23

Ignore This: Magazine 1

Embed Size (px)

DESCRIPTION

Ignore This: Magazine 1 by Croydon Clocktower

Citation preview

Page 1: Ignore This: Magazine 1
Page 2: Ignore This: Magazine 1

cari steelThe music editor and writer for the highly reputed Amelia’s Magazine. She runs the record label City Road and the company Superelectric PR

contributing writer

Welcome to the f irst the issue of Ignore This...

Ignore This... is created by the Clocktower Arts Centre and is a

ref lection of what we feel excited about.

The magazine aims to not only pro f ile the events we stage but also provide

editorial comment and deeper insight into arts, music, f ilm, comedy and

theatre. We have moved away from the old simple brochure format and

embraced a way of communicating our thoughts which works hand in hand

with our website and other forms of communication. Ignore This... aims to be

held, valued and perhaps even treasured. There is always immediate up to date

information on our website, Facebook and Twitter pages where you can also f ind

great offers and last minute deals.

The Clocktower is building an active community of enthusiastic creative

people and so Ignore This... has an open door policy to

anyone looking to participate, contribute and become

part of our work.

Clocktower Arts

Gervase de Wilde

Gervase has been on the Arts team at The Daily

Telegraph for many years. His is a specialist in roots

music and as half of the dancehall/bashment DJ/

production duo ’Heatwave’ he has released many

records including a Souljazz compilation and book

tracing the history of MCs in British Music.

contributing writer

designed by Ann Bevan and John Leonard

Page 3: Ignore This: Magazine 1

w

When Martha Palmer describes her ‘Little Something Theatre’ company as “small and emerging” you can take it quite literally. She creates miniature worlds and revels in storytelling through her tiny characters.

After training for two years as Chief Costume/Set Designer/Arts Education Officer, and graduating with a 1st in ‘Set Design for Stage & Screen’ from Croydon College of Higher Education, at 23 Martha has just curated The Clocktower’s first ever Children’s Scratch Theatre Festival on September 24th & 25th, celebrating the work being produced by young theatre practitioners and recent graduates from Croydon College of Higher Education.

While ‘Little Something’ aspires to embed creativity within families and primary education Martha shares her focus with ‘The Big White Light Theatre Company’, a resident theatre company based at The Clocktower and run by a group of actors with learning disabilities.

‘Big White Light ‘is an invaluable creative resource like many of the arts participation strands at The Clocktower. It provides members of the company with real, hands on experience of the arts industry and in the case of Big White Light, experience of all aspects of running a theatre company.

Martha has been campaigning passionately for fair access to the arts industry for adults with learning disabilities.

“There are so many creative, talented, enthusiastic people out there who would benefit from real employment opportunities and work experience that are just not being provided in the main stream theatre industry. Big White Light is working to show the arts industry that disability quite clearly has nothing to do with ability. After recently producing their first sell out performance ‘Zebra,’ a physical comedy devised entirely by the group and based on their experiences, Big White Light is now booking an Autumn tour to take place later this year”

OPEn uP yOur EyES tO tHE BIg WHItE LIgHt.

www.bigwhitelighttheatre.co.uk.www.clubsoda.org.uksee also ‘Big White Light’, p38

A Little Something from

Disability quite clearly has nothing to do with ability.

2 3

Page 4: Ignore This: Magazine 1

scratchThere is a huge amount of new art

being made in Croydon it is London’s largest

borough after all. The problem is, that that sometimes it seems all this fantastic

work is celebrated everywhere else apart

from the place that inspired it, with a few notable exceptions

of course such at the fantastic Warehouse Theatre.

Often both a focal point and catalyst for this creation is

Croydon College, an institution that for decades has been producing artistic risk takers and boundary breakers, the kind of cultural

agitators who have not only left their mark on Croydon but across the globe. Names like Malcolm McLaren, Jamie Reid, Turner Prize winner Sean Scully, Ray Davis and for a short while David ‘Croydon is a complete concrete hell’ Bowie and more recently names like

Noel Fielding have studied there and left Croydon to take on the world.

We see that raw creative spirit surviving intact today, with recent graduates from Croydon College producing fantastic, vibrant and entertaining theatre, many founding their own theatre companies on graduation.

The Scratch Children’s Theatre Festival is where you and your family can see the very best of these companies performing alongside some of the very best new children’s theatre companies from around the country and it promises to be a fantastic day out as well as a brilliant example of what creative treasures Croydon has to offer.

Saturday 25 September11am–5pm£1.50–£5Ticket Office: 020 8253 1030

On Saturday 25th September ClOCktOwer artS alOngSide CrOydOn COllege iS Staging the firSt SCratCh theatre feStival dediCated tO new Children’S theatre, giving brand new COmpanieS the OppOrtunity tO get their wOrk Out tO bOth paying audienCe and induStry typeS alike, helping them tO get a fOOthOld On the inCreaSingly Slippery firSt rung Of a Career ladder.

childrens theatre festival

kimberly anne Sutherland is the dayglo dynamo who at only 22 has made her mark on the music scene, amassing a huge word of mouth following for her music and then dedicating herself to running one of the country’s leading youth arts programmes which has been hailed for it’s achievements teaching young people across Croydon in the ways of producing and running their own professional events. It specialises in music, theatre and film, where participants manage every aspect of their events including marketing and promotion, budget management, programming and operations.

IGNITE is a free music course open to any young person between 14-19. Music production lessons are hugely popular and Kim enlists the assistance of Croydon grime artist / pop chanteuse Goldielocks / to give extra tuition in Logic and digital production.

We met up with Kim and all the members of IGNITE on the dawn of their club night at The Braithwaite Hall Croydon. The wood panelled reading room has been transformed into a high spec rave: a Funktion One soundsystem, two purple pillars of pure bass flanks a catwalk style stage and a giant cinema screen projects a spoof X Factor intro sequence with footage of Master Shortie from the previous IGNITE and introducing DJ Goldielocks and I Haunt Wizards whilst the excited crowd goes totally berserk. Although the audience is predominantly below 18, the IGNITE promotions team hasten to point out that all ages are welcome.

As the soundsystem cools for a rare moment, Kim explains the driving force behind her work

“I left Brit school four years ago with a plan to whack my music up on myspace, get spotted by an A&R and be signing my deal with in months. Quickly I had to wise up to the realisation that what I wanted to achieve in my musical career would entail a bit more elbow grease than that!”

When I saw the music industry was changing so rapidly, I knew I didn’t want to get left behind! I wanted to be a credible artist as well as a capable business woman. I am currently releasing my own material independently, through my company Handmade Music Ltd. As well as working on my own material, I also write for other artists in the industry. I have learnt that until I am in the right arrangement with a company that allows me to retain creative control, I will remain an independent artist.

With Ignite we felt the only way to offer events that were relevant to the needs of young people in Croydon was to have them run it themselves!

We aim to equip young artists, actors and film makers with the relevant industry experience to give them an insight into roles behind the scenes in their field. As well as developing their own creative contributions, we encourage participants to gain other skills that will further their own understanding of the way things work.

Friday 10 December / 6.30–11pm / £5www.myspace.com/kimberlyannemusic www.kimberlyanneworld.comwww. ignitecroydon.com

ignite

4 5

Page 5: Ignore This: Magazine 1

This year, Glenn performed at the Croydon Summer Festival, and was overwhelmed by the reaction of the audience.

“I was a little nervous before I went on, knowing the big acts that were also performing, such as Martha Reeves” he recalls, “but it went so well. I really wasn’t expecting the reaction I received!”

Glenn’s career as a MJ tribute artist can be traced back to his early years when, like so many kids, he was an ardent Jacko fan.

