The UK's National Theatre (NT), located in London's South Bank, is once again staging its summer outdoor festival. From July to September each year, Watch This Space brings al fresco performance to the capital, including a programme of free events from the world of theatre, dance and film. The season of literary and music festivals is in full swing and the NT's offerings will keep festival fever alive in the South Bank until the beginning of autumn.
Now in its 11th year, Watch This Space has a new, higher profile. In the past, it's been something stumbled across rather than sought out. This year's event, however, has been better publicised and more hyped. In light of the credit crunch, it is increasingly attractive. The programme includes theatre, music, cabaret and dance and, throughout August, a season of films from the British Film Institute Archive will be projected on to the NT's Flytower. All of it is free.
"It is very much about offering a wider programme to our audience, which goes beyond what we do inside the theatres," says the festival producer Angus McKechnie. "You can enjoy Watch This Space without necessarily enjoying anything else; you don't have to buy a ticket, you don't even have to buy a cup of coffee. It's absolutely about the NT being open to all."
Outside the National, AstroTurf lines the so-called Theatre Square, with most of the festival's performances taking place on a blanket of fake green grass. A giant installation, "armchair theatre", provides audiences with a comfortable and playful oversized sofa to best enjoy the shows, adding to the relaxed feel of the festival. The atmosphere is helped by late-night performances, some of which begin hours after those taking place in the NT's indoor theatre space, and after-hours live music and DJs.
Among all the capital's distractions, the NT has successfully turned itself into a focal point, where members of the public and theatregoers feel compelled to linger and soak up the creative energies. People come here to chat, meet people and read, as well as to watch productions. In these summer months, much of the excitement is about more visitors exploring the space and seeing it used in a different way. The theatre walls are expanded, secret areas unlocked, doors flung open. It's about sharing in the atmosphere and energy, enjoying the location as well as the theatre. With the carefully constructed lawn, disproportionate furniture and theatrical street sets, the familiar seems new and the new strangely familiar.
An early highlight was Prodigal Theatre's groundbreaking Urban Playground, a programme of parkour work that sets out to demonstrate that with training and supervision, free-running can be a safe and rewarding creative art form. Involving a system of leaps, rolls, vaults and landings designed to help a person overcome obstacles and navigate their way over walls, fences, in between gaps and over roofs, parkour is an increasingly popular outlet and one that is well suited to the urban landscape of London.
Prodigal was selected after producers saw the show in Manchester. "It's amazing to be part of the festival," says the company co-founder Alister O'Loughlin. "We bring our Urban Playground set with us, but we work in the same theatre square and use its properties. We are right in the heart of the action - it's a privilege as well as being quite scary," he says.
"We are also holding workshops in which we help people to understand what parkour is," O'Loughlin continues. "It's not just about jumping off a high wall, it's about the ground-level architecture. So far, we have had a fantastic response," he says.
For many of the NT's regular audience members, organisations such as Prodigal are completely new. "I didn't know what parkour was," says one elderly gentleman I encounter on the South Bank. "My wife read about it and wanted to come. I found it all a bit shocking, to be honest, but it's summer and we wanted to try something different. Going to the theatre shouldn't be about staying in your comfort zone."
Elsewhere, age has proven no barrier to enjoyment. Upswing, a company that aims to create multi-genre work using circus skills, wowed audiences with an aerial performances based on a current project, Loved Up. It's a manifestation of youthful romance set on bungees with a heavy breakdance influence. Open-floor sessions were held to enable members of the public to show off their breakdancing skills and a series of bungee technique and flying skills workshops were held for young people, breakdancers and those over 50.
The festival also works to draw in audiences that may never have visited the NT before, those that see the theatre as inaccessible or intimidating, or those concerned about ticket prices. "We provide a broad programme of events in order to attract the broadest and most diverse audience," says McKechnie. "For example, we have just had a fantastic week with a company called The Gandinis. They are essentially jugglers and worked in the NT studio for a week to create a brand-new show for us and then performed it over two days. It was absolutely stunning, one of the most beautiful things we have ever had in the Square. It worked particularly well because it was a company that we knew and we were able to generate a great new piece of work with them."
Watch This Space highlights are set to include a story dome with fantastical tales for all age groups, a Bank Holiday Dance Weekend, high-flying romance in Waiting on You and summer sounds from Grupo Lokito and the Sugar Kings. The maverick artist Matthew Robins and his band will present his ongoing series of romantic "shadow operas" performed in front of, and projected on to, the NT Flytower. These inventive and animated stories introduce us to the sad story of the half-human, half-insect Flyboy: unpopular at school, mocked by his peers and dealing with the unrequited affection of a giant robot, while his friend Mothboy is busy knitting a lovely new spaceship for them. A new episode of the drama will be aired each Friday, encouraging visitors to come back to watch the narrative unfold.
