Coventry stories will continue to take centre stage in the Belgrade Theatre’s autumn 2018 season after the success of its site-specific show Read All About It! in the former Coventry Evening Telegraph building.
The season gets underway with a second site-specific production, Meet Me in the Ruins, delivered in partnership with Coventry Cathedral as part of the Plumb Line Festival which celebrates 100 years of the Diocese of Coventry.
Meet Me in the Ruins will present audiences with a series of snapshots rooted in local history and following five characters all at a crossroads in their lives.
The open-air performance which features stories penned by Ola Animashawun, Marcia Layne, Alan Pollock, Nick Walker and Paven Virk can be seen at Coventry Cathedral from 6 until 8 September.
From 19 until 21 September, Noctium Theatre takes its new play Hymns for Robots home to Coventry after a run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Created with support from the Belgrade’s Springboard talent development programme, the piece mixes Noctium’s heightened performance style with analogue and digital music to bring to life the story of Coventry-born electronic music pioneer Delia Derbyshire.
Best known for her work on the Doctor Who theme tune, Delia Derbyshire was a musical trailblazer, cited as an influence on bands as diverse as the Beatles and Pink Floyd.
From 29 September until 20 October, Tom Clarke, former frontman of The Enemy, will make his theatrical debut as musical director of the world première of We’ll Live and Die in These Towns. It takes songs from The Enemy’s number one debut album as its soundtrack.
Written by Coventry playwright Geoff Thompson, We’ll Live and Die in These Towns tells the story of a young rock musician who suffers a crisis of confidence only hours before a major homecoming gig that could make or break his career. Unable to persuade him to perform, his manager sends him off into the city where he encounters people and places from his past that help him to make decisions about his future.
From 23 until 28 October, the Belgrade will be starting Christmas early when Nativity! The Musical kicks off its second UK tour at the Belgrade. Coventry writer and director Debbie Isitt revives the show.