“I remember learning the Thriller routine when I was 2 years old” he says, ”nobody in my family knew that I was practicing Michael’s moves until one day when I was 22 and I was caught dancing to a Michael song. They (his family members) suggested that I put on a wig and make up just to see what I would look like. After that I went on the first series of Britain’s Got Talent and I have been performing ever since.”

Further recognition came in the form of an enthusiastic thumbs up from the Jackson family who requested a private performance from Glenn whilst they were living in Devon. A big regret is that Glenn never got to meet or perform in front of his idol.

However”, he smiles, “I got the next best thing by speaking to him on the phone; unfortunately he didn’t give me any tips or advice!”

The process of “becoming” Michael Jackson begins for Glenn with a few moments of quiet reflection while he puts on his make up.

“This allows me to start getting into character. By the time I am fully made up I am completely in character and ready to go!”

Once on stage, Glenn notices that the audience goes especially wild for the classics such as ‘Billie Jean’, ‘Thriller’, ‘Man In The Mirror’ and ‘Beat It’. Many times, the excitement doesn’t end with his set finishing;

“I’ve had people climbing over walls to get in and watch”, he says, shaking his head in amazement. “People are always running after me shouting ‘Michael!’ and a lot of the female fans cry because they actually think that I’m him. It can get crazy and sometimes scary. To this day it still happens, even though he has passed away.”

The untimely death of Michael Jackson had a deep impact on Glenn’s career, tripling the worldwide demand for his performances. Nonetheless, he adds

“I have to say that I would prefer to just do one show a year and for Michael to still be here.” Upcoming shows include a concert style production in Shepton Mallet that is taking place on December 4th, where Glenn will be replicating a mixture of Michael’s ‘Dangerous’ and ‘History’ concerts.”

Just like Michael, Glenn is happiest on stage.

“I will be performing for many, many years, improving my show each time.”

“If I can make one person smIle out of a few hundred people then I have achIeved my goal.”

For Glenn is the world’s no.1 Michael Jackson tribute artist, tourinG the Globe with his electriFyinG and uncannily Jacko-esque perForMances. so in deMand is Glenn that he has been known to Give as Many as two perForMances a day, and his diary already has bookinGs GoinG up to 2012.

Few know what it Feels like to have thousands oF people chant your naMe in a Frenzy oF hysteria or Faint with exciteMent when they see you, but For Glenn Jackson, it’s all part oF the day Job. GLENNJACKSON

words by cari steel

6 7

Page 6: Ignore This: Magazine 1

chaos vs cosmos is Steve Keane, a south London based illustrator, graphic designer and screenprinter. He has done incredible work for the Clocktower.

His style is a psychedelic mash up of mind blowingly colourful otherwordly odditites. Some of his influences are David Lynch, Seripop, and Goya. He uses a freehand style to create his distinctive images, giving his work a beautiful dancing line effect, to duplicate his designs he uses silk screen printing to great effect.

We’ve announced Steve as this season’s designer in residence at The Clocktower. He has been creating iconic posters for Madame Galina’s Variety Nights and Croydon’s Dub Club, Club Soda Pop Tent and Adam Ingham’s Circus.

Steve is also a musician and currently plays solo under the name Slushy Guts. His self sustainable approach to the music industry is a great example to all. He books his own tours, makes his own records and of course designs his own artwork, relying on no one but himself to progress his career. In his own words “Chaos vs Cosmos and Slushy Guts are different modes of expressing the same thing and so each informs the other greatly.” So far he has self released two albums and will be touring the UK in Sept 2010.

8 9

Page 7: Ignore This: Magazine 1

town she visited. In one town she danced Dying Swan between film of the Kennedys on safari and Archie’s Athletic Hounds.’

And Pavlova, like Madame Galina, was always in search of the perfect dance partner. The second strand of the Ballet Star Galactica show. Perhaps the most outlandish place Iestyn has ever looked is among squaddies in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he was taken as part of the ‘Comedy Store’ format Combined Services Entertainment tour. As Nicky Ness the director of Combined Services Entertainment and BFBS radio put it in her tour report:

Al Amarah, Southern Iraq. Jan 9th. 2006. Show One.A stunning run of stand-up, there’s no denying the well-tested talent, but then, the cross-dressing ballerina. A blinding flash of career before his eyes as she took to the stage,the ‘what the f**k?’ split second of incredulity from the audience and then a roar of approving laughter as the first gag kicked in. Exhale. Having danced

the perfect pas de deux just minutes before, enough to make him the camp hero for the next week, I watched as ‘Reggie’, a 23-year-old Glaswegian member of the Scots DG Battle group greeted Madame in the dressing room.They were silently in awe of each other and the ballerina shed an inner tear as the wee jock lad thanked her, in a Gorbles drawl, for coming to perform.“Nabody comes up here ta see us, nabody. That was fookin’ briwiant.” The ballerina paused and whispered to Iestyn, “That boy has perfect manners.”“Put your dreams on the stage,” my Mum said. A moment of magic, indeed.

So, Croydon – Highlander Reggie will clearly be a tough act to follow. You have your work cut out, Iestyn thinks.

17 September, 8 October, 12 November & 23 DecemberAll shows at 8pm / Tickets £7–9Clocktower Box Office: 020 8253 1030

‘See, I love a tram,’ Iestyn said, ‘so, it was either going to be Blackpool or Croydon. And Blackpool has shades of what happened to Rita Fairclough, so I thought I’d stay safe with Croydon.’

As for Variety, he was on the Variety circuit with his country and western singer father Terry Edwards from the age of four. Carted round municipal centres renamed The Ponderosa for the evening. As often as not sharing a bill with a troupe of all singing all dancing animal puppets, featuring an emu that belted out Anything You can do I can do Better while a giraffe behind it took its knickers off.

To end the first half of the show, Terry would carry Iestyn centre stage on his shoulders for his party piece. Iestyn felt that this was an affront to his dignity and asked him not to. The tassley, sequinned jacket and the mini-Stetson were quite lowering enough, thanks, father. But he continued carrying Iestyn onstage.

‘I reasoned with him. I’d been walking unaided for eighteen months now and if he was really concerned perhaps he could re-commission his pushchair from the cupboard under the stairs and push me on in that? No. Again via the shoulders. Until the Ponderosa in Portsmouth where I put a stop to him once and for all by wetting myself.’

And then Iestyn would sing, something from a repertoire of songs about lassoing, failed crops,

failed marriages, failed nuns, a yodeling course in Switzerland and having your ear bitten off by the son you walked out on in the cradle and who was furious all his life because you christened him Susan so he would grow up tough through having to fight all the time because…durr…he had a girl’s name.

Iestyn’s choice? A ballad called “Please Help Me!”‘Funny that…’Ballet first hooked Iestyn when he was in his

early twenties studying classical singing at Guildhall.‘I still don’t know why, but I suddenly gave up

any real work on my voice and prepared instead for my debut as Madame Galina playing the Swan Queen in the Guildhall Rag Week Revue.’

His costume was a body from M and S, with net curtains souped up with chicken wire, glitter sprayed pipe-cleaners and swans’ feathers gathered at great personal risk in Regent’s Park, but nevertheless the audience was wowed. And not just by the fat bloke in the silly dress, either. There are real and carefully honed skills involved in Iestyn’s performance.

Madame Galina has since taken him to many places, nationally and internationally, and research on the character is what lead Iestyn to the Pavlova Mix.

‘She would lie to theatre managements and say she had a full evening show, then under an assumed name audition Variety turns in each

GALINAMA

DAME

10 11

Page 8: Ignore This: Magazine 1

THere WiLL Be Tea and CaKe for SaLe,

or if you prefer, you Can order a CrafTy

LiTTLe TippLe from THe Bar.

