News: LIVE THEATRE ANNOUNCES BOLD FIRST SEASON

 CHAMPIONING THE NEW, THE UNHEARD AND THE UNEXPECTED.

LIVE THEATRE ANNOUNCES BOLD FIRST SEASON UNDER THE ARTISTIC DIRECTORSHIP OF JACK MCNAMARA 

Live Theatre, Newcastle is delighted to announce Jack McNamara’s ambitious first season as Artistic Director. As the joint CEO with Jacqui Kell, the season is the first to be produced under Live Theatre’s new joint leadership model, marking a new era for the Quayside venue as it approaches its 50^th year. Over the season the theatre will focus on giving a platform to new and radical talent from the region with many artists finding themselves on Live’s iconic stage for the very first time.  

The season opens on Thursday 26 May with a major world premiere of We Are The Best! Jack McNamara makes his directorial debut at the venue with this dryly comic slice of anarchy about three school kids who find their voice in the world of punk and politics of 1980s Sweden. Based on Lukas Moodyson’s cult film of the same name, and Coco Moodysson’s acclaimed comic book Never Goodnight. The stage play has been written by rising North East star Rebecca Glendenning, in what will be their first full length commission. As a play about new talent, it will be led by three North East actors aged under twenty – Bridget Marumo, Bethany Morris and Elena Porter -  in what will be each actors’ professional debut. The cast of six, all from the North East, will all be newcomers to Live Theatre.  

Friday 1 to Sunday 3 July, Live will host a weekend festival titled Make Hope Possible in which artists, writers and thinkers present manifestos that aim to reshape modern Britain. Radical texts by Preti Taneja and Alex Niven among others will be read by very special guests including Charlie Hardwick and film legend Toby Jones. This festival will also mark the residency of acclaimed theatre artist Selina Thompson who will write her new play at Live as well as bringing her provocative installation Race Cards to Live’s studio from 27 June to 10 July.  

The first in-house production of the autumn is the epic Three Acts Of Love from 29 September to 22 October. This brand-new musical odyssey, brings together three powerfully political and visionary playwrights Laura Lindow,  Vici Wreford-Sinnott and Naomi Obeng to explore and explode this very deepest of human emotions, in an evening of passion and politics told through glorious drama and song. In a bold new step to create greater access, every performance of this new production will be captioned.    

Thursday 10 November marks the arrival of a truly major premiere, One Off by Ric Renton, playing until Saturday 26 November. This co-production with Paines Plough and Synergy Theatre Project will mark the first time that Ric’s astonishing voice has been heard in his hometown. One Off is an autobiographical play about Ric’s five-year long experience as a prisoner in HMP Durham. Rich with emotion and the blackest humour, this urgent piece of new writing, with Ric himself in the cast, will recount how he was saved by creativity and language.  

As a special treat for Halloween, Live Theatre presents a world premiere reading with music of Joe Quinn’s Poltergeist from Thursday 27 to Sunday 30 October - a deeply unsettling but profoundly personal ghost story by North East legend David Almond.  

Live Theatre will also be the site for a day-long takeover TUSK X YEAH YOU on Sunday 10 July, marking the first ever collaboration between the two North East institutions.  

Christmas 2022 will mark Live Theatre developing its own produced work for children and families, with the delightful Wintry Tales from Sunday 4 to Friday 23 December made in collaboration with playwright Rory Mullarkey and local school children. A chance Christmas encounter is the subject of Live Theatre’s festive production for grown-ups, Wishes On The Wind, from Thursday 8 to Sunday 18 December. This new play with music by Benjamin Storey is a celebration of Northumbrian identity, folk music and family tradition.  

Visiting work highlights include: opening Paines Plough’s tour of Amy Trigg’s award winning Reasons You Should(n’t) Love Me from Wednesday 7 to Saturday 10 September; local legends The Lawnmowers presenting their subversive Retake/Remake on Wednesday 29 and Thursday 30 June; Stute Theatre’s family offering Fables From The Kitchen Table on Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 July; The Six Twenty’s cult hit Mixtape on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 July; Forced Entertainment’s first venture to Live with their meditation on the future Tomorrow’s Parties on Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 November.

