Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre has announced its autumn and winter season, with highlights being the return of its production of Noughts and Crosses and Groan Ups, the latest comedy from the producers of The Play That Goes Wrong.
The season kicks off on Saturday 5 September with James Rowland’s Songs of Friendship, produced by Tangram Theatre—three shows combining storytelling, comedy music and song.
Fans of new writing can look forward to Ifeyinwa Frederick’s Sessions, a “raw, funny, bittersweet dive into the complexities of masculinity, therapy and accepting our own vulnerabilities”. Fully integrated with British Sign Language, the show is told through the eyes of Tunde who worries that he is not where he is supposed to be as his 30th birthday approaches. It will run from 24 until 26 September.
Themes of mental health also emerge in Lola Chakrabarti’s Calmer, a story of three generations of women, each undergoing their own crises. Co-produced by the Belgrade and Birmingham REP, this examination of love, guilt and family marks the directorial debut of Adrian Lester and runs from 4 until 14 November.
Presented by Theatre Accord and Tara Arts in association with the Belgrade and the Production Exchange, Anthony Clark’s SHE explores the experiences of a range of female characters from childhood to old age. Showing from 10 until 12 September, it is made up of seven short plays written in a variety of styles, each with its own twist.
Dougie Blaxland’s Getting the Third Degree will unite sports and theatre fans to tell the story of Laurie Cunningham, the first millionaire black footballer and the first player of colour to sign for Real Madrid. It should score at the Belgrade from 30 September until 3 October.
The Original Theatre Company performs post-Cold War drama A Splinter of Ice by Ben Brown from 14 until 17 October before the Classic Thriller Theatre Company returns to Coventry with the black comedy The Cat and the Canary from 3 until 7 November.
The Pilot Theatre, Belgrade Theatre, Derby Theatre, Mercury Theatre Colchester and York Theatre Royal production of Sabrina Mahfouz’s adaptation of Malorie Blackman’s Noughts and Crosses returns to the Belgrade from 7 until 10 October, this time on the main stage.
Those seeking something light-hearted to lift their spirits can look to Groan Ups, the latest chaotic comedy from Mischief Theatre, creators of The Play That Goes Wrong, The Comedy About A Bank Robbery and BBC television programme The Goes Wrong Show. It heads to Coventry from 28 September until 3 October.
The 2020 panto will be Beauty and the Beast which will start on 28 November and run until 9 January.
Full details of the season are available at the Belgrade web site.