ARC Stockton partially reopened earlier this month - classes are back, there are cinema screenings from Wednesday to Saturday, café bar No 60 is open for hot drinks, food and snacks, and the Creative Lockdown exhibition which features works from many of the creative groups that attend ARC as well other people from across the Tees Valley and beyond who took part in the We ARConnected project is also open to all - and now Live shows have been announced in October and November.
These spoken word shows are from Teessider Mike Edwards and Tynesider Rowan McCabe.
On 21 and 22 October at 7:00 Mike Edwards will present Damn Seagulls which, although it sees him reflecting on the death of his older brother Stephen, he’s keen to point out is a comedy show.
“I set out to not only write about Stephen but to write some poems, sketches and characters that he would have found funny,” he said. “It’s a show about having a sibling, growing up together in the 1980s and 90s, sharing adventures, sharing a ‘language’ your parents wouldn’t understand.”
On 12 November at 7:00 Rowan McCabe, the world’s first Door-to-Door Poet, return to ARC. He spent time knocking on doors and writing poems for the residents of Stockton-on-Tees during the making of his previous show, Door-to-Door Poetry, and now Door-to-Door Poetry: National continues the story of his travels around England, charting the build-up to the lockdown.
In this funny and thought-provoking show, he is, he says, “Trying to prove absolutely anyone can enjoy poetry and that strangers aren’t as scary as they’re made out to be.”
Audiences are advised to book early for these shows as social distancing measures will be in place so ticket availability will be limited.
The shows are priced on a Pay What You Decide basis, which means that audiences can book a ticket in advance but only pay after they’ve seen the show, giving them the opportunity to pay whatever they thought the experience was worth. Full details of the shows can be found on ARC’s website, and tickets can be booked through ARC's website or by calling 01642 525199.