Northern Stage announce Spring 2022 season
Photo credit: Christopher Owens
Northern Stage have announced their Spring 2022 season, This is Now, which invites artists and audiences to join a yearlong conversation about who we are and who we want to be; to think deeply about the important questions of our time, and to find refuge in coming together to imagine our way through the world we live in, right now.
The UK and European premiere of Claudia Rankine’s first published play The White Card (29 April - 14 May) will be directed by Northern Stage Artistic Director Natalie Ibu. Written in 2019 during an increasingly racially divided America, and before the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests rippled across the globe, the play poses the question: can society progress when whiteness remains invisible? Through a conversation between a wealthy, privileged white couple and a talented Black artist, the play explores uncomfortable truths about white privilege, cultural appropriation and representation.
A new play from Caroline Bird, Red Ellen (25 March - 9 April) tells the remarkable story of Ellen Wilkinson, the revolutionary Labour MP who led the Jarrow Crusade, served as a vital member of Churchill’s cabinet and battled to save Jewish refugees in Nazi Germany. Directed by Wils Wilson, Red Ellen is a Northern Stage, Nottingham Playhouse and Royal Lyceum Theatre co-production and will tour to Edinburgh, Nottingham and York after its Newcastle premiere.
A new take on one of the most iconic characters in horror fiction, Northern Stage presents an electrifying new production adapted from H.G. Wells’ science fiction classic The Invisible Man (1-19 February). Adapted by North East actor and writer Philip Correia and directed by Newcastle-born director Anna Girvan, this new production investigates themes of exploitation, establishment power over truth and the conflict between power and morality, asking the question: who is really invisible in Great Britain 2022? Four emerging North East actors have been cast – Izzy Ions, Jack Fairley, Kate Okello and Daniel Watson – and after opening in Newcastle, the show will tour to theatres and community venues across the North of England from The Maltings in Berwick-in-Tweed to The Dukes in Lancaster.
Set against the backdrop of the Byker estate in the east end of Newcastle, HERE (4-12 March) by Lindsay Rodden is a powerful new play about finding sanctuary in the unlikeliest of places and is part of Curious Monkey’s Arriving project - ongoing work with people who have come from all over the world to seek sanctuary in the UK. A co-production between Theatre of Sanctuary Curious Monkey, Northern Stage and Newcastle University, HERE was due to open at Northern Stage in March 2020 before touring.
Visiting work includes Sorry you’re not a winner (5-9 April) - a striking new play from Samuel Bailey about aspiration, social mobility and getting caught between class. Rice (1-2 April) is a wickedly humorous observation on globalisation, politics and family by award-winning East Asian/Australian writer Michele Lee, directed by Actors Touring Company Artistic Director Matthew Xia. Woke (10-11 February) by Apphia Campbell and Meredith Yarbrough is the Fringe First award-winning story of two women, 42 years apart, who become involved in the struggle for civil rights and is set to a powerful soundtrack of original music and traditional gospel and blues. Written by award-winning Nessah Muthy and directed by Stef O’Driscoll, Boundless Theatre’s How To Save The Planet When You’re A Young Carer and Broke (18 March) peeks into the life of a young working-class carer having to make decisions between life-saving responsibilities at home and being dedicated to save the planet in times of climate emergency. Frozen Light’s 2065 (22-23 March) is a futuristic extravaganza for audiences with profound and multiple learning disabilities. Y’MAM (25-26 March) an electric autobiographical solo-show from Majid Mehdizadeh (aka Luke Jerdy from Hollyoaks) takes on Toxic Masculinity in an inspiring, uplifting story about love, appreciation and letting things go. A fast-paced uplifting show written and performed by disabled actor Melissa Johns, Snatched (21-22 June) is a humorous show championing female sexuality and fighting body shaming and the taboo of sex and disability, accompanied by a live 90s and 00s soundtrack.
New shows from North East theatre makers include Luca Rutherford’s You Heard Me (18-19 February) - a true story about refusing to stay quiet, produced by ARC Stockton and co-commissioned by Northern Stage, the Albany, Battersea Arts Centre, Cambridge Junction and Theatre in the Mill. Written by Lee Mattinson and performed by one of Northern Stage’s NORTH supported artists, Sam Bell, Happy Meal (17 June) is a story about an actor determined to find the comedy in her own tragic life by staging a musical in the Guantanamo Bay branch of McDonalds… NORTH supported theatre company BRASH tackle the victim-blaming culture in Ankles (9-11 June) - using poetry, movement and music to ask when we will stop teaching kids that it’s girls’ responsibility to keep themselves safe from sexual violence. And Hannah Walker’s Gamble (19-21 May) is a multimedia bittersweet show about addiction and its effect on families, friendships and communities informed by compulsive gamblers’ personal experiences and interviews with industry experts.
Dance shows include the return of award-winning BalletBoyz with new show, Deluxe (11-12 March) showcases six extraordinary young dancers in an explosion of mesmeric dance, fused with the company’s witty and distinctive use of film and behind the scenes content. Featuring an eclectic selection of work by internationally acclaimed, award-winning choreographers, including former Artistic Directors and collaborators, 40 Years of Phoenix Dance (20 May) celebrates the company’s milestone 40th birthday. And Infinite (24-25 June) is a brand-new dance theatre meditation by Humanhood Dance Company.
Tickets go on general sale from 29 November, with pre-sale tickets available to Northern Stage members and supporters from 23 November here.