So graB your danCing SHoeS and Come aLong!

See you on the dancefloor!

the clocktower’s new Monthly dance event with dorothy’s shoes and the GentleMen Friends.

The Clocktower’s cocktail hour dance club is launched this autumn. Come and savour the best of social dancing at this regular monthly early evening soiree – suitable for experienced dancers and absolute beginners alike. You don’t need to bring a dance partner and people of all ages and persuasions are most welcome!

Dorothy’s Shoes and The Gentlemen Friends are your hosts, so come and be drawn into the dance. Encounter dance demonstrations with a cunning twist, and whizz-bang instant dance classes from Ms Shoes. Expect the vintage sounds of tempestuous tangos, quirky quicksteps, and wistful waltzes from DJ Champagne Charlie. And we’ll go upbeat with luscious Latin rhythms, sizzling Swing, and whatever else takes our fancy – perhaps the sexy Saturday Night Fever disco hustle, a cheeky Cowboy Polka, or a chirpy Charleston.

FOXTROT TANGO

CHARLIETHE

COCKTAIL HOUR

TEA DANCEAT THE

CLOCKTOWER

A FESTIVAL OF PLACEARE WE HERE

Nov 03- Nov 20

A festival of film, music, theatre and art exploring notions of

place and identity set against a backdrop of the massive

urban regeneration programme taking place in Croydon.

Featuring performances, unique commissions and one-offs from

Jonathan Meades

St EtienneArtwork – Magnetic Man

DJ Yoda – AV tribute to Malcolm McLarenMad Professor

Bobby Friction - BBC Asian NetworkShazia Mirza

Loefah - DMZSteven Severin

Tony Thorpe – Moody Boys / KLFGoldielocks

Big White Light Theatre Fat Content Theatre

Richard DeDomenici presents DestroydonPerpanataSkip Hop

12 13

Page 9: Ignore This: Magazine 1

CRAZY IN DUBknow someone who could do it for you,” says Fraser.

With a studio established in his front room, Fraser soon set up his own Ariwa label, which thrives today. After a difficult spell in Peckham, he eventually relocated to South Norwood’s White Horse Lane, where he is still based. The studio became a magnet for talent from the reggae world and beyond. “We’ve had all kinds of people come through there, from punk bands like The Ruts to reggae legends like Lee Scratch Perry,” says Fraser.

The eccentric Jamaican producer clearly raised a few eyebrows in the area: “Lee lived across the road while we worked on some of his

albums,” an amused Fraser recalls. He wasn’t so famous then but he was always oddly dressed and doing odd things. He put his TV and video recorder in the garden and he would stick money – ten pound notes – on his front door.”

Fraser’s career moved to another level when he remixed the whole of bristol band Massive attack’s hit 1994 album ‘protection’, creating a spaced-out masterpiece that was almost as popular as the original album. “I had been doing remixes for people like Pete Waterman and for

mainstream acts like Sade and The Orb, but the Massive Attack album was the first time I had done something with a major label where I had my name on the cover,” he says

Today, Fraser takes his signature Mad Professor sound far and wide, to Africa, South America and beyond. As someone who’s always been ‘crazy’ about travel, the lifestyle seems to suit him. He always wanted, he says, “to put Ariwa on the map”. A packed schedule shows he’s done just that.

Croydon’s Dub Club with Mad Professor takes place monthly at The Clocktower on Katharine Street.

neil Fraser, better known as dub producer Mad proFessor, runs his internationally celebrated label FroM a studio in thornton heath. he talks to Gervase de wilde.

When he was growing up, Neil Fraser didn’t play football or marbles with the other boys on his street in South London. With an insatiable curiosity about electronics, the young boffin, who had come from Guyana to London aged 12, was too busy dismantling the few items of communications equipment his parents possessed. “The other kids would say about me ‘he’s always playing with his wires’ – that’s why they called me the Mad Professor,” he says.

Today, the name Mad Professor is known around the world and is indelibly associated with dub, the bass heavy style of Jamaican music of which Fraser was an early international pioneer. As

much an approach to music and sound as a specific style, dub springs from reggae but re-interprets it, emphasising previously unnoticed elements of a song to create a hazy atmosphere, laden with effects and unusual sounds.Although dub rarely troubles the charts, it’s cited by musicians of all stripes as a key influence; the sound has come a long way since Fraser first started putting together home-made sound systems and recording set ups in his teenage years. Today, the magic that he works on his mixing desk can be imitated by anyone with a laptop, but when he first started, he had to take more of a DIY approach.

“I picked up a lot through

magazines and through visiting electronic shops around London,” he says. “Croydon had the airport and perhaps that’s why were quite a few electronic shops on White Horse Road. There were some interesting audio companies in the area, like Saxon, and I even used to salvage a lot of wires and parts from waste outside the telephone exchange, stuff that they weren’t able to use.”

in a time before specialist music equipment shops, improvisation was the name of the game: “You had to be able to build and use the equipment needed for recording music yourself or

14 15

Page 10: Ignore This: Magazine 1

the terM ‘MultiMedia’ really

Means MixinG artForMs –

Music, sculpture, FilM, paintinG,

perForMance etc –

in public spectacles and events

which, althouGh probably

oriGinatinG with the dadaists,

Found their First widespread

incarnation in the 1950s/60s

happeninGs in the usa by the

likes oF allan kaprow,

JiM dine, John caGe et al.

colour ofnonSenSeForkbeard Fantasy

the

16 17

Page 11: Ignore This: Magazine 1

ormed in 1974, Forkbeard Fantasy is one of the oldest and longest-surviving British multimedia theatre companies. The idea came in the early 1970s out of brothers Simon, Chris and Tim Britton. Simon (who now pursues a solo career as a sculptor) was a painter and maker of kinetic mechanical sculptures. Chris, fascinated by experimental and physical theatre, built constructions and gadgets to perform within and Tim, budding writer and cartoonist, could see how his animated worlds might get realised in live performance. Chris, the originating force, saw the possibilities of forming a theatre group where the three’s shared delight in comical contraptions, ridiculous situations, isolated eccentrics, elements of painting, sculptural and film skills could all combine. So they began putting on ad hoc events, living exhibitions and absurdist comedy performances in any public place, gallery or students’ union that would have them.

Today there’s a vast array of extraordinary mixed and multimedia work, neither bound

by art form or language, whose tentacles of possibility have created wonderful, creative hybrids attracting huge audiences worldwide. But, believe it or not, in the 70s, those who were pushing the boundaries in this way were causing apoplectic outrage in the Press and mainstream who probably thought it would all just go away.

Apart from Forkbeard’s amazing sculptural and ‘living’ mechanical sets and the automata and puppets (the work largely of their genius designer Penny Saunders – although they are all makers) the mixing of Film on Stage is what really set them apart in the 1980s. Their interest grew out of watching their film-maker father working at his editing desk as children so as soon as they could afford it, film, both Super8 and 16mm, was insinuating its way into all their shows.

Forkbeard became one of the first UK theatre groups (others included Moving Being and Station House Opera) to put film interaction at the heart of their performance work, developing and

inventing more and more outlandish and hilarious possibilities for its seamless integration, climbing in and out of screens, multiplying their 2-man shows into illusory casts of thousands, and generally delving deeper and deeper into what they call The Celluloid Divide. It took mainstream theatre years to pick up on it but now you can hardly go to a show that doesn’t use some kind of projection somewhere.

