News from the North East

Published: 19 February 2012
Reporter: Peter Lathan

Angel publicity graphicHullabaloo on tour

Darlington-based children's theatre company Theatre Hullabaloo is to tour Angel, a new play by Kevin Dyer which tells the extraordinary story of an unexpected friendship between a young girl and an old woman who suffers from Alzheimer's. Audiences are invited to join Bill on her adventure through time as she forgets about her own problems in life to help an old woman to right the wrongs of her past.

The old woman has two times in her head, then and now. She lives alone with a make-believe dog called Satan and she keeps her watch in the fridge. The girl in the red jumper is not happy at home. She follows the old woman home, to a house full of paper, where nothing has been thrown away for fifty years. Together they steal the old man from the place that smells of vegetables and escape to the top of the hill where the air is clean and the sky is the colour of his eyes. Up there the girl will help them finish the race they started when they were young.

Creative Producer Miranda Thain said, "The friendship between Bill and Miriam is unusual because, outside of families, young people rarely spend time with older people. This is one of the reasons I think the play is important because the relationship shows us that, however old we get, we can still play and laugh and enjoy one another's company."

The production runs at Darlington Arts Centre from 23rd to 25th February and goes on to Halifax, Margate, Canterbury, Hexham, Alnwick, Barnard Castle, Kirkoswald, Richmond (North Yorkshire), Salford, Maidenhead, York, Leeds, Washington, Aberdeen and Fife.

Northern Stage Springboard logoNorthern Stage Springboard

Following the success of Northern Stage's Springboard 2011 when participants performed an abridged version of Dennis Kelly's Taking Care of Baby, this summer we are once again creating a young company of performing arts students to take part in a two week residency.

The theatre is looking for approximately fifteen of "the region's most talented and exciting performing arts students." The first of two audition days will be the 27th April at Northern Stage.

Full details and an application form can be found at http://www.northernstage.co.uk/take-part/perf/springboard

The Taming of the ShrewWhat's on this week

  • The RSC production of The Taming of the Shrew is at Newcastle Theatre Royal from Thursday until 3rd March
  • The Blanca Li Dance Company presents Elektro Kif at Northern Stage on Tuesday and Wednesday
  • Nativities by Zoe Cooper continues at Live Theatre until 3rd March
  • On Saturday Dan Canham presents 30 Cecil Street at Dance City
  • On Thursday The Future Is Unwritten presents Way Out West at Arts Centre Washington
  • Open Clasp bring Swags and Tails to the Customs House, South Shields, on Friday
  • Swags and TailsReform Theatre presents My Favourite Summer at the Queen's Hall, Hexham, on Friday
  • The Man Who Left the Titanic is at the Middlesbrough Theatre on Thursday
  • New musical Save the Last Dance for Me comes to Darlington Civic Theatre from Monday to Saturday
  • On Thursday and Friday Souvenir d'Anne Frank is at Darlington Arts Centre and from Thursday to Saturday Theatre Hullabaloo presents Angel
  • On Friday the Georgian Theatre, Richmond, presents Jo's War by Lucy Bell, followed on Saturday by Fagin's Last Hour, adapted and performed by James Hyland

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