stage@leedsTheatre | D

ance | Installation

Spring 2015

Welcome to stage@leedsIt seems as if the seasons change increasingly quickly and so it is that I find myself introducing another diverse and exciting selection of work at stage@leeds. If I had to summerise this season with a single word that word would be ‘choice’. The work taking place in stage@leeds over the next six months is the most diverse we have ever programmed. We kick off the season with ‘Birdy’ by Osborne and What which combines circus skills and contemporary theatre. This is quickly followed by new writing, award winning installation from David Shearing

& Co and the critically acclaimed stage@leeds company performing the haunting ‘Dark of the Moon’. Diversity and choice continue to dominate our season with two festivals, internationally acclaimed traditional Indian dance, immersive performance, contemporary theatre and some innovative work created by Leeds students including YEP (Young Entrepreneurs Programme) participants SenseFit Theatre who will be premiering Jack Harrison’s brand new play ‘Spite’.

All the best

Steve AnsellArtistic Director and Theatre Manager stage@leedsvenues

Stop! WRITE A PLAY it only takes a minute...

Gi60 (Gone in 60 Seconds)The world’s only international one minute theatre festival We are now accepting submissions for Gi60 2015. 150 one minute plays will be selected and performed live (50 in the UK, 50 in the USA and for the first time 50 in New Zealand). If you would like to be part of the biggest little theatre festival in the world visit www.Gi60.Blogspot.co.uk for full details of how to apply.

Deadline for submissions: midnight April 1st 2015

Gi60 UK Live: stage@leeds , Leeds, May 2015Gi60 New Zealand Live: Hegley Theatre, Christchurch, May 2015Gi60 USA Live: Brooklyn College, New York, June 2015

Follow the Gi60 channel on YouTube

Tue 27 Jan7.30pm

Stage One£12.00 (£9.00)

Osborne & What

Birdy

Birdy is a moving story of friendship and family, dreams and survival, exploring the effects of war, notions of sanity and one

man’s obsession with birds.

Physicality, dynamic circus skills, powerful live music and song are used to convey a sense of otherworldliness in this highly visual

experience inspired by William Wharton’s novel Birdy.

“An ambitious production that managed to seep into the cracks between theatre and circus performance....”

Martin Schnabl, Musician and Theatre Maker

Thur 29 - Fri 30 Jan7.30pm

Stage One£8.50 (£6.50)

A solitary hotel, surrounded by Chaos, welcomes its first guests in a very, very

long time. As the long-serving staff shake off the rust and jump into action, it

soon becomes apparent that they have forgotten how to do their jobs. With their

attentions diverted, it doesn’t take long for Chaos to creep in through the cracks.

Fast-paced dialogue, vivid settings and insidious plots are combined in this debut

production from Leeds based SenseFit Theatre.

“Stunning design and Praise for Harrison’s Damned

“Awe-inspiring” ***** Broadway Baby

“A superlative piece of theatre” ***** edfringereview.com

SenseFit Theatre

Spiteby Jack Harrison

stage@leedsassociate artists

Thursday 5th February 6.00, 7.30, 9.00pm Friday 6th February 4.30, 6.00, 7.30, 9.00pm Saturday 7th February 1.30, 3.00, 4.30, 6.00, 7.30pm

Stage One£10.00 (£7.50)

David Shearing & Company

The Weather Machine

A tiny light in the fog, a hidden message on the wind.

THE WEATHER MACHINE is an immersive, multimedia performance installation. The piece places the audience at the heart of a grassy landscape, where

sound, image and text converge. Inspired by the day’s weather conditions, the installation explores how the rain, the clouds and the heat of the sun work to

connect us to each other and ultimately shape our lives.

David Shearing’s THE WEATHER MACHINE is supported by a Sky Academy Arts Scholarship in association with IdeasTap. THE WEATHER MACHINE is

commissioned by, and developed at, the West Yorkshire Playhouse in partnership with stage@leeds.

Scenographic City Saturday 7th February 2015

10:30am – 1.15pm (including buffet lunch)FREE

Scenographic City is a discussion about performance and imagination, place and possibility, space and place that invites its audiences to re-imagine familiar

places using visual spectacle and/or technology. It will feature a panel of Leeds-based artists: Alan Lane (Artistic Director Slung Low), David Shearing and

Invisible Flock.This free event is open to all, but please register your place as spaces are limited.

