Robert John Kenneth Titley


 

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Welsh Diva Iris Williams returns to New york with her debut at the Beach Cafe on September 8 2018

Welsh Diva Iris Williams returns to New York with debut at the Beach Café on

September 8, 2018

 

New York, NY – August 01 – International song stylist Iris Williams returns to the New York cabaret scene in a solo performance in her debut at The Beach Cafe located on New York’s Upper East Side.  During Ms. Williams’ set, themed “Let the music begin” she will interpret classic American standards and other favorites. September 8 at 8.15pm. A second appearance at the same venue will be made on October 13. Cabaret — The Beach Cafe .

 

Ms. Williams will also be appearing at the Cabaret Convention in New York on October 12 -
The 29th New York Cabaret Convention .

 

In October 2015, Candace Leeds of Cabaret Scenes declared, “The stately Welsh singer, Iris Williams, made her Birdland debut …, performing to an enthusiastic sold-out house. With her low-key charm, elegant presence, and lovely, deep-throated contralto voice, she truly inhabited each of her songs. She had the audience in the palm of her hand throughout the show.”

 

Reviewing her performance at The Metropolitan Club in 2013, Joe Regan, Jr said, “Iris Williams has lost not a bit of her voice which was championed by Stephen Holden (“…one of the most striking voices in all of cabaret.”) and Rex Reed (“You owe it to yourself to see this great lady: Impeccable taste and elegant phrasing.”) The vivacious and elegant chanteuse always performs with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. Rob Lester dubbed her voice ‘warm brandy’ and called her “The Halley’s Comet of cabaret.” Jeffrey Bruce for Cabaret Scenes, said after a recent concert in Boca Raton, ‘this woman is a star, in the truest sense of the word. Catch her if you can!

.

 

Ms. Williams is a favorite of Presidents and Royalty. Her classical training, exceptional talent and rich, warm contralto impelled her beyond her beloved native Wales and helped Iris to thrive when her honest and touching rendition of “He Was Beautiful” went gold and launched her international career.

 

Iris says of her love of cabaret, “I am very drawn – musically, and especially lyrically - to The American Songbook.  I relish interpreting these lyrics with their compelling stories of love, sadness, happiness, and loss so that my audiences can connect on a personal level with the meaning of the lyrics behind the music.  I also enjoy keeping things fresh by exploring different interpretations at each performance .”

 

Now based in California, the much-loved songstress was awarded the OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 2004 by Queen Elizabeth II for her musical accomplishments and her work with charity, Iris Williams has performed with Bob Hope and Rosemary Clooney, for President Gerald Ford, the British Royal Family and has at The Algonquin’s iconic Oak Room, The Metropolitan Room and NYC’s landmark Birdland Jazz Club as well as Catalina’s in Los Angeles and the Purple Plume in Palm Springs. Catch Iris Williams at the Beach Café, 1326 2nd Avenue, New York, NY on September 8 or October 13 at 8.15pm. For reservations go to IRIS WILLIAMS Tickets, Sat, Sep 8, 2018 at 8:15 PM | Eventbrite .                                                        

 

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NYC City Showcase for USA/Canadian grads held in NYC on Sept 26 at the Signature Theatre

Kate Burton & Matthew Rhys and the grads after their NYC Showcase on Sept 26.

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Welsh Diva Iris Williams Returns to New York City’s Metropolitan Room

Media Contact:

Finell Enterprises

alycefinell@gmail.com

212 734 6369

 

 

Welsh Diva Iris Williams Returns to New York City’s Metropolitan Room

So “Let the Music Begin” at the Metropolitan Room on October 22

 

New York, NY – September 28, 2016– International song stylist Iris Williams returns to the Metropolitan Room for one night only on October 22 at 7pm, direct from her performance interpreting Sondheim at the Cabaret Convention on October 19.

 

Since her Metropolitan Room debut in 2013, Iris has sold out at Birdland Jazz in NYC and won critical acclaim for performances at Catalina’s in Los Angeles. She is looking forward to returning to the Metropolitan Room, one of the few remaining cabaret rooms in America.  Ms. Williams invites you to  ”Let the Music Begin” as she interprets standards by the likes of Johnny Mercer, Irving Berlin, Stephen Sondheim, Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein, Nat King Cole, Carole King, Ashford & Simpson and Edith Piaf on October 22 at 7.00 pm. Metropolitan Room Buy Tickets .

