REVIEW: A Way Home at Clara Vale Village Hall

 Co-commissioned by Queen’s Hall Arts Centre Hexham & Gala Theatre, Durham

A Way Home - The fight for a place to belong

Clara Vale Village Hall Friday 10 June 2022

On Tour until Monday 27 June 2022

• Saturday 11 June, 2pm & 7pm, Ushaw Historic House, Chapels & Gardens

• Monday 13 June, 7pm, St Mark’s Church, Eldon

• Tuesday 14 June, 2.30pm & 7.30pm, Alnwick Playhouse

• Wednesday 15 June 7pm, Trimdon Grange Community Centre

• Thursday 16 June, 7.30pm, Binchester Community Centre

• Friday 17 June, 7pm, Hamsteels Community Centre

• Saturday 18 June, 3pm, St John’s Hall Meadowfield

• Monday 20 June, 7pm, Toft Hill Community Centre

• Tuesday 21 June, 7pm, Hamsterley & Low Westwood Community Centre

• Wednesday 22 June, 7.30pm, Queen’s Hall Arts Centre, Hexham

• Thursday 23 June, 2.30pm & 7.30pm, Live Theatre, Newcastle Upon Tyne

• Friday 24 June, 7.30pm, Live Theatre, Newcastle

• Saturday 25 June, 7pm, Coundon & Leaholme Community Centre

• Sunday 26 June, 7pm, Witton Park Village Hall

• Monday 27 June, 7.30pm, Gala, Durham

Written by Christina Castling

Direction by Jonluke McKie

Set Design by Alison Ashton

Composed by Roma Yagnik

Produced by CaroleW Productions

In 1951 Durham Council decided to put each town and village into four categories. The villages in category D were to be allowed to die. They had the improvement grants stopped and the council actively tried to move the residents to the new estates such as Newton Aycliffe or Peterlee. This move involved about 85 000 people in over 130 villages. That is a major undertaking - uprooting people from their homes. One such category D village, Clara Vale, was the host of the world premiere of a show that follows a family who discover that their “world” is about to be demolished by the council.

I live near the site of Addison village - another former County Durham village that is now a part of Gateshead. I was aware that a village was there and that the current wildlife area and industrial estate was demolished as it “was not worth rebuilding the houses” but until A Way Home I was not aware of the details behind this move.

The show centres around the kitchen table of a powerful matriarch, Bet (Jacqueline Phillips). The four rooms of the building are home to four people including Bet’s pigeon racing husband Frank (David Raynor), her daughter Kathy (Jude Nelson) and son in law Joe (Luke Maddison). The action begins on Carnival Day and neighbour Jean (Jackie Lye) pops around for Bet’s entry for the cake competition.

Unexpectedly a condescending stranger appears - it is an official from the council (Lawrence Neale) who is making a survey of each house in the village. The question about the general state of repair is the first sign that the village is in danger and that the community is about to receive a big shock.

Writer Christina Castling does an excellent job in drip feeding the exposition so that one is not overloaded with too much information.  In each scene we discover a little more about the four occupants. Bet is house proud, Frank and Joe are both miners and Kathy is enjoying the early stage of her marriage. The news that the village is in category D is met with protests: this place has a close knit sense of community and it is not going to die without a fight. Bet is appointed secretary of the group set up to fight the council.

The council is offering an alternative: houses with running hot and cold water, a lack of mould, damp and rats but and inside toilet.These houses, which are a few miles away, also include gardens. The lure is most definitely there and when the young couple discover that they are to become parents they have a big decision to make. Alpha leader Bet is keen that the house that she has lived in all her life remains the focal point for her extended family. She is determined that the family stays in the village. She offers support to those wanting to appeal against the council’s decision.

The strength of this play is in the ensemble. Jacqueline Phillips nails the role of the powerful matriarch. David Raynor acts as a counterpoint to her reactions as the laid back Frank - a man with poetry in his heart who ultimately wants to be supportive of his family but is after an easy life if he can get it. Getting the role of Kathy right is a challenge. The daughter is loyal to her family and Jude Nelson doesn’t make the challenges that her character faces appear out of place. Jackie Lye and Lawrence Neale support the action, punctuating the action whenever necessary.

