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OUTSIDE EDGE THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCES FINALISTS FOR THE INAUGURAL 2020 PHIL FOX PLAYWRITING AWARD

Outside Edge Theatre Company (OETC), the UK’s only theatre company and participatory arts charity focused on addiction, is delighted to announce the finalists for the inaugural Phil Fox Award for Playwriting. Selected from 350 entries, the finalists are Sarah Connors, Silas Parry, Kristian Phillips, Jack Robson and Jack Stanley.

In its inaugural year, the prize has been created to recognise original scripts by playwrights from all backgrounds and experience levels, tackling issues around addiction. The winning script will be announced on 4 November and the chosen playwright will receive a £6,000 commission and mentorship from chair of the judging panel, Tony Award-winning playwright Enda Walsh.

Also on the 2020 judging panel are leading industry figures Matt Applewhite (Nick Hern Books Managing Director and Commissioning Editor), Barbara Broccoli OBE (Film Producer), Sonya Hale (OETC Associate Theatre Facilitator and Heretic Voices award-winning playwright), Indhu Rubasingham (Artistic Director of the Kiln Theatre), Matt Steinberg (OETC Artistic Director) and Simon Stephens (Tony and Olivier Award-winning playwright of The Curious Incident of the Dog In The Night-Time).

Chair of the judging panel, Enda Walsh today said “I’d like to congratulate and commend those writers who’ve made the final shortlist for the inaugural Phil Fox Award. Each one has exhibited exceptional skill and sensitivity around this subject – and have built their own extraordinary singular worlds. It’s tremendously exciting and also a daunting proposition to now try and choose a winner.”

PUSHING ON OPEN DOORS

By Sarah Connors

For years, Maud has kept her grandson Art well away from the busybodies and bullies in the town. He’s different, and they don’t understand. When the enigmatic Pauly and ethereal Fee rescue Art from difficulty, they seem a blessing and are welcomed as guests. Slowly at first, and then frighteningly swiftly, things spiral out of Maud’s control. As the dark truth about the newcomers emerges, a fight for the home and family begins. A tender yet unsparing new play about where we find refuge.

Sarah Connors is from Cornwall.Pushing On Open Doors is her playwriting debut, and the work was also shortlisted for the Papatango Playwriting Prize in 2020.

LESSONS FOR DIVING

By Silas Parry

Danny has been taking care of his little brother Jo since their Mum died of an overdose.

Jo hardly leaves the small flat they share, and their loss fuels his obsession with giant ‘man-eating’ squid. Plus Danny’s safety, because he works for a local drug dealer to make ends meet.

And as Danny struggles to hide the increasing dangers of his job, Jo is caught in his own battle with the biggest squid of all.

In a world of rising waters and magical predators, only a Mexican fisherman called Rafael can teach Jo how to dive deep enough to defeat the monster and save his brother.

This is Silas Parry’s playwriting debut. He has previously been selected for the BBC Writersroom and received a BAFTA Los Angeles scholarship to support an MFA in dramatic writing at the Rita & Burton Goldberg Department, TISCH / NYU. He is also a visual artist and has most recently exhibited at Contemporary Art Space Osaka.

DRIFT

By Kristian Phillips

Roger’s on the ‘best night out ever’… Again!

In this small Welsh town, Friday nights are half big but Saturdays are massive.

Mind you, this isn’t a normal Saturday night.

Tonight, Roger’s whole reality is about to drift away.

DRIFT is a darkly comic, solo show, about grief, addiction and masculinity.

Kristian Phillips is a writer and actor from Port Talbot. As a playwright Drift is his debut play, and it was developed and researched under the Tyfu/Grow scheme at Theatr Clwyd. He is currently part of the Hampstead Theatre’s ‘Inspire Group’ and Theatr Clwyd’s ‘Writer In Residence Scheme’. His theatre credits as an actor include Pavilion, Season’s Greetings, Bruised (Theatr Clwyd), As You Like It (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Richard III (Almeida Theatre), Of Mice and Men (Birmingham Repertory Theatre/UK tour), The Alchemist (Liverpool Playhouse) and Crazy Gary’s Mobile Disco (Tron/Traverse Theatre).