Jack McNamara, Artistic Director said: “What excites me so much about this season is that it is made up of artists who are so genuinely daring and original in what they are doing, and who will create experiences for audiences that will vary wildly from one show to the next. This for me is what a new writing theatre should be; a place that never sits still or falls into traps of expectation. I want people to know that Live Theatre is a place where anything can happen, where any artist can find themselves on our stage, where there is simply no norm. We have a main stage show written by a person who was sitting in a prison cell a few years ago and we have a flagship play lead by three young actors who have never set foot on a professional stage.”  

“On a personal level I am particularly excited that there are very few artists this season that I have worked with before.[JK1]  I hope that sends a clear message of openness, that we are here to be enriched and surprised by people from all walks of life, that we want to offer the platform we have here to people who may have thought it wasn’t for them. There is so much risk and so much new ahead of us, it is genuinely thrilling.”  

Live Theatre’s season is now on sale with tickets ranging from FREE to £28 and there are a number of socially distanced performances scheduled for Live Theatre productions. For more information on the full line up and to book tickets for a great night of theatre, go to: www.live.org.uk  

Preview: Gamble at Newcastle Northern Stage

Gamble

Newcastle Northern Stage

Thursday 19 – Saturday 21 May 2022

Hannah Walker is trying to earn back £100,000. So she’s making a theatre show explaining how and why it was lost. Based on her own experience of being in a relationship with a compulsive gambler, Gamble is a new multimedia theatre production peering behind the glittery curtain of jackpots and big wins to explore the complexities of addiction and the effects it has on themselves and their loved ones.

The theatre show explores addiction, gambling, loss, and resilience, all underpinned by love, and premieres in May when a long-awaited and delayed government white paper on gambling legislation is due to be published.

From the perception that gambling was all about the attainment of the star prize at the monthly village bingo, Hannah soon discovered the dark world of late-night casinos accompanied by the sinister pull of 24/7 online access in the palm of her partner’s hand.

Gamble features interviews with experts, health professionals, those in recovery and their loved ones, and places particular importance on the impact gambling has on the deaf community, with little consideration or support given. The show works to capture the breadth of addiction and its far-reaching ripple effects.

The gambling industry is worth an estimated £14.3 billion, and has the highest rate of suicide of all addictions, between 250 and 650 people a year. Recently, there were calls for the government to enforce stricter regulations on the industry, and a landmark study published by Gamble Aware in March 2022 has shown that gambling addiction could be nine times higher than the betting industry claims.

Gamble will premiere in Hannah’s home city of Newcastle Upon Tyne in May 2022.

All performances will have integrated BSL interpretation, and each performance at Northern Stage is followed by a post-show discussion with Dr Matthew Gaskell, Clinical Lead and Consultant Psychologist for the NHS Northern Gambling Service. A filmed version will be screened in London to gambling industry professionals in conjunction with Professor Henrietta Bowden-Jones OBE, director of The National Problem Gambling Clinic. 

Hannah Walker said, ‘This is a significant national issue and it’s not going away. There is still a huge taboo around gambling and compulsive gamblers often feel deep shame that prevents them from seeking support from friends, family and health professionals. It’s so important that people understand that compulsive gambling is an addiction; it has nothing to do with someone’s character.’

Hannah Walker is a comedy performer and theatre maker. She creates autobiographical shows to open up conversations about stigmatized aspects of everyday life. Subjects that are mundane, curious, dangerous or delightful, she makes performances that are relatable and entertaining for her audiences. She is an Associate Artist with The Six Twenty and regularly performs with them. She co-hosts PUG: an alternative performance night, co-facilitates Coax: a performance workshop and is a reader with InterAct Stroke Support. 

