NORTHERN STAGE AT ST STEPHEN’S
UNMISSABLE THEATRE
Made in the North of England
The GB Project fuses fragments of text gathered from diaries, letters and biographies, alongside contemporary voices, speeches and iconic footage to raise questions about history, legacy, loyalty and love. Created in collaboration with award-winning writer and director Steve Gilroy, and musician Richard Dawson.
Photo: Scott Broderick
EXTRA SHOWS FOR ONLY £5 We’d love you to spend all day with us at St Stephen’s so we invented Daysaver. Buy your first show at full price and then add more shows on the same day for only £5. Book onlin e through Northern Stage’s website or at box office.*
MEGA BARGAIN!
*Full T&Cs online. Not available on 2for1
“Imaginative and thought provoking”
perfs.
CALENDAR
THE SCOTSMAN ON HAND ME DOWN
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The GB Project How to Occupy An Oil Rig If Room Enough There Has Possibly Been an Incident One the One Hand Captain Amazing A Conversation with my Father The Bloody Great Border Ballad Project Cape Wrath When We Embraced What I Heard About the World The Man Who Thought The Moon Would Fall Out of the Sky ✓ Performance
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There are all sorts of lessons to be learned in life. How to get served at the bar. How to crash a boardroom meeting. How to avoid becoming romantically attached to an undercover police officer. That sort of thing. In this playful and provocative show about protest, you’ll learn how to do all of this and more. Funny, surprising, and not a little sad, How to Occupy an Oil Rig is for everyone who ever wanted to change anything. And that’s everyone. You get to play with plasticine too.
Aug 9–11, 13–18, 20–24 11:30 £11/£8
“The stuff of dreams”
“Terrifically engaging and questioning” THE GUARDIAN
★★★★★ WHATSONSTAGE.COM
@danielbye Aug 3–4 12:35 £11 Aug 6–11, 13–18, 20–24 12:35 £14/£11
@withWings1 Aug 3–4 14:40 £11 Aug 6–11, 13–18, 20–24 14:40 £14/£11 Aug 6 14:40
1hr 5mins
1hr 1hr 10mins
A Royal Exchange Theatre production Sometimes planes don’t land the way they’re supposed to. The people of a country have had enough of their leaders, but those leaders have to be replaced with something. A person steps out of a crowd and, for a moment, becomes more than human. A man walks into the lobby of a building and brings death with him to prove his point. Chris Thorpe’s new play tells a series of interlocking stories about the moments when life offers you a choice between heroism and compromise, and what happens after you choose. Directed by Sam Pritchard Designed by Signe Beckmann
Fringe First Winner 2011
Tales of biological clocks on snooze, lives packed in boxes and cities in bags; six women of different ages and at different stages of their lives, explore what it means to age. Growing ambitions and shrinking pensions to career changes and dementia; Fringe First winners The Paper Birds present their visually stunning 10 year anniversary show interrogating the inevitable journey that our minds and bodies undertake from birth to death.
“Terrifically sharp, vibrant and poignant” THE INDEPENDENT @thepaperbirds Aug 3–4 18:35 £11
“My dad is a superhero. No one else knows ’cos it has to stay a secret. Him and Mum don’t live in the same house anymore. He lives next door. I can go round whenever I want.” A funny and poignant show charting the journey of a husband and dad whose life begins to unravel. Simon Stephens, playwright, says of Alistair McDowall: “The most exiting playwright to emerge out of English theatre in the past five years. He makes me want to try harder. He makes me want to write better.”
“Weinman’s performance is exemplary” BRITISH THEATRE GUIDE
Aug 5, 7–12, 14–19, 21–24 18:35 £14/£11 Aug 5 18:35
@LiveTheatre #captainamazing Aug 3–4 20:05 £8 Aug 5, 7–12 20:05 £11/£8
(Chris Thorpe, writer) @rxtheatre
Aug 6 12:35
Aug 3–4 16:40 £11
Aug 5 20:05
1hr 15mins 1hr
Aug 6–11, 13–18, 20–24 16:40 £14/£11
This is a story about them. This is a story about us. This is a story about my dad – a retired policeman – and me, a protestor. It’s about fear, bravery, what it feels like to be kettled, Super Ted, the Lone Ranger, policing the people in front of you, and being sent out of class. It’s about working out what matters, and standing up to protect it. It’s about me, and my dad. Mostly, an earnest one-person show that also includes the odd joke or two (because all serious things are worth laughing at).
