A concert inspired by the life and career of Andrew Lloyd Webber and two nights of work curated by resident creatives are highlights of a socially distanced season at Leicester’s Curve.
The theatre’s chief executive Chris Stafford and artistic director Nikolai Foster said, "after more than a year of closure, we’re delighted to be welcoming audiences safely back to Curve with an exciting programme celebrating artists, our community and Leicester's passion for musical theatre.
"Although we recognise some audiences may be nervous returning to live events, health and safety remain our priority and we’ve invested significantly in implementing measures to ensure everyone working with us and visiting our theatre is safe.”
Curve will reopen as a 533-seat auditorium, with audiences experiencing live performances from all four sides of the stage.
The season will officially start on Thursday 20 May with a members’ event which will be also be live-streamed for audiences to watch online.
On 21 and 22 May, the theatre will celebrate local and national artists with a showcase of new work and performances from Curve associate artists and Curve resident creatives. Performances will include songs from musicals, extracts from original plays and newly choreographed dance pieces from Kathak to hip hop. The evenings will be hosted by Curve associates Sheep Soup.
Dancer, choreographer and Curve associate artist Aakash Odedra returns to the stage with his performance of Rising on Monday 24 and Tuesday 25 May. First performed in 2011 and revisited in the company's 10th anniversary year, Rising will feature several short works choreographed by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Akram Khan, Russell Maliphant and Odedra himself.
Katie Lam and Alex Parker's Amdram: A Musical Comedy visits Curve from Thursday 27 until Saturday 29 May. The Great Osterley North Amateur Dramatic Society—or GONADS as they are known—reign supreme over the village hall. The arrival of a new contender for leading lady and a professional director throw their amateur production into chaos.
Amdram will be performed by a cast including Janie Dee, Laura Pitt-Pulford, Raj Ghatak, Debbie Chazen, Sharan Phull, Jordan Lee Davies and Wendy Ferguson.
The culmination of the season will be The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, a concert directed by Nikolai Foster which will run from Monday 7 until Saturday 19 June. Casting will be revealed later.
In line with the government’s road map, Curve will fully reopen on Thursday 1 July with Peter James's Looking Good Dead.