Jessica Raine to appear in Nottingham Playhouse Bubble

Published: 1 October 2020
Reporter: Steve Orme

Jessica Raine: cast in the two-hander Bubble

Jessica Raine and Pearl Mackie will appear in Nottinghamshire-born playwright James Graham’s new work Bubble which will be part of Nottingham Playhouse’s Unlocked Festival in autumn 2020.

Raine played Jennie Lee in Call The Midwife while Mackie is best known for playing Bill Potts opposite Peter Capaldi in the BBC series Doctor Who. Bubble is a “study of love in the time of COVID-19, a comic play that gives two alternative versions of a relationship coming under the stresses and strains of lockdown”. It will be performed on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 October.

The festival will be the first time the theatre has raised its curtain since March. In the summer, the Playhouse issued a call for a new piece of work by an East Midlands artist or company. There were 57 submissions and the judges decided to award two commissions instead of one. They are Shuck by Nottingham-based theatre company LaPelle's Factory and Hand Me Down by Leicester-based hip-hop dance company Wayward Thread.

Nottingham Playhouse artistic director Adam Penford said, “we're so excited to be announcing not one but two new commissions as part of our Unlocked festival. The response to our callout by local artists was overwhelming.

“The panel found the breadth of ideas and level of creativity in the applications inspiring and we could have selected a great many to take forward. Ultimately, we struggled to decide between the shortlist and I'm delighted we were able to offer a second opportunity, particularly at this time of hardship for freelancers.”

The festival also includes Mark Gatiss and Jade Anouka reading live on stage some of Gatiss’s favourite Ghost Stories on Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October.

The full programme is available at the Nottingham Playhouse web site. A limited number of tickets will be available to attend the live events in the theatre auditorium to ensure a safe environment for audiences and performers. All the events will also be streamed live.

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