Newcastle’s Northern Stage has announced its 2018 autumn season, which runs from September to January 2019. The season includes in-house productions, co-productions and visiting productions in drama, spoken word, comedy and dance, for adults and children.
The season opens from 4 to 8 September with a public sharing from the Royal Court Writers Group North, a collaboration between Northern Stage, The Royal Court and New Writing North, featuring nine new works from playwrights Olivia Hannah, Karen Laws, Mhairi Ledgerwood, Laura Lindow, Jack Nicholls, Lindsay Rodden, Tamsin Daisy Rees, Chris Salt and Zosia Wand.
In-House and Co-Productions
19 – 22 September
The War of the Worlds
Adapted for the stage by Laura Lindow from the novel by H G Wells
A revival of the sell-out production of January / February 2018.
9 – 20 October
The Lovely Bones
Adapted for the stage by Bryony Lavery from the novel by Alice Sebold
A co-production between Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Royal & Derngate and Northern Stage, in association with Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse.
Susie Salmon is just like any other girl. She wants to be beautiful, adores her charm bracelet and has a crush on a boy from school. There’s one big difference though—Susie is dead. She can only observe while her family cope with their grief in their different ways. Susie is desperate to help them and there might be a way of reaching them…
2 – 17 November
Under Milk Wood
A play for voices by Dylan Thomas
Directed by Elayce Ismail who also directs The War of the Worlds and is currently Associate Director at Northern Stage as part of a pilot scheme by the Regional Theatre Young Director Scheme (RTYDS) aimed at preparing directors with a strong professional track record for artistic leadership.
The play, originally written for radio, takes us through 24 hours in the lives of the very mixed set of characters who “live their lives under Milk Wood” in the fictional Welsh town of Llareggub.
1 December – 5 January
A Christmas Carol
Adapted for the stage by Neil Bartlett from the novel by Charles Dickens.
Produced by the same team which presented James and the Giant Peach and Alice in Wonderland. Directed by Mark Calvert.
Visiting Productions
27 September
The Last Seam
By Garry Lyons
A Cast, Doncaster, production
Marking the closure of England’s last deep seam mine Hatfield Colliery in 2015.
9 – 13 October
The Mountaintop
By Katori Hall
Co-produced by Reading Rep, Desara Productions and Nuffield Theatres
This Olivier Award-winning play about Martin Luther King Jnr’s last night on earth is an intimate look into the quieter moments of King’s life, exposing his fears about his family, his country and the ever-looming threat of a violent death.
16 – 18 October
Future Bodies
A collaboration between Unlimited Theatre & RashDash in a co-production with HOME Manchester
Two theatre companies come together to imagine the implications of real world, leading edge developments in human enhancement technologies. Working with leading scientists and researchers in the fields of brain implants, smart drugs, and artificial intelligence, Unlimited and RashDash smash together science fact and fiction in a kaleidoscopic montage of words, music and movement.
13 – 17 November
Othello
By William Shakespeare
English Touring Theatre in a co-production with Oxford Playhouse and Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory
Venice, a western colonial power, employs the newly-married Othello, a Muslim general, to lead their army against the impending Turkish invasion. In a society torn apart by discrimination and fear, Othello’s life quickly unravels. Manipulated by Iago, he turns on everything he holds dear.
13 and 20 December
Impro Pantso
The annual visit by Newcastle's leading impro The Suggestibles.
Dance
25 October
Tangomotion
New work from dancers Alexandra Wood, Guillermo Torrens, Paula Duarte and Richard Manuel, with live original music from the Tango Siempre quartet.
30 – 31 October
Fagin’s Twist
Presented by Avant Garde Dance Company and The Place
The untold story of a notorious and complex villain. It imagines Fagin's youth, driven by greed and ambition in the face of overwhelming poverty. The streets are a place of little comfort and fairy-tale endings are hard to find in this coming-of-age tale which is told in contemporary hip hop style.
7 – 10 November
Launching balletLORENT... After Dark
A celebration of 25 years of Northern Stage associate artists, balletLORENT
An intimate evening of dance and drinks, cabaret-style, a chance to experience scenes inspired by la nuit intime and The Night Ball, with some original dances to savour for the very first time. (This production is in Stage 3.)
Children’s Shows
3 – 5 October (various times)
The Snail and the Whale
Tall Stories
Inspired by the bestselling picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler for children aged 3+
22 – 24 October (various times)
Dinosaur World Live!
An interactive show for all the family. Grab your compass and join an intrepid explorer across unchartered territories to discover a prehistoric world of dinosaurs. Meet a host of impressive creatures, including every child's favourite flesh-eating giant, the Tyrannosaurus Rex, a Triceratops, Giraffatitan, Microraptor and Segnosaurus. (Stage 1.)
22 – 24 October (various times)
Egg and Spoon
Lyngo Theatre
An interactive romp through the seasons. Meet Percy, April and Birdy, still hiding in his glowing egg. We'll have to wait until spring if we want to see him, so it’s time to begin our hands-on journey through the year. (For ages 1 to 5.)
27 November – 5 January
The Three Bears at Christmas
Presented by Kitchen Zoo
Deep in the snowy forest, Mammy, Daddy and Baby Bear are preparing for winter. Each day they head off into the woods to collect interesting things they can re-use for their house. But then, as Christmas arrives, their cosy home is turned upside down by a colourful whirlwind that threatens to knock over their Christmas tree, eat their Christmas puddings and fall asleep in their beds—it’s Goldilocks!
Kitchen Zoo, the makers of The Owl and The Pussycat and The Tin Foil Astronaut, are graduates of Northern Stage’s NORTH programme for emerging artists and theatre makers.