hello & welcome
contents September 1-4
I have always waited with excitement for the next Arena Theatre brochure to come out and this one, like all those before it, is a veritable feast of creative pleasure and stimulation with an eclectic mix of shows. Simply put, yet again they deliver a wide range of shows for everyone!
Impulse Productions 7 - 11
The Arena Theatre, particularly in relation to my area of interest: Disability Art, is a national leader in showing work by, about and for disabled people in all its forms: comedy, drama, verbatim theatre, dance, music and any combination thereof! In fact, I would argue, that Arena Theatre is a beacon of excellence in the presentation of Disability material that cannot be beaten across the UK. One of the great achievements of the Arena is that it seeks out top quality work through research and close collaboration with its partners, often being a leading light in Disability Arts and Inclusive Theatre networks. It is rare to share such enthusiasm, knowledge and insight about your own area of interest with a partner.
30
The People’s Romeo Tara
6
October 30 & 1
Highfields Song & Dance* Highfields School
6 8
I know you will find plenty of shows to enjoy this season and hope to see you at a show or event at the Arena very soon.
13
19 20
8
The Good Person of Sezuan MAT
16
8
A Frozen Finger tracing out my spine Impetus Theatre and Jonathan Wyatt
15
31
Seven Year Bitch Plested & Brown
14
7
Pick ‘N’ Mix* Rebecca Brookes Academy of Dance
12
7
Rivers To Cross Gazebo Theatre Company
9 & 10
31
I’m A Minger Nicholas Collett and Belgrade Theatre
It is a great pleasure to be working with the Arena this season, in partnership with Black Country Touring, presenting All the Things We Could Have Been, Abnormally Funny People, StopGAP Dance and Who Do We Think We Are as part of the Wolverhampton Disability Arts Festival.
Dr Paul Darke Artistic Director of Outside Centre Wolverhampton's major Disability Arts organisation
30
Dance Glitter* Dance Glitter
28 & 29
5
Hamlet* Pool Hayes Arts and Community School
24
29
The Caretaker London Classic Theatre
23
29
Bad Girls The Musical* Glitterbelle Productions
21 & 22
28
Thoroughly Modern Millie* WYMT
15 - 18
Page
Spring Awakening*
9
I am a Camera Jadis Shadows
9
Surdhwani Kathakali
10
Kala Chethena Kathakali Company
10
8sixteen32 Birmingham Repertory Theatre
11
BUY TICKETS
Must be the same number of tickets for each show. Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer - other restrictions may apply
for two or more shows at the same time and get all your tickets for £5 each 21
The Games Spike Theatre
22
In the Further Soil Sampad
27
Theatre Tours International 29 & 30
12 13 13
[title of show...]* Last Man Standing Productions
32
November 1-3 3&4 5 7
15 - 19
17 18 19 19
Arena Theatre and Outside Centre John Edgar
24
Hamlet - The Comedy! Oddsocks
25
Christmas With A Swing Urban Voice
24
The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe Screaminvoiceyouththeatre
26
Other Pages How To Book Access Information At A Glance Calendar How To Find Us * Independent Promotions, Standard concessions may not apply
20
33
Tales from the Ankou’s Wagon
20
The Rape of Lucrece Gerard Logan
32
Who Do We Think We Are?*
The Dinner Lady Man Something & Nothing
18
17
The Missionary’s Position Penny Dreadful
17
16
10
Kiss Me Like You Mean It MIG Theatre
16
7&8
Scaramouche Jones Theatre Tours international
12
16
All The Things We Could Have Been Robin Surgeoner AKA Angryfish
11
3
The Dead Hand Rumpus Theatre Company
10
15
Rupert Brooke Useful Donkey Theatre Company
9
2
Almost Human & Precious Jewel Nobody’s Perfect
Reach Musical Theatre School
14
Accidental Death of an Anarchist Love & Madness
23
Reach Factor 2010
December
Richard III Love & Madness
22
Trespass, Within and Splinter StopGap Dance Company
27
21
Lysistrata Actors of Dyonisus
26
21
1977 Volcano Theatre Company
24 & 25
Austen’s Women
Abnormally Funny People Abnormally Funny People
23
The Importance of being Earnest Opus Theatre
28
19 12
34 34 35 36
arena theatre news 2009/2010 was an extremely busy and productive year for the Arena Theatre presenting over seventy different professional productions and over thirty productions by local groups, schools, colleges and youth theatres. The Arena Theatre continues to be a major provider of theatre-based activity within the city, providing over 3,500 actual participation opportunities for children and young people each year. The Theatre is also building on its very strong national reputation for excellence in key development areas such as this, and most notably in the field of Disability Arts and Inclusive Theatre. Schools & Education
Co-productions and Collaborations
Schools from all over Wolverhampton and the Black Country have presented work and been involved with long running education projects at the Arena Theatre this year including:
The Arena Theatre has continued to seek out collaborations with local partners including Black Country Touring and Urban Voice Limited. The Theatre also actively sought collaborations with emerging theatre companies, and, in Summer 2009, provided rehearsal space and creative technical skills to Little Earthquake Theatre Company and their sellout production of The Houdini Exposure.
