Last Updated on 14 July 2021 by Showcall Editorial Team
Shows from Nouveau Riche, Lung Theatre, Pigfoot and Tim Crouch are part of the programme of theatre at ETT’s outdoor Trailer Story in Newcastle upon Tyne and Keswick
The full programme of theatre has been announced for Trailer Story, ETT’s pop-up outdoor performance space in Newcastle upon Tune and Keswick.
Highlights include Nouveau Riche’s Resonate, written and performed by Ntonga Mwanza, which tells the story of a young man’s search for identity through physical theatre, hip hop dance, clowning, mime and spoken word.
Lung Theatre’s Who Cares by Matt Woodhead explores the experience of young carers, based on real-life testimonies.
Family comedy How to Save a Rock, written by Conky Kampfner, Alex Rugman and theatre company PigFoot, takes audiences into the future in pursuit of the last-ever polar bear.
Playwright Tim Crouch will perform I, Malvolio, his reimagining of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night from the point of view of its most notoriously abused steward.
ETT (English Touring Theatre) is taking Trailer Story to Leazes Park in Newcastle from 30 July to 1 August and then to Crow Park in Keswick from 5 to 8 August 2021, in partnership with Northern Stage and Theatre by the Lake. Each run features a mix of national and local programming.
The truck, designed by Jon Bausor with Tina Torbey and featuring lighting design by Natasha Chivers, is inspired by ETT’s origins as Century Theatre which toured the UK as a pop-up space.
The programme also includes music and beatboxing from Grace Savage, and a spoken word, rap and beatbox show from Testament. It also features Comedy Club 4 Kids, Figs in Wigs’ “cosmic” game show Astrology Bingo, and A Rain Walk, a self-guided tour accompanied by recorded voices of children from across the UK and Ireland.
Shows from local artists in Newcastle will include BonBons Cabaret, Mam Tackles The Climate Crisis, Brash’s Raising Shame and A Case In Point by What’s That Dance. Keswick’s local programming is still to be announced.
In a statement today, ETT’s artistic director Richard Twyman and executive producer Sophie Scull, said: “This programme curated by the team at ETT and our partners at Northern Stage and Theatre by the Lake offers audiences a rich selection of entertainment for all ages, from theatre and dance to comedy and spoken word.
“In this, its inaugural year, we hope that our touring truck will provide the opportunity for artists and audiences to reconnect and celebrate the communal act of theatre-making. We, and all the artists involved, are so excited to be back making work, touring and meeting audiences in their local community again.”
Trailer Story, announced in June, has been made possible with support from the Cultural Recovery Fund, the Weston Culture Fund, Urban Green and the National Trust.
Tickets will be free for shows in Leazes Park in Newcastle, bookable in advance via northernstage.co.uk. Tickets will be sold for £5 for morning, afternoon or evening event slots for Crow Park in Keswick via theatrebythelake.com.
