WHAT'S ON
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 Pandemic are doors are currently closed to you, but we are still releasing online content to keep you entertained.
We have developed our new season so we can both premier ONLINE and at ALPHABETTI THEATRE as detailed below. Booking is essential for some events.
All tickets are PAY WHAT YOU FEEL or DONATE IF YOU CAN.
Credit: Jessica Lewis
Alphabetti Theatre Present
Hearing Voices By Richard Boggie
Directed by Karen Traynor
Dramaturged & Produced by Ali Pritchard
Recording, Editing & Sound Design by Matt Jamie
Performed by Adam Donaldson
This is a play about voices – those we choose to adopt when it suits us, and those we choose to ignore when it...suits us. For Matt, the voice is a familiar one, but the conversation is anything but.
Premieres: Monday 1st March at 7.30pm
Tickets: Donate if you can Booking NOT essential
Age recommendation: 14+
Running time: Approx. 10 mins
Available Online indefinitely - AUDIO LINK!
As part of Alphabetti Theatre’s Listen Up project comes the sixth of nine short plays written by underrepresented writers in the North East.
Richard Boggie is an emerging writer from Newcastle. He can normally be found performing spoken word as Bogsey. His work is often playful and comedic, but can also offer Serious insight into life with sight loss and disability.
Find out more about Richard by following him on Twitter @reb_678
Credit: Jeff Smith
Alphabetti Theatre presents
Mystery Tour By Hannah Sowerby
Directed by Paula Penman
Dramaturged & Produced by Ali Pritchard
Recording, Editing & Sound Design by Matt Jamie
Performed by Zoe Lambert
Premieres: Monday 8th March at 7.30pm
Tickets: Donate if you can Booking NOT essential
Age recommendation: 14+
Running time: Approx. 10 mins
Available Online indefinitely - AUDIO LINK!
As part of Alphabetti Theatre’s Listen Up project comes the seventh of nine short plays written by underrepresented writers in the North East.
Janet, recently retired and bored of it already, loves a good bus tour. She’s been all over: Loch Lomond, Stratford-upon-Avon, even the Isle of Weight. It’s time to try something new, so she books herself on a mystery bus tour. Where on earth will she end up? And what on earth will she end up doing?
Hannah is an emerging writer and performer originally from Cumbria. She’s had short many plays staged in theatres such as The Southwark Playhouse, Union Theatre, Canal Café Theatre and Alphabetti Theatre. She loves comedy and was one of the regular writer-performers on BBC Newcastle’s radio sketch show ‘It’s Grin Up North’.
Find out more about Hannah’s work by following her on twitter: @hannahsowerby1 or visiting her website www.hannahsowerbywriter.co.uk
Credit: Chris Ried
Alphabetti Theatre Presents
Giraffe By Julie Tsang
Directed by Omar Khan
Dramaturged & Produced by Ali Pritchard
Recording, Editing & Sound Design by Matt Jamie
Performed by Lloyd Thomas & Tonia Daley-Campbell
We can see it on the horizon, in the distance not too far away...the giraffe!
Premieres: Monday 15th March at 7.30pm
Tickets: Donate if you can Booking NOT essential
Age recommendation: 14+
Running time: Approx. 10 mins
Available Online indefinitely - AUDIO LINK!
As part of Alphabetti Theatre’s Listen Up project comes the eighth of nine short plays written by underrepresented writers in the North East.
Celine and Malik made a pact and now the day has come to face their fear together.
Giraffe is a short audio drama about loss, honour and the childhood friendships which shape you as an adult.
Julie Tsang is an award-winning playwright. Her recent work includes: All Noise – Imagination project with Theatre Centre and Theatre 503, Spring Lantern Riddles - Lyceum theatre/Royal Shakespeare Company, Fix - Pleasance theatre. Julie's work will be staged as part of the 12th Women's International Playwrights Conference in Montréal 2022.
Find out more about Julie’s work by following her on Twitter: @executetheatre
Music by Borrtex: Distant Sphere
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Borrtex/Distant_Sphere
Used under Creative Commons Licence
Alphabetti Theatre Presents
Roots Food By Jaz Craddock-Jones
Directed by Tricia Wey (mentored by Chris Sonnex)
Dramaturged & Produced by Ali Pritchard
Recording, Editing & Sound Design by Matt Jamie
Performed by Kemi-Bo Jacobs & Cleo Sylvestre
Credit: Charles Deluvio
A terminally ill Windrush migrant tries to teach her British-born daughter some precious Jamaican recipes. However, amongst the vibrant ingredients, bubbling pots and delicious aromas, mother and daughter connect in a way that they never have done before and more than just recipes are revealed.
