Review: The Soaking of Vera Shrimp at Newcastle Live Theatre

An Aqueous Tale

The Soaking of Vera Shrimp

Newcastle Live Theatre

Until Saturday 18^th October 2014.

Part science project, part heart-felt teenage tale: this is a powerful exploration of one young lady’s place in society.

Vera Elizabeth Shrimp has a presentation to make about what she has found out in science for Mr Gibb, who teaches her at Hill Street comprehensive. The set resembles that of a teacher’s bench and white board complete with an overhead projector. As every good science report should do, Vera begins with her hypothesis. She believes she can feel the emotion in a drop of rain. The emotion was passed on when it evaporated near a person. By collecting and feeling the rain that falls near her bus shelter, Vera senses and then records the emotion.

So far, so good. Alison Carr has written a production which features good science, but it takes more than that to win the Live Theatre/Empty Space Bursary Award. Tessa Parr begins the show acting as a happy carefree Vera but it becomes quickly apparent that poor Vera has more to cope with in life than your average 14 year old should have to. This includes coping with her fellow teenage classmates who can be cruel with their remarks and actions.

Tessa is always engaging and in the hour long show she draws the audience in without asking for undue sympathy for Vera. By not going for the usual emption strings Alison Carr has written a much more meaningful production.

The use of traditional teaching tools like the flipchart and overhead projector coupled with some short voice recordings gives the play quite a unique yet familiar feel. Whilst we don’t get a free glass of wine, the chocolate cakes were a nice touch. This is a one man show that is demanding of the actor and Tessa is simply fabulous as the teenager. The ending left the audience thinking – another sign of great theatre.

This review was written by Stephen Oliver for Jowheretogo PR (www.jowheretogo.com). Follow Jo on twitter @jowheretogo, Stephen @panic_c_button or like Jowheretogo on Facebook www.facebook.com/Jowheretogo

Wednesday 15 to Saturday 18 October, 8pm
The Soaking of Vera Shrimp
Presented by Live Theatre and The Empty Space

In association with Rosie & Me
Written by Alison Carr 
Directed by Rosie Kellagher 
Performed by Tessa Parr

Tickets:

Dates: Wednesday 15 to Saturday 18 October, 8pm
Location: Studio Theatre, Live Theatre, Newcastle
Duration: 1 hour
Suitability: 14+
Tickets: £8, £6 concs

Box office: (0191) 232 1232

Online: www.live.org.uk

Preview: The Soaking of Vera Shrimp at Newcastle Live Theatre

Bursary prize winner Alison Carr showcases The Soaking of Vera Shrimp at Live Theatre
in October

The Soaking of Vera Shrimp

Newcastle Live Theatre

Wednesday 15 to Saturday 18 October, 8pm
 

Audiences at Live Theatre this October audiences can catch Alison Carr’s The Soaking of Vera Shrimp which won a development bursary from Live Theatre and The Empty Space at the Bursary Scratch Night in December 2013. This playful and poignant solo show follows previous bursary winner Alistair McDowall who won the bursary in 2012 to develop his critically acclaimed show Captain Amazing.

As Gez Casey, Live Theatre’s literary manager explains: “As well as providing audiences with the opportunity to see new work and the chance to influence the creative process, Live Lab events in our Studio Theatre space are part of Live Theatre’s extensive talent development programme. Our recent Edinburgh Fringe hit Captain Amazing emerged through Live Theatre and The Empty Space’s Bursary scheme and we’re delighted to be showing our 40th birthday winning production The Soaking of Vera Shrimp in October.”

This heartfelt one woman show about grief, love and never giving up will be performed from Wednesday 15 to Saturday 18 October at 8pm. Performer Tessa Parr steps onto the stage to tell the story of fourteen year-old Vera Shrimp who discovers that she has an extraordinary ability – she can ‘read’ raindrops, each one having soaked up an emotion from those their water has come into contact with. And amongst all of the hundreds of millions of raindrops falling from the sky, Vera starts the search for the one that holds what she is desperate to find.

Directed by Rosie Kellagher, this is the first full production of the show described by an audience member at the work-in-development showing as “compelling, evocative and poetic”.

The writer, Alison Carr, said:   “We were delighted to win the Bursary Award and are really excited to bring this brand new Vera Shrimp to audiences. The show has been through different incarnations but the Bursary has helped give us the time and space to find the right way to tell it, putting Vera herself centre stage and allowing her to tell her fantastic, funny and heartbreaking story in her own unique way."

The Soaking of Vera Shrimp is Tessa Parr’s Live Theatre debut. Tessa has performed with a variety of theatre companies including, most recently, with Greyscale in their Edinburgh Festival Fringe show Dead to Me. Tessa’s other theatre credits include Alice in Bed with north east based theatre company Tender Buttons and The Last of the Lake by Rough Fiction.

Wednesday 15 to Saturday 18 October, 8pm
The Soaking of Vera Shrimp
Presented by Live Theatre and The Empty Space

In association with Rosie & Me
Written by Alison Carr 
Directed by Rosie Kellagher 
Performed by Tessa Parr

Tickets:

Dates: Wednesday 15 to Saturday 18 October, 8pm
Location: Studio Theatre, Live Theatre, Newcastle
Duration: 1 hour
Suitability: 14+
Tickets: £8, £6 concs

Box office: (0191) 232 1232

Online: www.live.org.uk