Newcastle’s
Live Theatre’s announces new season
New plays by writers including Roddy Doyle, Paul
Sirett, Ishy Din and Alex Oates
Live Theatre has announced its new season through to March
2019. Highlights include the British Premiere of Two Pints, a hilarious and provocative play by Irish writer Roddy Doyle.
Having started as a conversation on Facebook that gained a large following, Roddy
Doyle brought the two characters to life in a play, in which two men meet in a
pub for a pint, chew the fat, and set the world to rights.
Roddy Doyle said “When I wrote Two
Pints, I didn’t envisage
it being performed in a pub, but it is part of the adventure. This new play is
being put on in a context that is unfamiliar to me – that excites me.”
Lorcan Cranitch and Liam Carney in Two Pints by Roddy Doyle Directed by Caitriona McLoughlin. Photo by Ros Kavanagh |
Following its second tour
performing in pubs across Ireland, this Abbey Theatre Production comes to Live
Theatre (Wednesday 12 to Sunday 23 September), and The Peacock Pub, Sunderland
(Tuesday 25 to Friday 28 September).
This autumn see the World Premiere of Clear White Light, a modern gothic story, and the first play at Live Theatre to be directed by it’s new Artistic Director, Joe Douglas. Written by Olivier Award nominated writer Paul Sirett, Clear White Light is a modern retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher and set against the backdrop of cuts to the 70-year-old NHS, with the songs of Lindisfarne. Inspired by Alan Hull’s time working at psychiatric nurse at St Nicholas’ hospital in Gosforth, the play features many of the hit songs he wrote at that time, including Winter Song, Lady Eleanor and Clear White Light played by a live band. The show's musical directors are Billy Mitchell and Ray Laidlaw, also of the band Lindisfarne.
Ray Laidlaw explains: ‘'We've been working with the
wonderfully creative team at Live Theatre for a long time, searching for the
perfect vehicle for Alan's great songs which doesn't rely on cliché. Clear
White Light is just that - it's fresh and inventive, and I'm sure it'll
introduce Alan's music to a whole new audience.”
Billy Mitchell added: “Alan was profoundly touched by his
time at St. Nick's, caring for people with mental health issues. The music he
wrote around then - often while on duty - has stood the test of time.
Unfortunately the NHS hasn't fared so well, something Clear White Light
addresses head-on.”
The play was originally commissioned by Max
Roberts, Live Theatre’s Emeritus Artistic Director, and Max and Joe will work
closely together to bring the show to life. Clear White
Light premieres at Live Theatre from Saturday 18 October to Saturday 10
November.
Live Theatre’s collaboration with Open Clasp
continues with the World Premiere of don’t forget the birds, the
follow up to the award-winning Key Change, telling the true story of a
mother and daughter after release from prison. The mother was one of the
original collaborators on Key Change, now released, and this first-hand
account written by Catrina McHugh MBE and directed by Laura Lindow, picks up on
their story and tells how prison took a mother from a daughter and their heart
lifting journey to find each other again. Featuring both women as themselves, don’t
forget the birds is at Live Theatre from Tuesday 20 to Saturday 24
November before touring nationally.
Christmas Crackers is Live Theatre’s alternative Christmas offering, of four new
plays in one evening celebrating this special time of year, with a wry twist.
Written up by and coming writers Tamsin Daisy-Rees, Olivia Hannah, Henry
Lawrence and Jamie Morren who have been selected as Live Theatre’s Associate
Artists this year. Catch Christmas Crackers from Thursday 13 to
Saturday 22 December.
Graeme Thompson, Creative Producer, Live Theatre said “Tamsin,
Olivia, Henry and Jamie will all give their individual take on a Christmas
play. Don’t expect a traditional nativity or a panto, but be prepared for
laughter, turkey, tears and sarcasm. They will follow in the footsteps of Nina
Berry who wrote her hit play The
Terminal Velocity of Snowflakes when she was a Live Theatre Associate
Artist, which debuted in its original form as a short play in Live Theatre’s
alternative Christmas show in 2015.”
Set in the North of England in the aftermath of Margaret
Thatcher’s death, two old friends go into the taxi business together in Approaching
Empty written by Stockton based writer, and former cab driver, Ishy
Din. This brand new co-production between Live Theatre, Tamasha and Kiln
Theatre is at Live Theatre from Wednesday 6 to Saturday 23 February 2019.
Five performers from across the globe challenge
notions of ‘home’ in Where We Began on Thursday 20 and Friday 21
September.
Bismillah! (an Isis Tragicomedy) which follows Dean who joins the Army and Danny who joins the Islamic State, comes to Live Theatre for two performances on Saturday 29 September following critically acclaimed sell-out runs in Edinburgh and London.
Inspired by real music fan confessions, Fans (Wednesday 3 to Saturday 6 October) written by Nina Berry, is part gig and part theatre crammed full of classic hits and original tunes. Also from company The Six Twenty there are two Mixtape shows, which mix sketch show with music quiz, Mixtape Timehop (Thursday 30 August to Saturday 1 September) and Mixtape Xmas (Wednesday 5 to Saturday 8 December).
Bismillah! (an Isis Tragicomedy) which follows Dean who joins the Army and Danny who joins the Islamic State, comes to Live Theatre for two performances on Saturday 29 September following critically acclaimed sell-out runs in Edinburgh and London.
Inspired by real music fan confessions, Fans (Wednesday 3 to Saturday 6 October) written by Nina Berry, is part gig and part theatre crammed full of classic hits and original tunes. Also from company The Six Twenty there are two Mixtape shows, which mix sketch show with music quiz, Mixtape Timehop (Thursday 30 August to Saturday 1 September) and Mixtape Xmas (Wednesday 5 to Saturday 8 December).
It's Different For Girls, a brand new musical inspired by Mandy & The
Girlfriends, Hull's own 1960s girl band, comes to Live Theatre from Tuesday 13
to Thursday 15 November.
Alex Oates's hit play Silk Road (How To
Buy Drugs Online) returns to Live Theatre from Tuesday 27 November to
Saturday 1 December following its sell out run earlier this year, and a West
End transfer.
Theo Ancient (Albus Potter in Harry Potter and the Cursed
Child) stars in The Shy Manifesto, a bittersweet comedy drama
about a boy who is fed up of being told to come out of his shell, on Tuesday 28
and Wednesday 30 January 2019.
Mark Thomas - Photo: Steve Ullathorne |
Sparkplug, written by David Judge, is an exploration of family, race,
identity and love performed between Thursday 14 to Saturday 16 March.
There’s another great line-up of live music presented by
Jumpin' Hot Club plus the chance to get involved with new creative
opportunities, including the Introduction to Playwriting Course
and Write Here, Write Now writing course for young people of
colour aged 16-25 both led by Live Theatre’s new writer in residence
Chinonyerem Odinba, and for young people aged 11 to 25 to join Live Theatre’s
award-winning Live Youth Theatre as its prepares for its 21st
birthday year in 2019.
Tickets:
For more information and tickets call Live Theatre’s Box
Office on (0191) 232 1232 or see www.live.org.uk.
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