The King’s C of E School, Wednesfield High School, Coppice Specialist Performing Arts School, Highfields Science Specialist School, Pool Hayes Arts & Community School and Deansfield High School to name but a few. The Theatre has also played host to 5 weeks of Aim Higher Workshops when, each week, a different 150 Year Six children produced a show in a week as well as engaging in other theatre-related activity.
Disability and Inclusive Theatre In addition to working with Outside Centre and Black Country Touring to programme exciting new work from the country’s leading Deaf and disabled artists, the Arena Theatre is also a key member of Working Parts, a partnership with other local arts organisations to encourage and enable Deaf and disabled people from across the Black Country to engage with the arts. We are also a member of simorgh, a new partnership with Red Earth Theatre Company and Embrace Arts, to promote access and inclusion in the performing arts.
Tuesday 21st September at 7.30pm Wednesday 22nd September at 2.30pm and 7.30pm
LONDON CLASSIC THEATRE
The Caretaker By Harold Pinter Into his derelict household shrine that he shares with his brother Mick, Aston brings Davies, a tramp - a tramp with pretensions. All that is left of his past now is the apparent existence of some papers in Sidcup - papers that will prove exactly who he is. Aston, too, has his dreams: he has always been good with his hands and there is so much to do in the house. Aston’s hopes are tied to his flash brother Mick’s: he has aspirations to live in a luxurious apartment. As the shadows lengthen and the three men reveal more about the past and themselves, a battle of wits begins that will have irrevocable consequences for them all. Human nature is a great spoiler of plan, however...
“One of the 20th century's great plays, a tragic comedy of stunning individuality” Daily Mail
Tickets: £9 Full Price and £7 Concessions All Matinee Tickets £5
5
Tuesday 28th September at 7.30pm Wednesday 29th September at 2.30pm and 7.30pm
TARA
The People’s Romeo Bangladeshi theatre breathes new life into the greatest love story ever told, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Weaving together Shakespeare’s verse and Bengali poetry, The People’s Romeo is a dynamic cross-cultural performance made for our time. Five performers use Pala Gaan - a theatre style which combines music, dance and storytelling - to reinvent this classic of English theatre. Back at the Arena Theatre for the first time since the sell-out success Merchant of Venice, TARA produces global theatre for local audiences. Positioned between East and West, TARA has pioneered cross-cultural theatre for over 3 decades.
6
Tickets: £9 Full Price and £7 Concessions All Matinee Tickets £5
Wednesday 6th October at 7.30pm
I’m a Minger
Friday 8th October at 8pm
NICHOLAS COLLETT AND BELGRADE THEATRE COVENTRY
Written and performed by Alex Jones
“Kelly, right, Kelly the bitch decides to have a party on the very same night as my sleep over - the very same night! And I know she's done it on purpose. And she invites everybody - absolutely everybody...except me of course... I want to die! I'm such a minger!” After successful outings in London and the Latitude Festival, I’m A Minger tours for the first time - it asks tough questions about the rise in suicide as a “life” choice for teenagers today.
Rivers To Cross - The Legacy
GAZEBO THEATRE COMPANY
Following the huge success of Sweet Tooth, Gazebo presents the sequel, Rivers to Cross, an examination of the black male experience, which shares the legacies of the Transatlantic slave trade, and traces remarkable achievements in the face of adversity. Featuring a host of greats including Ira Aldridge, Walter Tull, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Dr Harold Moody, Paul Robeson and President Barack Obama, Rivers to Cross takes the audience on a 172 year journey through Colonialism and Empire, Segregation, The Colour Bar, “Windrush” and the Black Consciousness Movement.
Not suitable for young audiences - recommended for 13+
Tickets: £8 Full Price and £6 Concessions
Tickets: £8 Full Price and £6 Concessions
7
Tuesday 12th October at 7.30pm
Seven Year Bitch
Wednesday 13th October at 2.30pm
PLESTED AND BROWN
One of the funniest and most innovative companies return to the Arena Theatre with their brand new show. After seven years of marriage Lizzie realised she had turned into a bitch-wife-from-hell: criticising the way her husband drove, getting irritated when he loaded the dishwasher wrongly and so on (and on, and on)! Not any more though. Lizzie has saved her marriage and changed her life. Now she hopes to change yours. Discover how to be happy with an imperfect man. Learn to be patient and respectful. Stop finding your husband so irritating! Read more about Lizzie’s transformation and the show at www.arenatheatre.info 8
“Quirkily daft stuff” Chortle
Tickets: £8 Full Price and £6 Concessions
A Frozen Finger tracing out my spine
IMPETUS THEATRE PRESENTS JONATHAN WYATT
A horrific nightly visitor... frantic warnings from a weird spectre... a coffin that unlocks itself... a room that appears only at night... The nineteenth century was the classic age of the spine-chiller, and few tales are more terrifying than those included in “a frozen finger tracing out my spine...” Jonathan Wyatt returns after last year’s Elementary Father Brown to bring you this chilling tale. Jonathan has presented these ghost stories across the country, to great acclaim. Be prepared to be frightened, perplexed, shocked, and richly entertained. And just hope it’s not too dark when you come out of the theatre.