“Simple, effective and unexpectedly very moving” ANDREW HAYDEN
@hannahnicklin Aug 14 20:05 £8 Aug 15–19, 21–24 20:05 £11/£8
1hr 5mins
Northern Stage
Part protest, part prophecy, part poetry, part party. Writers, performers, balladeers and special guests from North and South of the border create an epic new ballad written with and for the audience, every night of the Fringe. Alongside a series of newly commissioned ballads from Kieran Hurley, Chris Thorpe, Cora Bissett, Alex Kelly and Daniel Bye, a glittering array of guest artists will join our resident balladeers and the audience to source, form, hone and perform a mighty new balled for our times. We’ll try to be greater than the sum of our parts. For details of performers’ schedules check online. #borderballad Aug 3–4 22:00 £11 Aug 5, 7–12, 14–19, 21–24 22:00 £14/£11
1hr 15mins
1hr
✓ Friends of the Fringe
Hannah Nicklin
THE BLOODY GREAT BORDER BALLAD PROJECT
5 Aug 22:00
6 Aug 16:40
✓
For concession eligibility visit the website.
withWings are collectively effervescent, and individually ambitious and talented. The company was founded in 2009, and has quickly built a reputation for inventive and quirky physical theatre.
Produced by ARC Stockton.
@katecraddock Aug 8 11:30 £8
A look at such stuff dreams are made on with infectious live music and an unpredictable beach hut. If Room Enough is a dynamic and playful retelling of The Tempest, which questions the idea of freedom and sees the magic in the everyday.
Written by Alistair McDowall, produced by Live Theatre
A CONVERSATION WITH MY FATHER
NEWCASTLE
Happy Festival!
Daniel Bye
ON THE ONE HAND CAPTAIN AMAZING The Paper Birds
STOCKTON / BRADFORD
An epic tale told on an intimate scale, inspired by maverick British adventurer Gertrude Bell. A witty and rousing look at the impact of Western women on the shaping of the modern day Middle East.
withWings
THERE HAS POSSIBLY BEEN AN INCIDENT
MIDDLESBROUGH
Please let us know what you think – catch us in the bar in St Stephen’s, via our website or tweet us @northernstage
IF ROOM ENOUGH
LEEDS
Kate Craddock in association with Northern Stage
HOW TO OCCUPY AN OIL RIG
MANCHESTER
THE GB PROJECT
GIGGLESWICK
We are very proud of the collection of artists we’ve assembled, our collaborations with other venues and the inventive work on offer. It’s all been created in the North of England but asks big questions about the world we all live in.
August
MIDDLESBROUGH
NEWCASTLE
Northern Stage at St Stephen’s is back. We are chuffed to bits to present this second programme of witty, adventurous, forward thinking theatre at the Edinburgh Fringe.
Tickets 0131 558 3047
Tickets www.northernstage.co.uk
Tickets 0131 558 3047
Tickets www.northernstage.co.uk
mIddlEsbRough
nEWcAsTlE
ThE gb PRojEcT
Kate Craddock in association with Northern Stage An epic tale told on an intimate scale, inspired by maverick British adventurer Gertrude Bell. A witty and rousing look at the impact of Western women on the shaping of the modern day Middle East. The GB Project fuses fragments of text gathered from diaries, letters and biographies, alongside contemporary voices, speeches and iconic footage to raise questions about history, legacy, loyalty and love. Created in collaboration with award-winning writer and director Steve Gilroy, and musician richard Dawson.
“Imaginative and thought provoking” THE SCOTSMAN ON HAND ME DOWN
hoW To occuPy An oIl RIg Daniel Bye
There are all sorts of lessons to be learned in life. How to get served at the bar. How to crash a boardroom meeting. How to avoid becoming romantically attached to an undercover police officer. That sort of thing. In this playful and provocative show about protest, you’ll learn how to do all of this and more. Funny, surprising, and not a little sad, How to Occupy an Oil Rig is for everyone who ever wanted to change anything. And that’s everyone. you get to play with plasticine too. Produced by ArC Stockton.
“Terrifically engaging and questioning” THE GuArDIAN @danielbye
@katecraddock Aug 8 11:30 £8 Aug 9–11, 13–18, 20–24 11:30 £11/£8
Aug 3–4 12:35 £11 Aug 6–11, 13–18, 20–24 12:35 £14/£11 Aug 6 12:35
1hr 1hr 10mins
Tickets 0131 558 3047
withWings
A look at such stuff dreams are made on with infectious live music and an unpredictable beach hut. If Room Enough is a dynamic and playful retelling of The Tempest, which questions the idea of freedom and sees the magic in the everyday. withWings are collectively effervescent, and individually ambitious and talented. The company was founded in 2009, and has quickly built a reputation for inventive and quirky physical theatre.