Premieres: Monday 22nd March at 7.30pm
Tickets: Donate if you can Booking NOT essential
Age recommendation: 14+
Running time: Approx. 10 mins
Available Online indefinitely - AUDIO LINK!
As part of Alphabetti Theatre’s Listen Up project comes the ninth of nine short plays written by underrepresented writers in the North East.
Jaz is a Northern writer and NHS biomedical scientist. As a BAME artist she enjoys writing stories about Black British experiences. Her stage work has been performed in Sheffield, Leeds and Manchester and she has written a short film as part of the BFI Network Film Hub North 'Script Lab'.
Tricia Wey is a 25-year-old London-based multi-disciplined creative and describes herself as a General Maker of Things. She is passionate about removing passivity from theatre and is an advocate for encouraging those who don't see themselves in theatre to take up space. She is particularly interested in creating and producing work that represents marginalised groups, and aims to instill young creatives with the confidence to explore their various artforms. When life begins to open up again, she would like to get more involved with the London cabaret and drag scene.
She has written and performed work at the Bunker Theatre, the Vaults, Bethnal Green Working Men's Club, the World Transformed Festival, and the National Theatre. She also recently partook in WoLab's actor-writer programme. This is her first radio play and she was absolutely honoured to work with the cast and creatives. She hopes you enjoy this little slice of domestic Black life.
Music by Ketsa
freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa
CC lIcence:
Photo credit: Matt Jamie
Alphabetti Theatre Presents
Listen In
by Kay Greyson, Richard Boggie & Lauren Pattison
Directed by Jonluke McKie
Produced by Esther Fearn & Ali Pritchard
Sound design and editing by Matt Jamie
An immersive audio show available online. Three incredible short plays in reaction to a lonely theatre.
When: Tues 4th - Sat 15th May 2021 (excluding Sundays & Mondays)
Online Audience: The performance will be live streamed every night at 7:30pm.
Tickets: Pay What You Feel (booking essential)
Running Time: Approx. 60 mins
Age Rec: 16+
Access: All performances are captioned, audio described, relaxed & wheelchair accessible.
Content Warning: These pieces contain themes of addiction, health emergency and grief. For further information please contact admin@alphabettitheatre.co.uk
The Last Laugh, Written & Performed by Lauren Pattison
“I’ll come out in a bit. Not yet though. Bit nervous. I had a nightmare of a gig last time, I’m spooked now. Like a dog who’s heard the hoover for the first time.” Katie Baker is a stand-up comedian facing her fear: returning to her most dreaded venue after a horrific gig that she’ll never forget.
The Interval, Written by Richard Boggie & performed by Carl Kennedy
“I still look forward to the interval. I try to get a seat near the door, so I can slip out quickly to the bar.” The Interval is a tale about escapism, addiction and love.
An Empty Room, Written & Performed by Kay Greyson
"I started rapping when I was six, the forbidden world of hip hop with all its thrills and swearing called out to me. I was hooked, I wanted to be a rapper, and I wasn't accepting a plan B." An autobiographical story about Kay’s career, looking at one of her best but also worst ever gigs, featuring live music.
Book Tickets (Online Audience)
Photo Credit: Matt Jamie
Alphabetti Theatre Presents
AWARE
with films by Hijinx, Lawnmowers Independent Theatre Company and About Face Theatre Company
Produced by Esther Fearn & Ali Pritchard
We are installing three film booths in the venue, each booth will show a different short film by these fantastic, groundbreaking theatre companies. Each booth will fit one household/bubble at a time.
When: Tues 25th May - Sat 5th June 2021 (excluding Sundays & Mondays)
Live Audience:A household/support bubble experiences the show in their own time slot. One slot for one bubble (up to 6 people). Slots available every 30 mins from 5.00pm to 9.30pm Tues - Fri and from 11.30am – 9.30pm Sat.
Online Audience: The performance will be live streamed every night at 7:30pm.
Tickets: Pay What You Feel (booking essential)
Running Time: Approx. 70 mins
Age Rec: 14+
Access: All performances are captioned, audio described, relaxed & wheelchair accessible.
Access for live performances: All performances are captioned, audio described & wheelchair accessible.
Hijinx presents The Audition – a short documentary.
Directed by Dylan Wyn Richards
Produced by Daniel McGowan & Clare Williams
Camera Huw Walters
Made with the support of Morrisons Foundation and Ffilm Cymru Wales
In the spring of 2019, thirty neurodivergent actors auditioned for roles in a groundbreaking feature film. During the audition process and interviews, these remarkable performers discussed their unique experiences and outlook on the world.
The result is a revelatory, extraordinary documentary fusing powerful acting with equally striking insights into politics, dreams, trauma, family, friendship and life as someone with a different, astonishing mind.
