Follow North East Theatre Guide on Twitter at https://twitter.com/NETheatreGuideand on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NETheatreGuide
Cast announced for dementia drama
Each Piece
Newcastle Live Theatre
Friday 27th - Saturday 28th January 2017
“You know, next time we meet? I won’t know you… I won’t even remember saying this.”
With over 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK, and numbers set to rise to over 1 million by 2025, award-winning writer-director and Northumbria University lecturer Steve Gilroy has put dementia under the spotlight for his latest drama Each Piece, which will be at Live Theatre on Friday 27 and Saturday 28 January at 8pm.
A talented cast of local actors, Chris Connel (Close The Coalhouse Door, The Pitmen Painters), Helen Embleton (Motherland, The Prize), Jess Johnston (Key Change, Anti-Gravity), Pete Peverly (The Tempest, The Bobby Thompson Story) and Laura Norton (Nativities, Faith & Cold Reading), who is on a break from her role as Kerry Wyatt in Emmerdale, will bring to life the real-life experiences of those whose lives have been dramatically impacted by dementia.
While carrying out research for Each Piece, Steve interviewed over a dozen people who visit Age UK Sunderland’s Essence Service, which was set up to provide space and support for those recently diagnosed with dementia and their loved ones and carers, to ensure they can have the best quality of life for as long as possible.
As writer and director Steve Gilroy explains: “Each Piece is the culmination of a year of research and a chance for audiences to gain a deeper understanding of how life can dramatically change for people diagnosed with dementia. People spoke with such honesty about their experiences, sharing amazing personal stories about their lives and relationships. These are a collection of stories about memories; some reveal true hardship, but alongside compassion, resilience and laughter.”
Steve has joined forces with Newcastle born singer-songwriter Richard Dawson who will be providing the music for the show. His 2014 album Nothing Important, which contains just four songs, was awarded five stars and described by The Guardian as “an extraordinary record: a strange reconfiguration of English folk traditions”.
Following each performance there will be a free post-show talk hosted by Steve Gilroy. This will be a chance to hear directly from some of the people whose stories are shared in Each Piece as well as professionals from within the field.
Each Piece is presented by Northumbria University, where Steve is a Principal Lecturer within Performing Arts, as part of an exciting and innovative three-year partnership with Live Theatre that seeks to create cultural collaborations that connect with the people of the North East, enhance teaching and learning, inspire new research, and connect academic research with the world of professional theatre.
Tickets:
This will be a script in hand performance.
Each Piece will take place in Live Theatre’s main theatre on Friday 27 and Saturday 28 January at 8p. Tickets are £8 and £6 concessions. For more information about Live Theatre visit www.live.org.uk and to find out more about studying Performing Arts at Northumbria Universitygo to: www.northumbria.ac.uk
Friday 27 & Saturday 28 January
Post Show Talks
Each Piece writer and director Steve Gilroy hosts a discussion after each performance with people involved in the making of the play. Followed by a Question and Answer session.
FREE, booking essential
Suitable for Artsmark visits.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.