“The stuff of dreams”
HHHHH WHATSONSTAGE.COM @withWings1 Aug 3–4 14:40 £11 Aug 6–11, 13–18, 20–24 14:40 £14/£11 Aug 6 14:40
MANCHESTER
GIGGLESWICK
If Room Enough
There Has Possibly Been an Incident
A Royal Exchange Theatre production Sometimes planes don’t land the way they’re supposed to. The people of a country have had enough of their leaders, but those leaders have to be replaced with something. A person steps out of a crowd and, for a moment, becomes more than human. A man walks into the lobby of a building and brings death with him to prove his point. Chris Thorpe’s new play tells a series of interlocking stories about the moments when life offers you a choice between heroism and compromise, and what happens after you choose. Directed by Sam Pritchard Designed by Signe Beckmann
Fringe First Winner 2011 (Chris Thorpe, writer) @rxtheatre
1hr 5mins
Aug 3–4 16:40 £11 Aug 6–11, 13–18, 20–24 16:40 £14/£11 6 Aug 16:40 1hr
Tickets www.northernstage.co.uk
Middlesbrough
LEEDS
On the One Hand Captain Amazing The Paper Birds
Tales of biological clocks on snooze, lives packed in boxes and cities in bags; six women of different ages and at different stages of their lives, explore what it means to age. Growing ambitions and shrinking pensions to career changes and dementia; Fringe First winners The Paper Birds present their visually stunning 10 year anniversary show interrogating the inevitable journey that our minds and bodies undertake from birth to death.
“Terrifically sharp, vibrant and poignant” The Independent @thepaperbirds Aug 3–4 18:35 £11
Written by Alistair McDowall, produced by Live Theatre “My dad is a superhero. No one else knows ’cos it has to stay a secret. Him and Mum don’t live in the same house anymore. He lives next door. I can go round whenever I want.” A funny and poignant show charting the journey of a husband and dad whose life begins to unravel. Simon Stephens, playwright, says of Alistair McDowall: “The most exiting playwright to emerge out of English theatre in the past five years. He makes me want to try harder. He makes me want to write better.”
“Weinman’s performance is exemplary” British Theatre Guide
Aug 5, 7–12, 14–19, 21–24 18:35 £14/£11 Aug 5 18:35
@LiveTheatre #captainamazing Aug 3–4 20:05 £8 Aug 5, 7–12 20:05 £11/£8 Aug 5 20:05
1hr 15mins 1hr
Tickets 0131 558 3047
Hannah Nicklin
This is a story about them. This is a story about us. This is a story about my dad – a retired policeman – and me, a protestor. It’s about fear, bravery, what it feels like to be kettled, Super Ted, the Lone Ranger, policing the people in front of you, and being sent out of class. It’s about working out what matters, and standing up to protect it. It’s about me, and my dad. Mostly, an earnest one-person show that also includes the odd joke or two (because all serious things are worth laughing at).
“Simple, effective and unexpectedly very moving” Andrew Hayden
@hannahnicklin Aug 14 20:05 £8 Aug 15–19, 21–24 20:05 £11/£8
1hr 5mins
NEWCASTLE
STOCKTON / BRADFORD
A Conversation With My Father
The Bloody Great Border Ballad Project Northern Stage
Part protest, part prophecy, part poetry, part party. Writers, performers, balladeers and special guests from North and South of the border create an epic new ballad written with and for the audience, every night of the Fringe. Alongside a series of newly commissioned ballads from Kieran Hurley, Chris Thorpe, Cora Bissett, Alex Kelly and Daniel Bye, a glittering array of guest artists will join our resident balladeers and the audience to source, form, hone and perform a mighty new balled for our times. We’ll try to be greater than the sum of our parts. For details of performers’ schedules check online. #borderballad Aug 3–4 22:00 £11 Aug 5, 7–12, 14–19, 21–24 22:00 £14/£11 5 Aug 22:00
1hr 15mins
Tickets www.northernstage.co.uk
SheFfield
STOCKTON
When We EmbraceD
FallenFromGrace in association with ARC Stockton Tom Walton’s playful, charming show is about two people. Actually, it’s about you. In fact it’s about everyone, but really it’s about two people, one of which may be you. It’s about all that stuff that doesn’t fit into our neatly constructed categories. That thing where there isn’t a word for it, where you’re lost for words. But that’s OK. This is a show about experiencing the best and worst bits in equal measure. It’s a show about embracing things you’ve not embraced before, or at least haven’t admitted to out loud. Maybe now is the time.
