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Bite Size Theatre 2007 publicity material
New Writing North in partnership with Live Theatre presents Bite Size Theatre
October 2007: Apartment, Newcastle, and touring to the Queen’s Hall, Hexham
Can’t face another lunchtime eating curly sandwiches in front of your computer? Fancy a change of scene from the staff canteen?
Why not get away from it all during your lunch hour and join us for a bite to eat and a brand new play, starring some of the region’s finest acting talent in the unique intimate surroundings of Apartment in Newcastle city centre.
New Writing North in partnership with Live Theatre, bring you new plays from four of the North East’s most promising young playwrights. Each week, Apartment will be transformed to present a different production.
The plays run for one week each from Tuesday to Friday. They each last 30 minutes and the ticket price includes lunch specially prepared by Apartment, which you can eat prior to the show.
The writers whose plays we are presenting are all part of New Writing North’s Emerge development programme and Live Theatre’s Live Eight programme, both of which support new writing talent in the North East.
The plays
This Way Up
by Joe Harbot
Clive discovers three boxes, one of which appears to contain a man. He promises to help the man and from that point on a complex puzzle emerges, which tests his own identity.
Directed by Deborah Bruce
Tuesday 9th-Friday 12th October, 1.30pm @ Apartment, Newcastle
Saturday 13th October, 2.30pm @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham
Ballroom Cougars
by Bridget Deane
Albert and James are fading ballroom dance hosts. Two bickering old men who would rather rumba than face up to reality. Edith, a widow, forces them to confront their past and their future. Ballroom Cougars is a dark, comic drama about the tango of life.
Directed by Steve Gilroy
Tuesday 16th-Friday 19th October, 1.30pm @ Apartment, Newcastle
Saturday 20th October, 2.30pm @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham
Mr Forest’s Second Nature
by Barrie Darke
Mr Forest devises a cunning plan to test the fidelity of his wife. In this claustrophobic Victorian setting, emotions run high and relationships are not quite what they seem.
Directed by Deborah Bruce
Tuesday 23rd-Friday 26th October, 1.30pm @ Apartment, Newcastle
Saturday 27th October, 2.30pm @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham
Swan Song
by Lee Mattinson
Two lonely men meet in a kitchen. Drag queen Coco sings beautiful songs but can’t remember who she really is. Jamie tells Coco about his friendship with a man called Stanley, who used to be an entertainer. As the play unfolds, Coco comes face to face with herself and her past.
Directed by Max Roberts
Tuesday 30th-Friday 2nd November, 1.30pm @ Apartment, Newcastle
Friday 2nd November, 7.30 pm @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham
The writers
Barrie Darke was born and brought up in Newcastle and is a graduate of the creative writing MA at Northumbria University. His novel Black Sky at Night won a Northern Promise Award from New Writing North in 2002. Recently, two of his short stories were shortlisted in the 10th Real Writers Award. As a playwright, he has worked with Paines Plough, Live Theatre and Theatre Cap-a-Pie. He works as a tutor of creative writing at various locations in the region, including Durham jail.
Bridget Deane is a Bafta-winning producer/director. For the past ten years she has made numerous primetime television documentaries, ranging from poignant, insightful films about children fighting cancer to the comical and surreal world of Celebrity Wife Swap. Bridget’s first taste of writing was Skin, a 20-minute monologue for Live Theatre. Skin was longlisted for Soho Theatre’s Westminster Prize and the Alfred Bradley Award. Ballroom Cougars is her first professional production. She is currently developing a full-length stage play, a TV drama series and a feature film script.
Lee Mattinson is originally from Workington, Cumbria, and graduated from Northumbria University in 2002 with a degree in fine art. In 2004, he completed an MA in novel writing from Manchester University and has since written for Live Theatre, Monster Productions, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Theatre in the Mill, Superkrush Films and BBC Radio and was a member of the Royal Court 50. He is currently involved in developing a play for Live Theatre, several short film projects and two sitcoms for BBC3.
Joe Harbot has written a number of full-length plays, including Not Quite Hole, a play about digging and what we find when we scrape below the surface, and 100% Polyester, a play for Radio 4 based on the true story of the London bomber who made his weapon from melted polymer-based clothing. Both plays are in the production pipeline. He is currently developing a book, Rhetoric and Piss, about a friendly English professor with a darker side.
How to book and when to eat
Tickets for performances at Apartment are £10 full price and £8 concessions. Book your ticket by calling Live Theatre on 0191 232 1232. The box office is open from 10am-6pm Mondays to Fridays, and from 12am-8pm at weekends when there is a performance.
Lunch
Apartment will provide a specially prepared lunch; vegetarian options will be available.
Timing
Food will be served from 12.30pm- 1.30pm (please don’t arrive later than 1.10pm). Plays start at 1.30pm and last 30 minutes.
Venue information
Apartment is at 28-32 Collingwood Street in Newcastle upon Tyne (a three-minute walk from Central Station Metro). For more information on location and accessibility, please call 0191 230 4114.
The Journal Culture Club
We are delighted to be working with The Journal Culture Club on Bite Size. Culture Club members will receive a range of benefits, including deals on tickets, special opportunities to meet the creative team behind the plays, and eligibility to enter prize giveaways.
On tour
After their run at Apartment, each of the plays will be performed at Queen’s Hall Arts Centre in Hexham. Tickets are £10 and £8 and the price includes a light meal in the Exchange Café at Queen’s Hall. To book, phone the Queen’s Hall box office on 01434 652 477. For venue information, visit www.queenshall.co.uk.
The BBC writersroom is supporting Bite Size Theatre by contributing towards a bursary for each of the participating writers. BBC writersroom identifies and champions new writing talent and diversity across BBC drama, entertainment and children’s programmes.
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