Coffee Morning - Criterion Coffee Morning

We are really pleased to be starting up our monthly online play reading group again from January 2024 on the second Tuesday of the month, so stick these dates in your diary. There is no need to attend each session, have lots of acting experience or buy the play in advance. You will need a laptop or tablet to read the play on the screen. The group simply read the play and have a brief discussion afterwards. Previously the online play reading group has influenced the Criterion season with shows like The Gift and The Welkin. The readings are free to attend (although of course we pay for the rights). So, as the nights draw in, why not come and escape from it all? You can read a part, stage directions or just sit back and listen -  it’s totally up to you.  If you would like to read please email lucyhayton@hotmail.com and include your name, approximate age and ethnicity so we can allocate parts as appropriately as possible (although be prepared to read anything!). Hope to see you then. And please do spread the word, all are welcome. JANUARY PLAY READING  The first play reading will be of Rachel Cusk's modern version of Medea on 9TH JANUARY 2024 at 8pm. _Medea's marriage is breaking up. And so is everything else. Testing the limits of revenge and liberty, Euripides' seminal play cuts to the heart of gender politics and asks what it means to be a woman and a wife._ To register for the read please follow this link [http://email.criteriontheatre.co.uk/c/eJwUzc1OxCAQAOCnoTcbGGZpe-BgjMTLJsafg94oM9vilmIoxOjTm32Cj6xBVh1bNUgJeBqM7lYrUclZI-FIpMlMIfDsCQ2jGuFymrtoQYJWSg1qhAl0742WaiDyU2AZBhIoQ4mVS8x7XdnXwn3Ifbt2m11r_T6EvhfgBLh2SPjhuf_LOfXtEOASc437IsAVXuJRuQhw9fPjSs2U8nWuj9PDueVJvexvv-3p2ePru1spX7pifVoEyiVum093S2Heb276DwAA__-WXUiQ]. For any questions about the readings please email Lucy on lucyhayton@hotmail.com.

Coffee Morning - Criterion Coffee Morning

The City of Burning Spires show combines a full live rock band and audio visual EFFECTS to create an immersive theatrical experience.  The Phoenix From the Ashes band is made up of a talented group of Coventry based musicians and singers lead by Simon Gibbons.   The piece is based on Simon's family history and the stories of the Coventry blitz of 1940. It combines events from both sets of grandparents into a surreal rock opera.  The story is told through 30 original songs in a range of different styles from folk and blues to rock and reggae.   

The City of Burning Spires show combines a full live rock band and audio visual EFFECTS to create an immersive theatrical experience.  The Phoenix From the Ashes band is made up of a talented group of Coventry based musicians and singers lead by Simon Gibbons.   The piece is based on Simon's family history and the stories of the Coventry blitz of 1940. It combines events from both sets of grandparents into a surreal rock opera.  The story is told through 30 original songs in a range of different styles from folk and blues to rock and reggae. 

The Cri - Oscars

Coffee Morning - Criterion Coffee Morning

Come and join us at our first members social - a Crafty Cri Event. Bring along your current craft project and share tips, hints and techniques with fellow crafters and new learners. Whether you’re a knitter, a sketcher, a sewer, a happy hooker or a complete beginner who’d like to have a go, we’d love to see you, and your creativity, in the bar from 8pm. Nothing like a Knit and a Natter over a G and T or a pint or two! And bring friends along - they don’t have to be members. And if you don’t do any of the above do come along for a chat and a drink anyway! 

This month we continue with our series of online play readings with 'Paris' by Eboni Booth. Everyone is welcome, there is no need to have lots of acting experience or buy the play in advance. You will need a laptop or tablet to read the play on the screen. The group simply read the play and have a brief discussion afterwards. Previously the online play reading group has led to productions being included in the Criterion season with shows like The Gift, The Welkin and 1984.   _Set in Vermont in the 1990s. Paris is a play about Emmie, one of the only Black people living in the town of Paris and she desperately needs a  job. When she is hired at Berry’s, a store off the interstate selling everything from baby carrots to lawnmowers, she begins to understand a new kind of isolation. Paris is a play about invisibility, being underpaid, and how it feels to work on your feet for ten hours a day._ To register please follow this link [https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYvduyvrj4vHdwKxt9sTyR-66xr6MPIniAb] and an email will be sent to you. For any questions about the readings please email Lucy on lucyhayton@hotmail.com.  

Audition - Honey And Salt- Springboard Festival

Coffee Morning - Criterion Coffee Morning

Book Launch - Crcb Book Launch

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    

Come and join us again for Crafty Cri Event on Wednesday 24th April. Bring along your current craft project and share tips, hints and techniques with fellow crafters and new learners. Whether you’re a knitter, a sketcher, a sewer, a happy hooker or a complete beginner who’d like to have a go, we’d love to see you, and your creativity, in the bar from 7pm this time. Nothing like a Knit and a Natter over a G and T or a pint or two! And bring friends along - they don’t have to be members. See you there! 

