MT4Uth's Level 3 Production of 'Our House'
Thursday 19th - Saturday 21st August
Waterfront Hall, Belfast
MT4Uth proudly presents their Level 3 production of 'Our House'!
MT4Uth's excellent performance of "Our House" was held in the Waterfront Hall from the 19th - 21st August 2010.
The award-winning musical which tells a modern-day tale of love set on the streets of London. The Story follows Joe Casey’s, the play’s chief antagonist, life as he makes a fateful decision on the night of his 16th birthday to impress his girlfriend, before splitting early on to follow the two different paths he could have taken. It is a touching tale of life and love, heartbreak and comedy, right and wrong.
The artistic team was made up of Per Eltvik (Director), Andrew Corcoran (Musical Director), Robert Foley (Choreographer), Henry Gilbert (Associate Director), Shane McVicker (Associate Musical Director) and Ismail Omari (Associate Choreographer).
Our House Cast and Artistic Team during rehearsals
The artistic team and the 48-strong cast put the show together in a mere seven days! Their hard work and commitment definitely paid off and they were rewarded with a packed theatre and standing ovations each night.
"The show was fantastic and we all enjoyed it very much. The feedback from all those I spoke to afterwards was wonderful. The young people excelled themselves and personally I thought it was their best show so far. They all deserve to get on really well in music theatre."
(Teresa Curran, Edwards and Co - Our House sponsor)
Edwards and Co employees along with MT4Uth cast members and artistic team
“I was both impressed, and moved, by the power and talent within the MT4Uth performance of Our House. The MT4Uth artistic and creative team certainly brought the best out in these young people. It just shows how access to excellent teaching, can deliver excellent results.”
(Beverley Coomber, Arts and Business NI)
Four of the cast members (Neil Cochrane, Christina Tedders, Jemima Brown and Shane McKeever) were selected by the artistic team as the 'Most Improved Performers'. They were awarded a walk-on part in the new TV series 'Game of Thrones' to be shown on HBO which is currently being flimed in Belfast and stars Sean Bean. They will also be the first students to participate in the new Guilford School of Acting Musical Theatre Singing Examinations which will encourage students to prepare and engage in the development of their craft to the highest specialised standard. They were also delighted to learn that they will receive one-to-one coaching for these exams from Ross Campbell, Chief Examiner, GSA.
"I thought everything about Our House was top class. I didn’t expect the overall quality of the acting to be what it was. The kids had such a fabulous time too.
Overall an excellent experience for all of us in the audience, cleverly designed, very fast engaging and achieved more than envisaged in the time. I could have gone back for a second viewing."
(Margaret Dunn, Commercial Director, Cool FM and Downtown Radio)
Culture NI also came along and reviewed the show -
‘It’s musical theatre of the kids, by the kids, for the kids – which, on the plus side, means that the performances they produce come from the heart, and with a disarming enthusiasm’
‘With nary a moment to rest on their laurels, MT4Uth have now produced their idiosyncratic, energetic version of Our House - the musical based on the music of Madness - for a short run at the Waterfront. When you take into account the fact that the teen cast of 40-odd had just seven days to workshop and choreograph some nifty group routines, solo vocals and even, blimey, some acting, the results are at the very least impressive.’ ‘What’s particularly edifying about watching a MT4Uth performance also is the clear difference between these kids enjoying the hell out of what they do on stage and the glassy-eyed stage school posturings we’ve perhaps come to expect from the more rarefied end of youth theatre.’
‘The unifying theme is the phenomenal camaraderie of stage. It’s downright infectious. Thanks to that great variety and sense of fun, the potentially robotic is rendered human and the joy is certainly transmitted wholesale to the very back row – right to the end, where the standing ovation offered is spontaneous and wholly unbiased.’
(Joe Nawaz, Culture NI)
To read the review in full click on the following link http://www.culturenorthernireland.org/article.aspx?art_id=3510
Henry Gilbert, Betty Scott, Christina Bennington and Peter Cooke enjoy the after show reception
MT4Uth's reputation for quality training has extended across the waterleading to our first English participant, Landi Wagner, who travelled from Bournemouth to join the project.
"A massive thank you for letting me take part in the "Our House" project! It was a truly amazing experience that I know I'll never forget. Thank you so much for giving me this amazing opportunity. I really loved working on the project and everyone I met was absolutely lovely!"
(Landi Wagner, 15)
Keep checking back for more reviews, photos and video clips!