WHAT’S LOST IN THE GAPS

By Jack Robson

As a primary school teacher, Una has a lot to deal with: demanding parents, inattentive children, an egotistical headmistress. She used to turn to alcohol to make it all easier — only now it seems to do the opposite. When her father dies before she has a chance to reconcile with him, Una finds herself starting to crumble. Confronted with her mother’s ailing health, the stress of her father’s funeral, and her worsening addiction, Una spirals out of control, finally making a decision that she will never remember, but will affect the course of her life.

Jack Robson’s debut play i woke up feeling electric premiered at Hope Theatre in February 2020.

BOOMERANG

By Jack Stanley

Simone and Tobias are siblings. They get on. Sure, Tobias is a bit of a layabout when he visits her. Okay, a total couch potato but Simone’s used to that.

And so what if he’s been a bit directionless recently? Things are still good between them. But as the visits continue, it all starts to change. It becomes clear that Tobias’ life is spiralling into substance addiction. They are both caught in a cycle of Tobias’ behaviour that Simone is desperate to break. Until the moment she finally realises she can’t.

Jack Stanley is from South London. His theatre credits include Catastrophists (White Bear Theatre), Waste (Southwark Playhouse) and Laying Tracks (The Gregson Institute, Liverpool).

The 2020 Phil Fox Award for Playwriting is generously supported by An Anonymous Friend Of OETC, The Carne Trust and Unity Theatre Trust.

Royal & Derngate’s Made in Northampton production The Worst Witch wins prestigious Olivier Award

At yesterday’s rescheduled 2020 Olivier Awards ceremony, Royal & Derngate’s Made in Northampton co-production The Worst Witch scooped the award for Best Family Show. This milestone is the first time that the Northampton venue has won an Olivier award.

Having first delighted audiences in Northampton as Royal & Derngate’s 2018 Christmas Show The Worst Witch then toured the UK before enjoying a six week summer season at the Vaudeville Theatre in London’s West End in 2019. Adapted by Emma Reeves from Jill Murphy’s much-loved books and directed by Theresa Heskins, the show was a Made in Northampton co-production with Kenny Wax Family Entertainment, Novel and Nica Burns.

The winners of this year’s Olivier Awards 2020 with Mastercard were announced in a special programme hosted by Jason Manford and broadcast on ITV and Magic Radio.

Royal & Derngate Artistic Director James Dacre said: “We are absolutely delighted that this enchanting Made in Northampton production has been honoured with an Olivier Award. Its success is a testament to all the hard work, passion and creativity that went into the creation, support and promotion of the show. It is so fitting that this award is in the category of Best Family Show, given how central work for families, children and young people is to all that we do.”

I’d like to thank everyone involved – our staff, co-producing partners, creative team and the fantastic company – who made The Worst Witch such a success.”

Royal & Derngate Chief Executive Jo Gordon added: “We are so proud of our teams here at Royal & Derngate and the part they played in creating this wonderful show. In these difficult times, to have this recognition of our work is a much-needed boost for everyone here.”

Royal & Derngate’s production of Katori Hall’s Our Lady of Kibeho, which had its acclaimed UK debut in Northampton as part of the theatre’s Made in Northampton season in January and February 2018, was also nominated in the category for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre for its transfer to the Theatre Royal Stratford East last Autumn.

Established in 1976, the Olivier Awards celebrate the world-class status of London theatre, and are Britain’s most prestigious stage honours.

Royal & Derngate’s Made in Northampton season is sponsored locally by Michael Jones Jeweller.

