Preview of next year’s shows
A vibrant spring season is on offer at Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre next year.
A vibrant spring season headlined by a new production of Jim Cartwright’s bittersweet comedy Two is on offer at Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre next year.
The shows are: Tuesday February 4: First Time – remember your first time? Nathaniel can’t forget his. The party’s over, the balloons have burst and he’s living his best queer life – or is he? HIV positive theatremaker Nathaniel Hall’s funny and frank autobiographical show about staying positive in a negative world.
Tuesday February 11 to Saturday February 15: The Ballad of Maria Marten – Maria’s murder in a red barn in 1827 became national news, and has inspired writers and filmmakers ever since.
Hal Chambers and Beth Flintoff ’s spine-tingling retelling rediscovers her story, bringing it back to vivid, urgent life.
Thursday February 13: My Feminist Boner – fierce and funny, Sarah Blanc breaks down the rules of beauty in her one-woman dance comedy show. Nominated for the Brighton Fringe Award 2017.
Friday February 21 and Saturday February 22: Game Over – told in author Mark Wheeller’s potent ‘verbatim’ style, Game Over tells the harrowing story of Breck Bednar, who was groomed via the internet and murdered by someone he met online. An Stephen Jospeh Theatre OutReach production.
Tuesday February 25 to Saturday February 29: The Talented Mr Ripley – the first show at the Stephen Joseph from its associate company the Faction, this is a revival of their critically-acclaimed stage adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s classic thriller.
Wednesday February 26: Revelations – from one of the UK’s most acclaimed storytellers, James Rowland’s Revelations combines story, comedy and song in the tale of what happens when James’ best friends ask for his sperm to start a family.
Tuesday March 3 to Saturday March 7: The Strange Tale of Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel – a hilarious and deeply moving homage to two men who changed the world of comedy forever, from Told By An Idiot and the Theatre Royal, Plymouth.
Tuesday March 10 and Wednesday March 11: The Gift – from the company that brought you Black Men Walking, Eclipse Theatre, this is an outrageous play about imperialism, cross-racial adoption, cultural appropriation and drinking tea.
Wednesday March 11 and Thursday March 12: Round the Horne – from the producers of the UK tours of The Goon Show and Hancock’s Half Hour, another radio comedy classic live on stage. Round the Horne was one of the biggest and best radio comedies of all time.
Friday March 13 and Saturday March 14: Madam Butterfly – OperaUpClose, which brought La bohème and Mary, Queen of Scots to our Round, return with one of the bestloved operas of all time.
Tuesday March 17 and Wednesday March 18: Seeds – sensitively written by Mel Pennant and shortlisted for the Alfred Fagon Award, seeds tells the story of two mothers united in sorrow, sharing the hardship of protecting their sons – one in life, and one in death.
Monday March 23: Far Gone – a profoundly moving story of a young boy’s journey from childhood innocence to boy soldier in Uganda, written and performed by John Rwothomack.
Tuesday March 24 and Wednesday March 25: The Last Quiz Night on Earth – from the Stephen Joseph second associate company Box of Tricks the new comedy from Alison Carr, set in a pub as an asteroid heads for the earth, will take place in the theatre bar.
Tuesday March 31 Saturday
18 April 18: TWO – the Landlord and Landlady have lived their lives in the pub, where all of humankind passes through and everybody – young or old, happy or sad – has a story to tell. TWO is written by Jim Cartwright, whose The Rise and Fall of Little Voice was a huge hit at the theatre two years.
A co-production with Hull Truck Theatre, directed by Mark Babych.
Tuesday April 7 to Saturday April 11: Little Red Riding Hood – a new adaption of the classic story from Saviour Pirotta, whose Granny’s Exploding Toilet enthralled family audiences at the theatre over October half-term.
Friday April 17 and Saturday April 18: The Mystery of the Raddlesham Mumps – celebrated poet and broadcaster Murray Lachlan Young stars in this thrilling family show, perfect for lovers of Harry Potter, Tim Burton, Lemony Snicket and the Brothers Grimm.
Tuesday April 21 and Wednesday April 22: Thank You For Doing Nothing – a comedy musical about climate change. Written by Josh Overton and presented by Silent Uproar, returning after their acclaimed national tour of A Super Happy Story (About Feeling Super Sad) came to the theatre earlier this year.
Friday April 24 and Saturday April 25: HERE – four seasons, four people from four corners of the world, and a teenage girl’s message in the sky. A powerful new play from Curious Monkey, HERE is about finding sanctuary in the unlikeliest of places.
Sunday April 26: The Manfreds – the Hits, Jazz and Blues Tour – the boys make a welcome return to the Round.
Thursday April 30 to Saturday May 2: The Devil and The Deep Blue Sea – a toe-tapping compilation cabaret featuring the infectious music of the 1920s from award-winning Scarborough-born composer, musician and actor Simon Slater.
Tuesday May 12 to Saturday May 16: Quality Street - in Laurie Sansom’s directorial debut for Northern Broadsides, this rare revival of JM Barrie’s play also features a commentary from the Quality Street factory workers, whose own stories of hapless romance and growing old disgracefully give the show a playful Yorkshire twist.