 

To quote The New York Times’ Stephen Holden, “This demure Welsh singer has one of the most striking voices in all of cabaret...”  The vivacious and elegant chanteuse, who always performs with a mischievous twinkle in her eye - ...” – says, “The Metropolitan Room’s coziness suits me down to the ground.  It’ll let me keep the audience where I like them – up close – in a hug – or ‘cwtch’ as we say in Welsh.” Iris Williams sings “Dreams”

 

Ms. Williams’ rich, warm contralto impelled her far beyond the borders of her beloved homeland, Wales.  A scholarship student at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, her classical training helped Iris to thrive when her honest and touching rendition of the pop classic “He Was Beautiful” went gold and then platinum, launching the already-accomplished singing actress on an international career.

 

Now based in New York, the much-loved songstress still performs frequently in Wales. Awarded the OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 2004 by Queen Elizabeth II for her musical accomplishments and her work with charity, Iris has performed at The Algonquin’s Oak Room, for President Gerald Ford and the British Royal Family, and with Tom Jones, Bob Hope, Rosemary Clooney and many others. She is currently filming a British TV special.

 

Catch Iris Williams at The Metropolitan Room on October 22 at 7.00pm. www.themetropolitanroom.com ; 34 West 22 Street, New York City; 212 206 0440.

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Matthew Rhys and grads from the Royal Welsh College after their NYC Showcase on Sept 26.

Terrific performances from the USA/Canadian grads at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama inaugural NYC Showcase on Sept 26th at the Signature Theater. 

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Kate Burton to open Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama’s

Inaugural Actors’ Showcase at the Signature Theater

in New York on September 26, 2016

 

New York, New York – September 20, 2016 - With the increasing numbers of UK-trained actors on the major US media channels, the time is right for The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama’s (RWCMD) inaugural US Actors Showcase in New York City.  It will be held at the Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theater in the Signature Theater complex on September 26, 2016.  Obviously, the US broadcast and theater industries value training and technique and this event will provide its American and Canadian graduates with the opportunity to showcase the talents they’ve honed at RWCMD to US casting directors, agents and managers.

The Showcase will be introduced by Emmy and Tony Award nominee Kate Burton, daughter of the great Welsh actor Richard Burton.

"I have been associated with the College for a long time and have been very impressed by the quality of work I have seen, so much so that I offered to introduce them to the New York entertainment community,” says Kate Burton.

RWCMD was named by The Guardian University Guide as the top drama school in the UK twice in the last three years; the acting course delivers an intensive program that concentrates on the skills most valued by the theater and film industries in the UK and US.

RWCMD attracts talented acting students from all over the US, following rigorous auditions in New York, Chicago and LA. With just 22 undergraduate slots, the College is one of the most competitive drama schools in the UK. Its resident company of final year actors, The Richard Burton Company, stages fifteen productions each year, running the gamut from the classic to contemporary repertoire.

Leading agents and casting directors regularly attend the College’s productions and the Head of Casting from the Royal Shakespeare Company auditions every acting student.  National Theatre’s (NT) Head of Casting, Wendy Spon, is also a frequent visitor, “it’s one of my favorite drama schools,” she says. “The standard of training is high and the NT consistently auditions and employs their graduates.”

The College is one of the UK’s leading schools “with a reputation for producing unusual and exciting well-trained actors that the industry is hungry for every year,” says Tony Award-winning theatre director Michael Grandage.

Christopher Farrar of the Hamilton Hodell Entertainment Agency says,    “The Royal Welsh College is an outstanding school; their ability to produce fearless, curious and exciting actors is second to none and their showcases are consistently fresh and inventive... Hamilton Hodell is extremely proud to represent many of their alumni…”

 

Editors’ Notes:

  • “We feel confident that our students will compare favourably with those training at the top US schools. So we are now putting on our first ever US Showcase at the Signature Theatre in New York. Our London Showcase is one of the best attended in the UK and we hope that that we can go from strength to strength and emulate that. It’s an adventure and we intend to enjoy it! “   David Bond, Head of Actor Training, RWCMD

 

  • In 2011 Kate Burton opened the Royal Welsh College’s new multi-million dollar facilities in Cardiff, where she also unveiled a bust of her father. Elizabeth Taylor had presented the bust of her late husband to RWCMD Patron Prince Charles at a royal gala at Buckingham Palace. It now stands in front of the new RWCMD Richard Burton Theatre. Kate Burton is an International Associate of RWCMD and continues to assist the College with its advancement appeals in the US. She is a graduate and trustee of Brown University and a graduate and on the board of advisors of The Yale School of Drama.

