Coastal tales brought to life
Autumn tour from the Border Readers takes inspiration from the shore
Actors collective, The Border Readers are returning to the road this autumn with Shore Lines, a new touring production of short stories inspired by the coastlines of Northumberland and Devon.
The company’s professional actors will visit 17 arts and community venues across the Borderlands, promising audiences an intimate experience of fiction read aloud.
The tour, which runs from September 22 to December 4, features newly commissioned stories from regional writers Jo Scott and Tony Glover.
Tony, author of the Kitty Lockwood crime novels, contributes The Weather Gleam, a bittersweet supernatural love story set on Holy Island.
The tale follows Jonty and Violet’s turbulent relationship through the eyes of Charlie, her faithful terrier.
Jo, a master mariner as well as a writer, sets Touch and Go in Amble harbour. Her ‘witty, warm-hearted’ story explores the dreams and superstitions of Jenny, a single woman unexpectedly gifted the chance to buy her own yacht.
The programme also includes acclaimed works by celebrated authors. Ann Cleeves’ Mud revisits the north Devon coast, evoking teenage love and tragedy, while Linda Cracknell’s Crossing the Bar, first commissioned by BBC Radio 4, draws inspiration from Tennyson’s poem and her family’s maritime heritage.
Producer Stephen Tomlin said the readings capture “the power of coastal places to shape people’s lives and imaginations”, offering audiences a mix of romance, mystery and nostalgia.
Venues included on the tour include The Word, South Shields (Sept 22); Cambo Wallington (Oct 9); Newcastle’s Lit and Phil (Oct 14); Humshaugh Village Hall (Oct 24); and The Vault in Hexham (Nov 20). Full tour dates and further details are available at www.theborderreaders.co.uk