“What aren’t you
looking at?”
Third Angel & Northern Stage
present:
The Department of Distractions
Newcastle Northern Stage
Friday 2 - Saturday 10 February 2018
Third Angel
asks “what aren’t you looking at?” in new show ‘The Department of Distractions’
coming to Northern Stage during February 2018
Third Angel
brings to Northern Stage a conspiracy-theory detective story for the 21st
century that explores the tiny details of everyday life and most importantly
asks: What aren’t you looking at? In a
world where ‘fake news’ is a term we have become all too familiar with, this
show asks, just how much are we paying attention, and what is the truth, if
there is such a thing as truth at all?
Blending
fiction and documentary detail, The Department of Distractions is a new play
about an organisation so clandestine you won’t have heard of them. Until now.
The Department says its job is to plant stories in the world “to make life more
interesting.” Others would argue that it’s as much about stopping us looking in
certain directions: a single glove in the street, a torn up love letter in a
Metro carriage, a pair of shoes hanging from a telephone wire or a phone box
that rings as you walk past…
 |
| Alexander Kelly Photo: Elliot Roberts |
Written by
Third Angel Co-artistic Director Alexander Kelly, this world premiere
performance at Northern Stage puts the audience at the centre of a complex web
of truths and untruths, both engaging, illuminating and mystifying. Unpicking
the snags in the fabric of everyday life, The Department of Distractions may
leave you with more questions than answers.
Alex explains
how the show explores some ongoing fascinations and obsessions of the company,
“I’ve loved detective stories since I was a teenager – starting with both
Raymond Chandler and Moonlighting. Several of our shows and projects have
hinted at them, but this is the first time we’ve done a full-on detective
story.
We’ve been
developing The Department of Distractions since 2014. In that time it has been
fascinating, compelling and depressing to see some of the ideas it explores
become more pressing.”
 |
| Rachael Walton |
Alex is
joined on the creative team by Third Angel Co-Artistic Director Rachael Walton,
Stage Designer Bethany Wells, Music and Sound Designer Heather Fenoughty,
Lighting Designer Katherine Williams and Dramaturg Stacey Sampson.
The cast
are: Rachael Walton (600 People, Third Angel), Stacey Sampson (This is England,
Channel 4), Nicholas Chambers (The Great Gatsby, Wilton's Music Hall) and Umar
Ahmed (My Name Is, Tamasha Theatre Company).
Created with
the lightness of touch and ferocity for detail that Third Angel have become
renowned for, The Department of Distractions plays from Friday 2 to Saturday 10
February at Northern Stage before touring.
“Engaging
with the big issues about how we live with a fierce intelligence” The Guardian on Third Angel
Cast & Creative team:
Writer & Co-Director - Alexander Kelly
Co-Director
& cast member - Rachael Walton
Stage Design
- Bethany Wells
Music &
Sound Design - Heather Fenoughty
Lighting
Design - Katherine Williams
Dramaturg
& cast member - Stacey Sampson
Cast member
- Nicholas Chambers
Cast member
- Umar Ahmed
Online:
Website www.thirdangel.co.uk
Twitter @thirdangeluk @AlexanderKelly #
TheDepartmentOfDistractions
Instagram
@third_angel_uk
Tickets:
Dates: Friday 2 - Saturday 10 February 2018, BSL
Signed Performance on Thu 8 February
Time: 8pm
Tickets: £10 - £15.50 available online from www.northernstage.co.uk/Event/the-department-of-distractions
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