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Brundibar Arts Festival presents

Cabaret "What a Life?!"
by Hans Gal.
& Music, Migration and Mobility exhibition.

Thursday 23 January, 2025.

7pm - Exhibition
8pm - Show.

Show only
£18, £15 concession.

Show + Exhibition
£20, £17 concession.

Exhibition only
£5.


This show is seated.


Subject to online booking fee. Tickets are only available online for this event. Carer's tickets available by emailing Gosforth Civic Theatre on info@gosforthcivictheatre.co.uk with proof of purchased ticket.

Tenor:​ Norbert Meyn
Baritone: ​Simon Wallfisch
Director:​ Robert Hersey
Actor:​ Philip Harrison
Actor:​ Chris Connel
Violin:​ Kyra Humphreys
​Violin: Alexandra Raikhlina
Viola:​ Anna Barsegjana
Cello:​ Gabriel Waite
Clarinet:​ Dov Goldberg
Flute:​ Charlotte Ashton
Piano: Yoshie Kawamura

 
In May 1940, Nazi-Germany launched a surprise attack on Belgium and the Netherlands. Faced with the threat of an invasion and in fear of sabotage, the British Government embarked on a policy of mass internment of German and Austrian Nationals in the United Kingdom. The large majority of the prisoners were Jewish and other refugees who had escaped persecution by the Nazi Regime and were ready to fight against the Nazis together with the British.


They had to stay in the camps for many months until the authorities had dealt with each case individually. Most of the internees were brought to the Isle of Man, which had already been used for internment during World War One.


The composer Hans Gál (1890-1987) became a leading member of the arts committee at Central Camp in the capital Douglas. 


After several successful concerts of classical music, the arts committee decided to put on a comic revue to provide much needed light entertainment. It was the brainchild of the Austrian film director Georg Höllering (1897-1980), who had worked with Berthold Brecht on the film ‘Kuhle Wampe’ in 1932. He asked Gál to compose the music for it and called it ‘What a Life!’


The songs are parodies of actual life in the camp, making fun of the seagulls, the barbed wire, the gender separation, the fitness routine, cleaning up, sharing double beds and observing the blackout. 


Unfortunately, the text of the spoken dialogue scenes that were performed between the musical numbers does not survive. What we do have are the songs and instrumental numbers from Gál’s manuscripts, and his wonderful diary ‘Music behind Barbed Wire’, which recounts the whole episode of internment and the creation of the revue in great detail. In performances, we will intersperse the songs with relevant excerpts from Gál’s diary to put them in context. The excerpts have been included with kind permission from Eva Fox-Gál. 

Music, Migration and Mobility exhibition.

Thu 23 Jan, from 7pm.

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The Music, Migration and Mobility exhibition, available on 12 roll up banners, continues its journey! Brought together by an international team of musicians, archival researchers, musicologists and geographers for one of the biggest research projects at the RCM to date. ​ As part of a four year interdisciplinary project studies the mobile lives, artistic products and impact on British culture of musicians who came from Nazi-ruled Europe during the 1930s and '40s. ​ An ambitious programme of archival research in the UK, Germany, Austria and on the Isle of Man will shed new light on their experiences and contributions to national cultural renewal after the war and inform the practical investigations. Based on the archival research, the project will create online story maps that visualise where these musicians came from as well as where and with whom they worked, aiming both to understand and display the artistic relationships they formed with their British colleagues and with each other.

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This is a seated event.

Seated shows
We have three main seated layouts for shows;

  1. floor seating with or without cabaret tables on floor level only [up to 100 capacity], or

  2. seating rake only [up to 119 capacity], or 

  3. both seating rake with floor seating in front (in rows, or with or without cabaret tables) [up to 200 capacity].​

Every seat on floor level and the first row on our seating rake is accessible to those who require a wheelchair space, an ambulant seat, or those who don’t have any access requirements. Thus, they will be bookable under the same ticket type and unreserved. When buying your tickets, we ask you to declare if you have any access requirements at the checkout so we can reserve any seats or space for those who need them.

Seating rake-only events

These events tend to be theatre or dance performances performed on floor level or film screenings. The front row of our seating rake can be made into wheelchair spaces (up to 2) or ambulant seats (up to 4).

Companion tickets


Carer/PA/Essential companion tickets

These are available for all events. They are limited to one per ticket order and can be booked by emailing info@gosforthcivictheatre.co.uk and quoting the event name, booking reference on your ticket order and information you’re comfortable sharing on why a companion ticket is required.

Ticketing.

Buying tickets
You can buy tickets for advertised shows, events or activities by visiting our website. While all GCT promoted events and some selected third party promoted events will be available to purchase in person at the Theatre, some third party promoted events will only be available to buy online.

 

Fees 
A booking fee applies per ticket when booking online through our ticketing platform; booking fees may vary when booking through other third party sites.


Concessions and carers
Concession tickets are available to people with disabilities, OAPs, under 18s and Asylum Seekers. We will endeavour to provide free tickets to carers where possible. Please contact us directly if you require carer's ticket.

Child and family tickets
A child is classed as anyone under the age of 14, and Family Tickets, where advertised, apply to a family of four where there is at least one adult and one child in the group. Babes in Arms, up to the age of 12 months, go free at all of our family shows.

 

Refunds
Refunds are only available up to 7 days before the date of GCT promoted events, otherwise refunds are at the discretion of the promoter. If an event must be postponed, rescheduled or cancelled, tickets purchased for the event will be valid for any new date agreed with the artist/promoter, and the ticket buyer entitled to a full refund if they are unable to attend the new date.

 

Receiving your tickets
We do not print physical tickets in house and instead email you a copy of your tickets. You can show us your tickets on a mobile device or simply give us the name of the lead booker when you arrive at the Theatre for the event. If receiving tickets from third party sites ran by external promoters (Seetickets/Wegottickets/ Ticket Source/ DICE etc you may need to provide your ticket for scanning.

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