You can listen to our feature on 'Jekyll and Hyde' on the ((URY PLAYER)) here.

Reviewed by David Brennan

This week saw central hall musical society spring term production of Jekyll and Hyde. With a history of great shows least forgetting last years’ fantastic production of Rent, aspirations were high for another incredible performance. Jekyll and Hyde was not to disappoint. The musical is an adaption of Robert Louis Stevenson’s original novella ”Strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”. It portrays the turmoil of a betrothed man, Dr Jekyll, as his research of separating the good and evil of ones soul is ignored by pompous aristocrats. This leads him to self experimentation causing a downward spiral to adultery and murder, as his experiments result in the separation of Dr Jekyll’s evil persona in the form of Mr. Hyde. A well chosen cast and excellent direction from Kat Kimms brought to life Frank Wildhorn & Leslie Bricusse score. The dark and moody stage setting comprised of multiple levels, adding a Victorian atmosphere and dynamic to the show. Draped on the scaffold set were red and black drapes all intermittent with white haunting masks and other symbols helping deliver the message of duality of the play.

The whole cast gave excellent performances with the group numbers of "Facade" and "Murder Murder" showing off the strength of the whole cast and power of the orchestra brilliantly. With particular excelent performances done by Luke De Belder as General Lord Glossop and Tom Jones as Bishop of Basingstoke. Show stopping performances where seen by both Ali Phillips as Dr Jekyll/Mr. Hyde and Florence Stratton as Lucy the prostitute, both only first years gave excellent singing and acting performances. As Ali gave at times a bit too severe Jekyll performance but was an excellent contrast to the animalistic character of Mr. Hyde this was best shown in "Confrontation" giving a truly skillful bipolar performance. This more than made up for an underwhelming performance of "This is the moment", but as this song is placed amongst a trio of Jekyll's technically demanding songs it’s understandable.

Florence gave an innocent and raunchy performance holding her multidimensional character together through a charming cockney accent, adding much needed energy and fun to an overall dark and serious musical. Anna Czornyj who plays Emma must also be mentioned for her flawless singing performance which shone through in her duet with Florence Stratton with "In his eyes".

The choreography was technically well thought out and effectively performed by dance core and chorus alike, with particular numbers like in "Bring on the men" and in the "Transformation" really bringing something special to the performance. However in places the dancing seemed a bit of a distraction from some of the actors interactions like in "Take me as I am". In general though the dancing was beautiful, enhance by the brilliant costumes, if only in large groups seemed a bit unpolished with mistiming from both dance core and chorus.

The production was slick with swift cast on and off stage movements, however backstage lighting when visible became distracting and could have been avoid with minimal lighting backstage. Also with some technical teething difficulties for example heavy feedback and microphones being left on making the audience privy to some backstage chatter, had the adverse effect of drawing the audience out of a very gripping story. Further work is also needed on the level of microphones and orchestra as in times it had the effect of overpowering the cast.

Jekyll and Hyde is still gripping and brilliantly thought out having both intimate and open spaces on the stage working well with the musical’s diverse soundtrack. With comic relief in the form of exaggerated aristocrats and pushy barmaids, adding some fun to an all together serious and gripping musical. I feel everyone involved should be praised for providing an entertaining and moving show, with particular praise to the direction and management of Kat Timms, John Askew, Izzy Dixon and James Oliver, who in particular must be praised for getting such a large sound from a relatively small orchestra.

And you can hear the review as part of YorWorld (along with an interview with multi-award winning comedian Milton Jones) on the ((URY PLAYER)) here

Review: Black Comedy

2011-04-15T12:47:00.000-07:00

Reviewed by John Wakefield

Listen to our preview on the (URY PLAYER)) here

So can you tell us a bit about the play?

Well Black comedy is essentially a farce by Peter Shaffer, now many of you may know Shaffer for his epic biography of Mozart, ‘Amadeus’ which is a really serious production but this is far from that. Black Comedy is a classic farce where every setup is obvious but the conclusion of all that is very satisfying.

Its about an artist called Brindsley ,played by Freddie Elletson , in this production who is desperately trying to impress both his future father in law and the world’s richest man Bamberger. They are all coming and they’ve stolen their next door neighbor’s furniture who’s supposedly away for the weekend and then of course it goes horribly wrong and the fuse blow and they are all put into complete and utter darkness. And that is of course why it is caused black comedy.

And What did you think of the performance itself?

