Alphabetti Theatre and Woven Nest Present 

Love From

By Ali Pritchard

ONLINE PERFORMANCE

AUDIO PLAY

Premiered: Monday 21st December at 12:00pm 

Tickets: Donate if you can Booking NOT essential

Age recommendation: Suitable for all the family 

Running time: 55 mins

Available Online indefinitely - VIDEO LINK

                                                   AUDIO EXPERIENCE LINK 

​

Love and magic is being sucked out of our world.

Can you help us, find out how and why and SAVE Christmas?

Alphabetti Theatre and Woven Nest present a new Christmas show for you to enjoy online. Originally intended for single household performances the team have adapted to bring you something really special online. Created by Alphabetti’s award-winning Artistic / Executive Director (Ali Pritchard) comes a mesmerizing show created for these unfamiliar times. Despite the global pandemic production partners Woven Nest have been running workshops outside, online and anyway they can with West Rainton Primary School, Springfield Lodge Care Home, Carr Hill Community Primary School, and Hotspur Primary School to devise details and colour that writer Ali Pritchard has weaved into a script. With a villain who only eats raw turnips and rat stew – subsequently needing to douse themselves in sickly-sweet tropical perfume to her invisible gargoyle subordinates; this is a online production suitable for all the family.

​

Written by Ali Pritchard

Story & Characters ideas by participants from West Rainton Primary School, Springfield Lodge Care Home, Carr Hill Community Primary School, St Mark's Court Care Home & Hotspur Primary School

Workshops run by Woven Nest

Performed by Diji Solanke

Directed by Ali Pritchard

Assistant Directors: Olivia Hunt & Poppy Crawshaw

Designed by Molly Barrett

Assistant designer Anna Robinson

Set built by James Pickering & Dan Brown

Lighting design by Dan Saggars

Videographer Jacob Garthwaite

Composer / Sound designer Wilf Stone

Automata designer/technician Rachel Glover

Produced by Esther Fearn & Ali Pritchard

Stage managers Becky Glendenning-Laycock, Andrea Scrimshaw & Rachel Glover

Creative runner Izaak Gledhill

Pre-recorded Wanda Judi Earl

Pre-recorded Gary The Gargoyle Steve Byron

Gargoyle maker Nicole Freeman

Hessian Assistants Tommy Tyler & Eilis McGowan

Stop Motion by Steve Byron

Captions & Audio description by Matt Jamie

With Thanks to Open Clasp, Northern Stage, Live Theatre, Dance City, Durham Gala Theatre, Cap-a-pie & Curious Monkey

Christina Berriman Dawson & Richard Dawson in association with Alphabetti Theatre presents:

Merry Christmas, Holy & Ivan

By Christina Berriman Dawson & Richard Dawson 

ANIMATED PLAY

Premiered: Tuesday 15th December 2020 - 12:00pm

Tickets: Donate if you can Booking NOT essential

Age recommendation: 7+

Running time: Approx. 20 mins

Available Online indefinitely - VIDEO LINK

​

A Tail with a Twist - A Dog’s For Life not Just For Xmas.

​

Twas the 90s and Christmas Eve! Once upon a time in a town like this, snowfall blanketed Christmas, and a dog was for life. But this year our dog needs a knee replacement and that’s a present too far even for Santa’s magic. Come on an animated Christmas adventure with Holly and Ivan as Santa takes them through a mysterious night of discovery to find the true meaning of Christmas.

​

"You don’t believe that the magic is real? Well open some parcels then see how feel.
Look over yonder, your parents believe, open your hearts and you will receive.”

​

“What you speaking like that for? Stop rhyming literally everything. You creep!”

​

Originally part of the 2018 Christmas Cabaret at Alphabetti Theatre.

