The Unreturning, Rebus, Trial By Laughter, Still No Idea, Early Doors
The Unreturning - tour starts 20 September
Award winning theatre company Frantic Assembly artistic director Neil Bettles directs the world première of The Unreturning which explores the effect of war on young lives and asks what does coming home mean.
Prior to training professionally Joe Layton, Jared Garfield, Jonnie Riordon and Kieton Saunders-Browne who make up the cast were all members of the company's Ignition programme, a free, national training programme for young men aged 16-20.
The Unreturning is written by Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting winner Anna Jordan whose stage writing credits include Yen, Marianne, Chicken Shop, We Anchor In Hope and A Serious Case of the Fuckits. Jordan also writes for television and directs.
The play has video design by Andrzej Goudling and the associate director is Jessica Williams.
The Unreturning is a Frantic Assembly & Theatre Royal Plymouth production; it visits Theatre Royal Plymouth, Nuffield Southampton Theatres Campus, Liverpool Everyman, Civic Theatre Chelmsford, Traverse Theatre Edinburgh, The Old Rep Birmingham, Theatre Royal Stratford East, Chichester Festival Theatre (Minerva Theatre), Curve Leicester and Taliesin Arts Centre Swansea University, with additional dates to be announced.
Rebus: Long Shadows – tour starts 20 September
Charles Lawson plays retired detective inspector John Rebus in the world première of Rebus: Long Shadows. His is joined by John Stahl and Cathy Tyson.
Written by Ian Rankin and Rona Munro, this is a new story created for the stage which sees Rankin's famous detective John Rebus come out of retirement when the daughter of a murder victim appears outside his Edinburgh flat.
The play is directed by Roxana Silbert and has composition and sound design by Garth McConaghie. It is presented by Daniel Schumann, Lee Dean and Cambridge Arts Theatre in association with Birmingham Repertory Theatre.
Rebus: Long Shadows tours to Birmingham Repertory Theatre, King’s Theatre Edinburgh, Malvern Theatres, Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Nottingham, Manchester Opera House, Royal & Derngate Northampton, His Majesty's Theatre Aberdeen and Yvonne Arnaud Theatre Guildford.
Trial By Laughter – tour starts 20 September
Ian Hislop and Nick Newman have adapted their original BBC Radio 4 drama Trial by Laughter for the stage.
Inspired by true events and set in 1817, the play tells the story of bookseller, publisher and satirist William Hone on trial for parodying religion, the despotic government and the libidinous monarchy. The only crime he had committed was to be funny—is laughter treason and has much changed in the way of free speech and press freedom.
Hislop and Nick Newman have previously written A Bunch of Amateurs and The Wipers Times for the stage and have television credits that include Spitting Image and My Dad’s The Prime Minister.
In the cast are Helena Antoniou, Philippe Edwards, Jeremy Lloyd, Peter Losasso, Nicholas Murchie, Joseph Prowen, Eva Scott and Dan Tetsell.
Trial by Laughter is a Trademark Touring and Watermill Theatre production directed by Caroline Leslie.
Trial By Laughter visits Watermill Theatre Newbury, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre Guildford, The New Wolsey Theatre Ipswich, Everyman Theatre Cheltenham and Theatre Royal Brighton.
Still No Idea – tour starts 22 September
Still No Idea follows on from No Idea which came about when the show's writers wanted to make a show but had no idea where to start, so they asked the public whose response was much informed by seeing one of them in a wheelchair.
The world has changed and things are looking up with more disabled people in the mainstream media but what kind of stories are the TV professionals dreaming up for them?
Part verbatim theatre, part improv, part comedy sketch show, this is a mischievous exposé of good intentions gone bad and how sometimes no matter how hard we try, we still have absolutely no idea.
Still No Idea is written by Lisa Hammond, Rachael Spence and Lee Simpson. Hammond and Spence star and Simpson directs. It is presented by Lisa Hammond and Rachael Spence with Improbable and Royal Court Theatre. World première.
Still No Idea visits artsdepot North Finchley London, New Wolsey Theatre Ipswich, The Arc Stockton-on-Tees, Hull Truck Theatre, Exeter Library, Dartington Arts, Birmingham Rep and Royal Court Theatre London.
Early Doors – tour starts 25 September
Popular television pub sitcom Early Doors written by and starring Craig Cash and Phil Mealey has been adapted by the pair for the stage and enjoyed such success during its one week run at Salford Lowry’s Quay’s Theatre that it is back and on tour.
The show stars Craig Cash and Phil Mealey, with, amongst others, John Henshaw, Susan Cookson, Joan Kempson, James Quinn, Lisa Millett and Judith Barker.
Early Doors visits Salford Lowry Theatre, Newcastle City Hall, Glasgow SEC Armadillo, Nottingham Motorpoint Arena, Arena Birmingham, Cardiff Motorpoint Arena, Sheffield FlyDSA Arena, Hammersmith Eventim Apollo, Manchester Arena, Leeds First Direct Arena, Hull Venue and Liverpool Echo Arena.