[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The new spring season 2018 been released for the New Vic Theatre in Newcastle under Lyme, headlined by a duo pf plays focussing on empowerment, plus a colourful spring celebration of evertthing circus.
centenary of women’s suffrage.
The New Vic Theatre will stage work focused around empowerment in spring 2018, as it produces a season of plays to mark the anniversary of the centenary of women’s suffrage.
April De Angelis’ Playhouse Creatures (Fri 2 – Sat 24 February) is the first play in the season. Directed by Zoë Waterman (Remarkable Invisible, Theatre by The Lake, Keswick; The Rubenstein Kiss, Nottingham Playhouse) this vivacious drama takes audiences backstage in a Restoration playhouse when women were celebrating being permitted to act on stage for the first time.
New Vic Artistic Director Theresa Heskins will adapt and direct Elizabeth Robins’ suffragist Votes For Women at the theatre-in-the-round from Tuesday 6 – Saturday 24 March, coinciding with International Women’s Day. A gripping drama about the suffragist campaign for the vote, Elizabeth Robins’ play first opened on stage in 1907, 11 years before women first gained the right to vote, and the play itself is a deft exploration of how the political world intersects with the personal.
The New Vic then teams up with The Dukes Theatre, Lancaster for the first time to stage the classic comedy about self-discovery, Educating Rita (Wed 18 April – Sat 5 May), directed by Sarah Punshon.
ROLL UP, ROLL UP – THE CIRCUS IS IN TOWN
The spring season will also see the New Vic join forces with internationally-renowned NoFit State Circus as part of their previously announced programme, Circus Past, Present and Future, which begins in earnest in April 2018 as part of the national Circus250 anniversary celebrations.
The programme of events will include NoFit State’s brand new production, LEXICON (Wed 28 March – Sat 21 April), which will have its world-premiere in Newcastle-under-Lyme and CIRCUS!, an exhibition held in the town centre in association with The Victoria and Albert Museum that will showcase the V&A’s archive collection of circus material.
OTHER SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
The New Vic completes its season with the return of touring theatre companies, The John Godber Company with their world premiere of The Scary Bikers (Tue 27 – Sat 31 March), and The acclaimed Northern Broadsides with their brand new adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic Hard Times (Wed 4 – Sat 14 April).
The rest of the spring season is largely made up of a mix of stand up comedy and music one nighters. You can check out the full spring 2018 season, as well as snap up those first night offers by visiting the New Vic Theatre website.
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HISTORY
The New Vic Theatre origins go back to the late Stephen Joseph, director, actor, designer, lecturer and writer who in the late 1950’s, founded a small theatre Company to explore a new layout for performance: theatre-in-the-round.
The company’s first base was Scarborough from which it toured to towns without their own theatres. Newcastle-under-Lyme was visited regularly and eventually a permanent North Staffordshire home was planned. On 9 October 1962, a converted Staffordshire cinema opened its doors as a theatre.
By 1983, having built a highly respected reputation and audience, the then director, Peter Cheeseman, launched an appeal to raise funds for a new theatre. With local donations totalling over £1 million, the New Vic opened in August 1986. After twenty-five years work dedicated to the people of North Staffordshire, Cheeseman’s passion and determination finally achieved the realisation of Stephen Joseph’s vision: the first purpose-built theatre-in-the-round in Europe.
Today, under the artistic direction of Theresa Heskins, the New Vic Theatre continues to enjoy massive success, building on its enviable reputation as a leader in producing and making theatre, not only in the UK, but across the world. Locally the New Vic theatre delivers a £12.5 million impact on the Staffordshire economy, with around 150,000 annual visits to the building and an 11% growth in audiences over the last five years.
Find out more about the history of the New Vic Theatre
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INFORMATION
The New Vic Theatre is unique to Staffordshire for a few reasons. Firstly its the official regional producing theatre for Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire creating around eight productions per year. Secondly as a theatre-in-the-round, it brings with it a less traditional setting in which to enjoy world class theatre production.
The New Vic is also big on community and the contribution it makes. It also is well regarded for its sterling collaborative work with writers, directors and other producing theatres.
It is funded by the Arts Council England, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, Staffordshire County Council and Stoke-on-Trent City Council.
BOX OFFICE: 01782 717962
ADDRESS Etruria Road, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, ST5 0JG
WEBSITE www.newvictheatre.org.uk
FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/New-Vic-Theatre
TWITTER @NewVicTheatre
E tickets@newvictheatre.org.uk[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1458956769933{padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]Note that the links above will take you out of this website to third party websites and social media accounts.
If any of them are out of date or any information provided amended please let us know.
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