The performance was fantastic, its one of the finest performances i've seen in the barn with each character in the play is undoubtedly a stereotype performed masterfully by the Dramasoc actors. Brindsley played by Freddie Elletson was highly convincing, as you felt his fear throughout the whole thing and his incredible overreaction convied his terror at every moment. Carol his fiancée played brilliantly by Edith Kirkwood was very uptight, came across brilliantly vocally and was just wonderful to watch. And everyone else was simply brilliant with Tom Crowley in particularly as the Colonel as you never got a smile out of him, everything being completely dead pan which really, really made the audience roar with laughter. As did the character of Harold who was the epitome of camp played by Sam Lawson and that never letup throught the entire piece. The same can be said for the uptight but very drunk Ms Fernival played by Stephanie Bartlett and also Clea by Laura Horton was brilliantly cunning and seductive but i won't reveal much about her character so you can go and see it. And Schuppanzigh played by Odinn Hilmarsson was also one of the best performances of the show. I can't really fault anyone to be honest, i felt the whole cast stood out beautifully in this production.

It sounds like its got a good mix of characters in as well…

The interaction between all the characters was superb, the whole thing about this performance is that its inverted whenever there is darkness the stage lights are up so you can see everything perfectly but all the characters have to be groping around in the darkness and this was done superbly. No character ever made exact eye contact with the other and you could always feel where the character felt the other one instead of where they had moved too, as this all sort of evolves this becomes more and more hilarious and all the jokes are built up around this leading to a hilarious finale which you need to see it to work out. But this is something i have to praise Sam Briggs and Katie Lambert’s direction, as i think choreographed is not too strong of a word, because it was beautifully choreographed. Every movement was perfect so each character should be there leading to this whole sort of mesh up of farce and humor that i have to say the audience last night just found hilarious.

Talking about the choreography and stage lighting, what did you think of the set itself?

It was excellently done, I'd never seen anything quite like it in the drama barn so far. From the moment you enter the barn you were in 18 Scarlatti gardens, which is the house. The moment you went through those doors you were surrounded by paintings, sculptor all on the walls it was all lit before you even went in. And even the seating was arranged of domestic furniture, i myself sat and lounged in an armchair which was wonderful being something I've never been able to do for a theatre performance before which really added to it. And also they had built up a second level in the drama barn so that there was a bedroom upstairs which was very clever and something i couldn't imagine doing in that very small space. It always amazes me how much you can get out of the small space of the drama barn, it is a very versatile space and the creative of how they managed to use especially in black comedy but of course in other productions always amazes me.

Can we just get some closing thoughts on Black Comedy?

Its one of the funniest shows I've seen ever full stop and the performances just made it brilliant. I've read some instances of corpsing apparently taking places but certainly for me I never noticed these and I felt it was a slick performance throughout. And while i felt there were a couple of tiny technical problems i felt were first night nerves, i can see it one of the finest performances in the drama barn this term and not just worthy of the barn but worthy of the west end too.

And you can hear the review in full as part of YorWorld (along with an interview with 'Shooting Stars' scorer and mobile caterer of the year Angelos Epithemiou) on the ((URY PLAYER)) here

Archive Comedy: The URY Sketch Show

2011-04-15T03:39:00.000-07:00

Reconstructed from recordings found in the depth of the URY archives and as funny as ever the URY sketch show features everything from the new trailer for Rocky 8 to the story of migrating gueese in 15 minutes of student written hilarity!

Listen to it now on the ((URY PLAYER)) here.

And next term listen out for a new Sketch Show coming to URY!

Trail: A glimpse into URY's Speech output!

2011-03-26T11:28:00.000-07:00

Below is an exclusive trailer showing just some of the stuff the

URY Speech team have been up to in the past year

And you can find our content by following the links below or by going to the ((URY PLAYER))

Debate: Discussion and Debate with URY

2011-03-26T05:32:00.000-07:00

The first edition of URY's new topical debate programme is now on the URY Player. Recorded on the 6th March we discuss the week's biggest news stories with help from campus experts.

This week's guests are Labour Society Vice-Chair Ben Dilks and York Vision's Adam Coe. We talk Libya, Thursday's by-election landlide for Labour, trouble at the NUS and Rupert Murdoch, plus: is Berlusconi really finished this time?

Produced and presented by Nick Duquemin and Paddy Evans the programme is on the
((URY PLAYER)) here now.

Drama: The Prince of Humberside - Coming Soon

2011-03-25T16:44:00.000-07:00

Coming soon to URY, a new student written drama.

'The Prince of Humberside' by Tess Humphrey

This gripping, moving and sometimes amusing black comedy will be on URY soon after Easter. Watch here for more details.

But you can hear the preview now on the ((URY PLAYER)) now!

