Key North-East Openings This October
Amongst the major openings in the North-East (Yorkshire region) this month are:
OPENING 8 October 2009, My Wonderful Day opens its world premiere at Stephen Joseph Theatre. Alan Ayckbourn directs his own tale of Winnie, a young girl whose essay, entitled “My Wonderful Day”, begins to take shape as she observes the whirl of grown-up (but incredibly childish) activity while seated in a quiet corner of her house. The season continues until 31 October.
OPENING 8 October 2009, Up’n’Under opens at Hull Truck Theatre with a cast including Abi Titmuss and Lewis Linford. Amateur pub rugby team The Wheatsheafs are set to play the long reigning champions, The Cobblers Arms, and must beat them. If they don’t, their manager risks losing a high-stakes bet. Their awful track record makes this increasingly unlikely, until they draft in a saucy young fitness instructor, Hazel, who might just make the difference. John Godber directs his Laurence Olivier award-winning play. The season continues until 31 October.
OPENING 10 October 2009, The Adventures of Mr Broucek opens at the Leeds Grand Theatre with a cast including John Graham Hall and Anne Sophie Duprels. In this new production of Janacek’s satirical opera by Opera North in collaboration with Scottish Opera, we follow the surreal, alcohol-led adventures of Mr Broucek through parallel worlds. His journeys take him from the comfort of his local pub to the moon and back in time, and lead him to meet a wealth of eccentric characters along the way. John Fulljames directs. The season continues until 23 October when it then tours.
OPENING 29 October 2009, The Fever Chart opens at York Theatre Royal. American playwright Naomi Wallace’s piece is an exploration of what happens when humanity is pushed to the limits of existence. Staged in association with Pilot Theatre, The Fever Chart is set in such various locations as a zoo in Palestine, a hospital in Tel Aviv, and a yard in Iraq, and considers political issues in poetic, perceptive fashion. Katie Posner and Marcus Romer direct. The season continues until 14 November.
– Vicky Ellis
