Sitting down with…The Just Us League

Who are you and what do you do?
We are The Just Us League, the UK’s premiere, nerd-culture comedy double act! We’re currently touring our award-nominated show MARVELus: All the Marvel Movies… Kind Of (The unofficial Marvel parody show) It’s a sketch show/love letter about the Marvel movies.

What are you bringing to The Y Theatre?
We are bringing TWO shows to The Y; in the afternoon, we’re bringing a very special children’s show and we’ll be performing our normal (grown up) version in the evening.

If you could be on stage with anyone, who would it be and why?
Not technically on stage, but we’d love to be onscreen with the cast of the Marvel movies

What are you watching?
We are both feeling extreme sleep deprivation due to watching the midnight showing of Avengers: Endgame last night!!

Name one thing you can’t live without and why
Right now? Coffee.

Name one thing you really hate and why
Spoilers!! We’re currently on social media, calling people out. HAVE SOME SELF AWARENESS, YOU INCONSIDERATE TOOL!!

 

Describe your show with one GIF —->

Why should people come and see your show?
Because it’s hilarious – we get such amazing feedback from fans of the movies as well as people who have no idea; the show is for everyone!

See The Just Us League at The Y Theatre with MARVELus on Sunday 19 May.

Sitting down with…Half a String

Who are you and what do you do?
We are Half a String, and we create theatre shows with powerful stories, intricate puppetry and atmospheric live music. We love transforming sets that keep our audience guessing what is next, and love having families come as see our shows and share in the experience together.

What are you bringing to The Y Theatre?
We are bringing A Heart at Sea, an epic musical folktale told on a miniature scale.

If you could be on stage with anyone, who would it be and why?
Charlie Chaplin – it would be very fun and he is a genius performer with amazing ideas and flawless physical comedy.

What are you watching?
We are enjoying Fleabag and Alan Partridge on the BBC at the moment, slightly different audience and would not recommend children watching either! (but both are very good)

Name one thing you can’t live without and why
Our Bandsaw, we make everything ourselves and wouldn’t be able to do it without it.

Name one thing you really hate and why
Loose shoes in a car/van pack. We have banned it, they are really annoying and keep falling out every time we open the boot, hate is a strong word…but this does apply.

Describe your show with one GIF

Why should people come and see your show?
A Heart at Sea is magical experience. There is a heart-felt story, amazing live music with live looping on stage (some of which you can join in on). There is a transforming box all with hand carved scenes that fold out in front of your eyes, and puppets that will excite and captivate you!

See Half a String at The Y Theatre with A Heart At Sea on Sunday 14 April at 2pm.  For more info and to book click here!

#RefillNotLandfill

If you’ve been to one of our gigs you’ll know that we use a lot of plastic cups.  It’s an important part of what we do to help keep everyone safe while having a great time but we’ve never really been a fan of how much plastic we get through.  As we went to put in another order, we thought it was about time for a change.

Look at them!!!
Aren’t they snazzy?!

The 1-pint cups are made from recyclable plastic and are dishwasher safe, we we can use them again and again.  We couldn’t resist putting The Y Theatre logo on one side and our Leicester Comedy Festival ‘Lifetime Contribution’ award on the other.

The best thing about them is, you can have your own!

 

Here’s how to do it:

    1. Go to our theatre to see a talented musician (obviously, this is step one)
    2. Make a stop at the bar and order a drink
    3. The lovely bar tender will give you one of our shiny new cups for a £1 deposit.
    4. You enjoy the gig, drinking your drink throughout and musing on the fact that The Y Theatre won the Leicester Comedy Festival Lifetime Contribution Award (not to toot our own horn, but … *toot toot*)
    5. If you want a different drink, we’ll just swap out your cup at the bar.
    6. After the gig you can either hand your cup back in at the bar and get your £1 back OR keep your cup.  Simply walk away with it. Then not only do you have a super snazzy cup of your very own but you get to have that warm fuzzy feeling knowing you donated to charity.  Because that’s what you did.

Still confused?  Here’s a handy GIF!

 

 

 

And that’s it! It really could not be any more simple.

Theatre more your thing?  Well you can just ask!  We always have the cups behind the bar so if you want one our bar staff will be happy to help.

We look forward to seeing you at the bar!

Sitting down with…Shey Hargreaves

Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Shey Hargreaves, I’m a writer and performer based in Norfolk although I was born and raised in Leicester. I trained as an actor and scriptwriter and I write for stage, radio and occasionally graphic novels. Aside from that I do a lot of laundry (I have a toddler) and eat a lot of crisps (I like crisps).

What are you bringing to The Y Theatre?
My show Sick is touring nationally at the moment and I am beyond delighted that it’s coming to The Y Theatre on the 21st of March. It’s going to be a great feeling performing in my hometown and I can’t wait. It’s a one woman show that I have written and also perform, about my time working in the NHS as an emergency department receptionist.

If you could be on stage with anyone, who would it be and why?
My favourite person to watch on stage is Sindhu Vee because she makes me genuinely weep with laughter. However I think if I could actually be on stage with anyone it would be my brother because he lives in Canada at the moment and it’s TOO FAR and if he suddenly found himself on stage with me he would be forced to spend time with me out of respect for the paying audience. And maybe we could get a pint after.

What are you watching?
A bunch of toddler clothes going round and round in the washing machine before coming out and being dried and then being worn and then getting mud and sand and fruit crumble wiped all over them and then being put in the washing machine again and going round and round…

Name one thing you can’t live without and why
Crisps. Need I say more.

Name one thing you really hate and why
Replacement buses. Need I say more.

Describe your show with one GIF

Why should people come and see your show?
Because all of life is encompassed in what happens on an emergency unit, the good and the bad, the sidesplittingly funny and the chest-achingly sad. This show has connected with so many people in so many different ways because most of us have had experiences in our own lives that are reflected in the show’s themes. This makes both seeing and performing the show a really unique experience, a very warm, meaningful and tender interaction. And the impact of cuts to the health service is being felt right now, this minute, all across the country, by patients and staff within our hospitals, and those stories need to be heard.

See Shey at The Y Theatre in Sick on Thursday 21 March at 7.30pm.  For more info and to book click here!