Lawnmowers Independent Theatre Company presents Retake, Remake
Directed by Jan-Willem Van Den Bosch
With Creative Collaboration by Melody Sproates
Made with support of National Lottery Community Fund, Arts Council England and Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.
Retake, Remake explores films that portray people with learning difficulties but are played by actors without learning difficulties. The Lawnmowers Theatre Ensemble reclaim these films and make them their own. The actors create a new story-led show that uses lip-sync in a fun and clever way mixing edited audio, live performance and film footage to create a conceptual conversation about representation, ability and ownership.
About Face Theatre Company presents Creation
Directed by Jess MacKenzie
Directed by Jess MacKenzie and creative collaboration with The Fetch Theatre Company and The Creative Arcade. About Face is part of ECHO . Made with support from The Arts Council.
Strikingly staged using micro-puppetry, About Face weaves ancient stories of greed, fear and redemption applied to our world today, with music, narrative and strong magic. About Face Theatre Company is the flagship company of actors with learning disabilities in the West Midlands. It provides a wide range of opportunities for people with learning disabilities to grow in confidence through performance based skills, specialising in puppet and mask work.
How does it work for a live audience?
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Book a time slot (one slot will admit your household/support bubble of max. 6 people).
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Arrive at the venue at least 15 mins before the start time. Bring your own headphones and face mask or you can buy some from us.
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Check in at the Box Office (located outside).
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Order any refreshments from the hatch in the entrance, these will then be delivered to you outside.
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The Box Office will call your time slot and take you to the first space.
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At the end of each play, follow the directions to the next.
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Once you have experienced all three plays, you Pay What You Feel you can afford (located at the exit).
AWARE has been made possible with the support of Newcastle Cultural Investment Fund managed by Community Foundation. AWARE was originally conceived in partnership with Lawnmowers Independent Theatre Company as a festival in 2020.
Book Tickets (Live audience and/or Online Audience)
Book Tickets LIVE SHOWS
Book Tickets ONLINE SHOWS
Photo Credit: Molly Barrett
Alphabetti Theatre in partnership with Newcastle University presents
Sucking Eggs by Steve Byron
Directed by Karen Traynor
Produced by Esther Fearn & Ali Pritchard
Musical re-arrangement & performance by Ceitidh Mac
Sound Design by Nick Tyler
Set & Costume design by Anna Robinson
Stage Managed by Rachel Glover
Performed by Jacqueline Phillips & Steve Hawksby
Commissioning Producer Charlie Wilkinson
“Some days I just want to shout to the world that I am still here and I have something to say.” A kitchen sink drama about what it means to grow old.
When: Tues 15th - Sat 26th June 2021 (excluding Sundays & Mondays)
Performance Time: 7:30pm plus a 1:00pm relaxed Saturday matinee
Live Audience: Socially distanced tickets will be available and will sell out fast, audience numbers vary depending on restrictions.
Online Audience: Every performance from Tues 22nd June will be live streamed.
Tickets: Pay What You Feel (booking essential)
Running Time: Approx. 70 mins
Age Rec: 16+
Access for live performances: Captioned Performance Wednesday 15th June (please book tickets stage right to be in sightline).Audio Described Performance Wednesday 22nd June. All performances are wheelchair accessible. Relaxed performances are on Saturday matinee 19th and 26th June.
Peter is in his late sixties and has accepted his ageing with grace. He is kept busy caring for his mother and his ever-growing obsessions with the “state” of the “bloody" world. His slightly younger sister Maggie, however, is kicking and spitting about getting old and determined to do so as disgracefully as possible. The siblings often nip and scratch but in times of trouble know that blood is thicker than tea.
Praise for Steve Byron's previous work:
“Sharply written and often very funny”
Floorboards, The Stage, 2019
“Raw dramatic power”
Bacon Knees & Sausage Fingers, The Stage, 2019
“A well-crafted black comedy blessed with Steve Byron's sharply observed writing”
Floorboards, North East Theatre Guide, 2019
This production has been created in collaboration with participants through Newcastle University’s VOICE platform.
Book Tickets LIVE SHOWS
Book Tickets ONLINE SHOWS
Alphabetti Theatre in partnership with Paula Penman, Mark Calvert, Laura Lindow and Jeremy Bradfield present
Pause
Written by Laura Lindow
Directed by Mark Calvert
Performed by Paula Penman
Music by Jeremy Bradfield
‘Ever wanted to be someone else?’
When: Tues 6th - Sat 17th July 2021 (excluding Sundays & Mondays)
Performance Time: 7:30pm plus a 1:00pm relaxed Saturday matinee
Live Audience: Socially distanced tickets will be available and will sell out fast, audience numbers vary depending on restrictions.