Running Time: 55 mins 30 min post show | Suitable for ages 14+

Creatives:

BSL Integrated Interpreter: Faye Alvi
Co- Creator: Rosa Postlethwaite
Creative Developer and Digital Artist: Paul Trickett
Director: Paula Penman
Lighting Designer and Stage Manager: Craig Spence
Original Music: Jamie Cook
Mentor: Amy Golding
Deaf Consultant: EJ Raymond

Tickets:

Tickets cost| £10 and are available from https://www.northernstage.co.uk/Event/gamble or from the box office:  0191 230 5151

REVIEW: The White Card at Newcastle Northern Stage

The White Card by Claudia Rankine

Newcastle Northern Stage 

Friday 29 April - Saturday 14 May 2022

Newcastle's Northern Stage is host to the the UK and European premiere of a modern American play. Natalie Ibu directs a play that will be the springboard for many conversations amongst the audience. 

It is great to be back at Northern Stage. They have produced many memorable, and on occasions life changing, plays over the past 32 years that I've lived in the region. I had forgotten that feeling that one has as you leave a show here that really moves you. A show that leaves you processing the past 90 minutes - trying to make sense of it all. This is a gripping production that keeps you engaged to the end. Some of it is tough to watch but the overall effect is a rewarding production.

 l-r Estella Daniels, Nick Blakeley, Kate Copeland, Matthew Pidgeon + CJ Coleman

The show was advertised as starting at 7.30, however as soon as the door opens the action has actually begun. The table is being prepared and some guests arrive for a meal before the official start time. As the actors interact you find yourself drawn in already. 

Matthew Pidgeon as Charles and Estella Daniels as Charlotte

The set initially appears simple - with seats and a table however it strikes you that rather than reproductions of various artworks, the decision has been made just to give a written description of them. There is a QR code to the original works in the highly informative free programme. We don't normally discuss the programme but a lot of thought has gone into this one with a number of essays to provide context about the play.

Estella Daniels as Charlotte 

The concept, as writer Claudia Rankine states in the programme is a simple one "an imagined conversation regarding race and racism amongst strangers" that takes place in a dinner party. The result is a thought provoking stimulus for a conversation by the audience once they get home. Whilst the setting is in the United States, the situation equally applies here in England. As director Natalie Ibu reminds us in her programme notes "if we are a country where a young Black girl is strip searched at school, - and we are."

Movement director Rachael Nanyonjo worked with an ensemble of Black women to choreograph the transition between scenes

Charles (Matthew Pidgeon) is a wealthy white property developer who collects art with a focus on the hostility towards people of colour. He wants to add the work of emerging artist Charlotte (Estella Daniels) to his collection so he arranges a dinner party. Art agent Eric (Nick Blakeley) has made the arrangements with Charlotte and also attends the evening event. 

Charles played by Matthew Pidgeon and Charlotte played by Estella Daniels

The show begins with Charles and Eric watching a recording of the tennis with Virginia (Kate Copeland). Virginia only watches the matches after she knows the result as she cannot stand the tension if she thinks have favourite star, Serena Williams, is going to lose. It is also clear early in the evening that she is not entirely keen on her husband's passion for the style of artwork that fills their house.

Estella Daniels as Charlotte 

Charlotte arrives and very quickly, rather than having a harmonious discussion about the art, each characters entrenched position is laid out. It is not just a matter of reading the right essays and knowing the correct terminology - racism exists because of those with white skin.

CJ Coleman as Alex 

Matters become more complex when the son of Charles and Virginia arrives back from college. Alex (CJ Coleman) has been at a Trump protest - which bizarrely Charles keeps referring to as a Trump rally - and Alex is quick to state his activism within the Black Lives Matter movement. This puts other members of the party, including salesman Eric on the defensive backfoot.

Kate Copeland as Virginia

To be honest, as the tension builds I am surprised that Charlotte does not leave at a couple of points in the show - though it would have resulted in a short production!

l-r Estella Daniels, Kate Copeland, Matthew Pidgeon + Nick Blakeley

A clever part of the show is the transformation of the set from rich man's home to the artist's place. Rather than dead time, it is a choreographed movement which quite literally gives the audience a chance to reflect.

 Cast of The White Card
Directed by Natalie Ibu, designed by Debbie Duru with Lighting Design by Rajiv Pattani

How one responds to such a show is going to be a personal one that is different for everyone as it depends entirely from your own perspective at the start of the show. It is a powerfully emotional piece that is still a good night out at the theatre even if, at times, it can be tough going. Themes of race, racism and violence need to be discussed and theatre is a perfect vehicle for such work. 

