Live Theatre celebrates its 40th birthday and Live Witness is a celebration of the building and the work of the many people who have made it what it is today. After a very stressful week I really didn’t fancy a night out at Live Theatre. What I wanted was to relax and sleep. But I agreed to go, so go, I went! I am so pleased I did, because afterwards I felt energised, full of happy thoughts and memories and felt elated.
I first encountered ‘Live Theatre’ when they toured “Kidder’s Luck”. Then, as now, theatre made sense through their brilliant storytelling; it spoke with a language I understood. All the actors brought lights, costume and props from their touring van, set up the show, did two performances and cleared it all away. I knew then not only from the brilliance of the performance, but from the collaboration of the cast/crew, that that was theatre was about, real theatre! Honest and vital.
Move on almost forty years and I’m here again, singing the praises of the region’s most accessible and thought provoking theatre. Hopefully with a developed sense of language!
The promenade style performance took you on a guided tour of the building, past plays and shows, performers; the joys and sadness’s of the audiences, the staff, indeed the fabric of what makes Live, so special.
Created by Annie Rigby and Amy Goulding, the performance includes some of the very best talent the north has to offer. A witty and charming introduction from the wonderful front house manager Michael Davies – a hidden talent there. Collaboration is what drives Live, telling stories that resonate with our region and history. I look forward to the next forty years and hope that I can have many more memories of the brilliant venue that is Live Theatre.