In a show that it touring both traditional theatres and community centres in villages that were either in category D, or next to them, the set had to fit into a number of different spaces. The Alison Ashton's set design served such a function well.

It was interesting to hear clips from Durham Council officials in some of the scene change overs. Such changeovers were a continuation of the action which helped the pace. 

This is not so much a kitchen sink drama as a kitchen-without-a-sink drama. Christina Catling’s writing understands the difference between a house and a home totally. There is an exploration of the complexities of relationships between family members and between neighbours. In other words: how people that love each other can drive each other mad at times! It is also an underappreciated episode in our communities common history and not one that should be ignored.

Well acted and on a topic that helps us understands more about ourselves - this was a good night out at the theatre.

Photos: Matt Jamie

Review: Stephen Oliver

Tickets and details of the rest of the tour: www.a-way-home.co.uk  

 

Preview: The Secret Garden On Tour

 Discover the magic of The Secret Garden in an enchanting new staged adaptation

The Secret Garden - An enchanting tale of friendship and discovery

Tour runs from Sunday 12 June to Saturday 2 July 2022

The Secret Garden Tour Dates:

• Sunday 12 June, 5pm, Hexham Book Festival

• Thursday 16 June, 1.30pm, Arts Centre Washington

• Saturday 18 June, 1pm, Gosforth Civic Theatre

• Sunday 19 June, 1.30pm, Fishburn Youth & Community Centre, Stockton

• Saturday 25 June, 2pm, Gala, Durham

• Sunday 26 June, 1.30pm, The Word, South Shields

• Friday 1 July, 6pm, Coundon and Leeholme Community Centre

• Saturday 2 July, 2pm, Lady Waterford Hall, Berwick upon Tweed

Families are being invited to discover the magic of The Secret Garden as writers Lisette Auton and Becci Sharrock join forces to bring a newly adapted version of this classic tale to the stage at theatres, community centres and schools across the North East of England this June.

The play, which has been commissioned by Queen’s Hall Arts Centre in Hexham, will premiere at Hexham Book Festival on Sunday 12 June at 5pm. This beautiful reimagining, which includes brand new folk songs performed by the cast, will introduce a new generation to this tale of friendship, secrets and the human spirit as well as the transformational magic of the garden.

The Hexham Book Festival venue

As director Ali Pidsley explains:  “Working on this project is an absolute joy, and I am wonderfully excited by the artists and partners we are working with. ‘The Secret Garden’ is a hugely resonant story for me, personally, about the magic of imagination, the need we have for the natural world and young people supporting one another. We can’t wait to share the end result with audiences who are familiar with this classic tale as well as those experiencing this magical story for the very first time.”

Families will be invited to meet 12 year old Lennox who when sent to stay in Northumberland after being excluded from her city comp is certain there is nothing there for her. Far away from home, with a family she barely knows, she must rediscover herself and in doing so uncover the mystery of the long hidden secret garden.

Actors Michael Blair, Sarah Boulter, Ellen Carnazza, Wambui Hardcastle, Zoe Lambert, Shreya Patel and Lauren Waine will, between them, take on the roles of the five main characters. This sharing of roles is one of the many adaptations being made by the creative team to ensure that the creative process is as accessible as possible.

As writer and co-producer Becci Sharrock explains: “Part of the driving force behind The Secret Garden was a desire to redesign the creative

process and find solutions to some of the access barriers faced by creatives. By adapting the way we work we have been able to remove some of the barriers that prevent disabled artists, many with invisible disabilities, to engage. From using accessible working spaces and introducing shorter working days to paid rest days and an ensemble approach we have been able to create a positive working environment that we hope meets the needs of our team. We know that this doesn't go far enough but we hope that it's the start of a sector wide change. Flexibility and adaptability are at the heart of everything we do in our efforts to create something truly magical - both on and off stage.”

