Newcastle’s Live Theatre is giving its audience a Christmas present of five new plays, a selection box of new writing under the title The Five Days of Christmas from some of the writers who contributed to the recent 10 Minutes to…Call Home (part 1 and part 2) series.
Originally it was intended to present these new pieces on stage in the theatre but, yet again, Covid got in the way so making them available free and online was again chosen.
“It's wonderful to be able to bring five brand new plays to audiences this year,” said Graeme Thompson, Live’s Creative Producer. “At Live Theatre we like to put our own special take on festive theatre and this year is going to be no different with new stories from five talented writers. These 5 Plays of Christmas promise to take you on a journey which I know you are going to enjoy.”
The plays are The End Of Term Show by Olu Alakija, My Door by Mandi Chivasa, Those Yet To Come by Ellen McNally, Skulls In Cullercoats by Benjamin Storey and The Whale Washed Up On Christmas Eve by Sarah Tarbit.
And what are they about? Martin Maxwell is reliving the time he killed Christmas. A missed bus has consequences for the Ghosts of Christmas Past and Future. Danny is in an elf costume while Joe just got arrested and Agnes sits in a quiet living room, sun on her face and the cold at her door. Meanwhile on a beach in Newbiggin, a giant whale is washed ashore.
More information about the five plays and their creative teams will be online soon at live.org.uk/livewired. All will be developed, rehearsed, performed and filmed behind closed doors and then shared free across digital platforms in mid-December.