The Nether
By Jennifer Haley
Directed by Sarah Van Parys with Falling Doors Theatre
Falling Doors Theatre Explore the Dark Side of
Virtual Reality at Liverpool’s New Hope Street
Theatre.
‘You create a realm irresistible to anyone with a longing for beauty, go there each
day, play the music, pull the strings, and force everyone to dance to your nightmare’
TITLE: The Nether by Jennifer Haley
DATES: 26th Sepember 7.30pm
27th September 7.30pm
28th September 7.30pm
29th September 7.30pm
ADMISSION: £8/£10 (On Wednesday 26th September ‘Pay what you think’ on the night)
TICKETS: 0344 561 0622 or online www.hopestreettheatre.com
WHERE: The Hope Street Theatre, 22 Hope Street, Liverpool, L1 9BY
AGE GUIDANCE: 13+
American playwright, Jennifer Haley’s award winning play The Nether, is brought to the brand new The Hope Street Theatre, the former Masonic Hall on Hope Street by Liverpool’s up and coming theatre company Falling Doors Theatre, a big project taken on by a team of emerging local creatives with the support of The Hope Street Theatre.
‘Set in the year 2050, The Nether is a virtual wonderland that provides total sensory immersion. Just log in, choose an identity and indulge your every desire. But when a young detective uncovers a disturbing brand of entertainment, she triggers an interrogation into the darkest corners of the imagination.’
The Nether reveals a world in which people with fantasies and tendencies that are considered morally wrong and illegal in the real world are free to explore these tendencies within The Nether realm, it is an insight into what a Black Mirror dystopian reality could be if Virtual Reality became a normality in
our everyday lives. Parallel to the benefits of VR, we address whether the real world and the virtual world have blended to the point of there being no distinction between the two and the repercussions of this for those living in both worlds. We also ask the audience to think about the following questions;
Does something being virtual make it not real? Does there have to be a freedom of expression online? Are ideas as real as reality?
Falling Doors Theatre was set up in 2014 to work primarily with local actors and writers developing and staging both new writing and new plays. The Nether is the 4th play to be staged by Falling Doors Theatre following it’s successful run of Committed at The Blade Factory in March, Taking Care of Baby as part of the Liverpool Fringe Festival, and a return of Committed as part of the Liverpool Irish Festival later in the year. For this production we have a team of emerging creatives from across the North West, including Set Designer Christopher McCourt (LIPA Student), Lighting Designer Leonie Parkes (LJMU Graduate & Unity Theatre Technician), Sound Designer Dan Pyke (regular Sound Designer for Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre), Costume Designer Willow Hick (University of York Graduate) and Assistant Director Ben Rivers (LIPA Student and Artistic Director of Bare Water Productions).
Heading up the team, born and bred at the Young Everyman Playhouse, Directed by Falling Doors Theatre’s Artistic Director Sarah Van Parys (Young Everyman Playhouse Director’s Course Graduate and RTYDS Recipient) and produced by 2
nd Year Young Everyman Playhouse Producer Nancy Msiska. Sarah and Nancy have been regularly production theatre in the North West with Sarah having recently directed Committed by Stephen Smith at The Blade Factory and The Liverpool Irish Festival and Taking Care of Baby by Dennis Kelly as part of the Liverpool Fringe Festival 2017 whilst Nancy has recently Produced Anton Checkhov’s The Bear, and Sandi Toksvig’s Billy Boy as part of the Young Everyman Playhouse Directors Festival. Nancy is also currently co-producing final year Producers Course show The Way I See It by George Miaris at The Liverpool Everyman Playhouse supported by Arts Council England.
Cast
Catherine Devine, Lee Burnitt, Grant Ryan Lenton , Kimberley Athawes, Andrew AB