Writer Lisette Auton added “I’m excited about working in a new way that respects bodies and rest, and focuses on how to make this a brilliant process for everyone involved. A piece that has kindness and creativity at its core.”

The Secret Garden will premiere at Hexham Book Festival before touring the North East stopping off at Arts Centre Washington on Thursday 16 June, Gosforth Civic Theatre on Saturday 18 June, Gala, Durham on Saturday 25 June, The Word in South Shields on Sunday 26 June, Coundon & Leeholme Community Centre on Friday 1 July and Lady Waterford Hall in Berwick upon Tweed on Saturday 2 July. Performances will also take place at community venues and in schools across Northumberland, Stockton, Cumbria and Gateshead including two dates programmed as part of Highlights Rural Touring Scheme. To coincide with the tour there will also be the opportunity for audiences to take part in a series of writing workshops across the region with writer Becci Sharrock, November Club’s Artistic Director Joe Hufton and Wendy Errington from Write Stuff NE.

Cast & Creatives:

Commissioned by Queen’s Hall Arts Centre, Hexham

Premiering at Hexham Book Festival

Written by Lisette Auton & Becci Sharrock

Direction by Ali Pidsley

Musical Direction by Sam Slatcher

Design by Lizzie Leach

Co-produced by Becci Sharrock & Carole Wears

Cast: Michael Blair, Sarah Boulter, Ellen Carnazza, Wambui Hardcastle, Zoe Lambert, Shreya Patel and Lauren Waine

Tickets:

The Secret Garden was commissioned by Queen’s Hall Arts Centre, Hexham. The play has been made possible with support using public funding from Arts Council England as well as funding from Queen’s Hall Arts Centre, Hexham. For more information about The Secret Garden and for details on how to buy tickets visit https://www.carolewproductions.com/thesecretgarden.

Suitability: For those aged 7 – 11 years and their families

Duration: Approximately 1 hr 15 minutes

#thesecretgardenplay

NEWS: Talent Development: The Engine Room of the Future - Live Theatre announces its talent development opportunities for 2022

 

Talent Development: The Engine Room of the Future - Live Theatre announces its talent development opportunities for 2022

 

Live Theatre, Newcastle is excited to announce its major talent development opportunities for 2022. Three major call outs are now open including, The Live Theatre Elevator Bursary of £2500, writers for Your Voice Your Future: North East and for Live Playwriting course. Other opportunities will open later in the year.

Live Theatre’s Creative Producer, Graeme Thompson said, “All throughout lockdown Live continued to support artists, to provide entry points to the creative sector, to commission them and connect with them. Now post-lock down it is vital to keep that level of engagement with artists. Through these opportunities we hope to make more connections and ensure freelance artists have the support they need to make new work.”

For Live Theatre Bursary, Live Theatre is on the lookout for outstanding, imaginative story-led ideas. Submissions can come from individuals, companies, collaborations or those who may work a little differently.

The Live Theatre Elevator Bursary offers a £2,500 cash grant to use against any part of the project. In addition, the bursary will also include dramaturgical and producing support as well as R&D and rehearsal space, with an approximate £10,000 in-kind value. Bursary winning pieces will also have the opportunity to be performed as part of Live Theatre’s Elevator Festival in 2023. The deadline for application is Friday 8 July.

Do you have a story that needs to be heard? For Your Voice Your Future: North East, Live Theatre are looking for new-ten minute plays that reflect the contemporary lived experience in the North East and how the world ahead of us could be reimagined.

Live Theatre is also keen to expand the existing network of North East writers and theatre artists, and hear from new voices from within the region. To help to discover those new voices, submissions will only be accepted from writers or theatre artists who have had no previous work professionally performed at Live Theatre.

Successful plays will each receive a £1,000 commission and be produced and presented by Live Theatre as part of Your Voice, Your Future: North East on Live’s main stage from Thursday 15 to Sunday 18 September 2022. Deadline for submissions is Friday 1 July.