 

  • In 2013 on March1 (St David’s Day – the Feast of Wales’ patron saint), Welsh actor Michael Sheen (Masters of Sex), who is a Fellow and International Chair in Drama at the College, unveiled Richard Burton’s star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. With the College’s President, Lord Rowe-Beddoe, Michael then launched the College’s Scholarship Appeal in the US at a reception to celebrate Welsh talent.

 

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Welsh Diva Iris Williams Arrives On Los Angeles Cabaret Scene

Welsh Diva Iris Williams Arrives On Los Angeles Cabaret Scene

In Her Debut Performance at Catalina Jazz Club on April 13

 

New York, NY – February 23, 2016 – International song stylist Iris Williams arrives on the Los Angeles cabaret scene in a one night only solo performance - her debut at Catalina’s located on Hollywood’s storied Sunset Boulevard.  During Ms. Williams’ set, themed “I Wish You Love,” she will interpret classic American standards featuring composers Gershwin, Harold Arlen, Duke Ellington, Burton Lane, and more.  Music Director Keith Droste will be on piano, with Jeff Stover on bass and Andy Fraga on drums on April 13 at 8:30pm.

 

In October 2015, Candace Leeds of Cabaret Scenes declared, “The stately Welsh singer, Iris Williams, made her Birdland debut …, performing to an enthusiastic sold-out house. With her low-key charm, elegant presence, and lovely, deep-throated contralto voice, she truly inhabited each of her songs. She had the audience in the palm of her hand throughout the show.”

 

Reviewing her performance at The Metropolitan Club in 2013, Joe Regan, Jr said, “Iris Williams has lost not a bit of her voice which was championed by Stephen Holden (“…one of the most striking voices in all of cabaret.”) and Rex Reed (“You owe it to yourself to see this great lady: Impeccable taste and elegant phrasing.”) The vivacious and elegant chanteuse always performs with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. Rob Lester dubbed her voice ‘warm brandy’ and called her “The Halley’s Comet of cabaret.” 

 

Ms. Williams is a favorite of Presidents and Royalty. Her classical training, exceptional talent and rich, warm contralto impelled her beyond her beloved native Wales and helped Iris to thrive when her honest and touching rendition of “He Was Beautiful” went gold and launched her international career.

 

Iris says of her love of cabaret, “I am very drawn – musically, and especially lyrically - to The American Songbook.  I relish interpreting these lyrics with their compelling stories of love, sadness, happiness, and loss so that my audiences can connect on a personal level with the meaning of the lyrics behind the music.  I also enjoy keeping things fresh by exploring different interpretations at each performance.”

 

Now based in New York, the much-loved songstress still performs frequently in Wales. Awarded the OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 2004 by Queen Elizabeth II for her musical accomplishments and her work with charity, Iris Williams has performed with Bob Hope and Rosemary Clooney, for President Gerald Ford, the British Royal Family, at The Algonquin’s iconic Oak Room and NYC’s landmark Birdland Jazz Club.

 

Catch Iris Williams at Catalina Jazz Club – 6725 Sunset Blvd, Hollywood, CA on April 13, 2016 at 8:30pm.  For reservations call 323 466 2210.                                                                  

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Dylanthon - to celebrate Dylan's centenary


By Bob Titley, 2014-10-02

 

PRESS RELEASE INFORMATION FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 30 TH SEPTEMBER 2014

Wales Theatre Company, Swansea Grand Theatre, Dylan 100, The Welsh Assembly Government and Homer Simpson Productions present

THE DYLATHON Patron:  Hannah Ellis

A 36-HOUR NON-STOP READING OF THE WORKS OF DYLAN THOMAS TO CELEBRATE THE CENTENARY OF HIS BIRTH at SWANSEA GRAND THEATRE,

 11am SUNDAY 26th OCTOBER - 11pm MONDAY 27th OCTOBER

STARS OF STAGE, SCREEN, POLITICS, SPORT, MEDIA AND THE ARTS JOIN SWANSEA SCHOOL CHILDREN, YOUTH and COMMUNITY GROUPS

in EPIC CLIMACTIC EVENT OF THE DYLAN THOMAS 100 FESTIVAL

in aid of

THE PRINCE'S FOUNDATION FOR CHILDREN & THE ARTS

Supported by Dylan Thomas 100 Festival and City and County of Swansea.