Scenographic City is organised by Ludus Festival Leeds: http://ludusfestival.org/

stage@leedsProfessionalArtistDevelopment

A witch boy from the mountain cameA’pinin to be human

For he had seen the fairest gal A girl called Barbara Allen

stage@leedscompany

Dark of The Moon

By Howard Richardson and William Berney

The critically acclaimed stage@leedscompany return to Stage One with a brand new production of Howard Richardson’s mystical folk ballad based on the tale of “Barbara Allen.”

Set in a small isolated community in the Smoky Mountains where religion and superstition intertwine, folk music, dance and dark humour are combined to tell the tale of witch boy John and his love for the beautiful Barbara Allen.

Thur 12 - Sat 14 Feb7.30pm

Stage One£10.00 (£7.50)

Tue 17 - Thur 19 Feb7.00pm

Banham Theatre£8.50 (£6.50)

LUU Theatre Group

Blue Remembered

Hillsby Dennis Potter

Dennis Potter’s powerful play follows the action of seven children in the countryside on a long summer’s afternoon in

1943. Escaping the domestic struggles of wartime Britain they spend their time playing and fantasising about their fathers far

away in the war. With no adults around, the group create their own social

order, constantly shifting allegiances and fighting for power. Innocence, enthusiasm, cruelty and bullying are exposed in a

play that still has the power to shock over thirty five years after it was written.

Thur 19 - Fri 20 Feb7.30pm

Stage One£8.50 (£6.50)

LUU Open Theatre

Metamorphosisby Franz Kafka adapted by Steven Berkoff

LUU Open Theatre

present Steven Berkoff’s

adaptation of Franz Kafka’s

classic text. With original

physical theatre, a

gritty council estate setting, a powerful all

female cast bring the play

to life.

With a combination

of humour and heartbreak, we

see how one family’s life is quite literally

turned upside down.

Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning only to find he has been transformed

into a giant grotesque beetle.

Thur 05 - Sat 07 March7.30pm

Stage One£8.50 (£6.50)

Jonathan Larson’s powerful and inspiring Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning rock musical tells

the story of a group of young artists living in New York City’s

East Village caught up in the struggles of AIDS, drug addiction and simply making a living whilst trying to stay true to their ideals

and their hearts.

by arrangement with Josef Weinburger Ltd.

Leeds Amateur Medics Musical Society

RENT by Jonathan Larson

Little Leeds Fringe

Mon 23 - Sat 28 March

Thur 12 - Sat 14 March7.30pm

Alec Clegg Studio£8.50 (£6.50)

LUU Open Theatre

Abigail’s Partyby Mike Leigh

Open Theatre present Mike Leigh’s ‘Abigail’s Party’ A hysterical and satirical

comedy which is guaranteed to entertain as well as shock. This ‘cocktail party from hell’

mocks the pretensions and pomposity of England’s aspiring suburban classes during

the 1970’s.

Anyone for Demis Roussos?

Tue 10 March7.30pm

Alec Clegg Studio£12.00 (£9.00)

‘A tour de force of writing, acting and directing...’ *****(Three Weeks)

‘Nails the breathless mood of being fourteen…like Carrie re-written by Morrissey’

(Fest)

Chicken Pox Fox

Donna Discoby Lee Mattinson

Donna is fourteen, clumsy and fat. She’s bland, bespectacled and, if she’d ever heard of The Beautiful South, she’d adore them.

She also has a new school project, to source a stranger’s story and present her findings at the annual Christmas Pageant. Donna takes it upon herself to

befriend the colourful cross-dressing butcher from downstairs.

When her mother goes AWOL and an innocent crush on a local pretty boy goes hideously wrong, Donna’s world begins to disband and the disco that plays in her heart is in danger of grinding to a glittering, gobsmacking halt.

LUU Open Theatre

Bonesby Peter Staughan

In a run down porn cinema in 1960s Gateshead, two

Jewish brothers are at war with each

other. Their business is on the verge of

bankruptcy and they owe a shedload of

money to a local gangster. But all their

problems seem to be over when one of

them kidnaps Reggie Kray...

Tue 21 - Thur 23 April7.00pm

Banham Theatre£8.50 (£6.50)

PCI Production

M/Lights

A group of children are playing a game, chanting about a murder.

A woman sets the table for dinner, waiting for her daughter to come home from school.

Someone is whistling a Norwegian tune. Any light is just a light.

Are you now afraid?