Live Theatre is also on the lookout for budding North East writers interested in writing for the stage. Live Playwriting is a friendly and informal course that serves as an introduction to playwriting and is aimed at those at the beginning of their playwriting journey. The course explores some of the key aspects of writing a play for the stage, as well as lifting the lid on how the theatre industry works and how writers get their plays programmed.

Hosted by Live Theatre’s creative team, with workshops from leading theatre professionals, this 10-week course will cover storytelling, plot, character, dialogue and theatricality.

Throughout the ten weeks participants will also develop and explore an idea for a stage play, leading to a sharing of the work by an ensemble of professional actors at the end of the course. The ten sessions will take place both in person at Live Theatre and online for those who would prefer, 1pm – 3pm every Saturday, from 5 November 2022 to 21 January 2023. The deadline for Live Playwriting applications is Wednesday 31 August.

Throughout September 2022 the open submission window for new scripts will be open. This year are the focus will be writers from the North East or who live in the North East. Live Theatre want to discover more regional talent and connect with more regional writers. This will be done in partnership with Alphabetti Theatre (Newcastle), Laurels Theatre (Whitley Bay) and The Customs House (South Shields) to widen the opportunity for new relationships.

Open Script Submission is not a script competition and there is no specific commission or production outcome. Rather Live Theatre and partner venues are looking to build relationships with writers with distinctive voices from our region, that tell stories about our region.

Live Theatre is dedicated to supporting freelance artists increasing opportunities for early career artists as well as discovering and celebrating writers from this region . Each year Live works with over a thousand freelance artists through a free to access talent development programme. Since 2018 Live Theatre have welcomed over 200 companies into the rehearsal room, studio and writers rooms, and provided over 600 days of free creative space. Many of the plays you see on the stages begin life in a workshop, a scratch night or in one of the rehearsal spaces. But it’s also bigger than that. The talent development programme gives artists a chance to have their own agency and find pathways into the wider industry. Live Theatre is also delighted to continue to offer a freelance ticket offer with independent artists having access to our productions from £6.

For more information on any of the talent development opportunities at Live Theatre go to www.live.org.uk/talent  

News: Sunderland Empire Partner With Sunderland Mind And Footloose To Raise Money For Local Lads

 

Sunderland Empire

Partner With

Sunderland Mind And Footloose

To Raise Money For Local Lads

Sunderland Empire collaborates with Sunderland Mind and Footloose The Musical to fundraise for Men’s Mental Health Awareness Week

 

Let’s hear it for the boy! Sunderland Empire are to collaborate with Sunderland Mind and visiting musical Footloose all this week (Mon 6 June – Sat 11 June) to raise money for the local charity ahead of Men’s Mental Health Awareness Week (15 June – 20 June).

 

With MentalHealth.org reporting that men aged 40-49 having the highest suicide rates in the UK, and referrals to NHS talking therapies for men being at just 36%, Sunderland Empire wanted to collaborate with the local body to raise awareness of their ever-vital services whilst raising money to assist in helping fund them.

 

Sunderland Mind does vital work to provide a wide range of supportive and therapeutic groups, counselling and training services aiding Sunderland locals daily.  

 

The theatre’s ‘Let’s Hear It For The Boy’ fundraising campaign, named after the famous song featured in Footloose the musical, will be kicked off with an 80’s themed opening night in which visitors are encouraged to dress the part by donning their best retro look. Though tights and brights, leg warmers, crimped hair and shoulder pads will be encouraged all week.

 

Any donations that can be spared upon customer’s visits will go directly to Sunderland Mind to help fund the incredible services they provide. If visitors wish to donate, they can do so by cash via the Sunderland Mind charity collection buckets or by phone via PayPal by scanning one of our posters within the venue.

 

Marie Nixon, Theatre Director at Sunderland Empire said: “It is becoming increasingly important, even more so after the pandemic, that mental health and support services are discussed more openly and destigmatised both in the workplace and in our personal lives. This wonderful collaboration with Sunderland Mind and Footloose The Musical gives us the opportunity to use our platform to reach out to our visitors at Sunderland Empire to raise awareness and funds for our those ever-vital local services.”

