Dinner 18:55 – Two Generations Finding Common Ground at Leeds Playhouse

There’s not long now until Leeds Playhouse stages Dinner 18:55. A unique intergenerational production performed by participates from Leeds Playhouse’s younger and older people’s programmes. 

The performance was developed by Leeds Playhouse’s award-winning Creative Engagement department and it will showcase 18 community actors across two generations from the Leeds area. Leeds Playhouse firmly believes there’s nothing quite like bringing people together!

Rehearsals for Dinner 18:55 are already in full swing for the show which opens at the Playhouse on 22nd February. 

In Dinner 18:55, we see the ensemble sharing real stories and experiences as well as their aspirations and fears while discussing their memorable mealtimes. The themes of the performance focus loneliness, conversation and community during these divisive times.

“Rehearsing for Dinner 18:55 has been an absolute delight! I’ve been encouraged to contribute to the process and have felt valued throughout. Nowadays I tend to attend daytime classes and social activities mixing almost exclusively with other retired people. I was really excited to have the opportunity to collaborate with a younger generation, and I wasn’t disappointed. Working with much younger people has been exhilarating and great fun. We all get on so well and continue to learn from each other at every rehearsal.” – Pat White, Dinner 18:55 performer

The show is directed by Leeds Playhouse’s Older People’s Programme Manager Maggie De Ruyck, with original music composed by Caution Collective’s Christella Litras and designed by Laura Ann Price.

Join the escapades as we embark on a venture where two generations make time for conversation over dinner. It’s an intergenerational performance that helps bridge the gap in our community. Intergenerational conversation and community spirit is certainly something we can all take away from this brilliant production.

Dinner 18:55 plays in Leeds Playhouse’s Pop-Up theatre from 22nd to 23rd February. 

Get your tickets here: https://leedsplayhouse.org.uk/events/dinner-1855/#tickets 

5 Of The Most Instagrammable Valentine’s Day Date Night Venues In Leeds City Centre

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, but have you got your plans made? Fear not, we’ve got you covered. We’ve handpicked five great bars and restaurants in Leeds that will set the scene perfectly for Valentine’s date night. 

You can’t go wrong with a good dinner and drinks. It’s a staple of the Valentine’s Day culture. So we’ve found five venues that we think are the perfect date night locations in Leeds. Furthermore, each venue has it’s own flavour and style so you can find which mood suits your companion the most.

The Ivy – The Old Romantic

If you’re the kind of person who likes to wine and dine in style, there’s no better place than The Ivy at Victoria Quarter. Although the venue is still fairly new to Leeds, it feels like it’s always been a part of our city with how well it fits in. The Ivy is filled with charm, beautiful artwork and delicious food. If you haven’t been before, now’s your chance! Make a reservation and dine in style. We promise you won’t regret it.

Tattu – The Darling Charmer

If it’s a dark, intimate and romantic setting you’re looking for, there’s no better place than Tattu, in fact, there’s nothing quite like it. This restaurant and bar boasts a menu full of delicious contemporary Chinese cuisine. The restaurant is beautifully decorated with in a way that was inspired by the eastern origins of body art. The space commands your attention and with a real cherry blossom tree taking consuming the room, you can’t help but feel like you’re lost in pure poetry. And it doesn’t just stop at the interior, the cocktails are just as beautiful as the decor.

Revolución de Cuba – The Passionate Latin Lover

The perfect place for a feel-good fiesta, Revolución de Cuba is located right in Leeds’ iconic Freedom Quarter and there’s always something going on. Whether its live music, carnival dancers or just relaxing with some delicious Cuban coffee, this place has it all. Tapas and cocktails are the perfect mixes to get you in the mood. “The Soup Of The Day Is Rum!”

Issho – The Ethereal Dreamer

Located atop of Leeds’ Victoria Gate, this gorgeous Japanese restaurant is the perfect place to take somebody who you want to woo. The delicate interiors and cosy feel creates a whimsical and romantic atmosphere that only enhances your dining experience. Why not cosy up under a blanket on the beautiful rooftop bar and terrace with a gorgeous view of the city.