A collision of Gertrude Stein’s ‘Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights’ and Fritz Lang’s first talking movie ‘M’,

inspired by the Wooster Group’s ‘House/Lights’, this production explores the dark edge of human

psychology. Our clash of text, physical performance, sound and film will keep you on the edge of your seats

– the knife edge!

Thur 19 - Sat 21 March 7.30pm

Stage One£9.00 (£7.00)

Tue 28 - Thur 30 April 7.00pm

Banham Theatre£8.50 (£6.50)

The apocalypse is scheduled for 12 o’clock this Tuesday. A fireball is due to engulf and incinerate

the entire Earth in barely a moment. All life extinguished instantly.

One question remains... What would you do when the clock strikes?

This surreal play explores how we react to uncertainty in the face of optimism and questions

the validity in our certain assumption of pessimism.

LUU Theatre Group

After The Endby Joseph Walfisz and James Grimshaw

The apocalypse is scheduled for 12 o’clock

Wed 22 - Sat 25 April7.30pm

Alec Clegg Studio£8.50 (£6.50)

During the chaos of the London riots two brothers were separated.

Questions fill Malachi’s head as he attempts to unravel his brother

Elijah’s disappearance.

Does anyone know what really happened to Elijah?

You don’t think something bad’s happened?

You don’t think he’s hurt?

LUU Theatre Group

We Lost Elijahby Ryan Craig

Thur 07 May7.30pm

Stage One£7.50 (£5.00)

Screaming Media

Gi60(Gone in 60 Seconds)

50 Plays in 50 Minutes The world’s only one minute theatre festival

Gi60 UK Live Edition comes to Leeds. Now in its eleventh international year, Gi60 is the worlds ‘biggest little theatre festival’. One hundred and fifty new plays will

be performed (fifty at each venue) in Leeds, New York and Christchurch, each play lasting no longer than one minute. Performed by a cast of actors in training and

experienced professional’s Gi60 is truly a unique theatrical event.

Wed 29 April - Sat 02 May See website for performance times

Stage One£9.00 (£7.00)

PCI Production

The Dreaming

Join us for an extraordinary immersive experience as we take you on a journey

that you won’t forget!

Drawing on Ibsen’s Peer Gynt as a key source, this environmental performance asks us to reconsider our individual place in the world.

The Dreaming is devised and designed by a company of final year undergraduates in the School of Performance and Cultural Industries and

provides a contemporary theatrical experience that is not to be missed!

“To live is to war with trolls in heart and soul”

Devika Rao

YAA DEVI

YAA DEVI, is a fascinating dance spectacle, combining five styles of traditional dance; kathak, Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Kuchipudi, Yakshagana. YAA DEVI tells

the stories of four mythical and iconic female figures; Yemanja (the sea goddess from Brazil), Kumari (the living goddess from Nepal), Diana (the Roman Forest

goddess) and Durga (the warrior goddess from India)Fresh from a highly acclaimed tour of India and performed by international

artists from the UK, Brazil, Sweden and India YAA DEVI is not to be missed.

Fri 22 May 7.30pm

Stage One£12.00 (£9.00)

Lila Dance

The Deluge

Sat 09 May 7.30pm

Stage One£12.00 (£9.00)

Four people arrive in the safehouse. With only the clothes on their back, they find themselves asking what had been lost, and what was there left to lose? But

in those darkest hours they start to understand how these strangers, and the contents of a mysterious unclaimed bag, might offer them all the hope they need

as the sea returns.

In this intimate and immersive dance experience 4 lives are given an emotional counterpoint by a supporting community cast, an evocative soundtrack, fearless

physicality, and new writing.

First there was a loud crack in the city, and then a shudder out to sea.

stage@leedscompany“Outstanding… as if a dream came true ” Wan Fang Author of Poison (Poison, Northern Stage 2014)

Working with classic and contemporary texts from around the world, stage@leedscompany creates dynamic, emotive ensemble performance.

Membership is open to all University of Leeds students and no previous performance experience is necessary.

If you are interested in joining contact:Steve Ansell s.ansell@leeds.ac.uk.