All Tickets £5
Thursday 14th October at 7.30pm
Friday 15th October at 8pm
The Good Person Of Sezuan
I am a Camera
Bertolt Brecht’s classic comedy - updated and set in Jamaica in the 1980s - a time of political violence and gang warfare … Bob Marley music … flared trousers and platform shoes.
The play that spawned the legendary musical Cabaret. By John Van Druten.
MAT AND SISTER TREE
“Laud ah mercy! What kind ah Trenchtown is dis? What kind ah people is you?” Things are going well for Renward, since he took over his cousin Rhema’s tobacco business. That is until he is brought to trial for her murder and he is forced to reveal the secret of his identity - and what really happened to Rhema... Michael McMillan’s translation is written in Jamaican patois, and features several new songs, as well as some classic reggae tracks. Contains strong language
Tickets: £8 Full Price and £6 Concessions
JADIS SHADOWS
The hedonistic world of early 1930s Weimar Berlin. Within his bohemian bedsit, impoverished English author Christopher Isherwood passively interacts with a series of individuals who act as inspiration for his book: interfering landladies, gold digging gigolos, and the rich, but jaded, American playboy Clive. It is however his muse - the decadent, consciously shocking yet forever childish Sally Bowles - who crashes into his life as the thunderous clouds of Nazism gather overhead Tickets: and things will never be the same again. £8 Full Price
and £6 Concessions
9
Tuesday 19th October at 7.30pm
Kathakali
KALA CHETHENA KATHAKALI THEATRE COMPANY
The Arena Theatre is delighted to welcome back the World’s foremost Kathakali Company outside of India. Kathakali embraces drama, dance, music, visual arts, and ritual to create one of the most visually exciting and powerful forms of theatre. Extraordinary costumes and three-dimensional make-up transform the actors into Gods, Kings, Devils & Princesses to tell their story through the magical world of theatre. One of the artists performing, Padmasree Kalamandalam Gopi is a living legend, respected worldwide for his portrayal of the heroic characters who display divine qualities, recognisable by their green faces. Adored by the people of India he is renowned for his powerful Tickets: stage presence and captivating performances. “Intense, hypnotic and spectacularly beautiful” 10
Daily Telegraph
£8 Full Price and £6 Concessions
Wednesday 20th October at 7.30pm
BIRMINGHAM REPERTORY THEATRE COMPANY
8SIXTEEN32 8SIXTEEN32 by the Decypher Collective is based on real-life experiences and follows four Birminghambased Grime MCs as they battle to make it big in the music industry. Fusing comedy, stylised movement and a tailor-made score of beats, rhythms and melodies 8SIXTEEN32 highlights the clash between youth culture and advertising manipulation to create a lively and urgent piece of theatre for new audiences. The production takes its name from the number of beats in a bar that grime MCs use to count and rap to.
“Meticulously timed delivery of vocal pyrotechnics” Birmingham Post
Contains strong language Not suitable for young audiences - recommended for 14+
Tickets: £8 Full Price and £6 Concessions
11
Thursday 21st October at 7.30pm
The Games
Friday 22nd October at 8pm
SPIKE THEATRE
Three athletes - with aspirations of greatness - are poised to compete at the largest sporting event in the ancient world, The Games. They are under-funded, under-prepared and completely out of their depth as they take on the heroes of ancient Greece. This is their story... Inspired by stories of the ancient Olympics and co-directed by Toby Park (Spymonkey) - Spike will bring back to life a world of Greek gods and bizarre sporting events in their own inimitable style. This comic re-telling of all things Greek will incorporate sporting equipment with a thousand uses, an original musical score and scenes of simulated nudity! Not suitable for young audiences - recommended for 13+
12
Tickets: £8 Full Price and £6 Concessions
In the Further Soil
SAMPAD
This new production touring cities in India and the UK tells the story of urban landscapes and the fast changing globalised identities of young people through the interplay of music, dance and spoken word. A collaboration of international artists written by Satinder Kaur Chohan and directed by Harmage Singh Kalirai. Cast includes Shelley King, Soweto Kinch, Anusha Subramanyam, Ratul Shankar Ghosh, Dibyendu Mukherjee and Sanjukta Ray. Part of People Dancing programme, part of the West Midlands Culture programme for London 2012 funded by legacy Trust UK Arts Council England West Midlands and Tickets: Advantage West Midlands. This event is followed by a post-show discussion.
£8 Full Price and £6 Concessions
Wednesday 27th October at 2.30pm and 7.30pm
Thursday 28th October at 7.30pm
The Importance of Being Earnest
Austen’s Women
"Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone"
Jane Austen, ‘the mother of romance novelists’ was a woman ahead of her time creating some of literature’s most celebrated characters and defining her era, her sex and her class. But just how much have things really changed for women since then?
OPUS THEATRE
What happens when two pretty girls both fall in love with men they believe to be called Earnest? Will they learn that a rose by any other name still smells as sweet? A well-manicured comedy of handbags, button-holes and flying coat-tails: Oscar Wilde’s ‘trivial comedy for serious people’.
"All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That's his."
