New voices, big names and radical stories for autumn at Live Theatre
Jimmy Nail, Brecht and a rallying dinner lady: the Newcastle venue unveils bold autumn season brimming with North East grit, global fire... and Crocodile Shoes
Jimmy Nail is heading back to Live Theatre – closing out the venue’s newly announced autumn season with a one-off run of intimate gigs.
From December 2 to 13, the much-loved actor and musician will perform songs from his iconic 90s TV series Crocodile Shoes for the first time in almost 30 years.
The shows offer a preview of an upcoming stage musical in development – and continue a long family relationship with the venue.
“I’m delighted to be returning to Live Theatre later this year, and keeping it in the family - my sister Val co-founded Live Theatre back in 1973. Good lass,” said Jimmy who performed a staged reading of another in-development music production, Seconds Away - written with Auf Wiedersehen, Pet writer, Ian La Frenais - at Live last year.
“I’m looking forward to reacquainting myself with those songs and performing them with a band in Live’s intimate space for the first time in almost three decades.”
Jimmy’s residency - which is likely to be one of the festive season’s hottest tickets - is a highlight in an eclectic season that brings together radical new voices, global collaborations, and local heroes - all rooted in Live Theatre’s enduring commitment to new writing.
The season kicks off with a celebration of one of its most famous alumni: Billy Elliot writer Lee Hall, who joins a special 25th anniversary event on September 19 alongside original cast and crew.
The following month, the Newcastle-born writer brings a major new production to the venue, namely his ‘astonishing’ adaptation of Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children (October 23 to November 1).
Performed by Ensemble ‘84 - the Durham-based company created and nurtured by South Africa’s acclaimed Isango Ensemble - the play, which premiered in a former Methodist church in Horden back in May (read David Whetstone’s rave review here), is a fierce, musical, and politically-charged take on Brecht’s anti-war classic.
“Live Theatre has been the home for my work for the last thirty years,” said Lee.
“Ensemble ’84 represents everything that Live and North East theatre have done so brilliantly over the years. Making no nonsense arresting theatre with local talent about the big issues which affect us all. They are a beacon of hope for the future of theatre.”
That blend of local voice and global urgency echoes throughout the season.
From September 25-27, edgecity brings together Newcastle-based writer gobscure with Sleaford Mods frontman Jason Williamson for a series of electric, music-infused monologues drawn from gobscure’s own experiences of homelessness. Titles include mind the reality gap, die like chekhov, and yu can’t start revolutions sitting on yr arse.
gobscure, who uses non-binary and plural pronouns, calls it “the biggest thing that’s ever happened to our words.”
Then, from October 2, Live hosts the premiere of Bad Lads – a harrowing new drama from Graeae Theatre Company about the abuse of young boys at Durham’s Medomsley Detention Centre in the 1980s. Directed by Jenny Sealey and written by Mike Kenny in collaboration with survivors, the piece explores the damage done by Thatcher’s notorious “short sharp shock” policy.
“This is something a little different for Graeae but it is a crucial narrative, based on the testimonies of the men who were lads in the 80’s,” said Jenny.
“I am so pleased that Live Theatre has given Bad Lads a home and that we open the play there as I know from experience it is a safe theatre to be in.”
There’s a different kind of political charge in Big Ange (November 6-22), a world premiere from Gerry and Sewell creator Jamie Eastlake. It follows a no-nonsense dinner lady who unexpectedly ends up leading the resistance against the far right.
“Live Theatre and its brilliant team have played such a key role in my journey,” said Jamie, who was the founding artistic director at Laurels Theatre in Whitley Bay where Gerry and Sewell started its phenomenal two-year journey, which included a sell out run at Live Theatre and a four-night black and white takeover of Newcastle Theatre Royal.
“From starting out on their playwriting course 15 years ago (wearing an ASDA hi-vis) to now being lucky enough to call this my job. That still feels surreal. Big Ange promises chaos, unexpected political heft, dancing dinosaurs and an unhealthy amount of Neil Diamond. I’m genuinely delighted.”
Later in November, Live Theatre will host a rare tribute to one of the UK’s most distinctive writing voices.
From November 22-27, the theatre presents a mini-festival of work by debbie tucker green, with screenings, readings and talks that offer a deep dive into her formally inventive and socially urgent plays.
“The body of work that debbie tucker green has produced, in my view, has no parallel in contemporary theatre,” said artistic director Jack McNamara.
“These are masterpieces, each of them, intricately constructed and more urgent now than ever… We are really grateful that debbie has endorsed this project and allowed us to give the North East a chance to absorb her unique art up close.”
Also in the mix: rising comedy collective Metroland Comedy (October 15-18), praised by Sam Fender as “f***g brilliant!”, who’ll debut a brand new show for Live; and for families, Where Do All the Kittiwakes Go at Christmas? (December 9–21 ), a festive new play co-created with schoolchildren.
“This season is a reminder of everything theatre can be,” added Jack. “We are so grateful to have such a range of incredible people coming to our small but perfectly formed theatre. The desire out there to support new writing, to test out new ideas and to collaborate across art forms and cultures is stronger than ever.”
Tickets are on general sale now from live.org.uk