Documentary: Life without Facebook

2011-03-25T16:13:00.000-07:00

Since its establishment in February 2004 facebook has become an incredibly important part of our lives and most of us use the site on a daily basis.

But how dependent are we on Mark Zuckerburg's online creation?

URY's national award winning presenter Coco Cole spends a week without facebook for this fantastic orginal URY documentary told through audio logs over what may be a difficult 168 hours...

Will she make it without logging in?

Find out now on the ((URY PLAYER)) here.

Presented by Coco Cole and produced for URY by Nick Duquemin

And you can follow ((URY)) on facebook here.

Comedy: Got Booty and Beyond!

2011-03-25T15:35:00.000-07:00

Hilarity from York's Comedysoc with 'Got Booty', the university's premier improvised panel show.

Comedy Soc's premier improvised Comedy show returns to URY for a special show as Chaiman Henri Ward and team captains Dan Wood and Tom Crowley embark upon an epic and hilarious sci-fi adventure. Who will survive, who will regenerate and how dirty is J.K. Rowling.

ALL WILL BE REVEALED!

Listen now on the ((URY PLAYER)) here.

Drama: The Matchstick Man

2011-03-25T15:22:00.000-07:00

On the ((URY Player)) now URY's landmark orginal drama 'The Matchstick Man'.

Tom Crowley's superb play deals with the ethics of Artificial Inteligence through the eyes of a psycologist Dr Talbot who is sent to investigate 'Frank' a prototype of Herman Electronics range of 'Match'. But nothing concerned with Talbot's encounter with Frank will be straight foward...

Listen to the production on the ((URY PLAYER)) here.

This full cast dramastisation was completed in 2010 but is presented here as a standalone radio play for the first time.

Drama: URY's 'A Christmas Carol'

2011-03-25T14:51:00.000-07:00

Although Christmas is over there is never a bad time to remind yourself of this classic tale.

URY's freshers production of Dicken's timeless tale was made late last year and is well worth a listen.

With a full cast the script was adapted from Dicken's own abriged texts for his public readings. Complete with soundscapes, music and some excellent performances this play is well worth a listen!

You can hear the production on the ((URY PLAYER)) here.

YorWorld

2011-03-25T14:17:00.000-07:00

YorWorld is the weekly magazine show from URY.

The programme shines a light on campus culture, showcasing the best music talent at York University with live sessions as well as reviews and previews of Dramasoc's latest productions where we interview the cast and crew behind the many and varied productions that come to the dramabarn.

If thats not enough we also interview a celebrity every week and we've previously spoken to Mark Watson, Milton Jones, Brian Blessed among many others.

As each new episode beecomes avaliable online I will post them seperately but for now...

Below you can navigate to our previous shows on the ((URY PLAYER)).

Acclaimed stand up comedian - Craig Campbell

and..

NME Award winning band - The Naked and Famous

http://ury.org.uk/podcasts/385-yorworld-13th-march-2011

Comedian, actor and star of 'The Inbetweeners' - Greg Davies
http://ury.org.uk/podcasts/378-yorworld-6th-march

Horrible Histories Author - Terry Deary
http://ury.org.uk/podcasts/352-yorworld-27th-february-2011

Shooting Stars Scorer - Angelos Epitheimou

http://ury.org.uk/podcasts/342-yorworld-20th-february-2011

Comedian Milton Jones!
http://ury.org.uk/podcasts/303-yorworld-13th-february-2011

Comedian and Novelist Mark Watson!

http://ury.org.uk/podcasts/290-yorworld-6th-february-2011

Actor and adventurer - Brian Blessed!

http://ury.org.uk/podcasts/283-yorworld-30th-january-2011

The man behind the last radio programme to get more listeners than tv had viewers, as well as 'The Goons' an 'Oh What A Lovely War!' - Charles Chilton!
http://ury.org.uk/podcasts/269-yorworld--23rd-january-2011

And the man behind Big Brother, Ground Force and Changing Rooms - Peter Bazelgette!

http://ury.org.uk/podcasts/265-yorworld--16th-january-2011

And as well as the interviews there is live music and previews of what was going on on campus that week.

I hope you enjoy the shows!

John
(Producer of 'YorWorld' and Head of Speech URY)

Welcome!

2011-03-25T12:49:00.000-07:00

Welcome to URY Speech's new blog.

This page will keep you up to date with all the projects we are working on so you don't miss a thing!

Much of our content can be found on the ((URY PLAYER)) but by no means all of it so keep an eye here to know when to listen in or where to find you favourite shows!