 

Victoria Austin, Communications Worker at Sunderland Mind said, “To mark Men’s Health Week, we have teamed up with Sunderland Empire to help raise awareness of men’s health, more specifically men’s mental health. With men still struggling to speak openly about their emotions and less likely to access psychological therapies than women (MentalHealth.org.uk), it is increasingly important we raise awareness this week to help break down the stigma.

 

To encourage this, our Men’s Group provides a space to show men they can share, support, and explore their personal challenges confidentially in a non-judgmental way. The group meets every Tuesday 10:30am – 12pm, is open to all men and has a small fee of £1 to cover refreshments. If you would like more information, please contact Paul on 0191 5657218 or email paul.booth@sunderlandmind.co.uk”

REVIEW: Play That Goes Wrong at Newcastle Theatre Royal

The Play That Goes Wrong

Newcastle Theatre Royal

Until Saturday 11 June 2022

The original cast of one of the funniest plays of the century have reunited for just last week's trip to Manchester and this week's trip to Newcastle. The result is a proper five star comedy that had the audience laughing throughout and on their feet for an ovation.

So Rob Falconer (Trevor), Dave Hearn (Max), Henry Lewis (Robert), Charlie Russell (Sandra), Jonathan Sayer (Dennis), Henry Shields (Chris), Greg Tannahill (Jonathan) and Nancy Zamit (Annie) were planning to be back together tonight. However - doing a show in the middle of a pandemic will always cause things to go wrong and tonight the role of Dennis/Butler Perkins was performed perfectly by understudy Harry Boyd, who made his debut with the company tonight. 

The theatre was packed, so clearly word has got out that this is a "must-see" show. Indeed the key to great comedy is to appear to be lax and haphazard but to actually have the comedy choreographed to within an inch of its life. Not that there are moments when the fourth wall is expected to be broken - tonight I suspect that there was at least one moment when he audience were not always reacting as expected. Like a music gig though, this is a three ring circus and the audience and its reaction is very much a part of the visceral experience. 

The show has had a minor update...when crew member Trevor  announces that his Duran Duran music collection has gone missing - it is no longer on tape and it is now a CD.

So what is the organised chaos all about? The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society has raised enough funding to put on a proper show and they have gone for a murder mystery - as opposed to previous disasters as "Cat" or "James, where's your peach?" 

This is a show that begins as the audience enters. "Crew" members are still trying to get the set ready. Some of the props are less co-operative including a door that refuses to close.

Now normally I would talk about the plot in the first 20 minutes of a show and then leave the rest to be revealed when you attend the show...but I don't want to really spoil even the pre-start shenanigans. In short, you'll want to get there about 20 minutes before the published start time. 

Henry Shields then opens the proceedings as director Chris Bean. He lists the failures of the drama group to date and you quickly get the idea that they want this show to be different. From the very start of the proper play things go wrong. Film reviewer Mark Kermode suggests that a comedy should make you laugh at least 6 times - this show has probably hit that figure for most people within 5 minutes of the official start time.

This leads us to an interesting part of the set up, and I'll use Henry as the example. Henry is playing Chris  who is also playing Inspector Carter. As a result the programme is effectively in two halves - the front is the Cornley Poly programme listing that the Inspector is played by Chris and the second half is the Play That Goes Wrong programme stating that the role of Chris is played by Henry.

So imagine a whodunnit in which the cast will walk into pillars, props are in the wrong place and the corpses forget that they are supposed to be dead. Add in fantastic comedic timing and some real magic of theatre and you have one of the most entertaining shows currently on tour.

Who is it suitable for? I took my son to see the original cast years ago. He loved it. Now he is approaching 20 and he still loves it - even though we have both seen it a few times. So it is suitable for kids (officially it runs for just over 2 hours including interval). It is also a show that you'll want to see again.

