Last Ship, Restless State, Who Wants To Live Forever?, Cathy
The Last Ship – tour starts 12 March
Mega star Sting’s debut musical has its UK première in March when it opens at Northern Stage and then tours.
The Last Ship, which has a TONY-nominated score and lyrics by Sting, was initially inspired by album The Soul Cages and his own childhood experiences.
Set in Tyne and Wear, the show tells the story of a community hit by the closure of the Swan Hunter shipyard.
Artistic director of Northern Stage Lorne Campbell directs a cast led by Joe McGann, with Charlie Hardwick, Richard Fleeshman and Frances McNamee.
Completing the cast are Michael Blair, Joe Caffrey, Matt Corner, Marvin Ford, Orla Gormley, Annie Grace, Sean Kearns, Katie Moore, Charlie Richmond, Parisa Shahmir, Kevin Wathen and Penelope Woodman.
Richard John is the musical director, Sam Sommerfeld the associate musical and Lucy Hind the movement director.
The Last Ship sails to Northern Stage, Liverpool Playhouse, The New Alexandra Birmingham, Royal & Derngate Northampton, Leeds Grand Theatre, Nottingham Playhouse, Wales Millenium Centre Cardiff, Bord Gais Energy Theatre Dublin, Festival Theatre Edinburgh, Theatre Royal Glasgow, York Theatre Royal and The Lowry Salford.
This Restless State – tour starts 14 March
This Restless State is created and performed by Jesse Fox of Engineer Theatre Collective and is written by Danielle Pearson.
It combines three stories of one family, each in a different city, covering the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the present day and a new world order in 2052.
Using storytelling and innovative sound design, this solo performance looks at personal and political choices, nationhood, conflict and love.
This Restless State is directed by Jemima James and produced by Fuel Theatre.
This Restless State visits Ovalhouse London, Arena Theatre Wolverhampton, The Bike Shed Theatre Exeter and Alphabetti Theatre Newcastle.
Who Wants To Live Forever? – tour starts 15 March
Who Wants To Live Forever? is a Billie Holiday inspired show by writer, director, performer, poet and jazz singer Cheryl Martin.
Mixing fact, real-world psychological observation and autobiography with live jazz vocals, the show asks why some stars shine more brightly than others and why do people love to watch them fall.
US-born Cheryl Martin has made Manchester her adopted city. She has won a number of awards including Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards as writer (Best Community Production, Heart and Soul) and director (Best Studio Production, Iron by Rona Munro) and an Edinburgh Fringe First as co-director and producer of Traverse Theatre’s Breakfast Series The World Is Too Much.
Who Wants to Live Forever? is directed by Darren Pritchard. The show was seen last year as a work in progress at the 2017 PUSH Festival.
The show visits Oldham Library, The University of Sheffield, The Albany London, The Marlborough Brighton, Slung Low Leeds, Unity Theatre Liverpool and York Theatre Royal.
Cathy – tour starts 17 March
Cardboard Citizens revives Cathy with a tour.
The play is inspired by Ken Loach and Jeremy Sandford’s ground-breaking film Cathy Come Home and written by Ali Taylor.
It looks at the state of housing and homelessness using true stories researched with the support of housing and homelessness charity Shelter to create a Cathy for today.
Cardboard Citizens artistic director Adrian Jackson directs the original cast of Alex Jones, Amy Loughton, Cathy Owen and Hayley Wareham all reprising their roles.
In most venues, the show will adopt a Forum Theatre style with the audience encouraged to suggest different actions and outcomes for the narrative, actively engaging with the issues raised in the play.
Last year, the company presented the most popular audience suggestions for laws to address the current housing crisis to Members of Parliament during a special performance at the House of Lords.
Cathy had a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe and was also seen at the Labour Party Conference.
Cathy visits St Austell Arts Theatre, The Acorn Theatre Penzance, Mylor Theatre Truro College Truro, Soho Theatre London, Wales Millennium Centre Cardiff, The Welfare Swansea, Torch Theatre Milford Haven, Arts Centre Studio Aberystwyth and Albany Theatre London.