Remember, remember the 5^th of November…

AN EXPLOSIVE NEW MUSICAL DRAMA

MUSIC & LYRICS BY RICKY ALLAN

EXCLUSIVE RECORDINGS RELEASED FROM 5 NOVEMBER

PERFORMED BY SOME OF THE WEST END’S FINEST VOICES

INCLUDING HADLEY FRASER & ROSALIE CRAIG

Treason is an exciting new musical drama based on the notorious gunpowder plot of 1605. With a stunning score and lyrics by Ricky Allan, featuring a fusion of original folk and pop songs, this wonderful new musical tells one of the most intriguing tales in England’s history.  

Remember, remember the 5th of November,
for its gunpowder, treason, and plot
We’re here to tell you the rest of the tale,
the one that history books forgot
Guy Fawkes remains an anonymous figure, 
we have more to bring to the table
It’s time to meet the rest of the plotters,
in our fiery musical fable

Whilst the musical is still in development, theatre fans will however be able to listen to the show’s songs, performed by a selection of the West End’s most talented musical theatre performers: Kelly Agbowu (Les Misérables, Waitress), Daniel Boys (Falsettos, Nativity Rocks!), Rosalie Craig (Company, City of Angels), Hadley Fraser (Young Frankenstein, City of Angels), Waylon Jacobs (Hamilton, Memphis), Emmanuel Kojo (Oklahoma!, Showboat), Rebecca LaChance (School of Rock, Beautiful), Christina Modestou (Six, Little Shop of Horrors), and Oliver Savile (Falsettos, Wicked).

The first exclusive track Take Things Into Our Own Hands, featuring Hadley Fraser, will be released on Spotify, Amazon Music and Apple Music on Thursday 5 November 2020, marking the 415^th anniversary of the infamous gunpowder plot.

Subsequent tracks will be released every two weeks (excluding Christmas and New Year’s). Follow Treason the Musical on all social media platforms @treasonmusical and treasonthemusical.com  to be the first to hear the latest news and information. 

ACTING FOR OTHERS ANNOUNCED AS A BENEFICIARY CHARITY FROM SIR IAN MCKELLEN’S BIRTHDAY TOUR

ACTING FOR OTHERS ANNOUNCED AS A BENEFICIARY CHARITY FROM SIR IAN MCKELLEN’S BIRTHDAY TOUR

Theatrical charity, Acting for Others today announces that it is one of twelve new beneficiary charities from Sir Ian McKellen’s 80^th birthday tour Ian McKellen on Stage, with money raised from ticket proceeds. Acting for Others provides financial and emotional support to all theatre workers in times of need through the 14 member charities. 

Sir Ian McKellen was commended with a special Olivier Award during last night’s ceremony for his tireless fundraising work during his 80^th birthday UK tour, which raised funds for venues and companies across the country. The tour ran from January to September 2019 and culminated in a five-month West End run.

Sir Stephen Waley-Cohen, co-chair of Acting for Others, said today, “Firstly, a huge well done to all the winners, nominees and all those involved in making last night’s Olivier Awards so special, and of course congratulations to Sir Ian McKellen on his much-deserved Special Award recognising his acting, his activism and campaigning, and his philanthropy. We are honoured that Acting for Others is a beneficiary of his theatrical generosity and we can’t wait to work with him again very soon.”

This generous donation brings the total amount raised by Acting for Others and its member charities since the beginning of the pandemic to over £3.3 million. As part of their ongoing efforts to support the industry, the charities have offered emotional and financial support, welfare and benefit advice and worked closely to support over 5000 theatre workers in need.

Donations to Acting for Otherscan be made here: www.justgiving.com/ctcafo

www.actingforothers.co.uk       

Twitter: @ActingForOthers

FIRST LOOK AT ALFRED ENOCH AND ALL STAR CAST IN DIGITAL PRODUCTION OF WHAT A CARVE UP!