Online Audience: Every performance will be live streamed
Tickets: Pay What You Feel (booking essential)
Running Time: Approx. 50 mins
Age Rec: 16+
Access for live performances: Captioned Performance Wednesday 7th July (please book tickets stage right to be in sightline).Audio Described Performance Wednesday 14th July. All performances are wheelchair accessible. Relaxed performance are on Saturday matinee 10th and 17th July.
“I would travel down to hell and wrestle a film away from the devil if it was necessary” – Werner Herzog
‘I’m a film fan. Okay the whole world is. But I’m really good at it. There’s nothing better. You can just sit and zone out. What I’m less good at…is the rest of it.’
Pause is an uplifting love story about film and how we use it to make day-to-day blockbusting escapes.
‘Alright, my life might not feature kissing in the snow, or racing to airports. But it might just include zombies or sharks or learning how to find friendship, even if it is just with yourself.’
Alphabetti Theatre in partnership with Kerrin Tatman presents
Newcastle Fringe Festival
10 of the best touring shows, 6 artistic development workshops, 2 commissioning seed pots, 1 producers summit and so much more… www.newcastlefringe.co.uk
When: Tues 27th July - Sat 7th Aug 2021 (excluding Sundays & Mondays)
Performance Times: To be announced.
Live Audience: Socially distanced tickets will be available and sell out fast, audience numbers vary depending on restrictions.
Online Audience: Every performance will be live streamed
Tickets: Pay What You Feel (booking essential)
Running Time: To be announced.
Age Rec: 16+
Access for live performances: Due to an eclectic programme and short turnarounds, it will not be possible for us to ensure that there are captioned and/or audio described performances. We will work with all the visiting companies to try and make as much of the programme as accessible as possible.
Programme includes:
Good Grief by Ugly Bucket
Following the death of a friend, Ugly Bucket turned to their unique style of clowning, music and physical comedy to create a show that explores grief in a way you would never expect (nor forget). Good Grief uses comedy to spark honest conversations, create unity, and share memories.
Me & My Doll by Paperback Theatre (in co-production with The Old Joint Stock Theatre)
A touching and hilarious exploration of the challenges, joys and pitfalls of allowing yourself to be vulnerable, Me & My Doll is a romantic comedy with a twist.
39 Horses by Izaak Gledhill in partnership with Alphabetti Theatre
Buckle up as Izaak invites four audience members into his taxi (no drinks allowed) for an immersive, lip syncing comedic journey like none you have ever taken before…or maybe you have?
The Oedipus Album by Pecho Mam
Pecho Mama make unconventional, music-driven theatre performance. This is a performance of their latest album - it's going to be a kaleidoscopic sonic and visual adventure, 7 cameras, green screen, studio quality audio!
Waxa Belta Helta Skelta by Serena Ramsey
A surreal look at abandonment, cults and Mammy issues. Combining live soundscapes and experimental electro-music, this absurd true story engulfs us in the world of one Geordie girl with a missing mum, but plenty of pasties. It will leave you laughing, crying and craving a sausage roll.
600 People by Third Angel
Somewhere between stand-up and an astrophysics lecture, Third Angel brings you a simple show about huge ideas. 600 People explores the stories we tell in order to understand our place in the cosmos, that question if we’re alone in our galaxy, that ask what it means to be human. Originally commissioned for Northern Elements, a development programme funded by Arts Council England and managed by ARC, Stockton Arts Centre. Third Angel is an Associate Company at Sheffield Theatres.
Workshops with:
Lyn Gardner, David Byrne, Mark Makin, Culture Against Racism
Plus performances by multi-award winning physical theatre company Spies Like Us and chart-topping, award-bashing contemporary theatre company In Bed With My Brother.
Funded through Arts Council England and Newcastle Cultural Investment Fund
Newcastle Theatre Royal’s Project A presents
Create
Directed by Phil Hoffmann
Project A is Newcastle’s only dedicated actor training programme, working with the new kids on the block before they continue along their own creative paths. Create is part of their final showcase.
When: Thurs 12th - Sat 14th August 2021
Performance Time: 7:30pm plus a 1:00pm Friday & Saturday matinee
Live Audience: Socially distanced tickets will be available and will sell out fast, audience numbers vary depending on restrictions.
Online Audience: Every performance will be live streamed
Tickets: Pay What You Feel (booking essential)
Running Time: TBC
Age Rec: TBC
Project A presents a series of one act plays as part of their Create season. The ensemble of 18 perform a series of shorts, chronicling the trials and tribulations of modern life. Each performance features a different set of shorts, creating harmony and juxtaposition, empathy and discourse; is anything really real? What is life really all about??
There will be strong language and themes that may be distressing to some, Please contact bar@alphabettitheatre.co.uk with the subject line CW – Create for more information.