Preview: Mark Thomas - Cuckooed at Northern Stage

Mark Thomas - Cuckooed

On Tour including:

Newcastle Northern Stage

Friday 20^th February 2015.

Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award winner - 2014

Scotsman Fringe First winner - 2014

Scotsman Fringe First winner – 2012    

Bank of ScotlandHerald Angel winner – 2012

Sony Award for Radio Comedy winner - 2008

Guinness World Record Holder: Most Number of Political Demonstrations in 24 Hours – 2006 MediActivist Awards (MISTY) – 2005 

UN Association Global Human Rights Defender Award - 2004

Kurdish National Congress Medal of Honour – 2002

Time Out Comedy Award – 1990

Following a total sell-out Edinburgh Fringe run once again, one of comedy’s elder statesmen and all-round arty mischief-maker continues his 8^th nationwide tour with a comedy of betrayal. Mark Thomas tells his true story of how Britain’s biggest arms manufacturer, BAESystems, came to spy on a comedian in this five star, multi-ward winning, critically acclaimed tale of hubris, planes, demos and undercover deceit.

Mark Thomas - Photo: Steve Ullahtorne

In 2012,  Mark’s first ever one-man theatre piece, Bravo Figaro, a touching and poignant tale first commissioned by the Royal Opera House about his opera-loving father which sold out its entire Fringe run, won Mark a Herald Angel award, a Scotsman Fringe First, and was recently broadcast on Radio 4. The show is set to tour Australiaand New Zealandin 2015. With Cuckooed, his second theatre piece, Mark was awarded his second Scotsman Fringe First, as well as the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression award, an honour for which Mark declared was “a very inspiring experience and I feel very humbled”.

Mark’s shows have always been entirely different from each other; he’s stopped arms deals, created a manifesto and brought the winning policy to parliament, walked the entire length of the Israeli wall in the West Bank and most recently completed 100 Acts of Minor Dissent, which included taking the police to court over surveillance and finding a new definition for the word ‘Farage’.

We all know that it’s not just his live shows for which Mark creates the trouble he has become famous for; his Channel 4 series The Mark Thomas Comedy Product ran for six series, he’s published three books and a manifesto, had various series commissioned by Radio 4, won a Sony Award for My Life in Serious Organised Crime, been a regular contributor to political magazine The New Statesman, won numerous awards, holds a Guinness World Record, investigated everything from Coca-Cola to inheritance tax avoidance in various TV documentaries, given evidence to Parliamentary Select Committees and stopped multinational infrastructure deals. Oh, and of course he’s been arrested countless times in one day. Fortunately, he has just enough bastard in him to prevent him from becoming a national treasure.

On The Web:

Website:        www.markthomasinfo.com

Twitter:           https://twitter.com/markthomasinfo

Press on Cuckooed:

★★★★★ “A brilliantly crafted hour… beautiful and heartfelt” METRO

★★★★★ “A brand of comedy that carries a far weightier purpose than to simply generate laughs…Cuckooed leaves a lasting impression” SUNDAY HERALD

★★★★★ “A masterful piece of storytelling and an engrossing hour” THE ARTS DESK

★★★★★ “Political theatre at its very best…takes the breath away… impassioned but lightened with underlying wit”BRITISH THEATRE GUIDE

★★★★★ “A very funny show about a serious, indeed deadly, business. This is vintage Mark Thomas – seriously funny in all the best senses, and as he so often is, bang on the money” EDINBURGH GUIDE

★★★★★ “Impassioned delivery, emphatic gesticulations and wry sense of humour… Thomas’ charisma is also inspirational and sparks a feeling of wanting to follow in his mischievous footsteps” TV BOMB

★★★★ “A clever, funny and angry show… an excoriating, heartfelt monologue” THE GUARDIAN

On Tour:

FEBRUARY                                VENUE                                                               BOX OFFICE

Tues 10^th-Thurs 12^th                               GLASGOW, Tron                                                                  0141 552 4267

Sat 14^th                                                   TUNBRIDGE WELLS, Trinity                                                    01892 678 678

Weds 18^th                                               LEICESTER, Curve                                                                 0116 242 3560

Thurs 19^th                                                MILTON KEYNES, The Stables                                              01908 280800

Fri 20^th                                                   NEWCASTLE, Northern Stage                                              0191 230 5151

Online Booking: www.northernstage.co.uk/whats-on/mark-thomas-cuckooed

Sun 22^nd                                                  IPSWICH, New Wolsey Theatre                                          01473 295900

Weds 25^th                                               SALFORD, The Lowry Quays                                                0843 208 6000

Thurs 26^th                                                SHEFFIELD, Crucible                                                              0114 249 6000

Fri 27^th                                                      COVENTRY, Warwick Arts Centre                                      024 7652 4524

Sat 28^th                                                   HUDDERSFIELD, Lawrence Batley Theatre                         01484 430528

MARCH

Thurs 5^th                                                  BRIGHTON, Corn Exchange                                                 01273 709709

Fri 6^th                                                        STREET, Strode Theatre                                                         01458 442846

Sat 7^th March                                        NORTH FINCHLEY, London Arts Depot                                 020 8369 5454

APRIL

Weds 15^th-Sat 18^th                                 EDINBURGH, Traverse                                                            0131 228 1404

Fri 24^th                                                      FOLKESTONE, Quarterhouse                                                 01303 858500

Weds 22^nd – Sat 2^nd May                     LONDON, Battersea Arts Centre                                          020 7223 2223

BRAVO FIGARO

Mon 4^th-Sat 9^th May                             LONDON, Battersea Arts Centre                                           020 7223 2223