Another England, a new play by Vici Wreford-Sinnott from disabled theatre company Little Cog, comes to Arts Centre Washington on Thursday 20 June as part of a national tour.
In a near-distant future, England 2024, Rat and Murphy are two disabled people who find themselves running for their lives with the odds against them. Murphy, a 55-year-old veteran of the welfare state, and his younger companion Rat, who believes she can change the world, would normally go to the ends of the earth to avoid each other. They're thrown together as they both take refuge in an empty house to avoid being sent to holding camps by the state.
Following the première of the piece at ARC Stockton, Wreford-Sinnott said, “in a rapidly changing England, which appears to be having a bit of an identity crisis, I have responded with a play from the perspective of disabled people trying to navigate their way through stressful territory.
“These two colourful characters are interesting opposites but once we scratch the surface, we realise they may have more in common than they first think.”
Disabled actors Andrew Mclay and Philippa Cole play Murphy and Rat.
“Rat realises that Murphy is a troubled soul,” said Mclay, “and she tries to bring him out of his thinking and to get him to think about his life in a different way.”
“This is a compelling story which will leave the audience feeling like they’ve been on a journey with the characters,” added Cole. “They will feel welcome, and they will laugh and be moved and it will leave them thinking about the world of the play for weeks to come. We just want to get this story out there.”
Vici Wreford-Sinnott’s last touring play, Butterfly, was my Best One Person Play in the North East in 2017.
Tickets are available from the Arts Centre web site or from the box office on 0191 561 3455.