Fire and Water, a new play from North Tyneside theatre company Cloud Nine, celebrates a North Shields hero, Thomas Brown, whose heroics in rescuing Enigma code documents from a sinking German U-Boat in 1942, when he was only 15, helped shorten the Second World War by several months, saved hundreds of lives and earned him the George Medal.
Written by Cloud Nine’s Artistic Director Peter Mortimer and directed by their regular director Neil Armstrong, the play will run at The Exchange in North Shields from Monday 1 to Saturday 6 November (matinée on Saturday). Tickets, priced from £9 to £12, are now on sale and can be booked through The Exchange’s web site.
“Like all other organisations,” said Peter Mortimer, “Cloud Nine has been trying to adapt to the ravages of the pandemic and it’s almost a full year since we were in public performance.
“Backing has already been secured from Arts Council England, North Tyneside Council and Colette Stroud Solicitors and the plan is to run a Crowd Funding Project for the shortfall.
“We are straining at the leash to be back on the stage and, should pandemic matters improve over spring and summer, we’ll look at the possibility of staging a new comedy sketch show. We could all do with our spirits lifting.”
This is the third part of Mortimer’s trilogy of plays about what he calls “important if neglected North Shields historical figures,” following Death at Dawn (2014) and Rainbird – The Tragedy of an Artist. (2018)