• THE BARN THEATRE, LAWRENCE BATLEY THEATRE & NEW WOLSEY THEATRE CO-PRODUCE THE WORLD PREMIERE OF WHAT A CARVE UP! BY HENRY FILLOUX-BENNETT

• THE PRODUCTION, BASED ON JONATHAN COE’S CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED NOVEL, WILL BE DIRECTED BY THEATRE CLWYD ARTISTIC DIRECTOR TAMARA HARVEY.

• THE CAST ALSO INCLUDES ALFRED ENOCH, SHARON D. CLARKE, STEPHEN FRY, CELIA IMRIE AND SIR DEREK JACOBI

The Barn Theatre in Cirencester, the Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield and the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich have today released the official trailer for the digital world premiere of Henry Filloux-Bennett’s online play What A Carve Up!, based on Jonathan Coe’s critically acclaimed satirical novel.

The digital production, directed by Tamara Harvey (Home, I’m Darling), chronicles the events leading up to the ‘Winshaw Murders’. Filled with murder, mayhem and madness, the murder mystery turns a satirical eye on what it is like to be a member of one of the most corrupt, powerful and toxic families in the country.

The production features an all-star cast including Jonathan Bailey as Henry Winshaw, Samuel Barnett as Michael Owen, Robert Bathurst as Thomas Winshaw, Fiona Button as Josephine Winshaw-Eaves, Sharon D. Clarke as Kim Bolton, Alfred Enoch as Raymond Owen, Rebecca Front as Hilary Winshaw, Stephen Fry as Patrick Mills, Celia Imrie as Joan Simpson, Sir Derek Jacobi as Findlay Onyx, Griff Rhys Jones as John Stephens, Dervla Kirwan as the Brunwin Advert and Tamzin Outhwaite as Interviewer 2020.

The full cast also includes: Catrin Aaron, Jamie Ballard, Jack Dixon, Julian Harries, James McNicholas and Lizzie Muncey.

The murder mystery is written by Henry Filloux-Bennett (Nigel Slater’s Toast), based on the award-winning novel by Jonathan Coe, directed by Tamara Harvey (Home, I’m Darling) with Harry Smith (Henry V, Private Peaceful) as sound designer and composer, Annie May Fletcher as production coordinator, set design by Holly Piggott, production by Christopher McGill, production management by Will Dolan and editing and graphics by Mark Kendrick.

Jonathan Coe said of the new adaptation, “I’m thrilled that What a Carve Up! is being brought to the stage by such a talented and experienced team. It’s twenty-five years since I wrote the book but unfortunately its political satire seems as relevant as ever – I’m sure the new adaptation will capture that, as well as the novel’s sense of fun and irreverence. I’m looking forward to getting to know it again!”

What A Carve Up! is a co-production by the Barn Theatre, Lawrence Batley Theatre and New Wolsey Theatre with Dusthouse as associate producers.

The play, which will be available internationally, will run from 31 October – 29 November 2020. Tickets can be purchased at whatacarveup.com with audience members receiving a screening link which will activate at their booked performance time for a 48-hour period. A premium option, consisting of a physical programme and pre-theatre dining recipe card, will be available for UK residents.

The recipe card included in the premium option will be curated by world-renowned chef Asma Khan. Owner of the prestigious Darjeeling Express in London’s Soho, Asma Khan was the first British chef to be profiled on Netflix’s award-winning documentary series Chef’s Table and in 2019 was named number one on Business Insider’s “100 Coolest People in Food and Drink” list.

A portion of the proceeds raised by What A Carve Up! will be donated to a freelance fund to support the creative workforce that the theatres would not be able to survive without.

The production is kindly supported by Blackmagic Design.

Further casting and creative announcements will be released at a later date.

Next generation of West End musicals face audiences for the first time in festival at The Lowry

A festival designed to give new musicals their big break is coming to The Lowry next month.

Musical Rewrites will run from Tue 10 November to Sat 14 November in the Salford venue’s Lyric Theatre.