INTERNATIONAL CONCERT SERIESThe University Concert Series presents a diverse range of repertoire and performers with free Friday lunchtime recitals and a variety of evening performances. 8 February 2015Andrew Tyson 21 February 2015WinterreisePhilip Smith (baritone) James Cheung (piano) 25 February - 1 March 2015Early Music Festivalincluding Jake Arditti, Jacob Heringman, Emma Kirkby and Fantasticus

13 March 2015John Etheridge and Kit HolmesAn evening of blues, folk, jazz and African grooves

15 March 2015School of Music Chamber Orchestraconducted by Edward Venn 8 May 2015FaçadeAuricle Ensemble

For full details of our programme visit:concerts.leeds.ac.ukCall Box Office: 0113 3432584

stage@leedsvenuesKEY

A = Alec Clegg Studio (located in the stage@leeds building)B = Banham Theatre (located at the main entrance to the Michael Sadler building)C = Clothworkers’ Centenary Concert HallG = Great HallP = Parkinson Court (Stanley & Aubrey Burton Gallery)S = Stage One (located in the stage@leeds building)W = Workshop Theatre

stage@leeds

Woodhouse Lane

C

UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS

G

P

AS

B

W

The PAD (Professional Artist Development) programme provides professional theatre and dance makers with a rehearsal space, technical support, mentoring and management advice within a relaxed and creative environment. The programme runs during the summer and Easter breaks. Interested artists and companies should contact Steve Ansell (s.ansell@leeds.ac.uk)

stage@leedsProfessionalArtistDevelopment

YEP (Young Entrepreneurs’ Programme) provides professional support and mentoring to students interested in a career as theatre makers together with the opportunity to produce work for performance at stage@leeds. YEP companies and company members have gone on to win critical acclaim and awards at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the National Student Drama Festival. If you would like to be considered for the YEP programme or would like more information please contact Steve Ansell (s.ansell@leeds.ac.uk)

stage@leedsYoungEntrepreneursProgramme

creative opportunities

booking stage@leedsPutting on your work at

stage@leedsstage@leeds programmes two seasons of work each year, Sept - Dec and Jan - June. We programme at least three months in advance and all the work is curated by the Artistic Director and the theatre’s creative team. We are always looking for exciting and dynamic new work so let us know via email about what you are up to. Please include links to any reviews, images, videos of your work for evaluation. Steve Ansell s.ansell@leeds.ac.uk

Hiring our spaces stage@leeds can be hired for conferences and events. Availability is limited and will usually be during the Summer or Easter breaks. If you would like further information about hiring one of our spaces please contact Events Administrator Alice Clarke (a.j.clarke@leeds.ac.uk)

Date Production Time Price VenueJanuary27 Birdy (Osborne & What) 7.30pm £12.00 (£9.00) S29 - 30 Spite (SenseFit Theatre) 7.30pm £8.50 (£6.50) S

February05 - 07 The Weather Machine (David Shearing ) Various £10.00 (£7.50) S12 - 14 Dark of the Moon (stage@leedscompany) 7.30pm £10.00 (£7.50) S17 - 19 Blue Remembered Hills (Theatre Group) 7.00pm £8.50 (£6.50) B19 - 20 Metamorphosis (Open Theatre) 7.30pm £8.50 (£6.50) S23 - 28 Little Leeds Fringe Festival Various £Various V

March05 - 07 RENT (Leeds Medics) 7.30pm £8.50 (£6.50) S10 Donna Disco (Chicken Pox Fox) 7.30pm £12.00 (£9.00) A12 - 14 Abigail’s Party (Open Theatre) 7.30pm £8.50 (£6.50) A19 - 21 M/Lights (PCI Production) 7.30pm £9.00 (£7.00) S April21 - 23 Bones (Open Theatre) 7.00pm £8.50 (£6.50) B22 - 25 We Lost Elijah (Theatre Group) 7.30pm £8.50 (£6.50) A28 - 30 After The End (Theatre Group) 7.00pm £8.50 (£6.50) B29 - 30 The Dreaming (PCI Production) Various £9.00 (£7.00) S

May01 - 02 The Dreaming (PCI Production) Various £9.00 (£7.00) S07 Gone in 60 Seconds (Screaming Media) 7.30pm £7.50 (£5.00) S09 The Deluge (Lila Dance) 7.30pm £12.00 (£9.00) S22 YAA DEVI (Devika Rao) 7.30pm £12.00 (£9.00) S

Venue Key: A Alec Clegg Studio B Banham Theatre S Stage One W Workshop Theatre V Various venues

stage@leedsUniversity of LeedsLS2 9JT

Box Office: 0113 343 8730 Online: www.stage.leeds.ac.uk