Tickets: £8 Full Price and £6 Concessions All Matinee Tickets £5
THEATRE TOURS INTERNATIONAL
In a bold revisiting using nothing but the words of Austen herself, the souls of Emma Woodhouse, Lizzy Bennet, Mrs Norris, Miss Bates and many more are brilliantly illuminated. These women speak volumes for their sex and their standing constrained by the stringent societal code of their time. Rebecca Vaughan’s solo debut was a fabulous hit at Edinburgh 2009 under the direction of Guy Masterson
Tickets: £8 Full Price and £6 Concessions
13
Monday 1st November at 7.30pm Tuesday 2nd November at 2.30pm and 7.30pm Wednesday 3rd November at 2.30pm
LOVE AND MADNESS
Richard III “Now is the winter of our discontent…” “The slave of nature and the son of hell” transforms into the most dastardly, vexatious, repugnant, magnificent hunch-back King as the final chapter in the War of the Roses concludes. The Machiavellian rise to power, the perilous Plantagenet twins locked at the top of a tower and the royal weeping widows mourn ever more, as husband after husband looses out on the treacherous Wheel of Death. The play with it all: stupendous visual flair, tantalising sideshows, delicious schizophrenia, screw ball politics, hilarious intrigue and murderous mayhem: the furious, fascinating, free-for-all story of a tyrant's bloody rise and bloody fall. A piece of historical misrepresentation, an absolute lie told beautifully.
“A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse!”
14
Tickets: £9 Full Price and £7 Concessions All Matinee Tickets £5
Wednesday 3rd November at 7.30pm Thursday 4th November at 2.30pm
LOVE AND MADNESS
Accidental Death of an Anarchist A sharp, incredibly funny satire on corruption. Dario Fo's play turns a tragic true incident - the case of anarchist railway worker Giuseppe Pinelli who, it was claimed, 'fell' to his death from the fourth floor window of a Milan police station in 1969 - into a wild farce. A certified maniac insinuates himself into a police station and persuades the officers concerned that he is the magistrate assigned to investigate the incident. The result is sheer delirium. A ‘must see!’.
Tickets: £9 Full Price and £7 Concessions All Matinee Tickets £5
15
Friday 5th November at 8pm
Sunday 7th November at 4pm
Almost Human and Precious Jewel
NOBODY’S PERFECT PRODUCTIONS
Rupert Brooke
USEFUL DONKEY THEATRE WITH YORK THEATRE ROYAL
The moving story of the legendary ‘war’ poet. A brand new double-bill of superb plays by author Phil Preece, where the future and the past collide! Almost Human (or how Rob Smallman saved the planet) Rob hasn’t been out for quite a while now - he just stays indoors playing computer war games. But, when a ‘visitor’ arrives he’s forced to face reality and defend his planet from an attack beyond his worst nightmares!
16
Precious Jewel The very life of Queen Elizabeth I was at risk once the Pope declared her assassination Tickets: would be no crime. When the Queen is forced £8 Full Price to take refuge in a country house, a drama begins. All must be resolved before the break and of day. £6 Concessions
The play follows Brooke from his time at Cambridge University to his death in the Aegean Sea in 1915; uncovering more of the real man, more of what lies beneath the myth of a young, beautiful, fallen warrior. It reveals a far more complex and radical man, a man with a tumultuous personal life and a man not afraid to shock his audience. Featuring many of Brooke’s iconic poems, Rupert Brooke is the fascinating journey of a man who in his own words saw his life as ‘a flash between darknesses’.
Tickets: £8 Full Price and £6 Concessions includes complimentary Afternoon Tea
Tuesday 9th October at 7.30pm
The Dead Hand
Wednesday 10th November at 1.00pm and 7.30pm
RUMPUS THEATRE COMPANY
Based on the Novel by Wilkie Collins. Adapted for stage by David Gilbrook. A gorgeously Gothic tale of horror, lust and black magic from the author of The Woman In White. The year is 1850. Young, easy-going Arthur Halliday has come to Doncaster for the races, but all the hotel rooms are full; all that is, except for one remaining twin room that he’ll have to share with a stranger. It’s not until he’s agreed to take the room that he discovers his roommate is recently deceased. Even then, all might be well - if it weren’t for the dead hand.
Tickets: £8 Full Price and £6 Concessions
All The Things We Could Have Been
ROBIN SURGEONER AKA ANGRYFISH
Potent! Personal! Political! Poetic! All The Things We Could Have Been is a no holds barred expose of the arduous journey into adulthood and life choices for Disabled People. Using poetry, song and spoken word this performance piece will make you laugh, it may make you cry, and it will certainly make you question who makes the decisions in your life.
Tickets: All Matinee Tickets £1 and All Evening Tickets £5
17
Thursday 11th November at 7.30pm
THEATRE TOURS INTERNATIONAL
Justin Butcher in Scaramouche Jones Back by popular demand two years after a sell-out performance and spontaneous standing ovation, the Arena Theatre is delighted to present this truly amazing piece for one last time. Get a ticket while you can! Scaramouche Jones is an international phenomenon. Made famous in 2000 by Pete Postlethwaite’s beautiful production. Now, directed by solo maestro Guy Masterson, Justin Butcher makes the clown his own. An undisputed sell-out hit at the 2008 Edinburgh Festival, Scaramouche Jones is one show this season not to be missed. 11pm Millennium Eve: Ancient clown Scaramouche breaks fifty years’ silence to give his final performance, charting a bizarre magical odyssey through crumbling empires, comic misadventures and the 20th Century’s darkest episodes, revealing the loves, the brutalities, the ecstasies and the tragedies beneath his seven white masks in an epic, poetic, profoundly moving tale.
