This preview from a Yorkshire paper records the history of the project in the first venue he performed as a budding student comedian and his political journey thereafter.
This review from the Scotsman captures the show and its mesmeric effect on the audience
For the most part,
though, it’s just Mark Thomas, the audience, and the art that conceals
art, as he tells his beautifully-paced and structured story of a quest
to find a valued part of his own past that he is afraid he may just have
invented, or mythologised. His point is that narrative is power; and
that if there is to be any chance of fighting back against the dominant
right-wing narratives of our time, then the stories told in the cause of
a more humane and sustainable future had better be true. In what’s
often called a “post-truth” culture, it’s an unfashionable view; but it
gives Mark Thomas’s show a weight, a structural strength, and a
passionate humanity that surpasses most other work on the Fringe by a
long Yorkshire mile, and has many members of the audience wiping away
tears, as the story finally reaches journey’s end.
Read more at: http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/culture/theatre/theatre-review-mark-thomas-the-red-shed-1-4204269
In this video Mark Thomas gives his take on the Artists For Palestine UK display advertising the arrest of Palestinian Poet Dareen Tatour for writing a Poem against the ills of the Occupation and Settler Colonialism.Read more at: http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/culture/theatre/theatre-review-mark-thomas-the-red-shed-1-4204269
For the most part,
though, it’s just Mark Thomas, the audience, and the art that conceals
art, as he tells his beautifully-paced and structured story of a quest
to find a valued part of his own past that he is afraid he may just have
invented, or mythologised. His point is that narrative is power; and
that if there is to be any chance of fighting back against the dominant
right-wing narratives of our time, then the stories told in the cause of
a more humane and sustainable future had better be true. In what’s
often called a “post-truth” culture, it’s an unfashionable view; but it
gives Mark Thomas’s show a weight, a structural strength, and a
passionate humanity that surpasses most other work on the Fringe by a
long Yorkshire mile, and has many members of the audience wiping away
tears, as the story finally reaches journey’s end.
Read more at: http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/culture/theatre/theatre-review-mark-thomas-the-red-shed-1-4204269
Read more at: http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/culture/theatre/theatre-review-mark-thomas-the-red-shed-1-4204269
For the most part,
though, it’s just Mark Thomas, the audience, and the art that conceals
art, as he tells his beautifully-paced and structured story of a quest
to find a valued part of his own past that he is afraid he may just have
invented, or mythologised. His point is that narrative is power; and
that if there is to be any chance of fighting back against the dominant
right-wing narratives of our time, then the stories told in the cause of
a more humane and sustainable future had better be true. In what’s
often called a “post-truth” culture, it’s an unfashionable view; but it
gives Mark Thomas’s show a weight, a structural strength, and a
passionate humanity that surpasses most other work on the Fringe by a
long Yorkshire mile, and has many members of the audience wiping away
tears, as the story finally reaches journey’s end.
Read more at: http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/culture/theatre/theatre-review-mark-thomas-the-red-shed-1-4204269
Read more at: http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/culture/theatre/theatre-review-mark-thomas-the-red-shed-1-4204269
For the most part,
though, it’s just Mark Thomas, the audience, and the art that conceals
art, as he tells his beautifully-paced and structured story of a quest
to find a valued part of his own past that he is afraid he may just have
invented, or mythologised. His point is that narrative is power; and
that if there is to be any chance of fighting back against the dominant
right-wing narratives of our time, then the stories told in the cause of
a more humane and sustainable future had better be true. In what’s
often called a “post-truth” culture, it’s an unfashionable view; but it
gives Mark Thomas’s show a weight, a structural strength, and a
passionate humanity that surpasses most other work on the Fringe by a
long Yorkshire mile, and has many members of the audience wiping away
tears, as the story finally reaches journey’s end.
Read more at: http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/culture/theatre/theatre-review-mark-thomas-the-red-shed-1-4204269
Read more at: http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/culture/theatre/theatre-review-mark-thomas-the-red-shed-1-4204269
For the most part,
though, it’s just Mark Thomas, the audience, and the art that conceals
art, as he tells his beautifully-paced and structured story of a quest
to find a valued part of his own past that he is afraid he may just have
invented, or mythologised. His point is that narrative is power; and
that if there is to be any chance of fighting back against the dominant
right-wing narratives of our time, then the stories told in the cause of
a more humane and sustainable future had better be true. In what’s
often called a “post-truth” culture, it’s an unfashionable view; but it
gives Mark Thomas’s show a weight, a structural strength, and a
passionate humanity that surpasses most other work on the Fringe by a
long Yorkshire mile, and has many members of the audience wiping away
tears, as the story finally reaches journey’s end.
Read more at: http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/culture/theatre/theatre-review-mark-thomas-the-red-shed-1-4204269
Read more at: http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/culture/theatre/theatre-review-mark-thomas-the-red-shed-1-4204269
Alexei Sayle, Dave
Allen and the Yorkshire playwright Trevor Griffiths were early
influences on his political consciousness and his desire to entertain.