Nick Blakeley as art dealer Eric 

This is my review so I guess I need to say how it affected me as a white middle-aged bloke... I really liked it. It is a raw example of theatre that was still making me think long after I had left the theatre. The show is well acted, tightly directed and skillfully written.  By not being preachy it leaves the individual audience member the space to contemplate. I know I needed time to chew it over before writing this review - not because it was bad - but because it made me shut up and want to listen.

The White Card scene transition choreography by movement director Rachael Nanyonjo and ensemble cast of Black women from across our community

Northern Stage is never afraid with its productions and this show is up there with the best of them.

Review: Stephen Oliver

Photos: Wasi Daniju

Tour:

The show is going on tour after Newcastle:

18-21 May - HOME, Manchester

24 May - 4 June - Leeds Playhouse

7 - 18 June - Birmingham Rep

21 June - 16 July - Soho Theatre, London

On The Web: 

www.thewhitecard.co.uk

Tickets:

Available online from https://www.northernstage.co.uk/Event/the-white-card and from the box office: 0191 230 5151 

Preview: A Bunch Of Amateurs at Newcastle People’s Theatre

 

It’s all getting very meta at the People’s Theatre next week with a play described by its writers as ‘a love letter’ to amateur dramatics!

A Bunch Of Amateurs by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman

Newcastle People’s Theatre

Tuesday 10 – Saturday 14 May 2022

Fading Hollywood action movie hero Jefferson Steel needs to rescue his ebbing career. So when his Agent lands him a gig playing King Lear in “Stratford” he’s delighted. But rather than joining the RSC, the hapless star finds himself enmeshed with the local am-dram society in a sleepy Suffolk Village!

There can only be trouble in store as the unassuming locals clash with the massive ego, tantrums and lofty expectations of the petulant diva from Tinseltown.

But with The Stratford Players’ beloved theatre under threat from developers, can Steel find his inner Lear and help save the day?

The play is adapted for the stage by Ian Hislop (‘Have I got News For You’, ‘Private Eye’) and Nick Newman ('Private Eye', 'Spitting Image', 'Murder Most Horrid') from their 2008 film which starred Burt Reynolds, Sir Derek Jacobi and Imelda Staunton.

Like Steel, ‘Smokey and the Bandit’ star Reynolds was looking to reboot his career and found himself surrounded by actors more versed in Shakespeare than he.

So, when Hislop and Newman were commissioned by the Watermill Theatre to adapt their screenplay for the stage in 2014, they used their real-life experiences to make it “richer and more realistic”.

The result is a laugh-out-loud comedy stuffed with twists and turns, memorable characters and hilarious dialogue as the two extremities of the thespian world collide head-on!

Director Steve Hewitt comments: “If you’ve read Private Eye or watched Have I got News For You, then you’ll know that Ian Hislop and Nick Newman are very, very funny people.  In addition to that, they clearly have a deep understanding and intense passion for non-professional theatre which is evident in this script.  Beyond the humour, there is real pathos as we watch an overblown superstar see himself reflected back as a flawed and aging monster, incapable of getting along with his colleagues and rejected by his daughter”.

A Bunch Of Amateurs is playing at the People’s Theatre in Heaton from Tuesday 10^th to Saturday 14^th May. To support audience members who feel more comfortable in a less busy space, the run includes a reduced capacity performance on Tuesday 10^th where mask-wearing is required.