Cape Wrath Third Angel
An epic journey in a stationary minibus. “After he retired, my granddad went on a trip from the Midlands up to Cape Wrath, the most north-westerly point of his native Scotland. He sat, looked at the sea, and thought about his life. Then he got up and went home. Over 20 years later, I got on a coach and followed in his footsteps. This is what I learned.” Join 14 other passengers for a story of family, of fellow travellers, of whisky and chocolate, of the longest bus journey in Britain. Heartfelt, moving and compellingly intimate.
“consistently innovative” The TIMES on THIRD ANGEL
@AlexanderKelly #capewrath
@4llenfromgrace Aug 3–4 11:30 £8 Aug 6–7 11:30 £11/£8
Aug 9 14:00 and 15:30 £8 Aug 10–11, 13–18, 20–24 14:00 and 15:30 £11/£8
Aug 6 11:30 1hr 1hr
Tickets 0131 558 3047
ALL OVER
Newcastle
The Man Who Thought The Moon Would Fall Out of the Sky
Make. DO. AND MEND.
For one night only, a riotous evening filled with laughter, live music and a magical story that may or may not be true. This real-life fairytale is inspired by a story hidden in a 19th century scrapbook deep in the depths of a North East museum archive. NORTH unearth a curious tale of a man’s life. A man who was fascinated by the moon. And with she. After the show, join us for a right old knees up as NORTH play and sing the night away.
With the help of some inspirational and provocative contributors, we will spend the day imagining and implementing real solutions to problems you suggest. Our attempt to change theatre (and perhaps the world) for the better – in one day.
NORTH in association with Northern Stage
“clever and funny… timeless” British Theatre Guide @north_ns
Northern Stage and Forest Fringe You are invited to a day of action. A gathering of the many kinds of people that make up the Fringe’s remarkable community, not to talk, but to act.
Beginning at St Stephen’s and concluding at Forest Fringe, with a collective jaunt between venues – including a new work created by Third Angel especially for the event.
#makedomend Aug 19 10:30 – 16:30 FREE (limited places, booking essential)
Aug 20 21:00 £14/£11
2hrs
Tickets www.northernstage.co.uk
NEWCASTLE
SHEFFIELD
Want to be a What I Heard About the World Playwright? Third Angel and mala voadora Live Theatre Theatre for breakfast! Free pastries! A theatre piece with two songs. One original. One karaoke. Returning to St Stephen’s as part of the British Council Edinburgh Showcase.
“Gorgeous… makes you think about the world, makes you laugh about the world, makes you glad to be part of the world in all its madness” TotalTheatre.org #whatiheardabouttheworld
An introduction to beaplaywright.com, Live Theatre’s unique online playwriting course, which offers a straightforward guide to the craft of playwriting through tried and tested writing exercises plus advice and exclusive videos from award-winning writers. @Be_A_Playwright 12 Aug 16:00 £3 1hour
Aug 20–24 09:30 £12/£8
1hr 10mins
Thank you Special and enormous thanks go to our Edinburgh Patrons who have sponsored the 20 volunteers that keep St Stephen’s going. Working as part of our Front of House or Technical team our volunteers give their all to making this venture a success and the generous support of the sponsors covers their travel, accommodation and daily allowance.
Tickets 0131 558 3047
St Stephen’s Café Bar The legendary Stockbridge Pub, St Vincent’s, will once again be running the café bar downstairs in St Stephen’s. Drinks, snacks, sandwiches, salads, vintage crockery, homemade cakes, great conversation and general cheer. Alfresco dining if the weather’s kind. Open 11:00 – 23:00
“ Best Cafe of the Fringe” Lyn Gardner, The Guardian
Official Late Night Bar
After 11pm head over the road to the St Vincent Bar for late night merriment.
A.C. Entertainment Technologies Northern Stage is delighted to be working in partnership with production equipment supplier A.C. Entertainment Technologies again this year (www.ac-et.com). Their generous sponsorship is crucial to the success of Northern Stage at St Stephen’s and means you get to see the shows and the venue looking at their very best.
Tickets www.northernstage.co.uk
St Stephen’s
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Venue number 73 Northern Stage at St Stephen’s St Stephen Street Edinburgh EH3 5AB Tickets
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Printed using vegetable-based inks on FSC® certified paper from responsible sources.
Charity number 700055
St Stephen’s is a 19th century Georgian building and regrettably the box office, bar and performance spaces are not accessible to wheelchair users. Please contact the box office if you have specific access requirements.
Design: SamCharringtonDesign.com Badge illustration: Hitandrun Media
0131 558 3047 www.northernstage.co.uk