Welcome Back! to stage@leeds

Everything changes… everything stays the same...

We have a packed and diverse season of work this season but before we get to that, let’s talk a little about change. Our industry has seen a huge amount of change over the last few years. We have endured the closure of theatres due to lockdown and the pandemic, and have used technology to communicate with our audiences in new ways. As we continue to re-write what ‘theatre’ or ‘performance’ is, it occurs to me that as the header of this introduction says ‘everything changes, everything stays the same’. We tell stories; fictional stories, factual stories, stories that illuminate and challenge the human condition. At the heart of our art, is the need to articulate our human experience and emotions through performance. And this brings us to our season…

Our Youth Theatre (which is currently recruiting) have been working with 360 video recording, binaural sound and VR headsets on a virtual reality experience inspired by the work of scientist William Bragg and writer Lewis Caroll’s Alice stories. Professor George Rodosthenous has been researching how immersive technology might enhance the audience’s emotive response to the narrative. A synopsis and example of this research can be viewed on our website at www. stage.leeds.ac.uk (on the digital performance tab). In both examples storytelling, communication and narrative are central. The technology being used is really exciting but it is only the mode of transport, not our destination.

Our Theatre season starts with Sandrine Monin’s ‘Feathers’ and Gareth Armstrong’s critically acclaimed tour de force ‘Shylock’. The former uses new wearable sound and light technology to raise awareness of how we connect with our senses. The latter is a solo show that focuses on the brilliance of a single actor and would seem to be as far away from the technologies previously mentioned as it’s possible to be, but at the heart of both Sandrine Monin and Gareth Armstrong’s performances is the visceral need to make a connection, to communicate, to share.

Welcome back to stage@leeds, I hope we have a story for you.

See you at the theatre

Steve Ansell Artistic Director

stage@leeds Young Company

University of Leeds - Youth Theatre

Recruiting Now

• Open to all, no experience required and no auditions.

• Ages 9-16yrs.

• Affordable. £7 full, £4 concession per session*

• Professional tuition in a state of the art modern theatre complex.

• Acting, Writing, Directing, Poetry, Clowning, VR, Lighting & Sound

• DBS checked professional staff supported by student volunteers.

• Committed to a sustainable net zero future

*paid termly stage@leeds Young Company is our Youth Theatre, based on the University campus. The group was founded on the belief that participation in Theatre and provides key skills for life and should therefore be available to all. We provide a creative space where participants can explore their own creativity without fear or prejudice.

For more information go to the stage@leeds website: www.stage.leeds.ac.uk