Key North-East Openings This July

This July amongst the major openings in the North-East (Yorkshire region) are:

OPENING 2 July 2009, Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance is revived at the Stephen Joseph Theatre. In this adaptation by Chris Monks, who also directs, the comic operetta (first performed in 1880) is updated with a Mafia twist. It runs until 22 August.

OPENING 9 July 2009, Say It With Flowers opens at the Hull Truck Theatre. Written by Jane Thornton, the garden becomes a vessel for competitive natures when a group of amateur gardeners decide to enter a premier flower show. John Godber directs. The limited season continues until 1 August.

OPENING 15 July 2009, Dust is presented at the West Yorkshire Playhouse with a cast drawn from across Yorkshire. A perfect example of community theatre, Dust follows the struggles of terminally ill cancer patient June Hancock, in her fight to bring to account the Armley asbestos-factory owners, corporation T&N, whose negligence resulted in her aggressive lung cancer. Local playwright Kenneth F Yates based this work on a true story, co-directed by Alex Chisholm, Christoper Hill and Madeleine O’Reilly. The short run ends 18 July.

OPENING 17 July 2009, Spoonface Steinberg opens at the Stephen Joseph Theatre. Originally an acclaimed radio play by Lee Hall, writer of Billy Elliot, Spoonface Steinberg brings to the stage the pursuits of an autistic and exceptionally gifted young girl. This lunchtime show lightly and humorously probes the meaning of life, Janine Birkett directs. The limited season continues until 25 August.

OPENING 23 July 2009, The Railway Children is revived at The National Railway Museum in collaboration with York Theatre Royal. A massive hit last summer, Mike Kenny’s adaptation returns, capitalising on its unique location to capture the magic of E Nesbitt’s childhood classic, Damian Cruden directs. The limited season continues until 5 September.

-Vicky Ellis