Coffee Morning - Criterion Coffee Morning - Moved To Monday 6Th May 11Am-2Pm

Earlsdon Festival

Coffee Morning - Criterion Coffee Morning

ONLINE PLAY READING: ORLANDO BY NEIL BARTLETT  All are invited to join a fun and informal online play reading of Orlando by Neil Bartlett on Tuesday June 11th at 7.50pm. We'll start the read promptly at 8pm. Online play readings are open to all to attend and read or listen.No acting experience is required and you are most welcome to attend and listen if you prefer. We will end with a brief discussion about the play for those who wish to stay on. Please just indicate you're coming along by using this registration link. [https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAkcumsqTwiHtfWOPKjO4lHdsq-Gz6PfAHY]     ABOUT THE PLAY:   In the court of Queen Elizabeth I, the young nobleman Orlando begins his search for identity as he embarks on one of the greatest adventures in all of literature. Travelling through time and place he is catapulted into the court of King James, falls in love with a Russian princess, witnesses London freeze over and wakes up under the blazing sun of Constantinople transformed into a young woman. She continues her journey up to the present day in search of happiness, self-knowledge and the courage to answer one fundamental question … WHO AM I? ?? This is an adaptation of Virginia Woolf's famous novel which was first staged at the Garrick theatre in 2022 with Emma Corrin in the title role.   Any questions please email lucyhayton@hotmail.com

July Talisman Fringe: ‘Faith and Hope’-The Criterion Theatre Takeover Date: Thursday 4th July Times: 7:30pm and 9pm At: The Holiday Inn, Kenilworth On this most auspicious of General Election days, join us on the 4th July for a night of theatre, folk songs and performed poetry at the Talisman Fringe. Peter Gillam from the Criterion Theatre, Coventry will be the host for this night of entertainment – a special opportunity to sample work from a sister theatre in the local area. Following the model of the Criterion’s recent Springboard Festival, the evening will involve some drama, some poetry and some music for your delectation and delight. Just days away from the tenth anniversary of the successful vote on women bishops in the Church of England, a cast of three (Kelly Davidson, Lilian McGrath and Anne-marie Greene) perform an original short play ‘Through a Stained Glass Darkly’. The play is written by Anne-marie Greene, Artistic Director of the Criterion Theatre and is based on real-life interviews with 40 women vicars and ministers. It’s heart-warming and heart-breaking with more than just a touch of Vicar of Dibleyesque comedy. Zsofia Hascek and Amy Rugg provide performances of specially written poems, reflecting and responding to the themes of the evening. Dean Sheridan and Richard Gillies will accompany the night with some acoustic renditions of beautiful folk songs guaranteed to be uplifting for the soul and spirit. Come and join us at either 7:30pm, or 9:00pm at the Holiday Inn on the 4th of July and be filled with ‘Faith and Hope’. Tickets available here [https://talismantheatre.co.uk/fringe-theatre/]for £5.

Coffee Morning - Criterion Coffee Morning

Members - Agm

Formed in 2022, PUSH are a progressive, psychedelic rock and roll band https://www.pushband.co.uk/ Performances often include wild improvised material that changes every set, giving the audience the chance to enjoy a unique experience at every show. PUSH create a space for free expression performing with no safety net, offering an escape from judgement where people can be their true selves. Where possible, each live show is captured on video, often with audience-shot footage. We are thrilled to welcome them for this special one-off performance.