It is the fourth outing of the event, which showcases new musicals touring for the first time, works-in-progress and ‘curtain raisers’.

Work under the spotlight includes: Sunshine, which has been developed by SIX producer, Andy Barnes; A Mother’s Song, by Cameron Mackintosh resident composer, Finn Anderson; and Unfortunate, which was a hit of the Edinburgh Fringe in 2019 and gives the back story to one of Disney’s favourite villains.

Each musical will be performed live at The Lowry for a small, socially distanced audience and live-streamed the following week on ‘Broadway on Demand UK’s; stream.theatre platform.

On stream.theatre it will run alongside a showcase of new musicals at New York’s famous National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) Festival of New Musicals.

Tickets are available at www.thelowry.com and are priced at £10 for both in-venue or online experiences.

Matt Eames, senior programmer/producer at The Lowry said: “’Even in the midst of lockdown, I was convinced that we could and should find a way for our annual mini-musicals season to proceed.

“It seemed to me that this was a unique opportunity to work with some really exciting people and to open up Rewrites to a new audience by streaming it online.

“I am thrilled with the line-up and delighted that we are able to showcase the brilliant new musical theatre being made right now across the UK. A huge thank you to stream.theatre and all the companies involved for getting on-board this adventure and finding a way to make it happen in such challenging circumstances.”

Previous Musical Rewrites include: The Letter Room’s No Miracles Here, Silent Uproar’s A Super Happy Story (About Feeling Sad) and Leo & Hyde’s The Marriage of Kim Kardashian. Spitlip’s hit London musical, Operation Mincemeat, also started out as part of a Rewrites festival.   

Hull New Theatre and Hull City Hall receive lifeline grant from Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund

Hull New Theatre and Hull City Hall have been awarded £1.6 million as part of the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help face the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic and to ensure they have a sustainable future, the Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has announced today.

Hull New Theatre and Hull City Hall are one of 35 major cultural organisations receiving the first grants between £1 and £3 million through the Culture Recovery Fund – with £75 million of investment announced today.

This follows £334 million awarded earlier in the month to nearly 2,000 organisations, also from the Culture Recovery Fund grants programme being administered by Arts Council England. Further rounds of funding in the cultural and heritage sector are due to be announced over the coming weeks.

The funding will help to support the venues until the end of the current financial year enabling them to make necessary adjustments to the buildings, operating procedures and event programmes to meet Covid-19 government guidelines and to allow customers to safely return to enjoy the varied programme of high quality live entertainment that the venues are renowned for.

Leader of Hull City Council, Councillor Stephen Brady OBE said:

“This is welcome news for the city, Hull New Theatre and Hull City Hall play a major role in offering the local community access to world class performances on their doorstep. Although there are still challenges to face with the Covid-19 pandemic, this is a step forward in ensuring future generations can continue to enjoy live entertainment in Hull.”

Chair, Hull Culture and Leisure, Councillor Marjorie Brabazon said:

“I’m delighted that this funding will allow us to move forward with plans to be in a position to safely open our doors once again to give audiences the opportunity to enjoy much missed live entertainment, in what we hope is the very near future. ”

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said:

“As part of our unprecedented £1.57 billion rescue fund, today we’re saving British cultural icons with large grants of up to £3 million – from Shakespeare’s Globe to the Sheffield Crucible. These places and organisations are irreplaceable parts of our heritage and what make us the cultural superpower we are. This vital funding will secure their future and protect jobs right away.”

Chair, Arts Council England, Sir Nicholas Serota, said:

“The Culture Recovery Fund has already helped hundreds of organisations, of all types and sizes, in villages, towns and cities across the country. It has provided a lifeline that will allow these organisations to continue to play an integral role in their communities and produce new artistic work that will entertain and inspire us all.

“This latest funding, which are the largest grants to date, will support some of the country’s most loved and admired cultural spaces – from great regional theatres and museums to historic venues in the capital – which are critical to the development of a new generation of talent and in providing work for freelance creatives.”

