Theatre News

Key North-East Openings this October

>OPENING 2 October 2010, The Turn of the Screw is at the Leeds Grand with a cast including Elizabeth Atherton. Opera North presents Benjamin Britten’s 1950s adaptation of the Henry James story, in which a governess endeavours to protect her two young charges from the influences of evil spirits. Alessandro Talevi directs; Richard Farnes conducts. The limited season runs on 2, 9, 15, 19 and 21 October.

>OPENING 7 October 2010, Wuthering Heights is at Hull Truck Theatre with a cast including Gaynor Faye and Rupert Hill. John Godber directs Emily Brontë’s classic tale of passion and obsession has been adapted by Jane Thornton and brings the two ill-fated iconic lovers, Catherine and Heathcliff, home to Yorkshire once more. The limited season continues until 23 October.

>OPENING 13 October 2010, What I Heard About the World is at the Sheffield Studio with a cast including Jorge Andrade, Alexander Kelly and Chris Thorpe. As three narrators attempt to map the world onto a large sheet of paper, they discover the truths that lie behind ‘what they’ve heard’ about foreign parts and other people. Alexander Kelly directs. The limited season continues until 30 October.

>OPENING 16 October 2010, Crash is at the West Yorkshire Playhouse with a cast including Colin Mace, Steven Pacey and Carolyn Backhouse. The new play from Oscar-nominated writer William Nicholson depicts a love triangle composed of a Goldman Sachs security trader, an artist and a teacher. Sarah Esdaile directs. The limited season continues until 13 November.

>OPENING 16 October 2010, The Merry Widow is at the Leeds Grand with a cast including Stephanie Corley, Amy Freston and Allan Clayton. Opera North tackles Léhar’s classic opera for the first time in 20 years, in which a well-to-do widow debates marrying for the second time. Giles Havergal directs; Wyn Davies conducts. The limited season runs on 16, 20 and 22 October.

>OPENING 18 October 2010, Teechers is at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, with a cast including Zoe Lister and Claire Eden. John Godber directs his own classic comedy-drama that centres on characters attending and working at a secondary school. The limited season continues until 23 October.

>OPENING 19 October 2010, Spend Spend Spend! is at the West Yorkshire Playhouse with a cast including Kirsty Hoiles and Greg Barnett. Craig Revel Horwood directs the real-life story of Castleford housewife Viv Nicholson, whose lucky win on the Castleford Pools in 1961 brought her more sorrow and joy than she could have imagined. The limited season continues until 23 October.

>OPENING 19 October 2010, Chess is at the Sheffield Lyceum with a cast including James Fox and Shona White. Craig Revel Horwood directs the award-winning musical that follows two chess players who are rivals both in the game and in love. The limited season continues until 23 October.

>OPENING 25 October 2010, Takeover Festival is at York Theatre Royal. A creative team of young people will run the Theatre Royal for 5 days. Seven performances will include Hotel Methuselah and Burn My Heart, while theatre workshops will be open to members of the public. The limited season continues until 30 October.

>OPENING 28 October 2010, The Price of Everything is at the Stephen Joseph Theatre with a cast including Andrew Dunn. The play charts self-made millionaire Eddie Carver’s efforts to escape the underhand business dealings of his past. Noreen Kershaw directs. The limited season continues until 13 November.

– Lydia Onyett