Preview: Overdue at Newcastle Alphabetti

A World Premiere by Arabella Arnott to open Alphabetti Theatre's new home

 

Overdue 

Newcastle Alphabetti Theatre

Monday 4^th to Saturday 16^th September 2017

Coracle Productions are delighted to present the first production in Alphabetti Theatre’s new home on Newcastle’s St James’ Boulevard. The world premiere of Overdue by Arabella Arnott will take to the stage in the theatre’s new space from Monday 4 to Saturday 16 September 2017.

Rosie Stancliffe will be appearing in Overdue

Rosie Stancliffe from Leaving (CuriousMonkey) and Christopher Price from Catch 22 (Northern Stage) take on the roles of Beth and John, two people struggling to come to terms with the past. They are joined by emerging performers Skyla Pearce, who plays struggling single mum Izzie, and Benjamin Michael Smith who plays the enigmatic Jack - both young performers making their professional stage debuts in this production. The show will be directed by Coracle’s North East director Matt Jamie. 

Christopher Price

The production will be designed by Alison Ashton, who has designed for Open Clasp, Theatre Sans Frontiers and several Live Theatre productions including The Savage and Harriet Martineau Dreams ofDancing.

Beth and John are happily married. But they’re not always happy. There are lots of things they need to talk about. A chance encounter with a young single mum, Izzie, reminds Beth of her past, and conversations with an enigmatic young stranger, Jack, bring Beth’s thoughts and fears into focus. 

"I wonder what he'd be doing now? What kind of person he'd be. What kind of person I'd be?"

Benjamin Michael Smith

As Beth comes to find comfort in her ongoing chats with the two youngsters, 

she discovers that Jack may not be a stranger, and that he seems to hold the key to a lot of the answers she has been looking for – or hiding from.

Skyla Pearce

Overdue is a sensitive, touching and funny play that looks at the ‘what ifs’ and ‘never were’s’; the difficult decisions we make, and how those choices and their unspoken effects can shape our lives.

Arabella’s previous plays have been described as ‘witty, insightful, refreshing and entertaining’ (NARC) and ‘afascinating watch’ (NE Theatre Guide). Her play Life After, also produced by Coracle, was presented earlier this year as part of their double-bill Trajectory and was the last production to appear at Alphabetti’s old venue. Coracle are really excited to present the world premiere of Overdue at Alphabetti’s new home on St James’ Boulevard.

As Director Matt Jamie said ‘We’re excited to present the first full production at Alphabetti Theatre’s new home on St James’ Boulevard, having said farewell to the old basement in March with our last production, Trajectory. This new play by Arabella Arnott tells the story of Beth, a thirty-something woman, coming to terms with some difficult choices she faced as a teenager. The play tackles some challenging themes (which are particularly relevant in the current political climate with women’s choices being challenged in Northern Ireland and in the United States); But Arabella hasn’t written an ‘issue play’ here – this is a touching and often witty drama about relationships, growing up, dealing with the past, and confronting fears.’

Alphabetti Theatre’s Artistic Director Ali Pritchard added 'After hearing Overdue at a reading, I enjoyed it so much that I decided to build a new theatre for it to open".

In addition to the run at Alphabetti Theatre, Overdue will enjoy a special one-off performance on Monday 11 September at George Street Social a new alcohol-free cafe and performance venue run by The Road to Recovery Trust. George Street Social provides a space for people in recovery and opens up mainstream theatre for people who might not feel comfortable in a venue serving alcohol.

Directed by Matt Jamie
Cast: Rosie Stancliffe, Christopher Price and introducing Skyla Pearce and Benjamin Michael Smith 

Tickets:

Overdue is at Newcastle’s Alphabetti Theatre from Monday 4 to Saturday 16 September 2017 and is suitable for 13+. Tickets are £9 full price; £7 concessions with Pay What You Decide performances on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Overdue is at George Street Social (Newcastle) on Monday 11 September and tickets are £5. 

For more information or to book tickets visit www.coracleproductions.com 

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