Event type: Theatre

“A darkly romantic tale that sings of the madness of youth, the ache of love, and the near-impossibility of grasping death”

This new production, from the Company that brought you Noughts & Crosses, is a magical retelling of the Orpheus myth, full of music, sound and storytelling.

Claire and her best friend, Ella Grey, are ordinary kids from ordinary families in an ordinary world. They and their friends fall in and out of love, play music and dance, stare at the stars, yearn for excitement, and have parties on the beautiful beaches of Northumberland.

One day a stranger, a musician called Orpheus, appears on the beach, and entrances them all but particularly Ella. Where has Orpheus come from and what path will Ella follow? A tale of modern teenagers and ancient forces, a tale told since the dawn of time and told again today.

The so-called ‘facts’ of their stories; stories steeped in racism, patriarchy, and violence. But the facts are untrue, these stories just won’t do.

These five characters have had enough. They’re breaking the paper ceiling of Shakespeare’s Complete Works to tell their own stories and repurpose old tales for the next generation.

Watch them blow the dust off the classics, tear out the pages, and stage a multi-art form political occupation of Shakespeare with punchy verses, punky attitudes, and whole lotta wit.

“We stand here now, to speak but for ourselves. Our lives will not be stories on your shelves.”

Presented by 20 Stories High and Unity Theatre. Performances are 7:30pm, 1:30pm
Friday’s performance will be a matinée beginning at 1:30pm

Directed by Ameera Conrad. Written by Ameera Conrad and Shakespeare, with contributions from Leonisha Barley.

Join The Scottish Detective, David Swindle, for a chilling, thrilling, night at the theatre.

True crime fans, and those with a curious mind, can explore the cases, the circumstances and the detective’s perspective on what really went on, the early warning signs and the clues behind The Makings of a Murderer!

What makes a serial killer tick? What are the tell-tale signs? What really goes on behind the scenes? Learn about the biggest British serial killers of all time – including Jack the Ripper, Peter Tobin, Harold Shipman, Peter Sutcliffe and Killer Couples – Fred and Rose West and The Moors Murderers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley.

With more than 34 years as a senior detective, David shares his unique insight into the minds of the murderers, the famous cases that were never solved, and how the murderer got away with it. . . from someone on the inside.

David – whose ground-breaking Operation Anagram uncovered the activities of Tobin – paints an often-dark picture of how these monsters come to be in this gripping, fully-interactive, audio-visual first. ’Serial Killers are cunning, conniving, controlling, careful and – I hate to say it – clever’, says David. ’They live apparently normal lives and get away with their crimes for years. . . until eventually detected’.

David also looks at the connections to the local area of the most famous murder cases. The Makings of a Murderer! – a chilling, thrilling, night at the theatre not to be missed.

It’s 1868. Morten is a discharged soldier scraping a living on his croft on the edge of Sweden’s ancient forests. His life is blighted by insomnia and filled with troubles made up largely in his own head.

Suddenly he begins to suffer nightmares. A friend tells him he’s plagued by a Mara – a possessed person who visits another in spirit form as they sleep. To free himself from a Mara, he must discover their identity. But who is it?

Funny, unsettling and moving, this solo storytelling performance is a whodunnit, a deep dive into the dreamscape of Swedish folklore, a delve into our oldest forests, a journey through our tortuous relationship with sleep and an exploration of what it might mean to be really awake.

You’ll be transported, entertained, immersed… and a walk in the woods might never feel the same again.

Reviews of storyteller Dominic Kelly’s previous work:

“What a treat” – The Times

“Storyteller Dominic Kelly catches the mood with unerring skill as he builds an atmosphere of excitement…” – Dorset Echo

“It shouldn’t be possible to conjure up such a rich, colourful and vibrant world in a plain, darkened room but he succeeded spectacularly.” – Litfest

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Storyteller Dominic Kelly’s warm, witty and powerful storytelling style has captivated audiences around the world. In the UK he has performed at venues including the Barbican, National Theatre, British Museum, and The Times Cheltenham Literature Festival; and in theatres, festivals and schools in countries from India to the Arctic Circle.

He lives in the Lake District where he grew up and, when not storytelling, still thinks sitting in a tiny tent on a mountain in terrible weather counts as fun. But he’s married into a Swedish family, lived in Sweden for years, and he knows intimately the landscape, nature, culture and folklore of the country’s ‘Norrland’; in MARA, he takes you on an immersive, unforgettable journey into this place, though experiences we can all relate to.

His acclaimed performance Trickster was described as “compelling, funny and heartbreaking” by The Times, his show The Hero Light, as “gripping and satisfying… a rare event” and his most recent, The Big Blind, as, “a mesmerising performance”.

This performance is for ADULTS ONLY – contains graphic content

Stories, spells, songs performed by Sally Pomme Clayton

The myths of the goddess are subversive, outrageous, familiar, unknown, forgotten – spectacular! Pioneering storyteller Sally Pomme Clayton evokes powerful goddesses, meet: Vesta the fiery virgin warrior; Cybele, the mother goddess who fathered a child; Ishtar, Goddess of love and war, who journeys to the Land of the Dead. Follow the goddess from creator to crone in tales of lust and greed, death and destruction, transformation and rebirth.

Pomme brings ancient myths to contemporary life with dynamic spoken word, musical sounds, gestures, ritual, spells and songs. And offers the audience a chance to receive a message from the goddess’s oracle! Do you dare to take part! The Mighty Goddess is for ADULTS ONLY – and contains some graphic content.

The stories are drawn from Pomme’s latest book The Mighty Goddess (The History Press 2023) a collection of 52 goddess myths that mixes myth and art with 52 fabulous papercuts by artist Sophie Herxheimer.

“Fiery, thrilling, powerful storytelling,” – Bloomsbury Festival

“No book hits the zeitgeist more accurately than this. With every tale we are encouraged to think. With every tale comes a reckoning. They stretch across the world and show love, anger, revenge, rape and repentance, tiny jealousies and fathomless compassion.” – Facts and Fiction

“Virtuoso storyteller, Sally Pomme Clayton has that rare gift of being able to transport the listener to other worlds by completely inhabiting those worlds herself. Her stories are full of colour and she uses language like a painter. Her telling goes through the skin, and settles deep in the marrow of the listening bones – a wondrous experience.” – Venue Magazine

“Sally Pomme Clayton is a gifted storyteller who can bring the wonder of the most powerful stories from the past to life for audiences of any ages.” – The Guardian

“Londonist has been lucky enough to see her in action: the awestruck faces, delighted giggles, eyes wide in wonder … and that’s the adults in the audience!” – The Londonist