 

GUEST OF HONOUR

Irish President Michael D Higgins

IAN McKELLEN, JONATHAN PRYCE, KATHERINE JENKINS, SIAN PHILLIPS JOIN HUNDREDS ON LIVE ON STAGE

 

The climactic event in the Dylan Thomas 100 Festival, The Dylathon is a 36 Hour live non-stop reading of the works of Dylan Thomas at Swansea Grand Theatre ending on the very hour of his birth 100 years before.

 

Readers live on stage include great stars of stage and screen (Ian McKellen, Sian Phillips, Jonathan Pryce) ; sports legends (JPR Williams, Eddie Butler, Ryan Jones ) ; national treasures (Ruth Madoc, Katherine Jenkins, Nicholas Parsons) ; a strong Irish contingent to greet our guest of honour President Michael D Higgins (Dervla Kirwan and Frank Kelly) ; broadcasters (Robert Peston, Gethin Jones, Sian Lloyd) ; actors (Celyn Jones, Suzanne Packer, Charles Dale) ; musicians (Eggs Laid by Tigers, The Morriston Orpheus Choir );   comedians (Jo Brand, Kevin Eldon) ; writers (Howard Brenton, Gillian Clarke) ; together with local school children,  young people and community groups.   The closing hour of the show will include   The Rt Hon Carwyn Jones AM, First Minister of Wales reading  Those Who Died in the Dawn Raid ,   Michael Sheen will join the party via live-link from New York and Hannah Ellis , Dylan Thomas 100 Patron and Thomas' Granddaughter will read 'Letter to Aeron' - Dylan's letter to his daughter Aeronwy,  Hannah's mother.

 

Olivier Award-winning stage director Michael Bogdanov will stage 36 hours of non-stop Dylan, creating twelve elegantly crafted 3 hour 'chapters' from the poems, short stories, letters, broadcasts (including Under Milk Wood ) and film scripts plus some rare and unpublished materials.  Fully devised and curated, with over 200 pieces of material read by literally hundreds of voices. The event is designed by multi-award winning Ed 'Dr Who' Thomas and literary consultant is the international Dylan Thomas expert Jeff Towns.

 

It will be a fitting tribute to Wales' most potent cultural icon, an audacious centenary celebration in the city of his birth, his beloved Ugly, Lovely Swansea.

 

For the final chapter of the Dylathon 'The Thin Night Darkens', President Michael D Higgins , Dylan Thomas 100 stakeholders international dignitaries and guests will join the audience for the climactic minutes leading up to 11pm on Monday 27th.  This final 3 Hour chapter will feature: 

 

  • Hannah Ellis (Dylan Thomas' granddaughter and Dylathon patron) reading 'Letter to Aeron' - Dylan's letter to his daughter Aeronwy, Hannah's mother
  • HRH The Prince of Wales' (Dylan Thomas 100 Festival Royal Patron) recording of 'Fern Hill' .
  • The Rt Hon Carwyn Jones AM, First Minister of Wales reading ' Those Who Died in the Dawn Raid'
  • Ian McKellen reading 'Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night', from 'Deaths and Entrances'
  • Katherine Jenkins and Ian McKellen  reading Rosie Probert and Captain Cat from Under Milk Woo.
  • Jonathan Pryce reading 'A Child's Christmas in Wales'
  • Sian Phillips  reading Dylan's 1st letter to Caitlin Macnamara, his future wife
  • Ryan Jones - former Wales Rugby Captain and British Lion reading  ' A Letter to Vernon Watkins' , written November 13, 1937
  • Gillian Clarke , Wales National Poet Laureate reading 'Poem On His Birthday' from 'In Country Sleep'
  • Michael Sheen - a live link from New York - reading 'And Death Shall Have No Dominion'  from '25 Poems'
  • The Wales Theatre Company reading from ' Under Milk Wood'.  
  • The Morriston Orpheus Choir singing The Reverend Ely Jenkins Sunset Poem from 'Under Milk Wood'.