“I saw the play Comedians by Trevor Griffiths on TV in which he
discusses working class life and working class politics. I thought he
was an absolute genius, and it was a sketch by Dave Allen that my dad
used to explain to me how apartheid works. I declared myself an atheist
at 12, an anarchist at 16 and a Marxist at 18, I spent a year as a
Trotskyist and then went back to being a Marxist again. I’ve always been
an atheist though.”
Read more at: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/comedian-mark-thomas-on-how-a-yorkshire-shed-gave-him-his-big-break-1-7719110
Read more at: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/comedian-mark-thomas-on-how-a-yorkshire-shed-gave-him-his-big-break-1-7719110
“I’m really proud of
some of the things we achieved. We forced Nestlé to change their
packaging on baby milk and exposed Labour politician Michael Meacher who
was a buy-to-let landlord. In one episode we descended on Sellafield
and set up our own exhibition in the visitor centre to highlight the
fact that the local seagull droppings contained radioactive isotopes
that could only have come from the nuclear power station. They were
forced to admit liability and it cost them £1m to clean up their act.”
Read more at: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/comedian-mark-thomas-on-how-a-yorkshire-shed-gave-him-his-big-break-1-7719110
Read more at: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/comedian-mark-thomas-on-how-a-yorkshire-shed-gave-him-his-big-break-1-7719110
“I’m really proud of
some of the things we achieved. We forced Nestlé to change their
packaging on baby milk and exposed Labour politician Michael Meacher who
was a buy-to-let landlord. In one episode we descended on Sellafield
and set up our own exhibition in the visitor centre to highlight the
fact that the local seagull droppings contained radioactive isotopes
that could only have come from the nuclear power station. They were
forced to admit liability and it cost them £1m to clean up their act.”
Read more at: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/comedian-mark-thomas-on-how-a-yorkshire-shed-gave-him-his-big-break-1-7719110
Read more at: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/comedian-mark-thomas-on-how-a-yorkshire-shed-gave-him-his-big-break-1-7719110
“I’m really proud of
some of the things we achieved. We forced Nestlé to change their
packaging on baby milk and exposed Labour politician Michael Meacher who
was a buy-to-let landlord. In one episode we descended on Sellafield
and set up our own exhibition in the visitor centre to highlight the
fact that the local seagull droppings contained radioactive isotopes
that could only have come from the nuclear power station. They were
forced to admit liability and it cost them £1m to clean up their act.”
Read more at: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/comedian-mark-thomas-on-how-a-yorkshire-shed-gave-him-his-big-break-1-7719110
Read more at: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/comedian-mark-thomas-on-how-a-yorkshire-shed-gave-him-his-big-break-1-7719110
“I’m really proud of
some of the things we achieved. We forced Nestlé to change their
packaging on baby milk and exposed Labour politician Michael Meacher who
was a buy-to-let landlord. In one episode we descended on Sellafield
and set up our own exhibition in the visitor centre to highlight the
fact that the local seagull droppings contained radioactive isotopes
that could only have come from the nuclear power station. They were
forced to admit liability and it cost them £1m to clean up their act.”
Read more at: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/comedian-mark-thomas-on-how-a-yorkshire-shed-gave-him-his-big-break-1-7719110
Read more at: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/comedian-mark-thomas-on-how-a-yorkshire-shed-gave-him-his-big-break-1-7719110
“I’m really proud of
some of the things we achieved. We forced Nestlé to change their
packaging on baby milk and exposed Labour politician Michael Meacher who
was a buy-to-let landlord. In one episode we descended on Sellafield
and set up our own exhibition in the visitor centre to highlight the
fact that the local seagull droppings contained radioactive isotopes
that could only have come from the nuclear power station. They were
forced to admit liability and it cost them £1m to clean up their act.”
Read more at: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/comedian-mark-thomas-on-how-a-yorkshire-shed-gave-him-his-big-break-1-7719110
Read more at: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/comedian-mark-thomas-on-how-a-yorkshire-shed-gave-him-his-big-break-1-7719110
“I’m really proud of
some of the things we achieved. We forced Nestlé to change their
packaging on baby milk and exposed Labour politician Michael Meacher who
was a buy-to-let landlord. In one episode we descended on Sellafield
and set up our own exhibition in the visitor centre to highlight the
fact that the local seagull droppings contained radioactive isotopes
that could only have come from the nuclear power station. They were
forced to admit liability and it cost them £1m to clean up their act.”
Read more at: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/comedian-mark-thomas-on-how-a-yorkshire-shed-gave-him-his-big-break-1-7719110
Read more at: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/comedian-mark-thomas-on-how-a-yorkshire-shed-gave-him-his-big-break-1-7719110
“I’m really proud of
some of the things we achieved. We forced Nestlé to change their
packaging on baby milk and exposed Labour politician Michael Meacher who
was a buy-to-let landlord. In one episode we descended on Sellafield
and set up our own exhibition in the visitor centre to highlight the
fact that the local seagull droppings contained radioactive isotopes
that could only have come from the nuclear power station. They were
forced to admit liability and it cost them £1m to clean up their act.”
Read more at: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/comedian-mark-thomas-on-how-a-yorkshire-shed-gave-him-his-big-break-1-7719110
Read more at: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/comedian-mark-thomas-on-how-a-yorkshire-shed-gave-him-his-big-break-1-7719110
