Playwright Janet Plater and producer Carole Wears have begun the R&D stage of a new play, Haddock and Chips, which will be performed when the lockdown is over.
The play takes place over the course of one evening in a fish and chip shop in the North East. It's a story of a community and of hope, with a happy ending and an uplifting message about the power of ordinary people to work together and care for one another. Although it is timely given the current crisis, it was actually conceived and is set before the coronavirus emerged.
Brenda and Bob are managing to run their chip shop with one member of staff down. It’s a busy night. From a lorry driver passing through to a lass on the town, all of human life is here. A policeman arrives with news of a missing child and the community rises to the cause. All characters are played by the same two actors, Phillippa Wilson and Brian Lonsdale, who rarely leave the stage. Elysium Theatre Company’s Jake Murray directs.
“Janet and I have long discussed our shared views on theatre and what we enjoy; the importance of good storytelling and a clear narrative, with simple and effective staging,” said Carole Wears. “We hope we’ve found the perfect vehicle to work together on and it’s fabulous to have Jake on board too.
“It's the kind of play that CaroleW Productions was set up to produce—'a good night out.' It's got music, comedy and some truths about how fallible and lonely we can all be.
“The play is full of characters we know but don’t always see on stage, brimming with humour and humanity. It explores the idea that people don’t always achieve what once they dreamt of. Some are lucky to find contentment in other and sometimes unexpected ways and others drift, searching for a sense of belonging and home. There are themes of humanity, human decency and the notion of kindness enabling people to keep on keeping on.”