Following the announcement of the latest round of grants from the government’s £1.57bn Cultural Recovery Fund, I’m pleased to share a statement from the Theatres Trust.

Jon Morgan, director of Theatres Trust, comments:

Theatres Trust welcomes the news that 16 of England’s nationally and regionally significant theatres will receive grants of over £1m in the latest round of the Culture Recovery Fund. This shows that the importance of these organisations socially, culturally and economically has been recognised. We are particularly pleased to see that theatres represent almost half of the latest grants awarded including regional theatrical powerhouses such Manchester Royal Exchange, Leeds Playhouse and Birmingham Rep, as well as major touring houses such as the Mayflower Southampton and Newcastle Theatre Royal. 

Support for these theatres, along with over 300 other producing and touring theatres, large and small, across the country that have been supported in earlier rounds, means that over 1/3 of England’s theatres have benefitted from this vital lifeline. 

We are still months away from the majority of theatres being able to reopen viably and many theatres are suffering the additional pressures of being in higher level lockdown areas.  Alongside this much-needed support we urgently need to agree a set of mitigation measures that will allow theatres to welcome fuller audiences under current social distancing rules which will make it possible for more theatres to reopen and serve their communities again.

LEEDS HERITAGE THEATRES WELCOMES GOVERNMENT FUNDING

Leeds Heritage Theatres is thrilled to announce that their application to receive a grant of £1,545,163 from the Government and Arts Council England’s Culture Recovery Fund has been successful.

The grant is part of a £1.57 billion rescue package announced by the government in July 2020, specifically created to help UK arts, culture and heritage industries deal with the impact of COVID-19. The fund offers financial support to cultural organisations that were financially stable before the pandemic but are at imminent risk of failure.

Chris Blythe, CEO, says: “I cannot begin to tell you how incredible, and what a huge relief, it is to finally receive this news. The past seven months have been some of the most stressful of my, and the team’s, time at Leeds Heritage Theatres.

“We submitted a strong bid based on the cultural significance of the company, and we’re grateful this has been recognised and to have money invested in our future – not only for our people, but for our audiences who have been overwhelmingly generous and supportive throughout this difficult period.”

Leeds Heritage Theatres, which manages three historic venues in the city, generates 98% of its income through ticket sales, and bar and merchandise sales. The closure on March 17 has seen the Company exhaust its reserves, built up through prudent financial planning over the previous five years.

Blythe adds: “Whilst we have done all that we can to survive this ongoing period of closure, as well as prepare for the economic uncertainty that will follow – including exhausting our reserves and taking advantage of the job retention scheme, furloughing 96% of our staff – it is no understatement to say that this grant is a lifeline.

“And whilst it won’t see us completely out of the woods – like many businesses, our financial pressures remain whilst we are unable to fully open – it will help us enormously to safeguard our heritage buildings, and to continue planning for an unknown future, one where we can hopefully welcome back the best of the West End and Broadway to The Grand, world-class stand-up, music and variety to The Varieties, and the very best independent, art house and classic films to The Picture House. It will also provide job security for our dedicated team of staff, volunteers and freelancers, and help us to continue nurturing talent through our Learning programme.”

The decision-making panel included Arts Council England and other specialist bodies such as Historic England, National Lottery Heritage Fund and the British Film Institute.

Blythe finishes: “It has been widely publicised that our sector has suffered exponentially as a result of the pandemic. I am immensely grateful that the UK government and associated bodies are investing in our creative industries to protect and preserve them for future generations; not only from a cultural and economic perspective (the sector employs over 700,000 skilled people), but because arts and culture are needed now more than ever to help boost people’s mental health and build community through shared experience as we all try to find some escapism from our day-to-day and ongoing concerns regarding COVID-19.”

