Saturday, 10 October 2009
Origins and Lemons tour diary
"We're just over one week into the tour and the cast and crew are having a great time.
We've had some fantastic audiences - loads of really big belly laughs.
It takes a bit of time to get used to being on tour; we have finally worked out how to fit all the set into the van at the end of each venue. Dan's joining the crew from next week. Even though Ollie and all of us have managed really well an extra pair of hands will be very much appreciated. I'll write again early next week - Bye for now!"
PS If you haven't booked your tickets to come an see us visit the Origins and Lemons website for tour dates and online booking
Monday, 5 October 2009
Former Riding Lights actor performs a classic sketch in Trafalgar Square!
You can read more about the project here http://www.oneandother.co.uk
Among other things, he will be performing the classic Riding Lights sketch “Life: wotsitallabout?” Given that the sketch is written for rather more than one actor to perform, we're intrigued how he's going to do this...
Go to www.oneandother.co.uk on Tuesday 6th October between 2pm and 3pm to see streaming video of Luke performing - LIVE!
Luke would be really pleased if you felt an urge to make a small donation to the Sky’s the Limit to encourage him as he performs an old sketch in a new and high up place, you can do so by going to http://www.justgiving.com/riding-lights and donating there.
PS - bidding on the handwritten copy of 'Bugs' by Antony Dunn is going well. Take a look at: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?V
Friday, 2 October 2009
First review of ORIGINS & LEMONS - the new revue show from Riding Lights
Review: Origins & Lemons, Riding Lights Theatre Company, on tour until December 5
YORK EVENING PRESS
9:55am Thursday 1st October 2009
Origins & Lemons, Riding Lights Theatre Company, on tour until December 5 I’ve been to a few Riding Lights performances now, including African Snow and Redemption Song, but Origins & Lemons – Squeezing The Juice Out Of Genesis was my first experience of a Riding Lights revue.
People said it would be like the early Riding Lights performances; I’d enjoyed their other recent productions, so I wasn’t quite sure what the difference would be or if there was going to be any.
The title Origins & Lemons was curious and raised a few questions: was it only focused on the Bible; did I need to be a scientist to understand Darwinism; or did I merely need to go with an open mind and be prepared for a good night out? Riding Lights is a Christian theatre company from York, so is Origins & Lemons about the Bible? It is, yet it also examines the origins of life today in a pleasantly thought-provoking way. Was it hilarious? Absolutely; the person sitting next to me said it reminded them of Monty Python.
The show is a series of sketches with songs, one being a fantastic play on words of the original Oranges And Lemons song. Written and directed by Paul Burbidge and Nigel Forde, two of the founding members of Riding Lights, the revue plunges into some of the issues that have aroused people’s curiosity since the dawn of time.
This is not dumbed-down comedy. In the year that marks the bi-centenary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of his landmark publication of The Origin Of Species, this performance reaches out to everybody.
Actors Alan Christopher, Fred Denno, Jamie Higgins and Rachel Wilcock use a mixture of observation, imagination and light-heartedness to take the audience back to the very beginning, concentrating on “the Why? of the created world”. The Friargate Theatre was full to bursting on Tuesday for the opening night of a UK tour that will arrive back in York on December 3. Other performances include St Andrew’s Church, Starbeck, Harrogate, on November 25.
The opening two nights in York were sold out weeks ago, so anyone wishing to see this show on its return should book straight away. I left the theatre saying with complete honesty to one member of the Riding Lights team: “That was the best night I’ve had at the theatre in years”. • For tickets, visit www.ridinglights.org/o&l or phone 01904 613000.
Win the only complete, hand-written copy of 'Bugs', Antony Dunn’s third collection of poems

PLEASE NOTE THAT ALTHOUGH THE EBAY PAGE SUGGESTS THAT THE AUCTION WILL END ON 10 OCTOBER, IT WILL ACTUALLY END AT 8.30pm BRITISH SUMMER TIME ON FRIDAY 9th OCTOBER, WITH THE WINNER BEING THE HIGHEST CURRENT BIDDER AT THAT TIME.
The 'live' auctioneer here at Friargate will be poet and founder member of Riding Lights, Nigel Forde.
www.antonydunn.org
Tuesday, 22 September 2009
Origins & Lemons - the new show from Riding Lights
For more about the show - touring nationally from 29 September - 5 December just click below to go to the:
ORIGINS & LEMONS WEBSITE
Thursday, 17 September 2009
Sunday, 13 September 2009
UPDATE ON SCAFELL PIKE ASCENT!
Swine flu produces particularly nasty complications in camels and sheep, but nothing of course to compare with the miserable, shivering, sweating, croaking lump which Paul turned into on Thursday night. So the trip has had to be postponed until the middle of October (the best weather day in the 16/17 weekend).
Although Paul was keen to battle on at all costs, surprisingly none of the other members of the team fancied sharing a tent with him or risking another shivering, sweating, croaking moment half way up. And the Scafell summit phone link-up with BBC Cumbria might have been obliterated by sustained coughing.
It was a beautiful day yesterday in Cumbria as well... so we're all really miffed and Paul is still in isolation.
HOWEVER THIS IS MERELY A SET BACK AND WE WILL GO VERY SOON TO COMPLETE THIS UNIQUE EVENT IN THE HISTORY OF RIDING LIGHTS THEATRE COMPANY.
Thank you for your sponsorship so far. The upside of all this is of course that there is more time to raise even more money!! SO KEEP YOUR SPONSORSHIP COMING, because everything written below is still true...
We're off to the top of England's highest mountain, Scafell Pike, to film an astonishing sky high version of that great epic of yesteryear THE TEN COMMANDMENTS... er... with puppets and various friends and expedition helpers. Nothing as remarkable or so artistically risky as this has ever been attempted before. We are clearly going to sail into the Guinness Book of Records. The first filming of a theatre show on England's highest peak.
Long-standing Riding Lights performers Snowy and Desmond will be reaching new heights with this towering project. Being quite small (and ancient), this will be hard work for our favourite puppets, as it will for the film crew. SO MAKE SURE YOU ENCOURAGE THEM BY SPONSORING GENEROUSLY and then sit back and enjoy the great movie remake.
A TREMENDOUSLY BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS ALREADY CONTRIBUTED!!
RIDING LIGHTS is seeking a new production fund to create more of the life-changing theatre that we want to take across the UK in the coming years... for young people, prisoners, theatres and church groups. On September 12th and 13th many of our friends will be taking part in all sorts of sky-high fundraising to help us reach our target.TO SPONSOR THIS EXTRAORDINARY THEATRICAL EVENT, JUST CLICK