"A masterpiece of solo Magic Realism, impeccably written, perfectly performed and beautifully directed. It should be seen" British Theatre Guide
18
Tickets: £9 Full Price and £7 Concessions
Friday 12th November at 8pm
Kiss Me Like You Mean It
Tuesday 16th November at 7.30pm
MIG THEATRE
The Missionary’s Position
PENNY DREADFUL
3am on a hot midsummer’s night in Manchester. A party is taking place in a shabby Victorian terrace house.
Award-winning Penny Dreadful Productions return with their latest comedy; a glimpse into the amazing life of a rather naughty vicar.
In the back garden Tony and Ruth meet, thanks to a stolen can of beer. On the floor above, Don and Edie are having a party of their own.
The Missionary’s Position is the real life story of the Rector of Stiffkey - The Original Dirty Vicar - and great English eccentric of the 1930s.
As the night progresses, love is definitely in the air - but then so is the smell of cheap lager. And even cheaper aftershave.
A vaudeville comic turned clergyman, it was Reverend Harold Davidson’s mission to save the countless young women working on the notorious Soho streets from a life of sin. So why was he up in court on 5 counts of immoral conduct?
A touching, heart-warming and controversial play from Chris Chibnall, writer for TV’s “Born & Bred”, “Torchwood”, “Doctor Who”, “Merlin” and “Law and Order: UK” This play contains smoking and is not suitable for younger audiences.
Tickets: £8 Full Price and £6 Concessions
“You have to save their bodies before you can save their souls” Reverend Harold Davidson. Tickets: Join the MC and his vaudeville troupe for a wild night at the music hall, and discover what really happened to Harold on his desperate descent from pulpit to carnival freak show.
£8 Full Price and £6 Concessions
19
Wednesday 17th November at 2.30pm and 7.30pm
The Dinner Lady Man
SOMETHING AND NOTHING
Things are not going well for Bob Enwright. His building company has just gone bump, he's careering towards 50 at an alarming rate and his wife has traded him in for a younger man. The offer of work in the dinner hall of a local school seems to be the light at the end of a particularly dark and miserable tunnel.
20
Thursday 18th November at 7.30pm
William Shakespeare’s
Rape of Lucrece
GERARD LOGAN
“Lucrece” quoth he “this night I must enjoy thee. If thou deny then force must work my way: For in thy bed I purpose to destroy thee…” The Rape of Lucrece is a brilliant, brutal narrative poem giving an account of the terrible crime of rape and its dreadful consequences for victim and perpetrator.
However his appearance amongst the all female workforce causes a major catastrophe for harassed catering manager and single mother Enid - one which threatens to bring the school to its knees and force Bob back to the employment line.
As ever, though, Shakespeare goes beyond the obvious, following the ramifications of the crime wherever they take him, shining a light on a band of human-behaviour encompassing the bestial and the beautiful.
This new comedy has all the ingredients that made Patrick & Bernadine such a hit with audiences - an energetic storyline, memorable characters and cracking one liners that will have audiences eating it up!
Gerard Logan has played leading roles with the National Theatre and the RSC receiving an Olivier Award Nomination. The Rape of Lucrece has been a sell-out success during its London run at the Tickets: prestigious King’s Head Theatre, Sir Peter Hall’s Rose Theatre, Kingston and the Rose, Bankside. £8 Full Price
Tickets: £8 Full Price and £6 Concessions All Matinee Tickets £5
and £6 Concessions
Friday 19th November at 8pm
Tuesday 23rd November at 7.30pm
Abnormally Funny People
1977
Abnormally Funny People are a group of disabled comedians, many of whom have performed at the Arena in the past, with a token nondisabled to tick that all important diversity box!
It’s 1977 - a thriving year for plane hijackings, and a busy period for the terrorists of the Red Army Faction. The Sex Pistols and the The Clash released their seminal albums, and with Franco gone, Spain’s fascist regime gasped its last breaths.
Love. Politics. Apocalypse Now, And some very loud drums.
Some sit down and stand-up, others stand on chairs and stand-up, others simply stand up and stand-up. They are all funny people. These comedians are the new, emerging disabled comedy talent. See them before they get on television, become mainstream, rich and lazy. For details of the full line-up check www.arenatheatre.info. “The circumstances of disability provide streams of good material, material handled creatively and without restraint. Laugh out loud funny” Kate Copstick, The Scotsman
VOLCANO THEATRE
Tickets: £9 Full Price and £7 Concessions
The action segues between two events – one that happened and one that didn’t - beginning on the set of Francis Ford Coppola’s notoriously troubled Apocalypse Now and moving to a conference called to discuss the political and moral breakdown of the 20th Century. Amongst the amassed intellectuals are two young delegates whose destinies and stories seem to be entwined with the fate of the conference and the film.
