Sunderland Stages returns

Sunderland Stages brings theatre, dance and spoken word, which would not otherwise be seen in the city, to hidden, unexpected and favourite venues across Sunderland.

Among the venues in the spring season are The Royalty Theatre, Arts Centre Washington, The National Glass Centre, Sunderland College, Sunderland Minster, Pop Recs and The Funky Indian.

The programme is:

• 24 January

  Ragged Edge Productions presents

  The Chef Show
  The Funky Indian Restaurant

  The action takes place around the audience, providing a fly-on-the-wall experience as they watch a father and son on a busy Saturday night in the local curry house.

• 10 February

  The Six Twenty presents

  Mixtape
  The Dun Cow

  A music quiz comedy sketch show with a different theme every time. Themes TBA.

• 14 February

  Adrian Berry presents

  From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads
  The Royalty Theatre

  Martin, a young David Bowie obsessive, is a boy with problems. When an unexpected gift arrives, he embarks on a thrilling journey to discover some long-hidden truths about himself and change his life forever...

• 22 February at 10:30am, 1:00PM, 3:30PM

  Theatre Hullabaloo presents

  Spirits of the Sea
  National Glass Centre

  A maritime adventure for everyone aged 6 years and above.

  In a little village fishing village people have thrown their worries into the sea and the waves have become angry, scaring the villagers. Can one little girl calm the angry sea and stop the villagers from being afraid?

• 3 March

  Ridiculusmus presents

  Give Me Your Love
  Sunderland College - Bede Campus

  An off-the-wall play about a World War veteran’s struggle to shake the horrors of his past.

  Zach believes he has retreated into a tiny dugout under a barrage of hostile fire, but he’s actually sitting in a cardboard box in his kitchen. Although his wife whispers kindly that it is safe to come out, Zach believes it could be a trap… but his real enemy may actually be himself.

• 16 March

  2Magpies presents

  Ventoux
  Arts Centre Washington

  Ventoux is the most fearsome mountain encountered on the Tour de France. It is also the story of Lance Armstrong and Marco Pantani—whose drug-fuelled race there in 2000 was the greatest cycling had ever seen. Ventoux charts the parallel lives of these champions who overcame great adversity in tandem, and the mountain that cast them in opposing directions

• 6 April

  Jonny & the Baptists present

  Jonny & the Baptists: Eat the Poor
  Pop Recs

  A musical comedy exploring the gap between rich and poor. As Jonny betrays Paddy for financial gain and enjoys the highlife with celebrities, Paddy falls into homelessness and despair.

  Three quarters of MPs are millionaires. A third of the country lives below the poverty line. Whatever your politics, it's worth talking about.

• 28 April

  Mixtape
  The Dun Cow

• 12 May

  GemArts presenting Kadam Pulse’s Odissi Ensemble in

  Gods & Mortals
  Sunderland Minster

  Indian classical dance, updated for the twenty-first century. A quartet of dancers, along with live musicians, tell the stories of the Hindu gods and highlight the everyday struggles and triumphs of humans.

• 26 - 27 May (various times throughout the day)

  The Paper Birds present

  Mobile
  Inside a caravan parked at Park Lane

  Mobile is an exploration of people’s dreams of the future; in this caravan, the wallpaper projects faded memories, the radio sings lullabies and kettles talk. A performance for up to 9 people inside a caravan, based on interviews conducted across the UK, including the North East.

• 30 June

  Mixtape
  The Dunn Cow