Katy Taylor

A brand new Christmas show for all the family is coming to the Queen's Hall from 10-28 December, with early bird tickets on sale from 30 September. The Remarkable Robin Armstrong's Extraordinary Christmas Adventure is written by Elijah Young and directed by Mark Calvert.

This December, three Northumberland venues are teaming up with CaroleW Productions to create Christmas with the Hobs, a brand new festive animation made in Northumberland for audiences everywhere to experience at home, and in schools, hospitals and care homes.

SOME HUMANS WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS SHOW is a difficult show to describe as it is all over the map...and that is in no way a bad thing. This new work, by C.B. Goodman, was inspired by the 1903 public execution of Topsy, the elephant, and although there are clear echoes from the beginning, the inspiration never really becomes clear until the final moments, yet it never telegraphs the surprise ending, which takes a huge turn from the riotous belly laughs of the great majority of this highly entertaining and though provoking production.

The Glass Half Full Theatre at The Vortex in East Austin, is currently an ocean chock full of plastic. In a special event for World Oceans Day on June 8th, POLLY MERMAID: APOCALYPSE WOW! examines how humans create and use plastic in a destructive way. These plastic items humanity continues to use fleetingly and toss into the nearest bin, make a bigger impact on our planet each day. At the heart of this story is Polly Mermaid herself (played by Indigo Rael), a mermaid comprised of plastic with her loyal friends in tow. With plastic lids replacing schools of fish and disposable bags covering her underwater throne, the depths of the sea resembles a landfill. Transcending space, time and terrain, we meet Dr. Deborah (play by Katy Taylor) as a crazed scientist, zapping objects in her lab transporting the 'trash' to an unknown place. After multiple calculations and tests, the mad scientist turns her experiments on herself, sending her on a path of self-discovery and global realization. Dr. Deborah lands in Polly's lagoon, surrounded by plastic both from her lab and the world at large. After seeing the styrofoam creatures and flip-flop fishes, the Doctor quickly realizes the toll humanity's plastic use has taken on the ocean floor. Realizing the future is dim, the Doctor vows to change things based on her discovery, but with ex-lovers and big business in the way, the outcome is mirrored to reflect what today's environmentalists face - overwhelming odds.

This Friday's H-Town Cinema Celebration, Discovery Green's celebration of Houston filmmakers and film organizations, will give Houstonians a fun night out and a great movie. It's also given the night's emcee, John Behlmann, an excuse to come home.

This week, we go around our Broadway World to feature stories in Rhode Island, Milwaukee, Italy, and more. Check out our top 10 stories around our Broadway World below, which include BIG FISH at First Stage in Milwaukee, KISS ME KATE in Memphis, and THE WHO'S TOMMY in LA, just to name a few.

Part I of Trouble Puppet's THE WARS OF HEAVEN, is the first part of an epic three-part saga. The story, created by the company under Artistic Director, Connor Hopkins, is told through tabletop and shadow puppetry. Parts II and III are to come in 2016 and 2017.  At the core of the story is the concept that angels and demons are among us, serving God and Lucifer, fighting in our wars to uphold an ancient order. The work examines what happens when some of them begin to doubt the rules. The piece is strongly influenced by Milton's "Paradise Lost", an epic telling of Satan's rebellion against heaven.

There's a sad phenomenon that occurs when an artist shows extreme talent and brilliance in one artistic medium. We tend to reward that talent by unjustly pigeonholing that artist into that medium alone. Case in point: Chekhov. We revere the Russian artist as a playwright, but we forget that he wrote an abundance of short stories as well.