Tickets: £8 Full Price and £6 Concessions
21
Wednesday 24th November at 7.30pm Thursday 25th November at 7.30pm
ACTORS OF DYONISUS - AOD
Lysistrata Lysistrata leads the women of Greece in a revolt against the male establishment calling on them to ban sex in order to stop a bloody conflict. Chaos ensues as the conventions of Ancient Greek society are turned on their head and sexual tension builds to bursting point in this bawdy, provocative and delightfully absurd comedy. A bold, visual, highly accessible, no-nonsense approach to the contemporary staging of classical texts has won aod an enviable reputation for making ancient Greek drama seriously sexy. Not suitable for young audiences - recommended for 14+
22
Tickets ÂŁ9 Full Price and ÂŁ7 Concessions
Friday 26th November at 8pm
STOPGAP DANCE COMPANY
Trespass, Within and Splinter A Triple-bill of Dance Trespass challenges StopGAP’s five resident dancers to draw on their individual physicalities. Working with Spanish-based choreographer Thomas Noone and Rob Tannion (Stan Won’t Dance) these performers with and without disabilities reach deep within themselves to present two exceptional new dance pieces. Within sees a lone dancer, drawn into her own imaginary world by four compelling characters. Touching duets and explosive movement play out on stage to an eccentric soundtrack of harpsichord clashing with Indian instruments, created by Spanish composer Pedro Navarrete. Choreographed by Thomas Noone. Splinter is an artistic collaboration between choreographer Rob Tannion, artistic director Vicki Balaam and the dancers, driven by Jim Pinchen’s thunderous Japanese soundscape. Thrown into another world, the company wrestle for the balance of delicate humility and creative conflict that honest cohesion demands. Who would you call on when your world turns upside down and will the group subsist or splinter?
Tickets: £8 Full Price and £6 Concessions
23
Friday 3rd December at 8pm
Tales from the Ankou’s Wagon
Friday 10th December at 8pm
JOHN EDGAR
In his latest feast of Breton folklore, writer, storyteller and performer John Edgar brings us another collection of dark, eccentric and often bleakly funny stories of Breton life, and death, in a land where the daytime is for the living but night is the exclusive province of the dead, where life and death walk hand in hand, and sometimes cross over at the most inconvenient and terrifying moment. Sooner or later, usually later, everyone ends up taking a ride on the back of the Ankou’s creaking old cart. Brittany’s own Grim Reaper never sleeps, never stops working and sees everything. Each passenger has their story to tell, but only the Ankou gets to hear the last part.
24
Tickets: £8 Full Price and £6 Concessions
Christmas With A Swing
URBAN VOICE AND ARENA THEATRE
Relax with a glass of mulled wine and a mince pie as six top local performers bring you a sumptuous selection of your favourite festive Christmas songs for your enjoyment - So Here It Is Merry Christmas get your Chestnuts Roasting and Let it Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow, it’s All you’ll Want For a White Christmas!
Tickets: £8 Full Price and £6 Concessions
Tuesday 7th December at 7.30pm Wednesday 8th December at 2.30pm and 7.30pm
ODDSOCKS PRODUCTIONS
Hamlet The Comedy! Only Oddsocks could turn the most tragic of Shakespeare’s tragedies into a comedy! This family-friendly production of Hamlet - The Comedy finds the young student prince returning home for Christmas to discover there’s something rotten in the state of Denmark and it’s not just his dirty washing! Mum’s married Uncle Claudius and his dead Dad only puts in a ghost appearance - it’s enough to make a teenager mad. Things will never be the same again in the Hamlet household but as this is Oddsocks it will all be sorted out in raunchy, rebellious and rumbustious fashion with just one question remaining… To be, or not to be? Just like their sell-out Romeo & Juliet be prepared for Shakespeare with belly laughs, singing, dancing and some rocking music.
Tickets: £12 Full Price and £10 Concessions £40 Family Ticket All Matinee Tickets £8
25
26
27
Wednesday 1st to Friday 3rd September at 8pm Saturday 4th September at 4pm and 8pm
Introducing An Independent Promotion. Standard concessions may not apply.
Spring Awakening Independent productIons... Spring Awakening • Thoroughly Modern Millie • Bad Girls - The Musical • Hamlet Dance Glitter • Song & Dance 2010 • Pic ‘N’ Mix • [title of show...] Reach Factor 2010 • Who Do We Think We Are? • Snow White & The Severn Dwarfs
Standard pricing policy and concessions may not apply
28
IMPULSE PRODUCTIONS
Following their sell-out success of The Wedding Singer - The Musical, Impulse return to the Arena with the TONY Award winning, spellbinging musical Spring Awakening. Adapted from Frank Wedekind's 1891 expressionist play about the trials, tears, and exhilaration of the teen years, Spring Awakening celebrates the unforgettable journey from youth to adulthood with a power, poignancy, and passion that you will never forget. Not suitable for young audiences. Contains strong language and sexual references.