Photos: Jules Dash

Cast:       Jefferson Steel: Steve Parry

Dorothy Nettle: Kay Edmondson

Nigel Dewbury: Roger Liddle

Denis Dobbins: Tony Sehgal

Lauren Bell: Kate Lundy

Jessica Steel: Sophie Taylor

Mary Plunkett: Kirstie Corfield

Stratford Players/Journalists: Bill Harrington, Jo Murray, Stewart Dives, Ben Watkins, Steve Strouzer, Lauren Aspery, Molly Winton, Abigail Martin, Ian Ross Willis

Director: Steve Hewitt

Tickets:

Tickets cost £15 (Conc. £13)

Find out more and book your tickets at www.peoplestheatre.co.uk or call Box Office: 0191 265 5020                    

Preview: Girl From The North Country at Newcastle Theatre Royal

 

Girl From The North Country comes to Newcastle Theatre Royal

Girl From The North Country

Newcastle Theatre Royal

Monday 26 September – Saturday 1 October 2022

The award-winning smash-hit production of Girl From The North Country, written and directed by celebrated playwright Conor McPherson (The Weir, The Seafarer) with music and lyrics by Bob Dylan, is coming to Newcastle Theatre Royal.

It’s 1934 in the heartland of America and we meet a group of wayward souls who cross paths in a time-weathered guesthouse. Standing at a turning point in their lives, they realize nothing is what it seems. But as they search for a future, and hide from the past, they find themselves facing unspoken truths about the present.

Writer and Director Conor McPherson said “Collaborating with Bob Dylan has been a unique privilege for me. We have had an amazing journey opening on Broadway and in the West End but I feel particularly excited and moved to finally bring this work to my home town of Dublin and on tour around the UK.”

Bob Dylan said: “To be associated with Conor is one of the highlights of my professional life. It goes without saying the man is a genius for putting this thing together and I’m thrilled to be a part of the experience. My songs couldn’t be in better hands.”

Girl From The North Country first opened at The Old Vic in July 2017 to huge critical acclaim and playing to sold out audiences. It transferred to the Noël Coward Theatre in December 2017 and won the 2018 Olivier Awards for Best Actress in a Musical and Best Supporting Actress in a Musical as well as being nominated in the Best New Musical, Outstanding Achievement in Music and Best Actor in a Musical categories.

The production went on to have a sold out run at the Public Theater, New York in 2018. Following a run at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, Toronto, in Autumn 2019, the production had a second run in the West End opening December 2019 at the Gielgud Theatre. The Broadway production is currently playing at the Belasco Theatre and the Australian and New Zealand production opens in Sydney in January 2022.

An uplifting and universal story about family and love, Girl From The North Country boldly reimagines the legendary songs of Bob Dylan, like you’ve never heard them before. The Broadway cast recording of Girl From The North Country has been nominated for a 2022 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album. Casting to be announced.

Bob Dylan is one of our culture’s most influential and ground-breaking artists. Born in Duluth, Minnesota in 1941; self-taught on piano, guitar and harmonica, he travelled to New York City in 1961, quickly establishing himself as an explosive performer in the Greenwich Village music scene. More than half a century later, Dylan continues to perform almost 100 concerts each year. 

He has released more than 50 albums and written over 600 songs. He’s sold more than 125 million records and is the holder of 11 Grammy Awards. His songs have been covered more than 6000 times by artists as diverse as Duke Ellington, Jimi Hendrix, Guns N’ Roses, Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley and Adele. He is also an accomplished visual artist and author, and in 2016 was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature – the first songwriter to receive such a distinction.

Featuring scenic and costume design by Rae Smith; orchestrations, arrangements, and music supervision by Simon Hale, with additional arrangements by Simon Hale and Conor McPherson, lighting design by Mark Henderson; sound design by Simon Baker; movement direction by Lucy Hind and casting by Jessica Ronane CDG. Girl From The North Country is produced by Tristan Baker & Charlie Parsons for Runaway Entertainment, Steven Lappin, Sony Music Entertainment UK, David Mirvish and The Old Vic.

Conor McPherson is an acclaimed writer and director. He was born in Dublin in 1971 and attended University College Dublin where he began to write and direct. Stage plays include Rum & Vodka, The Good Thief, This Lime Tree Bower, St Nicholas, The Weir (Olivier, Evening Standard, and Critics Circle Awards); Dublin Carol, Port Authority, Shining City (Tony Award nominated);The Seafarer (Tony, Olivier and Evening Standard Award nominated); The Veil, and The Night Alive (New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play, Olivier, Evening Standard and Lucille Lortel Award nominated). Adaptations include Franz Xaver Kroetz’s The Nest, August Strindberg’s The Dance of Death and most recently, Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya.

