Latest news with #Seebohm
The Guardian
25-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
His Last Report review – dynamic celebration of chocolatier's son who invented ‘the poverty line'
There are myriad reasons why this parochial production will never travel outside the city walls of York, not least of which is the size of the more than 80-strong community cast. There are also jokes that you will only fully appreciate if you understand ancient antagonisms between Yorkshire's West and North Ridings and why 'Cadbury's' (in a place built around Rowntree's) is a punchline. Yet writers Misha Duncan-Barry and Bridget Foreman have plundered this most local of stories and found something universal, relevant and powerful. Antony Jardine, one of two professional actors in the production (the other being Amelia Donkor playing Gulie Harlock) plays Seebohm Rowntree, the son of Joseph Rowntree, chocolatier, philanthropist and modest man (unlike Titus Salt who named a whole village after himself; a joke that acts as a litmus test of whether or not you will get this story). Seebohm grew up in privilege and emerged a social reformer, conducting three comprehensive studies into poverty in York during his lifetime. We meet him burning his last study, having arrived at the end of a lifetime of work believing nothing has changed, despite introducing the concept of the 'poverty line', below which nobody, he believed, should fall. Directors Juliet Forster and Paul Birch give a sense of dynamism to this history lesson by employing tricks including a literal trapeze artist swinging from the rafters. The history of Seebohm Rowntree becomes increasingly interrupted by meta-intrusions – at one point we watch actors playing the writers and directors of the play we're watching, rehearsing the play we are watching. As we watch Seebohm attempt to raise people out of poverty, we also see a performance of a King Lear speech, which transforms into an enormous pageant and celebration of the power of art itself. By the end, when the modern world of zero-hour contracts and clogged GP telephone lines have completely bled into Seebohm's early 20th century, it all gets a little Boal and Brechtian, to moving effect. With his resolution that he has 'so much to do' you can't help but also hear a little of Alexander Hamilton in Seebohm Rowntree. This is a big play with big ideas, but one which has been well contained within the city walls. At York Theatre Royal until 3 August
News.com.au
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Aussie Olympian and MAFS star call off engagement after three years
Australian Olympian Emily Seebohm and MAFS star Ryan Gallagher have reportedly called off their engagement. The duo sent the rumour mill into overdrive in recent weeks when they unfollowed each other on Instagram, now it appears the split has been confirmed. The seven-time Olympic medallist was spotted out and about without her engagement ring on with a source confirming to Sky News Australia the pair had called it quits. 'Ryan and Emily are trying to find a new normal, which has been a real process,' the source said. 'Their number one priority is Sampson and ensuring he continues to feel supported by both parents.' Gallagher has reportedly relocated to Brisbane to be close to the Seebohm family, but is living on his own. The split comes after the pair got engaged in 2022 following months of swirling rumours surrounding their relationship. Seebohm had been spotted with a diamond ring on her finger in December, 2022 but it wasn't until months later when the duo confirmed Gallagher had popped the question. The three-time Olympic champion met the Married At First Sight star on Channel 10 reality show The Challenge Australia. Seebohm and Gallagher welcomed their son, Sampson Ryan Seebohm, into the world in September 2023. After what she had called a 'rough' pregnancy, Seebohm had said she had a few requirements for Sampson's name. 'Obviously we didn't want something super crazy,' Seebohm said. 'But we wanted something that was going to be unique.' The pair are reportedly focusing on co-parenting for their son and are treating their split as a 'private matter'. 'They haven't felt the need to make public statements,' the source said. 'This is a private matter, and they're treating it as such.'
Sky News AU
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
Legendary Olympian Emily Seebohm splits from MAFS star Ryan Gallagher as couple spotted out separately without engagement rings
Aussie swimming star Emily Seebohm and her reality star fiancé Ryan Gallagher have called time on their relationship, a source close to the couple has exclusively confirmed. The legendary Olympian, 32, and former Married At First Sight star, 36, have been the target of break-up speculation in recent weeks after they unfollowed each other on Instagram. Seebohm, who won seven Olympic medals for Australia across three Games, has also been spotted out and about without her engagement ring. It can now be revealed the couple have ended their engagement and are focusing on co-parenting their son Sampson, one. 'Ryan and Emily are trying to find a new normal, which has been a real process,' a source close to Seebohm and Gallagher exclusively told 'There's a lot of healing still to be done. 'Their number one priority is Sampson and ensuring he continues to feel supported by both parents.' The couple got engaged in 2022 and welcomed their son in 2023 after originally meeting on the reality series The Challenge Australia. It is understood Gallagher relocated to Brisbane to be closer to Seebohm's family, but he is now living independently and 'focusing on his mental health'. 'They've both been very conscious of not turning this into a media circus,' the source said. 'They haven't felt the need to make public statements. 'This is a private matter, and they're treating it as such.' The couple has yet to speak publicly about their split but are understood to have stepped back from the spotlight while they adjust to their new routines as parents. Seebohm, who has had a Brisbane aquatic centre named in her honour, officially retired from swimming last year after failing to qualify for the Paris Olympics. Gallagher first graced screens as a contestant on the 2018 season of Married First Sight and later entered the jungle for I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here. 'Ryan is well-liked by networks. He's down to earth, funny, and easy to work with,' a producer who worked with the ex-MAFS contestant said. 'Australian audiences likely haven't seen the last of either of them.'
