Origins and Lemons on the road.....

Origins and Lemons cast member Rachel Wilcock reports another great but busy week on tour. The highlights of the week include the trip to Kingsdown Theatre which in itself was a fantastic venue made even better by the large audience of around 300. The magnificiently beautiful church of St Mary’s Cogges was cosy but the audience once again meant a fantastic night was had by all.

Rachel sends get well wishes to team member Olly who has been under the weather and would like to thank everyone for being such fantastic hosts.

Origins and Lemons tour diary

Origins and Lemons cast member Rachel Wilcock is writing this 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

Former Riding Lights actor performs a classic sketch in Trafalgar Square!

Luke Walton, former Roughshod actor, Arts Development Officer for the Bible Society and co-producer of the recent Bible Society/Riding Lights film 'Unscripted', will be taking over an 8m high plinth in Trafalgar Square tomorrow afternoon for one hour as... part of the Fourth Plinth Project.

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?ViewItem&item=250506650261&ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:GB:1123-INDIVIDUAL

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

Win the only complete, hand-written copy of 'Bugs', Antony Dunn’s third collection of poems

Antony has written, in his own fair hand, a complete and unique copy of his third collection of poems, Bugs, in a classic black Moleskine sketchbook, using a series of .38mm black Muji gel-pens. It will also contain one or two new poems, which are not included in the printed version of Bugs.

The hand-written copy of Bugs will be auctioned both online and 'live' on Fri 9 Oct at Friargate Theatre, York. It will be signed, dated and dedicated to the winning bidder.

The auction is being held to raise funds for Riding Lights Theatre Company, where Antony worked as Marketing Manager from 1997 – 2007, and which will receive every penny of the winner’s payment.

The money will contribute to Riding Lights’ The Sky’s The Limit fundraising campaign, designed to establish a production fund over and above the regular income which it needs to keep its doors open. More details can be found at www.ridinglights.org/stl

We know that many people will want to bid on this item, even if they can't attend the book launch in person. We have therefore put the book onto eBay so that it is possible to enter your bid whether you're in York or Yemen. To make things even more exciting, the eBay auction will close during the book launch at Friargate and all live bids will be put onto eBay so that as the closing time approaches you can still have a chance of winning. Just follow this link to the eBay page:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250506650261&ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:GB:1123

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.

Please note: the reserve price is £100.

You are also very welcome to come along to the launch at which Antony will read from Bugs for around half an hour, and will be available to sign ordinary copies of the book, which will be on sale for £9.00. The bar will be open throughout, and you’re warmly invited to stay around for as long as you like.

Fri 9 Oct, 7.30pm

Friargate Theatre, York

Lower Friargate, YO1 9SL

Box Office 01904 613000

Admission is FREE, but please ring to reserve your seats

The event at Friargate Theatre is one of four readings to mark the publication of Bugs (Carcanet OxfordPoets):

Mon 5 Oct – London, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art

Fri 9 Oct – York, Friargate Theatre

Fri 16 Oct – Leeds, Yorkshire Dance

Wed 21 Oct – Oxford, Blackwells Bookshop

Full tour details are available at
www.antonydunn.org

www.ridinglights.org/stl

www.justgiving.com/riding-lights

Origins & Lemons - the new show from Riding Lights

A sneak peek into the rehearsal room.........

For more about the show - touring nationally from 29 September - 5 December just click below to go to the:

ORIGINS & LEMONS WEBSITE

Oxford Skydive