​

Written by Christina Berriman Dawson & Richard Dawson

Performed by Christina Berriman Dawson

Animation by Jack Holden Music

Recorded by Riverside studios

Sound Design by Richard Judson

Moon on a Stick (Credit: Tom Barrett)

Alphabetti Theatre in association with Crisis Skylight presents:

Wrong Place Wrong Time by Steve Byron & members of the 2016 Crisis Skylight creative writing class.

'there’s raw emotion—indeed raw passion; there’s anger and pain, and misery which, as misery begets misery, spreads beyond the girl and her family.'

Peter Lathan. British Theatre Guide about Wrong Place Wrong Time.

'a powerful play, powerfully performed by Penman, complementing How Did We Get to This Point? by showing, through her family, other kids and the school, how she did get to that point, making us ask a slightly different question than before: why on earth did we allow our society to get to this point?' 

Peter Lathan. British Theatre Guide about Wrong Place Wrong Time.

AUDIO PLAY

Premiered: Wednesday 16th September 2020 - 8.30pm

Tickets: Donate if you can Booking NOT essential

Age recommendation: 18+

Running time: Approx. 20 mins

Available Online indefinitely - LINK TO AUDIO HERE! 

​

There is only so long you can poke a monkey with a stick before it grabs it off you and beats you with it. Nicky is a gentle soul in a savage jungle trying to survive, and looking for acceptance within the right tribe. Wrong Place, Wrong Time is a short piece about the results of nature vs nurture, and how wrong place, wrong time can have life effecting consequences.

Directed by Laura Lindow

Performed by Paula Penman

Dramaturged by Ali Pritchard

Please be aware that there is strong language used from the start and themes some might find upsetting for more information please visit the website.

Originally performed in 2016 in reaction to How Did We Get To This Point? By Ali Pritchard. The script for Wrong Place, Wrong Time was based on a creative writing materials produced by members of the creative writing class at Crisis Skylight Newcastle Upon Tyne. After a series of workshops hosted by Ali using the script for How Did We Get To This Point? as stimulus - the members, produced their own scripts, poems and short stories. These were then inter woven together by Steve Byron for this short play.

​

Alphabetti Theatre in association with The Worriers present

Rocket Girl 

By Steve Byron 

Directed by Ali Pritchard & Matt Jamie

ONLINE PERFORMANCE

“The kids were riveted, eyes focused on Nelson as she climbed over, under and around the set, listening intently to what she said as she told her story. They sat transfixed for about an hour. And there was laughter too, not just from the kids but from the adults as well, always a sign of a well-written and performed piece.”

British Theatre Guide - click for full review

Premiered: Wednesday 8th July 2020 - midday

Tickets: Donate if you can Booking NOT essential

Age recommendation: 6+

Running time: 45 mins

Available Online indefinitely - CLICK HERE TO ACCESS PLAY

​

From the creative team who brought you Walter (winner of the Best Children's Show Award, British Theatre Guide 2017), comes a live recording from February 2020 of this fantastical family friendly show – Rocket Girl.

​

Follow nine year old Georgina on her adventure to design and build the very first Rocket, years before the famous George Stephenson. But instead of railroads, Georgina dreams of getting to the moon to dig for Cinder toffee (left by the toffee-dragons, as she has been told by Nana Nora) to make her fortune for her family and village.

Creative Team:

Director Ali Pritchard
Co-director Matt Jamie
Writer Steve Byron

Performer Jude Nelson

Voice Performer Paula Penman

​

Stage Manager Andrea Scrimshaw
Designer Molly Barrett

Set Builder James Pickering
Lighting Designer Louise Gregory
Sound Designer Nick Tyler
Producer Esther Fearn

Alphabetti Theatre presents

Meat Factory By David Raynor 

Directed by Ali Pritchard 

ONLINE PERFORMANCE

Premiered: Wednesday 19th August 2020 - 8.30pm

Tickets: Donate if you can Booking NOT essential

Age recommendation: 16+

Running time: 22 mins

Available Online indefinitely - CLICK HERE TO GO TO VIDEO

​

Meet Shirley Dobson OBE, winner of North-East Business Woman of the Year 2016 and National Business Award 2019, proud owner of pay day loan company - Dosh Ltd. Join her online for her pitch to the governement and fellow big-wig business types as she launches her latest business proposition as part of her company, Quick 'n' Easy Meat-Based Products.