Neighbourhood – The Fun First-Dater

If it’s a fun-filled first date you’re on, there’s no better place to head than Neighbourhood for some truly delicious cocktails. This place is littered with neon signs, quirky decor and photo opportunities from every angle. If you’re looking for a place to break the ice, this certainly is the place to go. With a huge array of varied and visually appealing cocktails, it’s not hard to see why Neighbourhood is one of the most popular places in town.

We hope these Valentine’s Day suggestions have helped you out on your date night. Fingers crossed, it could be the start of something wonderful!

Northern Ballet Has Two Huge Announcements For Ballet Day!

To celebrate Ballet Day, Northern Ballet has some truly brilliant announcements! If you’re a ballet fanatic, we’re certain that we’ve got news that will tickle your fancy. Northern Ballet doesn’t just have one, but two incredible announcements. And both will have you pirouetting out of your seats with glee! And it all begins with Victoria and Dracula.

Northern Ballet is making their live cinema debut this year. Two phenomenal ballets are hitting the silver screen for all to see. It’s the first time one of their fabulous productions will make their live cinema debut. It’s a great opportunity especially for those who can’t make it to the theatre. 

First, Cathy Marston’s Victoria will stream live to cinemas across the UK on 25th June 2019. This will happen following its world première tour. Furthermore, Queen Victoria is undeniably one of the most iconic monarchs in British history and this ballet beautifully tells her life story.

The second is David Nixon OBE’s stellar production, Dracula. It will be streamed direct to cinemas from the newly redeveloped Leeds Playhouse on Halloween! If that doesn’t get you in the spooky spirit, I don’t know what will. It’s Bram Stoker’s legendary brought to life as you’ve never seen it before!

Victoria and Dracula are coming to the silver screens across the UK!

“As the widest touring ballet company in the UK, Northern Ballet goes further to provide world-class ballet on the doorsteps of people throughout the UK. However, it is not possible to reach everybody with our live tour and so I am delighted that we will be offering Victoria and Dracula to cinema audiences throughout the country to enable even more people to access our productions. We pride ourselves on being innovative storytellers, pushing the boundaries of what stories can be told through dance and these two ballets are excellent demonstrations of that. In the hands of one of the most exciting choreographers of today, Cathy Marston’s Victoria takes the life of one of our most iconic monarchs and presents her story in a way never seen before. Whilst Dracula sees Bram Stoker’s legendary vampire brought to the stage in a ballet full of sensuality and darkness; perfect viewing for Halloween.
We hope that through these cinema screenings, not only will ballet fans have more opportunities to see us perform but that others who may have never seen a ballet before will give it a try and discover a new passion for our art form.’ – David Nixon OBE

Both productions will be available in cinemas throughout the UK. It marks the first time one of Northern Ballet’s full-length productions will be shown on the silver screen!

What an amazing opportunity!

‘For over 10 years now, CinemaLive have been providing audiences worldwide with access to incredible events through their local cinema. We are delighted to be working in partnership with Northern Ballet to distribute these two exciting productions to cinemas in 2019. Their innovative approach to storytelling looks beyond traditional ballet titles and we are proud to bring this unique and inventive content to the big screen. We look forward to seeing both Victoria and Dracula connect with cinema audiences across the UK and Ireland this year”.  – John Travers, Head of Distribution for Cinema Live

We cannot wait to see these stellar performances come to cinemas. In fact, it gives those who’ve not been able to see a ballet before a chance to enjoy. 

Tickets for Victoria and Dracula in cinemas are on sale now. To find your closest participating cinemas and to book tickets visit northernballet.com/cinema


Leonardo Da Vinci: A Life In Drawing

February 1st 2019 marks the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo Da Vinci. To celebrate the Renaissance master, Leeds Art Gallery have put on a truly beautiful exhibition of 12 phenomenal drawings by one of the world’s most legendary artists. 