Photos of Broadway cast: Matthew Murphy

Tickets:

Girl From The North Country plays at Newcastle Theatre Royal from Monday 26 September – Saturday 1 October 2022. Tickets are priced from £15.00 and can be purchased at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 0191 232 7010.

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REVIEW: Singin’ in the Rain at Newcastle Theatre Royal

Singin’ in the Rain

Newcastle Theatre Royal

Until Saturday 7 May 2022

The musical with a unique water feature is back in the region this week. The Theatre Royal audience in the front row will be ready for a novel experience in an indoor theatre.

Based upon the 1952 movie, this show feels fresh and exciting. This is as much as anything down to the quality of the writing and the memorable songs including Good Morning, Make ‘Em Laugh, Moses Supposes and of course Singin’ in the Rain. 

So what is the show about? The action takes place in Hollywood during the transition from silent movies to talkies with sound. This was a time when some actors, like Laurel and Hardy were successful making the transition but others disappeared. Why did they struggle? It was all down to how they sounded and it was not long before Hollywood was up to its old tricks. (Did you know, for example, that the person actually singing the titular role in the film Oliver! is actually the directors daughter?) 

In this production Don Lockwood (Sam Lips) and Lina Lamont (Faye Tozer) are the big silent stars of the silver screen. They keep their fans guessing about any off screen romance when in fact there is no off screen chemistry. However on stage they act professionally as a loving couple, with Lockwood's former stage partner Cosmo Brown (Ross McLaren) playing the piano as they do so.

Everything is going well at the premiere of their new film The Royal Rascal until, during the after show party, their producer R.F. Simpson (Dale Rapley) shows them a show reel for "talking pictures". He tries to suggest that it will be a fad and not worth worrying about - he feels that talkies won't catch on. 

By this point the Theatre Royal is in on another secret: Lina Lamont may look the part in a silent movie but she cannot sing or dance - and her normal talking voice is, shall we say, not what you expect. 

Around this time Lockwood also meets up with another actor whilst trying to escape some fans. Kathy Seldon (Charlotte Gooch) quickly manages to both catch Lockwood's eye and annoy Lamont.

If you have seen the original 1952 movie starring Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds, you'll realise that it is at this moment that the fun really begins when the film studio decide to put out a talking picture of their own.

This production is full of great choreography and singing routines from the likes of Sam Lips, Charlotte Gooch and Ross McLaren. Good Morning being a prime example as Andrew Wright's choreography makes maximum use of the Theatre Royal stage.  The show looks good too - a lot of attention to detail has gone into the set and costume design to make the show feel vibrant and modern despite representing a story from 90-100 years ago. 

One also needs to mention the special role that Faye Tozer plays. She has to talk and sing in character throughout the show. It must be a challenge for someone who is a talented actor and singer to do so. In fact, her big second act number What's Wrong With Me got one of the biggest applauses of the evening.

The shows big selling point has to be a set that rains with 14 000 litres of water in each show. This does result in a longer first act than most musicals (about 90 minutes) - as the set needs a major mopping operation after the titular number and before act 2! It has to be said that it is worth it - though if you're in the first 3 rows of the stalls you might want to consider some waterproofs!

There is much more to the show than a downpour though. The story by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, lyrics by Arthur Freed, and music by Nacio Herb Brown closely follows the classic film musical and the result is often funny, light hearted feel good story. I suspect that it is a rare touring production as a result of the technical side of staging it rather than the show's popularity. The theatre tickets had sold well on press night and the applause was both enthusiastic and well deserved at the end.

I really enjoyed this show. Even down to the final number when the busy and talented ensemble get their moment with a finale of Singin' In The Rain. This is not a show to have an early exit.

Review: Stephen Oliver

Photos: Johan Persson

Tickets:

Singin’ in the Rain plays at Newcastle Theatre Royal from Tuesday 3 – Saturday 7 May 2022. Tickets are priced from £20.00 and can be purchased at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 0191 232 7010.