Theatre Preview: Re:Play 2010 Season
Article published: Monday, January 25th 2010
Throughout the third annual Re:Play Season, new local writing which has already been premiered in non-traditional venues will be revived for another showing at The Library Theatre, bringing the work to new audiences. Spotlighting the best talent from festivals including 24:7, Re:Play is designed to encourage emerging local talents. As a result, the season offers a varied assortment of work and breathes life into the lungs of Manchester and Salford’s dramatic community.
Between 26th January and 6th February, six plays will be on offer. Highlights look set to include Herons, written by Simon Stephen and set in the depths of East London. The play documents an adolescent boy’s fishing hobby as tragic events unfold around him. Herons is a challenging piece demanding sensitive direction; previous attempts in London have been met with mixed reviews. It will be interesting to see if Clive Judd, who directs in Manchester, will provide better support for the script.
No Wonder, written by Clare Urwin and directed by Guy Jones, has been described as a twist on a grown-up fairytale. The play promises to be a deliciously fanciful tale about “wardrobes, washing machines and whatever happens when men fall out of high windows”. The success of the play at the prestigious National Student Drama Festival put the reinforcing cherry on an already very persuasive cake – this could be the pick of the festival.
For theatre-goers in a more bite-sized mood, the JB Shorts nights should provide suitable entertainment. Successful shorts events hosted at local bar Joshua Brooks in 2009 will now be relocated up the road to the Library for a three day run (4th – 6th Feb). Each play lasts no more than fifteen minutes and creates an unusual program; catapulting audiences between scenes of marital conundrum to premier-league post-match analysis. This speed-dating style approach to drama may suit those who are new to the theatre and want to sample a spread of new writing talent.
The FirstStage event (1st Feb) will allow audiences to look behinds the scenes and writers, performers and devisers will use the evening as a space to experiment with new ideas that are still in the development stages. It should be an interesting first-look opportunity. Also offering a more interactive experience is the Re: Play Debate (6th Feb) which will tackle and discuss issues faced in small-scale theatres in Manchester and Salford. All together, Re:Play 2010 is offering an interesting and zealously risky program.
Rachel Jackson
Re:Play 2010 runs at The Library Theatre in St Peter’s Sq Manchester, 26th Jan – 6th Feb
Tickets cost £8.50/£8.00 concessions. Discounts available for more than one show.
Tickets are available now from the Library Theatre or on 0161 236 7110.
More: Culture, Manchester, News, Stage
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