News: Jimmy Nail and Robson Green Champion NE Talent for Newcastle's Live Theatre

Jimmy Nail and Robson Green Champion NE Talent for Newcastle's Live Theatre

Jimmy Nail will be taking part in two sold out readings of Harold Pinter’s masterpiece, The Dumb Waiter, in April in support of Live Theatre’s development of North East playwrights. This comes hot off the back of Robson Green’s impassioned backing of Live Theatre’s Big Give Campaign, raising funds for Live Theatre's children and young people's opportunities where his career first began. 

Live Theatre have started 2025 with a bang, with their critically acclaimed production of the Muhammed Ali inspired Champion by Ishy Din surpassing their box office records for the past year. Yet, rising production costs means Live Theatre continues to have to fight hard to ensure that future generations continue to both experience and create great theatre from the North East. 

Taking part in the Big Give Campaign in March, Live Theatre set a £4k target which was exceeded in 48 hours of donations opening. Former Youth Theatre member, 

Robson Green

Robson Green, was an early advocate of the campaign, stating in an online video that:  "The Live Youth Theatre is where I first turned professional. They're the reason I've been doing what I have been doing for the last 41 years as an actor."

Jimmy Nail

Jimmy Nail, whose sister Val Maclane founded Live Theatre with Geoff Gillham in the early 1970s, is another staunch supporter of the Quayside venue. After premiering a workshop of his new play with songs Seconds Away! in February last year, Jimmy now returns to the theatre to read Pinter's The Dumb Waiter on the play's 65th anniversary opposite North East favourite Chris Connel. The event sold out so quickly that a second performance was put on later that same night, tickets for which disappeared almost as quickly as the first. 

Chris Connel

 Artistic Director Jack McNamara said: “We are so grateful for these endorsements of our work and for the amazing generosity our many friends have shown us, particularly in the last month. The combination of our small capacity and our fight to keep ticket prices reasonable means that our earning potential is minimal, and so we will always have to rely on the kindness of friends (and strangers!) to keep us afloat. These are tough times to run a building powered by new writing, but with continued local support we can keep that flame going for generations to come.”

Inspired by its recent hit production, Live Theatre has introduced a new 'Champion' level of supporter to help ensure their future sustainability. In McNamara's view, those who participate in the scheme will genuinely shape the course of North East creativity going forward: “Our mission to launch the next generation of playwrights and ensure that young people in the North East  have the creative lives they deserve is stronger than ever. In the last year alone ex-Live Youth Theatre members have found themselves in major London theatres and raved about in the national press.  And furthermore it was incredible to see Peter Straughan, once Live Theatre's writer-in-residence, collect his Oscar last month for the movie Conclave. There can be no better demonstration that investing in North East talent today will reap dividends for the artists and audiences of tomorrow.” 

Details:

Details of Live Theatre's Friends and Champion scheme can be found here: https://www.live.org.uk/friends