A Matter of Life and Death stage adaptation announced in New Vic season

The New Vic Theatre in Newcastle-under-Lyme has announced its 2025 spring season.

The programme will open with A Matter of Life and Death, adapted and directed by New Vic artistic director Theresa Heskins. Known for her work on The Company of Wolves and Marvellous, Heskins will bring the iconic Powell and Pressburger film to the stage from 28 March to 19 April. The production will include a live swing band, and follows a man whose life hangs in the balance following a tragic event.

Following this, the theatre will present The Last Quiz Night on Earth, a theatrical comedy by Alison Carr. Directed by Anna Marsland, the play will run from 8 February to 1 March and will transform the audience into pub quiz participants as a meteor approaches Earth.

In June, the New Vic will celebrate the centenary of Stoke-on-Trent cultural figure Arthur Berry with the premiere of his last play, Whatever Happened to Phoebe Salt. Directed by Abbey Wright, the production will run from 31 May to 21 June.

Heskins explained today: “Arthur Berry was writing specifically for our theatre-in the round with Whatever Happened to Phoebe Salt. It’s such a privilege to be producing his final play, written for the New Vic in 1988 but never performed.”

Tickets for the New Vic’s spring season go on sale on 25 October.