ONLINE PLAY READING 16TH APRIL THIS HOUSE BY JAMES GRAHAM   Criterion members are invited to join a fun and informal online play reading of This House by James Graham on the 14th April at 8pm. Online play readings are open to all to attend and read or listen. Please just register your interest via the following link:    https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAqfuGprjMqHN0-glCl0UH-Ywko0RJ5V2PN [https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAqfuGprjMqHN0-glCl0UH-Ywko0RJ5V2PN]   ABOUT THE PLAY:    This House is a timely and relevant political comedy, exploring Westminster and the 1974 hung parliament.   In the run-up to the General Election pressure mounts as squabbling whips attempt to attract key regional votes. As it becomes clear the results will be closely balanced, the play tracks the formation, perils and consequences of a coalition government, including the compromises, conflicts and power games all in the interest of gaining control of Parliament.   With well-paced, witty and waspish dialogue, This House playfully explores the childish digs and chauvinistic attitudes that riddle political life. Award-winning playwright James Graham combines comedy with comment in this portrayal of the strain between the thinking individual, the pressure to toe the part line and the end goal of winning government.   The premier of the play at the National Theatre in 2012 and 2013 was hugely successful and it was then revived in the West End in 2017, when it was Olivier-nominated.    Any questions please feel free to email the facilitator Lucy via lucyhayton@hotmail.com    

A NEW AUDIOBOOK FROM THE CREATIVE WRITING GROUP AT COVENTRY RESOURCE CENTRE FOR THE BLIND HAS BEEN RELEASED IN COLLABORATION WITH THE CRITERION. In the original print version of this book, 13 Coventry-based writers described their personal experiences of sight loss: from fearful to thoughtful, from feisty to wise, in poetry and prose. Now three actors from the Criterion Theatre - Anne Houston, Helen McGowan and Jon Elves- have brought these vivid personal stories to life in a new audiobook, directed by Richard Warren. The original book was praised for its honest, moving and often funny descriptions of living in a sighted world. This new audiobook means that people with sight loss can also enjoy the insights the writers share here. Recorded and engineered by Media Mania producer Dave Mills at Powerhouse Studios, this is the first of what we hope will be many collaborations between the three organisations. The audiobook can be purchased (£4 or more) from COVENTRYBLIND.ORG.UK/BOOKS. [https://coventryresourcecentrefortheblind.bandcamp.com/album/who-turned-out-the-lights] All proceeds from this audiobook go to CRCB to support further creative projects for people living with sight loss. To celebrate the release of the audiobook, the Criterion hosted a number of invited guests on Saturday evening (6th April) including Vic Minett from BBC CWR. Vic also invited Jess and Derek from the CRCB to talk about the audiobook on her Monday show, which you can hear via BBC Sounds [https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0hjmsgq]. The interview runs from 1.36.43 - 1.57.03.    

As we head towards Christmas and 2024 I wanted to take the opportunity to thank all our wonderful members and audience members. It has been a successful year for us with fantastic productions, great events and building developments. From Coffee mornings to drama classes, our wonderful bar nights to the artistic endeavours we continue to grow and develop. None of which would be able to happen without the hard work, support and dedication of the team of volunteers, putting their time in day after day, production after production.  I would like to take the opportunity to say a personal thank you to the board and committees, that keep the wheels turning, for all their hard work this year. The dedication and selflessness, doing a difficult job, is commendable and appreciated.  I also wanted to let you know that Anne-marie Greene, our Artistic Director, is undergoing some health issues and will be going into hospital after Christmas and will be out of action for a few weeks while she recovers. If you know Anne-marie you will know this will be difficult for her, as a major driving force behind the Criterion, she is not good at putting herself first. I have no doubts that the theatre will rally behind her and support where needed to ensure she has time while she recovers. We have rescheduled her production of ‘Every Brilliant Thing’ to September to ensure that she can concentrate on getting fit and well to direct this wonderful play. Our love and best wishes are with her and the family.  As I write this our final show of 2023 is about to end after a sold out run, the set will be struck and work will start for the next. In the meantime, preparations are underway for the legendary Carols night on Friday 22nd December, the true start of Christmas I feel. I hope to see you there.   Finally, on behalf of the board, I want to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. Best wishes,   Jon Elves, Chair.