Whilst Leeds Grand Theatre remains closed until January 2021, when it will welcome back resident companies, Opera North and Northern Ballet, City Varieties Music hall recently reopened its doors with an exciting programme of film presented in collaboration with sister venue Hyde Park Picture House. The Picture House itself remains closed for restoration work.

PRESS RELEASE

For immediate release

Hoard: Rediscovered

Featuring Unearthed, written and directed by Theresa Heskins and eleven mini-plays, directed by Gemma Fairlie

Saturday 7 to Saturday 14 November, New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-Under-Lyme

REIMAGINED HOARD FESTIVAL AT STAFFORDSHIRE’S NEW VIC DIGITALLY UNEARTHS MYSTERIES OF 1400 YEAR OLD TREASURE   

Audiences will be given the opportunity to return to the newly refurbished New Vic Theatre and revisit pieces from its critically acclaimed 2015 Staffordshire Hoard Festival in Hoard: Rediscovered, screened at the theatre as part of its Housewarming Season this November.

Hoard: Rediscovered sees the original cast and creative team reunited for filmed versions of New Vic Artistic Director Theresa Heskins’ documentary-drama Unearthed, and a selection of mini plays from some of the country’s most talented writers including Isy Suttie, Sara Pascoe and Lemn Sissay, all directed by Gemma Fairlie.

Originally developed in conjunction with the National Theatre Studio, the cast of Hoard: Rediscovered includes Romayne Andrews, Suzanne Ahmet, Crystal Condie, Jemma Churchill, David Crellin, Elizabeth Elvin, Paula James, David Kirkbride, Gwawr Loader, Perry Moore, Adam Morris, David Nellist, Bryonie Pritchard, David Semark, and Johnson Willis.

New Vic Artistic Director Theresa Heskins said: “Our Hoard of plays was created after the National Theatre Studio invited the New Vic to be their associate company for a year, encouraging us to ‘dream big’. The result, a season of plays inspired by an Anglo-Saxon treasure found in a Staffordshire hoard, is an exploration of a local discovery that had a national impact. Archaeologists and historians are not sure they will ever know what the hoard is, who it belonged to, or why it was buried in an isolated field, but our plays explore the many possibilities we heard about. For me, the challenge of this reimagining is adapting the verbatim documentary I wrote for the stage, to the screen. I am really excited that audiences at the theatre will be watching the documentary on not one but two screens – one horizontal and one vertical – in a dynamic format which I am excited to be exploring with brilliant collaborators.

“It’s been such a privilege to welcome back the entire original cast and creative team to recreate these pieces in a new way, and we are finding such joy in welcoming back audiences to the New Vic after a long break. We didn’t waste the time – we conducted a massive refurbishment, made some big plans, and delivered important work across our communities.  But my goodness, it is such a pleasure to see people back enjoying theatre performances too.”

Director of the mini plays, Gemma Fairlie added: “It’s been such a huge privilege to revisit the Hoard project with Hoard: Rediscovered. Not only do I get to work with an incredible team again but in the current situation, seeing so many brilliant people back doing what they are great at – theatre – is immensely heartening.

“Bringing these stories back to life in a digitally reimagined way has added a new layer of storytelling. The way we have filmed and edited the plays has enabled us to add atmosphere, connection, and surprise. Eleven unique pieces of drama have emerged that are both theatrical and filmic. The writing and the performances have really grown into this new medium and I cannot wait for audiences to experience the incredible range of stories inspired by the Hoard, and now invigorated by the circumstances.”

Hoard: Rediscovered will be screened at Staffordshire’s New Vic Theatre from Saturday 7 to Saturday 14 November. Telling the story of the discovery of a hoard of 1400 year old Anglo-Saxon treasure, socially distanced audiences will find their imaginations gripped as they follow this drama which animates the words of real people who found the gold in a Staffordshire field, and of the experts who tried to unravel its meanings.

Further details for Hoard: Rediscovered are available on the theatre’s website at newvictheatre.org.uk or by calling the Box Office on 01782 717962.