Dylan Thomas fans from throughout the world can buy tickets for this extraordinary celebration for the entire 36 hours, for 12 hours or for a 3 hour block. See www.dylathon100.com  for programme descriptions and booking details.  Press tickets available.

The Prince's Foundation for Children & the Arts will be the beneficiary charity of The Dylathon. Children & the Arts is the only national charity working to ensure that all children in the UK are inspired by the arts and to address social and economic barriers to participation. Working with Children & the Arts, The Dylathon will provide a dynamic programme of opportunities for Swansea school children to participate on stage at the event, reading materials Thomas wrote as a child. Funds raised from The Dylathon will enable disadvantaged children in South Wales to participate in high-quality arts activities.

The Dylathon is supported by City and County of Swansea and the Dylan Thomas 100 Festival. 

Live on stage:   Kevin Allen, Bill Bellamy , Di Botcher , Howard  Brenton, Eddie Butler, Colin Charvis , Boyd  Clack, Gillian Clarke, Tracey  Curtis, Charles Dale, Kath  Dimery,  Kevin  Eldon, Kate Fahy, Peter  Finch, Trevor Fishlock, Phil George, Russell Gomer, Helen  Griffin, Ian Griffiths, Geoff Hayden, Frank Hennessey, Katherine  Jenkins, Kevin  Johns, Celyn Jones, Kirsten  Jones, Ryan Jones, Frank Kelly, Bob   Kingdom, Dervla Kirwen, Tony Lewis, Sian Lloyd, Ruth Madoc, Ian   McKellen, Jessica Lee Morgan, Liz Morgan, Sharon Morgan, Terry Mortimer, Richard  Munday, Chris Needs, Roy Noble, Jamie Owen, Suzanne Packer, Nicholas  Parsons, Robert Peston, Sian  Phillips, Mal Pope, Jonathan  Pryce, Robert Pugh, Ieuan Rhys, Shani Rhys James, Jonathon Roberts, Nia Roberts, Lisa Rogers, Michael  Sheen, Dai Smith, Zoe Speas, Peter Stead, John Tregenna, JPR Williams, John Williams, Martyn Williams, Eggs Laid By Tigers, Morriston Orpheus Choir plus participants from,  Swansea Little Theatre Bishop Gore School, Dylan Thomas Community College, Big Issue Vendors, Gower Gorseinon College Sir Harry Secombe Trust Youth Theatre and Blaenymaes Primary School

 

ENDS

For further information please contact:

 Sarah O'Brien: sarah@hobpublicity.co.uk / 07770 747171

Sally Homer: sally@hobpublicity.co.uk   / 07973 142127

 

 

For queries regarding the Irish Presidents attendance please contact:

  Clare Brosnan, Press Officer, Embassy of Ireland on +44 (0)207 2012 522/ clare.brosnan@dfa.ie

 

For further information on The Prince's Foundation for Children & the Arts please contact:

Marcus Stanton: marcus@marcusstanton.co.uk T: 07900 891287

 

 


 

*** TICKETS NOW ON SALE ***

www.dylathon100.com

 

LISTINGS DETAILS

 

THE DYLATHON

11am SUNDAY 26th OCTOBER - 11pm MONDAY 27th OCTOBER

 

Swansea Grand Theatre,

Singleton St,

Swansea SA1 3QJ

 

Box Office: 01792 475715 swanseagrand.co.uk or book at www.dylathon100.com

Tickets available for the whole 36 hours, 12 hours or 3 hour sessions.

 

SUNDAY OCTOBER 26th

11am – 2pm   TO BEGIN AT THE BEGINNING

2pm - 5pm      UP TO NO GOOD         

5pm - 8pm      HOT FROG, CYANIDE AND BAT-SPIT       

8pm - 11pm    TOO LATE COCK, TOO LATE

MONDAY OCTOBER 27th

11pm - 2am     DROWNED ASLEEP

2am - 5am       FLYING  LIKE BLACK FLOUR

5am - 8am       THE DARKEST BEFORE DAWN

8am - 11am     SEAWEED AND BREAKFAST                         

11am - 2pm    THE MORNING IS ALL SINGING

2pm - 5pm      PARLEZ VOUS JIG JIG

5pm - 8pm      OFF TO GOMORRAH

8pm - 11pm   THE THIN NIGHT DARKENS


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