“When its really well used its fantastic to see Film in Theatre,” says Forkbeard’s Tim Britton. “They’re natural cousins….but what’s often ignored in our media obsession with the New and Cutting Edge is that right from the first couple of decades after Cinema’s invention people were using film on stage: the great Georges Melies, father of film fantasy, in his magic theatres; Winsor McCay (creator of Little Nemo) climbing in and out of his own animations with ‘Gertie The Dinosaur’ as far back as 1914 and by 1929 no less than 15 Berlin theatres were already fitted with full projection facilities.”

‘The Colour of Nonsense’ (coming to The Clocktower on the 20th & 21st October) fulfils a long-nurtured dream of Forkbeard’s - to unleash animation and cartoon as the driving force behind a whole show, where it literally takes over. Set in the Artists Studios of safeart.com, Line is an animator secretly working on a comic book which starts dictating real events with hilarious and unexpected consequences. Alongside the cartoon film in the show there is the customary FF gamut of wildly imaginative gadgets and animated props that make them the multimedia masters they are, including a truly wonderful animatronic parrot called Dolly – not to mention Cedric the Fly. The inspiration for the show comes from Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘Emperors New Clothes’ and the work of the brilliant 19th century cartoonist and nonsense poet Edward Lear.

21-22 October / 8pm / £9–12Clocktower Box Office: 020 8253 1030

Forkbeard is one oF

the First uk theatre

Groups to put FilM

interaction at

the heart oF their

perForMance work,

developinG and

inventinG More and

More outlandish

and hilarious

possibilities For

its seaMless

inteGration

F

18 19

Page 12: Ignore This: Magazine 1

01 The Wildest dream 1.30pm / Cyrus 6pm & 8.15pm 02 The Wildest dream 1.30pm / Cyrus 6pm & 8.15pm 04 The Wildest dream 1.30pm / Cyrus 6pm & 8.15pm 05 Cyrus 1.30pm / The Wildest dream 3.35pm 06 The Wildest dream 1.30pm / Cyrus 6pm / Ladies & gentlemen: The rolling Stones 8.15pm 07 Ladies & gentlemen: The rolling Stones 1.30pm / The Wildest dream 6pm / Cyrus 8.15pm 08 Winter’s Bone 1.30pm & 8.15pm / eat, pray, Love 5.30pm 09 eat, pray, Love 1.30pm & 5.30pm / Winter’s Bone 8.15pm 11 Winter’s Bone 1.30pm & 6pm / eat, pray, Love 8.15pm 12 eat, pray, Love (Bring Your Own Baby) 11am / eat, pray, Love 1.30pm / Winter’s Bone 1.45pm & 4pm 13 eat, pray, Love 1.30pm / Winter’s Bone 6pm / my Son, my Son, What Have ye done? 8.15pm 14 my Son, my Son, What Have ye done? 1.30pm / Winter’s Bone 5.45pm / a disappearing number (National Theatre) 7pm 15 alamar 1.30pm / The Town 6pm & 8.35pm 16 The Town 1.30pm & 6pm /alamar 8.35pm 18 The Town 1.30pm & 6pm /alamar 8.35pm 19 The Town 1.30pm / alamar 4.05pm 20 alamar 1.30pm / The Call (BFI London Film Festival*) 6.15pm / Happy few (BFI London Film Festival*) 8.15pm 21 alamar 1.30pm / The Town 6pm & 8.35pm 22 made in dagenham 1.30pm & 6pm / a Town Called panic 8.25pm 23 Toy Story 3 (2D) (Autism Friendly Screening) 11.30am / made in dagenham 1.35pm & 6.15pm / a Town Called panic 8.25pm 25 made in dagenham 1.30pm & 6pm / a Town Called panic 8.25pm 26 made in dagenham (Bring Your Own Baby) 11am / a Town Called panic 1.30pm & 3.15pm 27 made in dagenham 1.30pm / a Town Called panic 6pm / five easy pieces 8.15pm 28 five easy pieces 1.30pm / a Town Called panic 6pm / made in dagenham 8.15pm 29 mr nice 1.30pm & 5.45pm / The arbor 8.15pm 30 Black pioneers 2pm / mr nice 5.45pm & 8.20pm

01 The arbor 1.30pm / mr nice 5.45pm & 8.20pm 02 mr nice 1.30pm / The arbor 4pm 03 The arbor 1.30pm / mr nice 5.30pm / Jerry Building & Heart Bypass 8pm 04 mr nice 1.30pm / The arbor 5.45pm / St etienne 2 short films 8pm 05 Wall Street: money never Sleeps 1.30pm & 5.30pm 06 Wall Street: money never Sleeps 1.30pm & 5.30pm / The Social network 8.15pm 08 Wall Street: money never Sleeps 1.30pm / The Social network 5.45pm / Le Sang d’un poete with Steven Severin LIVE 8pm 09 The Social network (Bring Your Own Baby) 11am / The Social network 1.30pm / Wall Street: money never Sleeps 3.45pm 10 Wall Street: money never Sleeps 1.30pm / The Social network 5.30pm / isle of rust and magnetic north 8pm 11 The Social network 1.30pm / Wall Street: money never Sleeps 5pm / St Etienne 2 films + Q&A 8pm 12 The Kid 1.30pm & 5.45pm / africa united 8.15pm 13 The Kid 1.30pm / oil City Confidential 6pm 15 The Kid 1.30pm & 5.45m / africa united 8.15pm 16 africa united 1.30pm / The Kid 3.30pm 17 africa united 1.30pm / The Kid 5.45pm / over your Cities grass Will grow 8.15pm 18 over your Cities grass Will grow 1.30pm / The Kid 5.30pm / Joe Building & Surreal film 8pm 19 Chico and rita 1.30pm & 6pm 20 despicable me (2D) (Autism Friendly Screening) 11.30am / Chico and rita 1.30pm & 5.45pm / on The Brandwagon & father to man + Q&A 8pm 22 Chico and rita 1.30pm & 5.45pm / The Kids are alright 8.15pm 23 The Kids are alright (Bring Your Own Baby) 11am / The Kids are alright 1.30pm / Chico and rita 4pm 24 Chico and rita 1.30pm / The Kids are alright 6pm / from Here to eternity 8.15pm 25 from Here to eternity 1.30pm / Chico and rita 6pm / The Kids are alright 8.15pm 26 my afternoons With margueritte 1.30pm & 6pm / another year 8.15pm 27 my afternoons With margueritte 1.30pm & 6pm / another year 8.15pm 29 another year 1.30pm & 5.30pm / my afternoons With margueritte 8.15pm 30 my afternoons With margueritte 1.30pm / another year 3.30pm

All film listings are correct at time of going to print but film times may alter. For up to the minute listings please see:www.croydonclocktower.org.uk & twitter.com/davidleancinema

OC TO ber

Sep Tember

nOv em ber

DAViD leAn cineMA * Booking for BFI London Film Festival films via www.bfi.org.uk‘Are We Here’ events shown in pink

