No Miracles Here, The Mirror Crack’d, Mole & Gecko: THE SHOW, Noughts & Crosses
No Miracles Here – tour starts 15 February
The new musical No Miracles Here is a story of resilience and the need to stay on your feet, set at a dance marathon in a northern town.
An anthem to feeling alive and keeping the faith, it looks at how you can overcome depression through dancing.
The show has previously been seen in Edinburgh, Salford and London.
It is presented by The Letter Room and made in association with the charity Mind. The producer is Max Emmerson.
No Miracles Here opens at Northern Stage in Newcastle then visits The Arts Centre University Ormskirk, Gala Theatre Durham, Square Chapel Arts Centre Halifax, Theatre By The Lake Keswick, New Wolsey Studio Ipswich, The Garage Norwich, CAST Doncaster, Greenwich Theatre London, Performing Arts Centre Lincoln and Lyceum Crewe.
The Mirror Crack’d – tour starts 15 February
Agatha Christie's Miss Marple thriller The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side has been adapted for the stage by Rachel Wagstaff.
Susie Blake plays Miss Marple. She is known to television viewers as Hilary Nicholson in Mrs Brown’s Boys and Bev Unwin in Coronation Street. Her stage credits include When We Are Married, Pygmalion and Wicked.
Alongside Blake is Simon Shepherd who is best known for playing the role of Dr Will Preston in television's Peak Practice. His stage credits include Hay Fever, Duck House and Posh.
Joining them are Colin R Campbell, Suzanna Hamilton, Julia Hills, Katherine Manners, Katie Matsell, Davina Moon, Huw Parmenter and Gillian Saker.
This is the first stage airing for the story which is directed by Melly Still with music and sound design by Jon Nicholls and movement by Joseph Alford.
The Mirror Crack’d is presented by Wales Millennium Centre and Wiltshire Creative.
The play opens at Salisbury Playhouse then visits Gaiety Theatre Dublin, Cambridge Arts Theatre and New Theatre Cardiff.
Mole & Gecko: THE SHOW – tour starts 16 February
Poet Simon Mole and musician Gecko tour their new interactive family rap musical, Mole & Gecko: THE SHOW in, and around, London.
The show tells the story of a mole and a gecko using live songs, rap stories, instant poems and a weasel with a biscuit problem.
Simon Mole is a poet, emcee, and theatre-maker. He co-founded Chill Pill Collective, curating and hosting poetry nights at Soho Theatre and the Albany, and was the first Poet Laureate for the London borough of Brent. His theatre shows include Indiana Jones and the Extra Chair, No More Worries and Friends For All.
North London based Gecko is a singer, storyteller and musician. He has appeared at Glastonbury, Bestival, BBC Radio 1, 6 Music, BBC Scotland, BBC London and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe sharing stages with Ed Sheeran, Lee 'Scratch' Perry, Robin Ince, Josie Long, John Hegley and Billy Bragg. His debut album Volcano was released in 2017.
Peader Kirk directs.
Mole & Gecko: The Show visits Half Moon Theatre London, Norden Farm Centre for the Arts Maidenhead, Canada Water Theatre London, The Albany Theatre London, Artsdepot London and Watermans Arts Centre Brentford.
Noughts & Crosses – tour starts 16 February
The first of Malorie Blackman’s dystopia set novels for young adults, Noughts & Crosses, has been adapted for the stage by Sabrina Mahfouz.
The work premières with 2018 South Bank Sky Arts Breakthrough Award winner Heather Agyepong as Sephy and Billy Harris as Callum. Harris’ theatre credits include Boots On The Ground and 13.
Doreene Blackstock, Jack Condon, Daniel Copeland, Lisa Howard, Chris Jack and Kimisha Lewis complete the cast.
Noughts & Crosses is a co-production from Pilot Theatre, Derby Theatre, Belgrade Theatre Coventry, Mercury Theatre, Colchester and York Theatre Royal whose new partnership has been formed to develop theatre for younger audiences.
The show is directed by Pilot Theatre artistic director Esther Richardson, who spoke about it for the BTG podcast, along with performers Agyepong and Harris.
Noughts & Crosses opens at Derby Theatre then visits Theatr Clwyd Mold, The Lowry Salford, Mercury Theatre Colchester, Bristol Old Vic, Brighton Theatre Royal, Belgrade Theatre Coventry, York Theatre Royal, Theatre Royal Stratford East and Northern Stage.