Arts Centre Washington has announced its theatre and dance programme from January to May 2015.
Its general theatre programme begins on Thursday 12 February with Newcastle-based Operating Theatre presenting For the Best. Louise, a young care worker, is devastated when Brenda, the patient with learning disability of whom she has become fond, dies after failing to get the health check she should have had from her GP—and people keep telling her that perhaps it's "all for the best".
On Thursday 26 February, Open Clasp, in collaboration with Frantic Assembly, presents its latest production Jumping Puddles about two sisters at war with each other who suddenly find their world turned upside down.
On Thursday 5 March, Tangled Feet presents Kicking and Screaming: the birth of a baby and nothing will ever be the same again. There will be a relaxed performance for people with babies under 18 months at 1:30 on Friday 6 March.
The Paper Birds return to Washington on Thursday 12 March with Broke, real-life stories about what it means to be in debt.
On 26 March, Theatre Ad Infinitum presents one-man show Odyssey, the story of Odysseus.
Then for two nights—Thursday 21 and Friday 22 May—Third Angel and Sheffield Theatres present The Live and Loves of a Nobody.
From 23 April to 16 May, the University of Sunderland Drama Department takes over the theatre for Sunfest, six performances by students of the department: New Blood, a showcase, on 23 and 25 April, two plays by Caryl Churchill, Top Girls (30 April) and Cloud 9 (2 May), Aeschylus' Oresteia (8 and 9 May), Macbeth (14 May) and Measure for Measure (16 May).
There are also four productions specifically for children and families, all of which take place during the day, at 11AM and 2PM.
The first—on Wednesday 28 January—is Théâtre Sans Frontières' Contes Mauriciens, two folktales from Mauritius performed in French and aimed at 9- to 13-year-olds.
On Thursday 19 February, M6 Theatre Company in association with Polka Theatre performs Whatever the Weather for age 3+, while on Wednesday 15 April DNA Puppetry and Visual Theatre presents Chicken Licken for age 3 to 8.
Finally, on Thursday 28 May, tutti frutti and York Theatre Royal present Mike Kenny's version of Rapunzel, aimed at ages 3 to 7.
There are two dance shows during the season: on Thursday 19 March at 7PM, Pulse celebrates youth dance across the region and at 5PM on Friday 20 March, Fertile Ground, the north east's first professional graduate company, brings a mixed bill of new work to the venue, including A New Chimera, choreographed by Tom Dale, and Shields of Bone by Eleesha Drennan.