It is not a panto. It is not exactly a farce either - but there are elements of both. My son calls it the perfect comedy. And do you know what...he may be right.

Review: Stephen Oliver

Photo: Jeremy Daniel

Tickets:

The Play That Goes Wrong plays at Newcastle Theatre Royal from Monday 6 – Saturday 11 June 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.

Preview: The Guilty Feminist: Live at Newcastle Tyne Theatre & Opera House

 

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Deborah Frances-White brings The Guilty Feminist: Live to Newcastle Tyne Theatre & Opera House

Thursday 16^th June 2022

                                  

The Tyne Theatre and Opera House have announced that they will be hosting the award-winning podcast The Guilty Feminist: Live in 2022. Hosted by Deborah Frances-White, the show will take place in Newcastle Upon Tyne on Thursday 16th June 2022.

Less of a podcast and more of a global phenomenon, The Guilty Feminist, is part comedy, part deep-dive discussion and part activism. Featuring a different array of world class guests each night, together, the show examines our noble goals as 21st century feminists – and our hypocrisies and insecurities that undermine those goals. With over 95 million downloads in six years, this show intends to prove that you don’t have to be perfect to be a force for meaningful change.

The podcast’s focus is vast in scope, and has featured guests such as Shaparak Khorsandi, Nova Reid, Nina Conti, She Drew The Gun, Vick Hope, and Pandora Sykes.

For this special Newcastle date, Deborah will be joined by star of Netflix’s Death to 2020 Kemah Bob, star of hit podcast Wheel of Misfortune Alison Spittle, and rising stand-up comedy star Celya AB (as seen at Tyne Theatre & Opera House during BBC New Comedy Awards), plus more fantastic guests still to be announced as well as live music and a recording of the award-winning Guilty Feminist podcast.

In 2017, The Guilty Feminist won two awards at the Lovies – Best Entertainment Podcast (Silver) and Best Host (Silver). In 2019, The Guilty Feminist won Best Lifestyle and Culture Podcast in the 2019 Pod Bible Podcast Awards. And in 2020, it was awarded Gold by the British Podcast Awards. The podcast was also named by Apple as one of their Best Listens of 2019.

In 2019, The Guilty Feminist teamed up with Amnesty International for the Secret Policeman’s Tour; a series of three shows with comedy, music, and discussion, all in support of human rights.

Deborah Frances-White is a stand-up comedian, podcaster, screenwriter, and corporate speaker. Deborah has appeared on Have I Got News For You, Mock the Week, Would I Lie to You, Politics Live and Tonight with Vladimir Putin. In 2019, Deborah starred in Say My Name, a film that she wrote.

In 2016, she won the Writers’ Guild Award for Best Radio Comedy for her hit BBC Radio 4 series, Deborah Frances-White Rolls the Dice.

Theatre Director, Joanne Johnson said “We are delighted to welcome The Guilty Feminist onto our stage this year. This is an extremely popular podcast and we’re certain that audiences will absolutely love the live show even more!”

 

Tickets:

Tickets available from the theatre box office and online from our affiliates Eventim UK: https://tinyurl.com/GuiltyFTyneTicket

 

Preview: A Way Home - The fight for a place to belong ON TOUR

New play brings the true story of Durham’s category ‘D’ villages to life

A Way Home - The fight for a place to belong

Co-commissioned by Queen’s Hall Arts Centre Hexham & Gala Theatre, Durham

Opening night: Tuesday 7 June, 7.30pm, Gala Theatre, Durham

Tour runs from Tuesday 7 to Sunday 26 June 2022

Written by Christina Castling

Direction by Jonluke McKie

Set Design by Alison Ashton

Composed by Roma Yagnik

Produced by CaroleW Productions

In 1951 a third of the villages in County Durham were classified as ‘D’ - no longer deemed worthy of investment and expected to die quietly. Over the next 25 years local communities fought to save the hundred and twenty one villages that eighty five thousand people still called home.