03 rapt 1.30pm & 5.45pm / Skeletons 8.20pm 04 rapt 1.30pm & 5.45pm / Skeletons 8.20pm 06 rapt 1.30pm / i am Here 6.30pm / Skeletons + Q+A 8.15pm 07 Skeletons 1.30pm / rapt 5.45pm / pianomania 8.15pm 09 pianomania 1.30pm / Skeletons 6pm / rapt 8.15pm 10 The illusionist 1.30pm & 8.15pm / Coco Chanel & igor Stravinsky 5.45pm 11 The illusionist 1.30pm / Coco Chanel 3.30pm / Stephen fry LiVe 7pm 14 Coco Chanel (Bring Your Own Baby) 11am / The illusionist 1.45pm & 3.45pm 15 Coco Chanel 1.30pm / The illusionist 6pm / South of the Border 8.15pm 16 South of the Border 1.30pm /Coco Chanel 5.45pm / The illusionist 8.15pm 17 The girl Who played With fire 1.30pm & 5.30pm / Scott pilgrim vs The World 8.15pm 18 Shrek forever after (Autism Friendly Screening) 11.30am / The girl Who played With fire 1.30pm & 5.30pm / Scott pilgrim vs The World 8.15pm 20 The girl Who played With fire 1.30pm & 5.30pm / Scott pilgrim vs The World 8.15pm 21 Scott pilgrim vs The World 1.30pm / The girl Who played With fire 3.45pm 22 The girl Who played With fire 1.30pm / Scott pilgrim vs The World 5.30pm / mother 8.15pm 23 mother 1.30pm / The girl Who played With fire 5.30pm / Scott pilgrim vs The World 8.15pm 24 Tamara drewe 1.30pm & 8.15pm / Certified Copy 5.50pm 25 Tamara drewe 1.30pm & 8.15pm / Certified Copy 5.50pm 27 Tamara drewe 1.30pm & 8.15pm / Certified Copy 5.50pm 28 Tamara drewe (Bring Your Own Baby) 11am / Certified Copy 1.30pm & 3.50pm 29 Tamara drewe 1.30pm / Certified Copy 5.50pm / frontier Blues 8.15pm 30 frontier Blues 1.30pm / Tamara drewe 5.45pm / Certified Copy 8.15pm

20 21

Page 13: Ignore This: Magazine 1

06 07 08 14 16 21 22 28 29

OC

TO

ber

Foxt

rot

Tang

o C

harli

e: C

ockt

ail H

our

Tea

Dan

ce

Up

fron

t C

omed

y: C

urtis

Wal

ker,

Ola

, Mav

eric

k &

Gar

eth

Ber

liner

Mad

ame

Gal

ina

Bal

lets

tar

Gal

actic

a

Mar

k Th

omas

: Wal

king

the

Wal

l, E

xtre

me

Ram

blin

g

Pau

l Zer

din

Fork

bea

rd F

anta

sy: T

he C

olou

r of

Non

sens

e

Fork

bea

rd F

anta

sy: T

he C

olou

r of

Non

sens

e

Mar

k Th

omas

: Wal

king

the

Wal

l, E

xtre

me

Ram

blin

g

John

Sm

ith a

nd S

ean

Tayl

or

01

02 08 15 17 18 25

Cro

ydon

Dub

Clu

b: T

he M

ad P

rofe

ssor

Up

fron

t C

omed

y: R

icha

rd B

lack

woo

d

Foxt

rot

Tang

o C

harli

e: C

ockt

ail H

our

Tea

Dan

ce

Mitc

h B

enn

Mad

ame

Gal

ina

Bal

lets

tar

Gal

actic

a

Julia

n C

ope

Scr

atch

Chi

ldre

n’s

Thea

tre

Fest

ival

Sep

Tem

ber

nO

v

em ber

06 08

Pun

t &

Den

nis

Tour

Pre

view

Sho

w

Jona

than

Mea

des

retr

ospe

ctiv

e Je

rry

bui

ldin

g +H

eart

bypa

ss

Up

fron

t co

med

y: S

lim, I

mra

n Yu

suf &

Ane

tte

Fago

n

St

Etie

nne

pre

sent

s 2

film

s +

Thi

s is

tom

orro

w Q

&A

Per

pan

ata

pre

sent

s c

rack

ed l

ove

02 04 08 10 15 18 19 20 21

23

deC

em

ber

Up

fron

t C

omed

y: W

ill S

ylvi

nce,

Don

na S

pen

ce &

Del

Str

ain

Bre

ndon

Bur

ns: l

ove

‘n’ G

od ‘n

’ Met

aphy

sics

‘n’ s

h*t

Foxt

rot

Tang

o C

harli

e C

ockt

ail H

our

Tea

dan

ce

Igni

te 7

Clu

b S

oda

Ad

am In

gham

’s C

hris

tmas

Circ

us

Ad

am In

gham

’s C

hris

tmas

Circ

us

Ad

am In

gham

’s C

hris

tmas

Circ

us

Ad

am In

gham

’s C

hris

tmas

Circ

us

Mad

ame

Gal

ina

Bal

lets

tar

Gal

actic

a

Mus

icTh

eatre

Dan

ceC

omed

yFi

lmW

alk

Circ

usA

re W

e H

ere?

eve

nts

Aa

Foxt

rot

Tang

o C

harli

e: C

ockt

ail H

our

Tea

Dan

ce

Jona

than

Mea

des

ret

rosp

ectiv

e: is

le o

f rus

t +

Mag

netic

Nor

th

St E

tienn

e: F

inis

terr

e an

d w

hat H

ave

you

don

e to

day

Mer

vyn

day

? +

Q&

a

St E

tienn

e S

ound

Sys

tem

+ S

t Etie

nne

DJs

Mad

ame

Gal

ina

Bal

lets

tar

Gal

actic

a

Des

troy

don

Art

s W

orks

hop

oil

city

con

fiden

tial

Dr

Feel

good

Sha

zia

Mirz

a

Big

Whi

te L

ight

The

atre

: Zeb

ra

Jona

than

Mea

des

ret

rosp

ectiv

e: J

oe b

uild

ing

+ s

urre

al F

ilm

Jona

than

Mea

des

pre

sent

s b

rand

wag

on +

Fat

her

to M

an+

Q&

A

Ano

mic

Mul

ti M

edia

The

atre

: the

sum

of i

t a

ll

Ano

mic

Mul

ti M

edia

The

atre

: the

sum

of i

t a

ll

Ano

mic

Mul

ti M

edia

The

atre

: the

sum

of i

t a

ll

Sev

en H

ills

Of C

royd

on

Ste

ven

Sev

erin

LIV

E: S

ound

trac

k le

san

g d’

un P

oete

10 11 12 13 17 18 20 24 25 26

Subscribe to our free email list to receiveup to the minute news and special offers atwww.croydonclocktower.org.uk

BOOK By pHone: 020 8253 1030Mon – Sat 10am – 7pmTuesday 10am – 5pm

BOOK in perSon:Croydon Clocktower, Katharine Street, CR9 1ETMonday – Saturday 10am – 8.30pmTuesday 10 – 5pm

BOOK on THe WeB: www.croydonclocktower.org.uk

EARLY BIRD TICKETS (see also Info page): Cut price tickets for early bookings. See website for details.

03 04

22 23

Page 14: Ignore This: Magazine 1

Fat content creates

experiMental, Multidisciplinary

perForMance to challenGe,

enchant, evoke and entertain.

ForMed at the brit school by

anna beecher, daniel holMe &

rachel lincoln, their unique

style Fuses surrealisM,

naturalisM, physical theatre,

text/poetry and Music.

FAT CONTENT

24 25

Page 15: Ignore This: Magazine 1

We caught up with Fat Content for five minutes as they were unpacking their suitcases getting ready for their 3 month residency.

what are you guys currently workIng on?

We are doing an amazing residency at The Clocktower where we’ll be producing new work called Birth Maintenance Death; a trilogy of theatrical works. I don’t want to call them plays because they’ll take the form of installations and happenings as well.

who InspIres you?

Mmmmm…..David Lynch…..Grotowski. Mmmmm….Frankie Armstrong, definitely!

how was your tIme at the brit school?

Incredible! It sorts you out not only for your creative life but also your regular life. We were the first professional theatre company to form out of the Brit and the school were very proud of that; they even gave us money when we left the school to take our show on tour. Their greatest dream for their theatre students would be

that they’d form companies and go on to be professional. And so far, we are the only one’s who have.

what’s your favourIte food?

Spinach muffins with feta cheese, tiramisu ice cream and Paddington Bear inspired marmalade.

what’s your favourIte fIsh?