In order to select the best and most appropriate acts for the festival, producers travel to other events, both in the UK and abroad, seeking out a mixture of new and established companies. This year's spree has harvested four Catalonian dramas created by Cia la Industrial Theatera with Rojo and the UK debuts of the theatre company Markeliñe with Carbón Club and the dance troupe Gaizerdi Teatro, who will bring a version of Little Red Riding Hood, both from the Basque country in Spain.
"When I came across the Catalonian productions, I just fell in love with them," says McKechnie. "They are good, old-fashioned variety shows with acrobatics and clowning and they will inject a whole different tone into the festival."
Returning this year is the Polish theatre company Teatr Biuro Podrózy with its award-winning version of Macbeth, involving armies on motorbikes, witches on stilts and a spectacular burning castle. "It is visually stunning," says McKechnie, "but it is also a really valid interpretation of Shakespeare. It has a significantly Polish twist and is quite political. The diversity of the programme is what makes it work."
"What's great here on the South Bank," McKechnie continues, "is that the NT can maintain the qualities and expectations that it has indoors in an outdoor work and that is something that people seem to be drawn to."
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
THREE
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Nayla%20Al%20Khaja%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Jefferson%20Hall%2C%20Faten%20Ahmed%2C%20Noura%20Alabed%2C%20Saud%20Alzarooni%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
List of officials:
Referees: Chris Broad, David Boon, Jeff Crowe, Andy Pycroft, Ranjan Madugalle and Richie Richardson.
Umpires: Aleem Dar, Kumara Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Ian Gould, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford, Ruchira Palliyaguruge, Sundaram Ravi, Paul Reiffel, Rod Tucker, Michael Gough, Joel Wilson and Paul Wilson.
The Orwell Prize for Political Writing
Twelve books were longlisted for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing. The non-fiction works cover various themes from education, gender bias, and the environment to surveillance and political power. Some of the books that made it to the non-fiction longlist include:
- Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill and the Road to War by Tim Bouverie
- Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me by Kate Clanchy
- Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
- Follow Me, Akhi: The Online World of British Muslims by Hussein Kesvani
- Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS by Azadeh Moaveni
Teaching your child to save
Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
* JP Morgan Private Bank
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Kamindu Mendis bio
Full name: Pasqual Handi Kamindu Dilanka Mendis
Born: September 30, 1998
Age: 20 years and 26 days
Nationality: Sri Lankan
Major teams Sri Lanka's Under 19 team
Batting style: Left-hander
Bowling style: Right-arm off-spin and slow left-arm orthodox (that's right!)
The specs: 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor
Price, base / as tested Dh220,000 / Dh320,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission 10-speed automatic
Power 421hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 678Nm @ 3,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.1L / 100km
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
INDIA SQUAD
Rohit Sharma (captain), Shikhar Dhawan (vice-captain), KL Rahul, Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik (wicketkeeper), Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Vijay Shankar, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammad Siraj and Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper)
Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (11.30pm)
Saturday Freiburg v Borussia Monchengladbach, Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Dortmund, Cologne v Wolfsburg, Arminia Bielefeld v Mainz (6.30pm) Bayern Munich v RB Leipzig (9.30pm)
Sunday Werder Bremen v Stuttgart (6.30pm), Schalke v Bayer Leverkusen (9pm)
Monday Hoffenheim v Augsburg (11.30pm)
'Cheb%20Khaled'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EArtist%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKhaled%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELabel%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBelieve%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Turning%20waste%20into%20fuel
%3Cp%3EAverage%20amount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20at%20DIC%20factory%20every%20month%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EApproximately%20106%2C000%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAmount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20from%201%20litre%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%20%3Cstrong%3E920ml%20(92%25)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETime%20required%20for%20one%20full%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%20used%20cooking%20oil%20to%20biofuel%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EOne%20day%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EEnergy%20requirements%20for%20one%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%201%2C000%20litres%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%96%AA%20Electricity%20-%201.1904%20units%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Water-%2031%20litres%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Diesel%20%E2%80%93%2026.275%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
US households add $601bn of debt in 2019
American households borrowed another $601 billion (Dh2.2bn) in 2019, the largest yearly gain since 2007, just before the global financial crisis, according to February data from the New York Federal Reserve Bank.
Fuelled by rising mortgage debt as homebuyers continued to take advantage of low interest rates, the increase last year brought total household debt to a record high, surpassing the previous peak reached in 2008 just before the market crash, according to the report.
Following the 22nd straight quarter of growth, American household debt swelled to $14.15 trillion by the end of 2019, the New York Fed said in its quarterly report.
In the final three months of the year, new home loans jumped to their highest volume since the fourth quarter of 2005, while credit cards and auto loans also added to the increase.
The bad debt load is taking its toll on some households, and the New York Fed warned that more and more credit card borrowers — particularly young people — were falling behind on their payments.
"Younger borrowers, who are disproportionately likely to have credit cards and student loans as their primary form of debt, struggle more than others with on-time repayment," New York Fed researchers said.
%20Ramez%20Gab%20Min%20El%20Akher
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStreaming%20on%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMBC%20Shahid%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
On racial profiling at airports
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