    We are really pleased to announce the 2024 season so far. It is exciting and challenging, with a mix of genres, new writing and classic pieces, well known and unusual plays. Please look out for Open Reading and Audition notices coming soon.    STUDIO SLOT : WEDS 10TH TO SATURDAY 13TH JANUARY THE TRIALS BY DAWN KING (2022) Genre: Drama , Cast: 12 youth, 2 adults , Director: Alan Fenn _Synopsis: The near future. The climate emergency is gathering pace, and our generation is being judged. The jurors are children. But are they delivering justice – or just taking revenge? Dawn King's searing play was first performed in January 2022. The Trials offers an exciting opportunity for theatre companies to address the climate emergency and intergenerational conflict, as the jury of 12 to 17-year-olds hold the stage alongside two adult defendants._     MAIN HOUSE: SAT 16TH TO SAT 23RD MARCH A DIRTY GREAT LOVE STORY BY KATE BONNA/RICHARD MARSH (2012) Genre: Comedy, Cast: 4, Director: Kelly Davidson _Synopsis: A wry, funny, sweet-natured variation on the archetypal boy-meets-girl story. Nice, nerdy Richard and lately dumped Katie meet when a stag night and hen party collide and end up having a drunken one-night stand. Over the following months, they acquire new partners and, when their respective best friends get hitched, fleetingly meet at a wedding, a christening and a muddy pop festival. Wittily written, at times in rhyme, the pleasure of the piece lies in the language. It premiered in August 2012 as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival._   MAIN HOUSE: SAT 4TH TO SAT 11TH MAY SPRINGBOARD FESTIVAL 2024 A week of one act plays, poetry, music and art, bringing together amateur and professionals in one space, with in house company performances and community/Criterion collaborations alongside external artists, musicians and theatre companies, poetry workshops and art exhibitions.    MAIN HOUSE SAT 22ND TO 29TH JUNE THE HOMECOMING BY HAROLD PINTER (1965) Genre: Classic Drama, Cast: 5 (4M 1W), Director: John Ruscoe _Synopsis: Pinter wrote this two-act play in 1964, and it premiered in 1965. It is one of the playwright’s most unnerving works. Teddy brings his wife, Ruth, home from America for the first time to meet his family in London. The play is essentially one long power struggle between the male family members, with Ruth as the catalyst. The play is rich with meaning, picking at ideas of family, masculinity and the home. _   MAIN HOUSE RESCHEDULED SAT 31ST AUGUST TO SAT 7TH SEPTEMBER EVERY BRILLIANT THING BY DUNCAN MACMILLAN (2015) Genre: Totally heartwarming, Cast: 1, Director: Anne-marie Greene _Synopsis: When Mum’s in the hospital and Dad says she finds it hard to be happy, there’s not much a seven year old can do…1. Ice cream, 2. Water fights, 3. Staying up past your bedtime and being allowed to watch TV. These are the first three items on a list of every brilliant thing in the world worth living for. As the child grows up, so does the list. It takes on a life of its own, a Facebook group is started, other people start adding to it, writing in the margins, making amendments, providing footnotes. The purpose of the list is forgotten and the mother’s depression doesn’t go away. Eventually, as a grown-up, they reach their self-imposed target of one million entries.  They call the list ‘Every Brilliant Thing’. Based on true and untrue stories, Every Brilliant Thing is a life-affirming story of how to achieve hope through focusing on the smallest miracles of life._     MAIN HOUSE SAT 19TH TO SAT 26TH OCTOBER 1984 BY ROBERT ICKE/DUNCAN MACMILLAN (2013) Genre: Drama, Cast: 8 (1W 1M, 6 gender non-specific), Director: Steve Brown _Synopsis: A critically acclaimed adaptation of George Orwell’s dystopian novel. 1984 follows a group of historians as they discover the diary of Comrade 6079, Winston Smith. In a world where all citizens are closely watched by Big Brother, Winston’s life is jeopardised when he suddenly falls in love and begins to think free thoughts that threaten the scarily controlling government.  This is a chilling adaptation of a classic tale, which will leave audiences gripping their seats in fear._   MAIN HOUSE SAT 7TH TO SAT 14TH DECEMBER A CHRISTMAS CAROL : A FAIRY TALE BY PIERS TORDAY (2019). Genre: Classic Christmas drama, Cast: 15-30, Director: TBC _Synopsis: A really exciting re-imagining for the 21st century with an original, female-led version. In this reinvention of the timeless classic, Ebenezer has died and his sister Fan has inherited his money-lending business. _