Tickets: £12.50 Full Price and £10 Concessions
Tuesday 7th September to Saturday 11th September at 7.30pm
Wednesday 15th to Friday 17th September at 7.30pm Saturday 18th September at 2.30pm and 7.30pm
An Independent Promotion. Standard concessions may not apply.
An Independent Promotion. Standard concessions may not apply.
Thoroughly Modern Millie Spring Raga Festival
Bad Girls The Musical
WOLVERHAMPTON YOUTH MUSIC THEATRE
Surdhwani
The fun, adventure and scandal of New York City in the 1920s lure aspiring flapper and stenographer Millie Dillmount to the Big Apple where she intends to marry her rich boss, whoever he may turn out to be! Love and the pull of the big city - where modern women are bobbing their hair, painting their lips and pencil-lining their eyebrows - drive Millie’s ambitions to be the most modern of all.
In association with Asian Music Circuit and Arena Theatre
But love isn’t the only thing in the air! The maniacal manageress of the Hotel Priscilla has a devilish plan for her residents who are all alone in the world. How can Millie, together with a millionaire jazz singer and an innocent waif, save the women of New York from this criminal mastermind? Join WYMT for this international, toe-tapping, stenographic spectacular to find out!
Tickets: From £6 to £10
GLITTERBELLES PRODUCTIONS
Bad Girls - The Musical takes as its starting point the original core characters from the first three series of Bad Girls on TV. Set in the fictional HMP Larkhall, it’s the story of new idealistic Wing Governor Helen Stewart and her battles with the entrenched old guard Officer Jim Fenner and his sidekick Sylvia Hollamby. Other featured characters include Shell Dockley and her runner Denny Blood, old-timer Noreen Biggs, The Two Julies and the ultimate Top Dog, King-of-Gangland’s missus, Yvonne Atkins. With a score full of memorable tunes, a book full of hilarious one liners and a heart warming plot, Bad Girls is a guaranteed good night out!
All Tickets £10
29
Thursday 23rd September at 7.30pm
Friday 24th September at 7pm
An Independent Promotion. Standard concessions may not apply.
An Independent Promotion. Standard concessions may not apply.
Hamlet
Dance Glitter
POOL HAYES ARTS & COMMUNITY SCHOOL
Trapped in a world of mirrors. Not knowing whom to trust. Torn between freedom and responsibility. Unable to decide how to act. Who is acting and who is for real? What’s a young man to do? Pool Hayes Arts & Community School presents thirty students aged 11 to 13 from its 2010 Summer School in a modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy. Expect a radical and lively reworking of one of the Bard’s greatest plays.
30
Tickets: £5 Full Price and £3 Concessions
A showcase of local children attending dance classes in Willenhall and Dudley featuring a range of dances that incorporate, jive, freestyle, street, modern and slow. Ages range from 3 to 13 years. Dance Glitter’s motto is: “Every potential seed needs a light to grow under. The seeds of today might be the stars of tomorrow.”
All Tickets £7
Thursday 30th September and Friday 1st October at 7pm
Saturday 9th & Sunday 10th October at 6.30pm
An Independent Promotion. Standard concessions may not apply.
An Independent Promotion. Standard concessions may not apply.
Song & Dance 2010
Pic ‘N’ Mix
SONG & DANCE 2010
Highfields Scientist Specialist School presents an evening of song and dance by the students.
Tickets: £4 Full Price and £3 Concessions
BROOKES ACADEMY OF DANCE
A showcase of work from Brookes Academy of Dance combining all branches of the Academy from across Shropshire and Staffordshire, the School will present an entertaining evening of dance, which will include, musical theatre, jazz, lyrical, tap, acrobatics and ballet.
Tickets: £8 Full Price and £6 Concessions
31
Friday 29th & Saturday 30th October at 8pm
Saturday 27th November at 2.30pm & 7pm
This amateur production is presented by arrangement with JOSEF WEINBERGER LIMITED
An Independent Promotion. Standard concessions may not apply.
An Independent Promotion. Standard concessions may not apply.
[title of show...]
Reach Factor 2010
LAST MAN STANDING PRODUCTIONS
Music and Lyrics by Jeff Bowen. Book by Hunter Bell. “Who says four chairs and a keyboard can’t make a musical?” A love letter to musical theatre, friendship and creative selfexpression, [title of show] is an hilarious, quirky and sincere award winning musical about two guys writing a musical about two guys writing a musical. With three weeks until the deadline for the New York Music Theatre festival, Hunter and Jeff decide they have nothing to lose and set themselves the task of creating an original musical destined for Broadway. With their friends, Susan and Heidi (and Larry on the keys), the team chronicle the creation of their own show, writing about what to write about and the events shaping their journey to the Great White Way as they unfold.
32
All Tickets £10
REACH MUSICAL THEATRE SCHOOL
Come along for a night of classic family fun! Contestants from Reach Musical Theatre School will fight it out in front of a panel of tough Theatre Professionals to see who will be crowned winner of the Reach Factor 2010. With Songs, Dances and Drama from some of the Nation’s favourite musicals and TV shows such as Hairspray, Little Shop of Horrors, Joseph, Glee and many more, it is a fun filled roller coaster of a night not to be missed.
