ETT (English Touring Theatre) is bringing its travelling outdoor performance space Trailer Story to Newcastle from 30 July to 1 August.
Inspired by ETT’s origins as The Century Theatre, which toured the UK on a number of trucks, eventually settling for summer season in a car park in Keswick where it became known and loved as the Blue Box, Trailer Story performances will be housed in a truck, usually used to tour production sets around the country, but reimagined as a space for artists and audiences to meet.
After its visit to Newcastle (supported by Northern Stage), where it will be sited in Leazes Park, it will move to Keswick with the support of Theatre By The Lake, which is built on the site once occupied by the Blue Box.
There will be one programme of events and productions which will visit both Newcastle and Keswick alongside a local programme for each.
The touring programme includes theatre with Nouveau Riche’s dance-theatre piece Resonate written and performed by Ntonga Mwanza, Lung Theatre’s Who Cares by Matt Woodhead which explores the experience of young carers, the bike-powered family comedy How to Save a Rock written by Conky Kampfner, Alex Rugman and Pigfoot and Tim Crouch’s reimagining of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night from the point of view of its most notoriously abused steward in I, Malvolio.
There is comedy with the country’s best comics performing for an audience of children and their families in Comedy Club 4 Kids, whilst Figs in Wigs host cosmic game show Astrology Bingo. There is also A Rain Walk, a self-guided tour accompanied by the recorded voices of children from across the UK and Ireland.
Finally, there will be music and beatboxing from Grace Savage who performs her award-winning beatbox routines and distinguished back catalogue of songs, and Testament also brings his spoken word, rap and beatbox show.
The local artists appearing in Newcastle include The BonBons Cabaret with Bonnie and the Bonnettes and The House of Love, Mam Tackles The Climate Crisis written and directed by Tracy Gillman and performed by Jackie Lye and BRASH's Raising Shame and A case in point by What's That Dance in Newcastle.
All show are free and full details of dates and times can be found on the Northern Stage web site.
Richard Twyman, Artistic Director, and Sophie Scull, Executive Producer of ETT, said, “this programme curated by the team at ETT and our partners at Northern Stage and Theatre by the Lake offers audiences a rich selection of entertainment for all ages, from theatre and dance to comedy and spoken word. In this, its inaugural year, we hope that our touring truck will provide the opportunity for artists and audiences to reconnect and celebrate the communal act of theatre-making. We, and all the artists involved, are so excited to be back making work, touring and meeting audiences in their local community again.”