This exhibition showcases the intricate details in every sketch, drawing, study that Da Vinci produced. Seeing the pages displayed from several year’s worth of sketchbooks and journals is has a remarkable thing to behold. In fact, it’s a beautiful way to pay homage to this beloved artist who passed away 500 years ago!

As you walk around the room, you find yourself getting lost in every little scribble, sketch and line in Da Vinci’s work. It has been curated so beautifully and you get to learn a lot about Leonardo’s history as you look at each piece in detail. 

There are so many incredible illustrations focusing on the muscles and structure of both humans and horses. It was truly fascinating to see one of the true artistic masters’ creations right there in front of you.

Leonardo Da Vinci

We can’t recommend visiting it enough. This exhibition will be a once in a lifetime opportunity for any lover of art and illustration and for any history fanatics. 

“Leonardo Da Vinci: A Life In Drawing” is open to the general public from today until the 6th May 2019


Channel 4 will begin relocating to their new home in Leeds this summer!

As we’re sure most of you have already heard, Channel 4 will be heading to Leeds this summer for an exciting new adventure. Channel 4’s Chief Executive Alex Mahon said that Leeds was “a really clear winner” in the bidding process as the city beat Manchester and Birmingham at the final hurdle. 

Alex Mahon told The Yorkshire Post that the move aims to bring a total of 300 new roles created by the broadcaster into the city of Leeds by 2023. 

“We are going to spend an extra quarter of a billion pounds across the UK. So Leeds gave us the reach across the North. But it also has an amazing independent production community already.” 

They’re also opening a new broadcasting studio to allow Channel 4 news to be anchored from both Leeds and the capital.

Channel 4 comes to Leeds

“We want to grow the pipeline of talent into the sector. Leeds and Bradford will allow us to bring really diverse, young and new people into the sector.” 

The Chief Executive also stated that a new digital creative unit would be opened in Leeds and that it would be looking to recruit locally to staff the venture.

“I think actually for people in the area, that is a really exciting thing. There is always with us a particular focus on how we bring new talent into the industry.”

The opportunities for Leeds with Channel 4 moving up north are certainly exciting. It gives people a chance who either don’t want to live or can’t afford to live in London to work for a major broadcasting network. 

“What we are trying to do is make sure that we represent wider views, values, communities, backgrounds, opinions, accents and contributors that are not just London. I think really you have to have part of the team away from London to do that properly.” 

We’re all very excited to see what this will do to the city. And we know that Leeds can influence the creative space of broadcasting from the north.

Leeds Playhouse Presents – random

It’s just an ordinary day in the ordinary life of an ordinary family. The alarm clock flickers to 7:37 am. With a rushed breakfast in their stomachs, they join the hectic rush of the world outside. But all it takes is for one random act to flip everything on its head. In a moment, lives are changed forever with a family left astounded by a devastating catastrophe. random is a remarkable play by debbie tucker green vividly details the feelings of grief and bewilderment. 

Kiza Deen (Silent Witness and Hollyoaks) takes on the beautifully poignant one-woman play which focuses on an ordinary family caught up in the whirlwind of grief and heartache. Kiza portrays the roles of four different characters with incredible finesse in this marvellous play, directed by Gbolahan Obisesan.

Director Gbolahan Obisesan

We don’t want to give too much away about this play but we can’t recommend enough how much you need to see it. In fact, random promises highs and lows with Kiza giving everything she has to this demanding role. 

Kiza Deen in rehearsals for random

The rehearsals have been going spectacularly and now we can’t wait to see the final result in the flesh. Make sure you get your tickets now to guarantee your place to see this phenomenal play by an incredible award-winning playwright.

Update: We have some incredible photographs from the first night of random at the Pop-Up theatre and it looks truly brilliant!

So far, audiences have described this stellar production as ‘mesmerising’, ‘truly remarkable’ and ‘beautifully directed’. random will be at Leeds Playhouse’s Pop-Up Theatre from Monday 4th Feb – Sat 16th Feb

You can get your tickets here: https://leedsplayhouse.org.uk/events/random/#tickets