This county-wide fight has been brought to life in A Way Home a new play by Christina Castling, which shines the light on the true stories and memories of the people who called those category ‘D’ villages home.

Audiences at theatres and community venues across the North East of England are being invited to pull up a chair at Bet’s kitchen table and join her as this epic battle is condensed into a 12 month journey for one family. Told with humour, tenderness and not a small amount of grit, A Way Home explores what identity, loss and belonging really look like.

As playwright Christina Castling explains: “As someone who has spent the last 16 years living in County Durham I was shocked when I first came across the story of category ‘D’ villages and the huge impact this town planning decision had on the communities in a place I now call home.

“I spent four years researching and working with community members across County Durham: capturing their stories, inviting them into the rehearsal room and using their feedback to help shape the play. In January 2019 an early draft of the play was shared with an invited audience. The response was overwhelming. The play was originally due to take to the stage in June 2020 but our plans were thwarted by Covid-19. Nearly 2 years on we’re really excited about bringing this emotive tale of what it’s like to find yourself fighting to be heard when no one is listening, of holding on to the past and of finding a place to belong, something we feel is just as relevant now as it was 60 years ago.”

County Durham was the only area in the country to make such a town planning decision. Under category ‘D’ of the plan all capital development and building was to cease. Slowly these villages were to be demolished. In the end very few were and, over 60 years later, the ones left standing have their own stories to tell.

A Way Home, starring Jackie Phillips, Jackie Lye, Luke Maddison, Lawrence Neale, Jude Nelson and David Raynor will open at Gala Theatre, Durham on Tuesday 7 June at 7.30pm before touring the North East stopping off at The Witham in Barnard Castle, Arts Centre Washington, Ushaw Historic House, Chapels & Gardens in Durham, Alnwick Playhouse, Queen’s Hall Arts Centre in Hexham and Live Theatre in Newcastle upon Tyne as well as at ten community venues across County Durham.

Christina added: “Involving local communities in the process of creating the play was key to ensure that it would be as authentic, meaningful and accurate as possible. Without their generosity A Way Home would be a very different play. We’re thrilled to eventually be able to share the end result with audiences at Theatres across the North East this June but also, importantly, that we will be returning to the communities that this story belongs to.”

A Way Home was co-commission by Queen’s Hall Arts Centre Hexham and Gala Theatre, Durham and has been made possible with support with public funding from Arts Council England as well as funding from Newcastle University Institute for Creative Arts Practice, Sunday for Sammy, Catherine Cookson Trust and Northern Bridge Consortium. 

Tickets:

For more information about A Way Home and for details on how to buy tickets visit www.a-way-home.co.uk 

A Way Home Tour Dates:

• Tuesday 7 June, 7.30pm, Gala, Durham

• Wednesday 8 June, 7.30pm, The Witham

• Thursday 9 June, 7.30pm, Arts Centre Washington

• Friday 10 June, 7pm, Clara Vale Village Hall

• Saturday 11 June, 2pm & 7pm, Ushaw Historic House, Chapels & Gardens

• Monday 13 June, 7pm, St Mark’s Church, Eldon

• Tuesday 14 June, 2.30pm & 7.30pm, Alnwick Playhouse

• Wednesday 15 June 7pm, Trimdon Grange Community Centre

• Thursday 16 June, 7.30pm, Binchester Community Centre

• Friday 17 June, 7pm, Hamsteels Community Centre

• Saturday 18 June, 3pm, St John’s Hall Meadowfield

• Monday 20 June, 7pm, Toft Hill Community Centre

• Tuesday 21 June, 7pm, Hamsterley & Low Westwood Community Centre

• Wednesday 22 June, 7.30pm, Queen’s Hall Arts Centre, Hexham

• Thursday 23 June, 2.30pm & 7.30pm, Live Theatre, Newcastle Upon Tyne

• Friday 24 June, 7.30pm, Live Theatre, Newcastle

• Saturday 25 June, 7pm, Coundon & Leaholme Community Centre

• Sunday 26 June, 7pm, Witton Park Village Hall