Cuttle fish.

any fInal comments before you dIsembark?

We’re at the beginning of our creative life. Get to know us now. We’ll take you with us.

You can see Fat Content at The Clocktower between September and December. There are also workshops you can participate in. Performance dates and times will be announced randomly but you can keep up to date on Facebook and The Clocktower website: www.croydonclocktower.org.ukwww.fatcontent.org

fat content is an exciting young theatre company with roots in Croydon. They will be based at Croydon Clocktower as company in residence for all our autumn season [September 1 – December 19]. During their residency the company will devise a trilogy of original performances, create pop up performances, live art happenings as well as interventionist cabaret. There will also be opportunities for members of the public to workshop with the company and get involved in their Clocktower creations. www.fatcontent.org

frantIc assemblyFrantic Assembly’s ignition company will be creating an exhilarating physical theatre performance for Clocktower’s Court Area as part of subject to change. The week long residency in December will also involve a number of local untrained participants and performer. (Performances are at 6pm and 7pm on the 8th and 9th of December, and at 12pm, 1pm and 2pm on the 11th of December. Performances are free and unticketed. www.franticassembly.co.uk

fIttIngs multImedIa arts will be bringing the second phase of their sputnik project to Croydon Clocktower as part of subject to change which will include a new soundtrack, film footage and live cameras. There will be collaborations with new artists and input from local schools. The residency will run from January 2011 to March 2011. www.fittings.org.uk

subJect to chanGe is an inspired new proJect that will take place in the public court space in croydon clocktower between septeMber 2010 and March 2011.As part of this new programme there will be exciting ‘pop up’ performances by emerging theatre companies as well as opportunities to take part, perform and workshop with them.

Fat ContEnt iS artiSt in rESidEnCE at tHE CloCktowEr From SEptEmbEr to dECEmbEr aS part oF tHE SubjECt to CHangE projECt.

26 27

Page 16: Ignore This: Magazine 1

C o m m e m o r a t i n g C r o y d o n ’ s r o l e i n t h e B a t t l e o f B r i t a i n , 7 0 y e a r s o n

o v e rou r

s k i eso v e r

ou r S k i eS

o v e rou r

S k i eS29

Immediately after the Second World War was declared on the morning of Sunday 3 September 1939, Croydon’s air raid sirens began to sound and people headed for the

shelters. This false alarm was an early sign of what was to come for local people. During the summer and Autumn of 1940, the German air force attempted to take control of the skies over southern Britain and the English Channel by destroying the Royal Air Force and the British aircraft industry. This attempt came to be known as the Battle of Britain and it raged Over Our Skies.

The proximity of Croydon to London and to RAF stations at Kenley and Biggin Hill, as well as Croydon Airport which had been turned into a fighter station, meant it was inevitable that Croydon would be targeted. The Battle of Britain officially began on 13 August; Croydon first felt the impact two days later. On Thursday 15 August 1940 around 20 German aircraft with fighter escorts headed towards Croydon Airport at around 7pm. Few took any notice of the planes at first as Croydonians were used to seeing large formations of aircraft around the airport, but when the bombs began to fall there was no doubt: Croydon was under attack. Croydon fought back. Three German planes were brought down, comparatively little damage was done to the control tower and airfield and the aerodrome was in use again within a few hours. Nevertheless, the surrounding area was badly damaged, including the Redwing Aircraft factory and the NSF factory as well as various houses around Waddon Estate. 62 people died and those who could not be identified had to be buried in a mass grave at Croydon Cemetery.

28 29

Page 17: Ignore This: Magazine 1

This first air raid upon Croydon is recalled by John Gent, then aged 8 and living in South Norwood: On 15 August, my friend Tony had come to tea. The noise of aircraft was heard. My father identified them as German and we rushed to the Foskett’s shelter (their neighbours) as bombs exploded on Croydon Aerodrome. Afterwards we went up to the top of Spa Hill and joined groups of people watching the columns of smoke rising from the area around the stricken airfield – it was our first experience of an air raid. Throughout the rest of August and September the bright blue sky was streaked with vapour trails, the silvery specks of aircraft glistening in the sun, and we saw puffs of smoke from gunfire as the Battle of Britain raged overhead. In between the aerial dogfights and air raids, we schoolboys eagerly hunted for souvenirs such as shrapnel and cartridge cases.

The Battle continued into September with RAF fighter pilots mounting a heroic defence over our skies and eventually claiming victory. During Autumn the German air force, frustrated by this resistance, switched tactics towards the night

time bombing of cities and strategic targets. The Blitz, as it was known, continued after the Battle of Britain had finished and it’s impact on Croydon, would be even more devastating.

In the midst of the Blitz, the Town Hall – now Croydon Clocktower – was badly damaged by a single bomb which hit at 7.40pm on the evening of Sunday 24 November 1940. The sirens sounded at 7pm as a lone bomber flew overhead. Two bombs crashed down, one struck the Fell Road side of the Town Hall. This area of the building served as a regional control centre in wartime and had a critical role in co-ordinating the effort to defend and protect Croydon. The telephone room and messaging room which handled civil defence communications had taken a direct hit.

Dr Oscar M. Holden, the Borough Medical Officer was in the Town Hall and rushed to the basement where he crawled underneath the wreckage to help the telephonists who were trapped in the report centre. One of them was Miss Wendy

Hollyer who, although badly hurt, managed to reach a telephone and continue to take calls while the rescue squads were digging their way to her. Three of her fellow telephonists were killed. Both Holden and Hollyer were awarded the George Medal. Chief Librarian W.C. Berwick Sayers was on fire watching duty that night. He was badly injured in the blast and could not return to duty for several months.

Visit the Clocktower to discover more. As part of the Over Our Skies season, there are two exhibitions exploring Croydon’s role in the Battle of Britain and the Blitz: ‘Croydon’s Battle of Britain’ in the Local Studies Library and Archive and ‘Croydon’s Blitz’ in the Museum of Croydon run from 18 September – 31 December 2010, plus a day of commemorative events and activities in the Clocktower on 18 September 2010. Further information can be found at: www.museumofcroydon.com

The baTTle Of briTain began On 13 auguST; CrOydOn firST felT TheimpaCT TwOdayS laTer.

30 31

Page 18: Ignore This: Magazine 1

Ronnie CoRbett has lived in CRoydon FoR yeaRs, deCades in FaCt. he loves the plaCe

almost as muCh as we do. the CloCktoweR aRts team met him as he was opening

CRoydon CaReRs CentRe oveR the Road FRom ouR little aRts CentRe. as liFelong

Fans it seemed daFt not to ask him a Couple oF questions.

There are very few performers working today who can lay claim to the title of ‘National Treasure’ and Ronnie is undoubtedly one of them, he has been a constant presence on the small

screen since the 1960s. We reckon it would be near impossible to find someone who can remember a time he wasn’t on television.

From starring alongside future ‘Pythons’ on the Frost Report through the all-conquering heyday of The Two Ronnies and on to 2010 with a part in John Landis’ new blockbuster Burke and Hare, Ronnie Corbett is a living, breathing institution.

His sheer ubiquity is what makes meeting him like meeting someone you have known for

years – the familiarity of his voice with its calming, educated East Lothian lilt, his diminutive figure and his legendary charm – you have to remind yourself that you have only just met, but that’s not surprising when talking about a man who is so iconic he can be recognised by the just the outline of his glasses.

CLOCKTOWER: What sparked the ambition to move from edinburgh to London and embark on a career in acting?