*26/07/24 - PLEASE NOTE. We are experiencing some difficulty with the ticketing system for tonight's show. If you encounter any difficulties, please either email boxoffice@criteriontheatre.co.uk, or you can purchase a ticket at the theatre box office this evening. Seating is unreserved, in a cabaret style.   BoonDog Theatre presents _PISKIE*_, a brand new beautiful story about the tug of war between fantasy and reality. Written and performed by Lucy Roslyn and directed by Jamie Firth, _PISKIE_ is a show for all those who believe there is still a little magic to be found in the world.   Ouida Burt was raised on the fantasy stories of her hometown - where the piskies of Dartmoor are waiting to lead dreamers astray. The family joked that her father - a somnambulist - was at risk. He would sleepwalk, “piskie-led” - so he said - by Ouida’s cherished imaginary friend “Bert”. But, one night, he sleepwalked out of their family home and onto the moors… never to return.  After the search was called off, the family was forced to accept that he had most likely abandoned them; agreeing, from that point on, to give up all notion of fantastical things.   Years later, Ouida is now a respected psychologist, an academic, and a realist. In _PISKIE_, the audience joins her as she leads a talk on fear. As usual, she’s here to debunk the irrational and fantastic - to explain away the inexplicable with cold, hard evidence_. _It is time to turn a light on all those things that go bump in the night.  But one of the things that keeps Ouida up at night cannot be explained. Something that followed her back from the moors all those years ago. _Could “Bert” really be… back?_   _PISKIE _interrogates the entrenchment of ideas, showing that even the most rational people have irrational beliefs, and asks why it is so easy to give advice that you do not take. A beautiful story about magic versus cynicism that sends the audience away charmed, and just a little bit spooked.    *Piskie is a Devonian word for Pixie. ABOUT BOONDOG THEATRE  BoonDog Theatre IS A COLLABORATIVE THEATRE COMPANY, CREATING EXCITING NEW STORIES FOR THE STAGE. Founded in 2011 by Creative Director Lucy Roslyn and Productions Director Jamie Firth, BoonDog are passionate about new work and starting conversations that hopefully last long beyond the time the audience are in the theatre.  Their first show was "_The State vs John Hayes_" in 2013, which gained great critical acclaim: It was described in one review as "Beautifully brutal", and that has almost become their goal to be achieved with each and every show. Next, a suite of interweaving stories set backstage at the "_Boon and Doggett Circus_" - an ongoing project with 3 different shows produced so far: "_Showmanship_" (Theatre503 Best of the Fest), "_The Stooge_" and "_Goody_" (LET Award winner 2017). Working with Jesse Anand Productions and director Josh Roche, they have also created "_Orlando_" ("Brits Off Broadway" 2023) and "_Pennyroyal_". They also help to develop other peoples shows - In 2022 they worked with Colin Hoult on his Edinburgh Comedy Award nominated show "_The Death of Anna Mann_"

BoonDog Theatre presents _PISKIE*_, a brand new beautiful story about the tug of war between fantasy and reality. Written and performed by Lucy Roslyn and directed by Jamie Firth, _PISKIE_ is a show for all those who believe there is still a little magic to be found in the world.   Ouida Burt was raised on the fantasy stories of her hometown - where the piskies of Dartmoor are waiting to lead dreamers astray. The family joked that her father - a somnambulist - was at risk. He would sleepwalk, “piskie-led” - so he said - by Ouida’s cherished imaginary friend “Bert”. But, one night, he sleepwalked out of their family home and onto the moors… never to return.  After the search was called off, the family was forced to accept that he had most likely abandoned them; agreeing, from that point on, to give up all notion of fantastical things.   Years later, Ouida is now a respected psychologist, an academic, and a realist. In _PISKIE_, the audience joins her as she leads a talk on fear. As usual, she’s here to debunk the irrational and fantastic - to explain away the inexplicable with cold, hard evidence_. _It is time to turn a light on all those things that go bump in the night.  But one of the things that keeps Ouida up at night cannot be explained. Something that followed her back from the moors all those years ago. _Could “Bert” really be… back?_   _PISKIE _interrogates the entrenchment of ideas, showing that even the most rational people have irrational beliefs, and asks why it is so easy to give advice that you do not take. A beautiful story about magic versus cynicism that sends the audience away charmed, and just a little bit spooked.    *Piskie is a Devonian word for Pixie. ABOUT BOONDOG THEATRE  BoonDog Theatre IS A COLLABORATIVE THEATRE COMPANY, CREATING EXCITING NEW STORIES FOR THE STAGE. Founded in 2011 by Creative Director Lucy Roslyn and Productions Director Jamie Firth, BoonDog are passionate about new work and starting conversations that hopefully last long beyond the time the audience are in the theatre.  Their first show was "_The State vs John Hayes_" in 2013, which gained great critical acclaim: It was described in one review as "Beautifully brutal", and that has almost become their goal to be achieved with each and every show. Next, a suite of interweaving stories set backstage at the "_Boon and Doggett Circus_" - an ongoing project with 3 different shows produced so far: "_Showmanship_" (Theatre503 Best of the Fest), "_The Stooge_" and "_Goody_" (LET Award winner 2017). Working with Jesse Anand Productions and director Josh Roche, they have also created "_Orlando_" ("Brits Off Broadway" 2023) and "_Pennyroyal_". They also help to develop other peoples shows - In 2022 they worked with Colin Hoult on his Edinburgh Comedy Award nominated show "_The Death of Anna Mann_"

Quiz Night - Summer Quiz League - Week One

Coffee Morning - Criterion Coffee Morning

Quiz Night - Summer Quiz League - Week Two

Quiz Night - Summer Quiz League - Week Three

Quiz Night - Summer Quiz League - Week Four