Newcastle’s Live Theatre has announced its season from January to June 2016. There are two major in-house productions, from children’s writer David Almond, who was born in Felling, Gateshead, and Newcastle playwright Alison Carr.
Carr’s Iris (6 to 30 April) is described as “a heady cocktail of caustic humour and tender pathos” and is her first full-length show in Live’s main theatre. She was the winner of Live Theatre’s 40th Anniversary Bursary for The Soaking of Vera Shrimp.
Gez Casey, Literary Manager said, “Alison Carr has a distinct and individual voice as a playwright—witty, quirky and engaging. Following her previous work for the company, including The Girls From Poppyfield Close and The Soaking of Vera Shrimp in our Studio Theatre, I’m delighted that audiences will be able to see her first full commission in the Main House.”
The Savage, which runs from 30 June to 23 July, is David Almond’s first full-length play for Live Theatre. This creative theatrical reimagining of his short story has been commissioned to mark the launch of Live Tales, Live’s new creative writing centre for children and young people which is at the heart of the new outdoor performance area and gardens next to the theatre.
Blue Baker wants to write a story. After the death of his dad and to escape the unwanted attention of Hopper, the neighbourhood bully, Blue imagines a ‘truely wild’ character—full of anger, adventure and thoughts of revenge. Life is dark and complicated and so is Blue’s story. Helped by his friend Elaine, his mum and baby sister Jess, he tries to discover where life starts and the story ends.
Live’s Artistic Director Max Roberts said, “it’s great to have a writer of David’s quality and reputation writing for Live Theatre. His enthusiasm and support for Live Tales our Children’s Writing Centre has been enormous and The Savage marks its opening. I’m very much looking forward to bringing his play to fruition moulding David’s rich lyrical writing with music and beautiful settings that will appeal to a wide age range of audiences.”
Secondary school pupils will again have the chance to see their work professionally performed in Write Stuff (4 March) and Live Lablaunches two new projects this season: Live Lab Elevator festival (9 to 13 February) and Live Lab Takeover (21 and 22 May) which present new theatre and work-in-progress showcases.This also includes new work from Northumbria University MA students, as part of the recently announced partnership.
Among visiting productions will be two with a Welsh connection:, Iphigenia in Splott (11 and 12 March) from Sherman Cymru, winner of Best Play in the UK Theatre Awards 2015, and Land of our Fathers from Theatre503 (27 to 30 January).
Joining them is Petrification (26 to 28 May), the world première of a new piece by Zoe Cooper, (Nativities) in which the past and present collide with, we are told, dizzying consequences.
And finally, there’s Bits of Me Are Falling Apart (24 to 27 February), which sees Adrian Edmondson staring in a new adaption of William Leith’s novel, directed by Steve Marmion, Artistic Director of Soho Theatre.