RONNIE: “My ambition had sprung from early on – from taking part in amateur dramatics in the civil service Department of Agriculture in Edinburgh, a lot of theatre stuff, going to the local rep The Wilson Barrett and The Lyceum and of course I went off to

CLOCKTOWER ARTS INTERVIEW

Mr c

32 33

Page 19: Ignore This: Magazine 1

John Landis. Who incidentally had offered Ronnie B various roles in American films before, among them ‘Trading Places’, where he asked Ron to be the Butler, subsequently played by Denholm Elliott.

you are one of the few performers who has been a constant on our screens for 50 years, you must have seen them come and go. What do you think was key to the longevity of your career and of course your sustained popularity?

Well, it’s not for me to say the key to my longevity, but I’ve kept things varied a bit, and light. Attention to detail and professional, and caring about my work I suppose – I keep changing little elements of it that have refreshed my attitude probably.

In interviews you have spoken out about the quality of comedy not being a good as the golden age of TV comedians, Eric and Ernie, you and Ronnie etc. But throughout your career you are always referenced as a major influence on the Young Turks – Ben Elton through to Ricky Gervais. Do you think there are any comedians working today who will one day share the national treasure tag with you?

I think the quality of comedy has changed – well, for a start, the medium is very greedy for new, fast and plentiful material. There are so many outlets, people become names and

conspicuous in the business much, much earlier in their career than Ronnie B and I did, we were in our mid-30s before we were broadcasting on television.

Now people are on TV at 21, after doing an hour of entertainment at the Edinburgh Festival, so people are out there much earlier than we ever were.

In those early days the first spot comic in a variety bill did 7 minutes. If you went over and did 9, there’d be a knock on the door and they’d tell you to take 2 minutes out the next night – the top of the bill would be someone like Max Miller or Max Wall and they’d only do 20 minutes or so. So nobody went on for long and of course there was much more comedy relationships, like Eric and Ernie or Ron B and I, where there was situation comedy, with people laughing at individuals behaviour, not just standing there doing jokes.

I don’t really want to talk about comedians working today – I do think Miranda Hart is very funny, I think that Mike McIntyre is funny and Ricky Gervais is quite brilliant as is Ed Byrne whom I like very much, I do hope they treat their careers with care.

THanKS ronnie!!

do my national service and never returned to Edinburgh or The Department of Agriculture …I took a bedsit down in London and started my journey.”

What abiding memories do you have about your time in working in the cabaret world with danny La rue? i imagine you must have been living in a pretty glamorous and hedonistic world, quite far removed from most people’s perceptions of the 1950s

The abiding memories I have of working at Danny’s was of course working at Winston’s – where I met Anne.

It was a pretty glamorous time in the West End, I think there about 12 places in the West End that had little shows that went on at 12 or 1 o’clock in the morning, as ours did. We would be joined by girls who would come on from ‘Talk Of The Town’ which was then a thriving busy cabaret venue, so it very glamorous and indeed pretty exciting.

My wife was working with The Crazy Gang twice nightly at the Victoria Palace then coming on to the show at Winstons (subsequently Danny’s of course) and she even did Sunday shows at Butlins so she was kept very busy … we all were really in our own funny way.

Who has been your greatest professional influence and who, out of all the greats you’ve worked with is your favourite comedy writer?

Well I was very, very inspired as a young person by the expertise of Bob Hope, Jack Benny, of Danny Kaye and of Abbott and Costello. They all used to play the London Palladium – glorious days! They would come on for the second half after a big variety bill took the first. They usually brought people with them, so it wasn’t about people standing and talking at you for an hour. It was real theatrical entertainment.

As far as British ‘Stand Up’ – I hate that term, but as far as my favourites? Max Wall and Max Miller, Anne worked with Max Wall quite a bit.

My favourite comedy writer? Hmm, well I’d have to say I’ve worked with some of the great writers and at a time when people were thrilled to write more than now as it seems anyone who writes anything good keeps it for themselves. There were people who wrote for comedians, and of course my premier accolade goes to Spike Mullins who is the original writer of the ‘spot in the chair’ that I did with The Two Ronnies. He wrote them all himself, singularly and quite beautifully and I treasure all his wife’s typed copies of them. … And of course Peter Vincent, Ian Davidson, Ronnie Barker himself, Dick Vosburgh – there were a legion of them – not forgetting John Cleese and Graham Chapman – they used to write for us on the Frost Report, long before Python came on the scene.

The strength of your marriage to anne is one of showbiz legend, what is your secret? do you have any regrets?

I have no regrets at all you’ll be pleased to hear – marriage as you say has been a great foundation on which my life has existed – Anne gave up her time in the business and of course she has missed it a bit, but not much. She has been a tremendous support and wise councillor throughout my life.

Throughout your career on screen you have (in the most part) always played yourself, where does the ronnie we see on screen stop and the private ronnie start?

I think there isn’t much of a difference from the Ronnie you see on the screen and the Ronnie you see in private. I suppose on screen he’s a bit more turned up – the volume, the eccentricities and the delivery – but he’s very much the same person and in a way of course this has stopped me acting, because people refused to cast me as I always stick out like a sore thumb being Ronnie Corbett again.

Tell me a bit about your role in the forthcoming film ‘Burke and Hare’? (playing at The david Lean in november)

I’m playing a Scottish policeman called Captain McLintock. I was very pleased to be offered that part by the great and lovely

34 35

Page 20: Ignore This: Magazine 1

JOHN SMITH29 october: 8PM / £5–7

John Smith is a wonderkid of the new country folk scene. returning to the clocktower along with Sean taylor who stunned audiences here last month. John is a young, roving and restless talent. He records on the road, in the bayou, under bridges, in churches, toilets, forests and motel bathrooms with, according to his press release, “bloodstained sheets on the beds”, all in the space of a 12-day spree that saw him travel across texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.the clocktower are excited to be able to reveal this emerging talent at such a critical peak in his ascendancy.

MARK THOMAS WALKING THE WALL – EXTREME RAMBLING14 & 24 october: 8PM / £10

Never one to take the easy option, Mark decided to go rambling in the Middle east and walked the entire length of the Israeli Separation barrier crossing between the Israeli and the Palestinian side.this is the story of 300 000 settlers; a 750 km wall; one stoning; six arrests; too much humus and a simple question – “can you ever get away from it all

with a good walk?” Mark thomas is a comic, political activist and writer, who’s career has seen him go head to head with governments and international corporations, fighting injustices and abuse all over the world, he also has been known to (at times) get a laugh.

PUNT & DENNIS3 NoveMber: 8PM / £11.50

Punt & Dennis are a UK comedy institution, starting life as part of the Mary Whitehouse experience (rob Newman and David baddiel being the other half) they were comedy when it was the new rock n’ roll, growing old disgracefully they have taken on the mantel of radio 4’s in-house satirists and area constant presence all over the airwaves and the small screen, the with Hugh Dennis achieving near ubiquity with his appearances on Mock the Week, outnumbered and countless panel shows. both he and Steve Punt continue to work together on radio 4’s acclaimed ‘Now Show’..Fantastic, surreal, satirical and out and out hilarious they come to croydon for a very special warm up show before a major tour later this year…

JULIAN cOPE18 SePteMber: 8PM / £18–20

Julian cope’s career has spanned thirty years and he’s going stronger than ever. the clocktower are staging the first London show in years for the man they call the Arch Drude.Julian leapt to fame with teardrop explodes in ‘78, became a pop star with his singles in the 80’s World Shut Your Mouth and trampoline and went on to sign to rick rubin’s label Def American in the 90’s. His refusal to play to the rules of a music industry which he sees as “greedmakers”, has led to him publicly battling Island records and leaving Def American after refusing to tour in the USA. Julian now promotes his own music as well as actively promoting emerging underground talent through his website Head Heritage. Head Heritage also provides insight and discussion on Standing Stones and Megaliths, one of Julian’s passions as a modern antiquarian and an urbane pagan. Perhaps one of the reason’s why he’s a perfect fit to sell out a show in croydon where despite its famously brutalist town centre the free spirit and boculic ethos of paganism runs wild.

