Preview: Contained at Newcastle Northern Stage

England’s largest learning disability theatre company take critically acclaimed show to Northern Stage.

Contained

Newcastle Northern Stage

Thursday 4^th - Saturday 6^th May 2017

Following appearances at the Crossing the Line Festival in Roubaix, France and West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds Mind the Gap’s critically acclaimed show Contained is heading to Northern Stage, Newcastle upon Tynefrom 4 – 6 May.

The production, which originally toured to small venues across the UK in 2015/16 has undergone a significant period of development and has been transformed for larger venues

thanks to almost £50,000 worth of funding from Arts Council England’s Strategic Touring Programme.

Mind the Gap created Contained in collaboration with director Alan Lyddiard (Former Artistic Director of Northern Stage and Artistic Director of the Performance Ensemble) and Denis Darzacq (award-winning French Photographer) and together, they produced a gritty, honest and thought-provoking show that aims to reflect the lives of people with learning disabilities in today’s society.

Director Alan Lyddiard says " I am really looking forward to being back in Tyneside. My time at Northern Stage was an extremely exciting period of my life. We created some amazing projects with an incredible team of people. My last show in Newcastle was a community project 'City of Sanctuary' at John the Baptist Church in Newcastle City Centre. I worked with some wonderful groups like Lawnmowers from Gateshead and Better Days from Newcastle. We plan to be working with both groups again during a series of workshops and events when visiting Northern Stage with Contained in May. My time at Northern Stage taught me a lot and I carry those lessons with me in all the work I am doing today."

Contained features nine learning-disabled performers, including Liam Bairstow (Alex in ITV’s Coronation Street) and Jez Colborne (lead artist of Mind the Gap’s Irresistible, Gift and Trickster) who has written original music and lyrics for the show. Together they present nine interwoven true stories about family and friendships, love and loss, the everyday and the extraordinary.

Combining live performance, film, photography, music and dance, Contained explores those small moments in life that suddenly become meaningful: moments that teach us about ourselves and the world that we live in.

“It forces us to rethink the dominant narratives around disability, defiantly and joyously trashing any idea of lives diminished and less fully lived and experienced.” Lyn Gardner, The Guardian As well as four performances of Contained at Northern Stage, Mind the Gap will hold a series of free events for anyone who has purchased a ticket to the show including workshops, discussion events and an exhibition (see full list below).

Following its appearance at Northern Stage, the show will continue its strategic tour to two other venues in the North of England: The Lowry, Salford (25 May) and Square Chapel Centre for the Arts, Halifax (8 & 9 June).

Activities at Northern Stage

4 May 7pm – 7:30pm TBC Performance Platform for people wanting to see new work by aspiring learning disabled performers http://northernstage.co.uk/whats-on/contained-performance-platform

4 May 7:45pm CONTAINED; followed by Post Show Discussion

5 May 10am – 11:30am CONTAINED: The Workshop for artists and performers, led by Director Alan Lyddiard

5 May 1pm CONTAINED

5 May 3:30pm – 6:30pm Tea & Trailers for learning disability arts organisations to come together and share work http://northernstage.co.uk/whats-on/contained-tea-trailers

5 May 7:45pm CONTAINED

6 May 10am – 5pm A Day of Workshops & Sharing for everyone: a series of exploratory workshops and activities http://northernstage.co.uk/whats-on/contained-actors-workshop

6 May 7:45pm CONTAINED

For more information about these events or the performance, visit www.mind-the-gap.org.uk/contained

Tickets:

Tickets: £15.50 / £13.50 concessions

http://northernstage.co.uk/whats-on/containedor call 0191 230 5151