​

Meat Factory was a short play that featured in the 2015 award winning promenade performance - The Rooms, at Alphabetti's old venue on Newbridge Street West. Working with videographer Adam Goodwin, Alphabetti are re-imagining this dark satirical short play into a new short film.

​

Creative Team:

Director Ali Pritchard
Writer David Raynor

Performer Rosie Stancliffe

Designer James Pickering
Videographer Adam Goodwin

Alphabetti Theatre & The Worriers presents:

Bacon Knees & Sausage Fingers Written & performed by Steve Byron & Gary Kitching

“It’s cleverly written and Ali Pritchard, Alphabetti’s AD, directs with sensitivity and a light touch. Kitching and Byron really inhabit their characters, investing them with a humanity totally unexpected in two people who deviate so much from the accepted norm.” British Theatre Guide, 2019 

“Ali Pritchard’s sparsely staged production does a skilful job of keeping the audience off balance with abrupt changes in tone. The audience is invited to laugh at comic misfortune one minute, and then made choke on that laughter the next.”  The Stage 2019 

​

Photo Credit: (Lauren Stone)

“Both men (Byron & Kitching) excel in complex roles that are never allowed to slide into easy caricature. Director Ali Pritchard ensures the piece balances its strands of dark – often very funny – comedy and black, bleak tragedy, and keeps it from tipping too far into its own absurdism.” Exeunt 2019 

AUDIO PLAY

Premiered: Wednesday 21st October 2020 - 8.30pm

Tickets: Donate if you can Booking NOT essential

Age recommendation: 18+

Running time: Aprox. 75 mins

Available Online indefinitely - CLICK HERE 

​

*Back due to popular demand and now as an audio play following the sell-out run in 2016 and for a whole month in 2019.*

TRIGGER WARNING: This show deals with extremely difficult issues from the start and throughout. If this is a concern and you would like more information please contact our general manager, Alex Fisher, on bar@alphabettitheatre.co.uk

Bacon Knees has always been fast. His parents were very proud. They would watch him running around the garden in circles for hours on end. In 1989 he found his calling…Crufts was on TV. 27 years later and Bacon Knees finds himself on his home track – the High Level Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne - up against a new opponent...

Bacon Knees & Sausage Fingers is a harrowing, heart-warming and hilarious play written and performed by Gary Kitching and Steve Byron, directed by Ali Pritchard; it tells the tale of a meeting between two social outsiders and their new bizarre friendship.

Directed by Ali Pritchard

Sound Recording & Editing by Matt Jamie

Sound Design by Nick Tyler

​

Bacon Knees & Sausage Fingers came out of an Alphabetti Theatre 24 Hour Challenge in May 2015, when Gary and Steve wrote a play in 24 hours reacting to stimuli provided by Ali. Following that, the three of them worked on the piece and performed it to sell-out audiences in October 2016. From there The Worriers Theatre company was formed, winning awards in 2017 and 2018. We then brought it back for one whole month in February 2019 where again it performed to sell-out audiences. Here was the fact that started this journey:

“In 1849, a week after opening the High Level Bridge in Newcastle upon Tyne, the Geordies worked out that it was exactly the same length as a dog track, and with raised pavements either side, they had the perfect viewing terraces. Within a week the bridge was closed to traffic by hundreds of people flocking to the bridge, closing it off to race their dogs.”

Since developing the play we may have discovered that Ali’s source could be slightly historically questionable/creatively embellished…but still an excellent nugget of inspiration to create Bacon Knees & Sausage Fingers.

“Laying bare the cruel ways society can and does deal with those who are different, it’s by no means an easy watch, but it’s one which should be seen by many.”  Only in Newcastle 2019