MITcH BENN15 SePteMber: 8PM / £10–12

comedic music currently sits in a big comfortable seat with the cushioning success of Flight of the

conchords, bill bailey and tenacious D – acts which have found international stardom holding a tune and satirically and accurately spoofing a variety of musical styles this is where Mitch benn excels.Mitch is a regular on the bbc radio 4 ‘Now Show’ (with our other comedy appearances Punt & Dennis) for which he composes topical satirical ditties every week. He has built up a hysterical live following. When he takes to the stage and strums the opening chords of ‘I Might Just Have to Murder James blunt’ you’ll see why.

sold out

PAUL ZERDIN16 october: 8PM / £10–12

Paul Zerdin is without doubt this country’s top ventriloquist: a Gold Star member of the Inner Magic circle and has just been voted the best ventriloquist in his family. His stage shows include the ‘Paul Zerdin Show’ to sell-out summer audiences in blackpool, and ‘Paul Zerdin – No Kids’ at the edinburgh comedy Festival.

2010 has already been a packed year with shows in Las vegas, cape town, Shanghai and beijing. Most recently touring the UK with the Joe Pasquale Show - after a sell out show at the 2010 edinburgh Fringe Festival. Not For KIDS!!!

36 37

Page 21: Ignore This: Magazine 1

ADAM INGHAM’S cHRISTMAS cIRcUS18-21 DeceMber: 3–4PM & 7–8PM / £5–7 FAMILY tIcKet £20

With all the thrills and fun of the big top featuring award winning clowns, acrobats, aerial artistes and jugglers, contortionists and illusionists in the warmth of the theatre. Adam Ingham’s christmas circus promises to be an unmissable exciting family treat.

ANOMIc MULTI-MEDIA THEATRE24–26 NoveMber: 8PM / £8–9

Fusing contemporary dance, movement and mind blowing innovation, Anomic creates a totally unique theatrical experience.‘the Sum of It All’ is a heartfelt story, lamenting the central character’s journey from banality through love to despair. At once witty and

melancholic the story explores the tragic decisions, unsettling circumstances and extreme emotions which lead the protagonist to the most profound and disturbing decision of his life. 50-inch televisions and projectors create a giant wall of video as a backdrop for the live action. technology, physicality and imagination merge in a white knuckle, multimedia concoction, chockablock with ingenuity and originality.

BIG WHITE LIGHT: ZEBRA18 NoveMber: 8PM / £5

big White Light theatre presents ‘Zebra’ – an outrageous new theatre

performance by an inclusive company of actors who use mime, clowning and improvisation to present their alternative and highly comic performances. In the company’s first solo production, destined for the edinburgh fringe in 2011, they present the story of a woman who wishes to enter a horse riding competition and soon discovers that not everything is black and white.

an Are we Here? event

SHAZIA MIRZA17 NoveMber:

8PM / £10–12

Award winning british Asian stand up

comedian who works

all over the world and

has toured the US,

Sweden, Denmark,

France Holland and

Germany. She has

appeared on cbS’ 60

Minutes, Nbc’s Last

comic Standing, and

Have I Got News for

You ... and now she’s

at the clocktower!

Shazia could have

married a rich man

and lived in a mansion

on the bishops Avenue, with servants,

bidets, and horses.

but instead she chose

to drive up and down

the country for as

little as ten pounds,

staying in dirty lurid

bed and breakfasts

trying to make people laugh.

an Are we Here? event

13 NoveMber:

Film – 6PM / £4.80–7.30Gig – 8PM / £10–12Film + Gig ticket offer: £15

Still gigging heavily and packing out shows Dr Feelgood

are a band who have seen many incarnations over their thirty years but have never lost any of the original energy or appeal. the rise of the original Dr Feelgood line up was documented by film maker Julien temple in oil city confidential a film which received a standing ovation at its premiere: Four men in cheap suits who crashed out of canvey Island in the early ‘70s, sandpapered the face of rock’n’roll, leaving all that came before a burnt-out ruin. taking London by storm, they sped through europe and conquered the UK with No 1 chart success, before imploding just as punk was born and America beckoned with open arms. oil city confidential tells the story of canvey, ‘70s england and the greatest local band in the world. It is being screened in the David Lean cinema at 6pm – just before their gig. You can attend both for £15!

DR FEELGOOD & OIL cITY cONFIDENTIAL

UPFRONT cOMEDY hosted by JOHN SIMMIT2 SePteMber: rIcHArD bLAcKWooD 7 october: cUrtIS WALKer, oLA, MAverIcK &

GAretH berLINer4 NoveMber: SLIM, IMrAN YUSUF & ANNette FAGoN2 DeceMber: WILL SYLvINce, DoNNA SPeNce & DeL StrAINALL SHoWS At 8PM / £7.50–9.50

Where the hell did Upfront comedy go for the last two years!? once the home of Upfront comedy South London, the clocktower was the best place to see black comedians in London. Well whilst Upfront took a “sabbatical” where host John Simmit lazed in a hammock and perfected his crochet technique, the clocktower reeled with effects left by the gaping hole in its monthly programme. I mean ... how could we fill the void left by removing a popular monthly bill of stand up comedians, gathered from around the globe? Well... we couldn’t and so we just had to bite the bullet and invite John and his motley crew of guests back. He’s brought with him richard blackwood, curtis Walker, croydon’s ola, brixton’s Slim plus Wil Sylvince from Def comedy Jam USA.Some people said we were mad to let them back in the building, they are loud, aggressive, rude, brash and demand to be the centre of attention. that’s why we love them and they never fail to raise the roof.

BRENDON BURNS4 DeceMber: 8PM / £13–15

Y’Know – Love ‘n’ God ‘n’ Metaphysics ‘n’ Sh*t

A comic love letter, and a preamble through the edinburgh comedy Award Winner’s brilliantly insane mind, this show has a giant twist in its tail … as always, nothing is as it seems…Hilarious, heartwarming … don’t miss it. book now!

38 39

Page 22: Ignore This: Magazine 1

INFO YOU MAY CHOOSE TO IGNORE ...

early bIrd tIcketsCut price tickets

for early bookings. See website for details

Please let us know your thoughtson how we can improve our service to you

by f illing in this quick online survey:tinyurl.com/croydonclocktower

caFé / barThe theatre bar is open Mon–sat FroM 10aM, offering espresso coffee from trained Baristas,

quality wine, beer and cider.

Alcoholic drinks are welcome in both the venue and theatre

Snacks are available if you’re feeling peckish.

If you’d like to become part of any of

The Clocktower’s arts participation groups:

biG white liGht, club soda,

iGnite or perpanata

or become a member of the street team,

email: [email protected].

We Look forWArd to meeting you.

Join inCOnCeSSiOnS

Under 12s, 12-16,

full time students,

over 60’s, Council

Employees, people

with disabilities and

claimants.

To become a Clocktower member call our membership hotline and find out about all the benefits, savings and exclusive offers you can receive.

0208 253 1007Introductory offer: free membershIp for everyone who has visited 3 times in the

last 12 months.

MeMberSHiP ScHeMefree emaIl lIst

Subscribe to our free email list to receive

up to the minute news and special offers at

www.croydonclocktower.org.uk or

email [email protected]

For up to the minute announcements and

last minute special offers follow us on

twitter.com/clocktowerarts

Facebook Fan Page: Croydon Clocktower

Page 23: Ignore This: Magazine 1