Tickets: £8 Full Price and £6 Concessions
Thursday 2nd December at 1pm & 7.30pm
Saturday 8th & Sunday 9th January 2011 at 2pm & 6.30pm
An Independent Promotion. Standard concessions may not apply.
An Independent Promotion. Standard concessions may not apply.
Who Do We Think We Are?
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
ARENA THEATRE IN ASSOCIATION WITH OUTSIDE CENTRE
Three short pieces that take a lighted-hearted look at who we are, how we live and where we come from. The Discoverers, WOW and No Nonsense (formerly Albert Road Players), three popular, successful and hugely entertaining local theatre groups, return to the Arena Theatre to celebrate International Day of Disabled People. Their unique style brings together comedy, songs, dancing, storytelling with some wild costumes - and promises to make a great night out!
Tickets: All Matinee Tickets £1 and All Evening Tickets £5
DEEVA PRODUCTIONS
In aid of Acorns Children’s Hospice
Can good conquer evil? Will Snow White meet her Prince Charming? Will the jokes be any better this year? Join Deeva Productions as they return with their fresh, energetic and very silly take on the classic Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. After the success of Aladdin last year, join them once more as they take you on a whirlwind adventure full of mystery, magic and mayhem! Old favourites - The Wicked Queen and a dashing Prince, are joined by some hilarious new characters like Muddles the Jester and Fairy Tickets: Fruitcake. The audience are bound to leave, laughing £8 Full Price their way home!! and All proceeds from this show will go to Acorns £6 Concessions Children’s Hospice who provide care and support Family Ticket (£24) to life-limited children across the West Midlands.
33
Arena Access
How to book
The Arena Theatre is fully accessible for all users and participants. However, to optimize your experience please advise the Box Office of your individual requirements when you book or tickets or e-mail boxoffice@arenatheatre.info
IN PERSON
A seating policy is available from the Box Office upon request and visitors who need to be accompanied are entitled to one complimentary ticket for their companion.
• •
• • • •
Lift providing access to all levels. Sennheiser Infra Red Enhanced Hearing is available headsets can be worn with or without a hearing aid. Please reserve your headset at the Box Office when you book your ticket. For Minicom bookings please call (01902) 321 327. Guide Dogs are welcome. All areas and rooms signed in grade 2 Braille.
Audio CD and Large Print Brochures are available on request from the Box Office.
YOUR COMMENTS WELCOMED! We are always interested in your views about the Arena Theatre and our shows. Please feel free to chat to members of staff when you visit, write to us at Arena Theatre, Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton, WV1 1SE or email: boxoffice@arenatheatre.info Theatre Manager Marketing Manager Access and Inclusion Administration Technical Team 34
Kevin O’Sullivan Andrew Ridal Andrew Jemmett Maria Kavalieros Drew White and Chris Scott
At the Box Office (10am - 5pm Monday to Friday and one hour before the start of evening and weekend performances) where you can pay with cash, cheque or with most major credit and debit cards (excluding American Express).
BY TELEPHONE You can book tickets over the phone using any major credit or debit card (except Electron and American Express cards). Unfortunately, we are unable to reserve seats without a payment to guarantee the booking.
BOOK ONLINE You can now book your tickets online for all of our shows 24 hours a day. It’s simple and secure. Just visit www.arenatheatre.info and click ‘Online Booking’.
CONCESSIONS Unless otherwise stated, concessions are available if you are under 16, a senior citizen over 60, a student in full-time education, registered unwaged, a Friend of the Grand Theatre or a member of University of Wolverhampton staff. Please provide proof of eligibility. PLEASE NOTE
For independent promotions the above concessions and discounts may vary. We reserve the right to make discounted ticket offers to selected customers at any time.
GROUP BOOKINGS One free ticket for every ten tickets purchased. Please call the Box Office on (01902) 321 321 for more information on our group booking services.
REFUNDS We regret that, under normal circumstances, we are unable to offer refunds. However, tickets may be exchanged subject to availability.
Calendar
Book Online at www.arenatheatre.info
September
October
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
WED THU FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WED THU
SPRING AWAKENING
THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE
BAD GIRLS THE MUSICAL
THE CARETAKER HAMLET DANCE GLITTER
THE PEOPLE’S ROMEO HIGHFIELDS SONG & DANCE
FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN
November HIGHFIELDS SONG & DANCE
I’M A MINGER
RIVERS TO CROSS PICK ‘N’ MIX
SEVEN YEAR BITCH A FROZEN FINGER TRACES OUT MY SPINE THE GOOD PERSON OF SEZUAN I AM A CAMERA SURDHWANI
KATHAKALI 8SIXTEEN32 THE GAMES IN THE FURTHER SOIL
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST AUSTEN’S WOMEN [TITLE OF SHOW...]
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN MON TUE
December RICHARD III
RICHARD III/ACCIDENTAL DEATH ACCIDENTAL DEATH OF AN ANARCHIST ALMOST HUMAN & PRECIOUS JEWEL
RUPERT BROOKE
THE DEAD HAND ALL THE THINGS WE COULD HAVE BEEN SCARAMOUCHE JONES KISS ME LIKE YOU MEAN IT
THE MISSIONARY’S POSITION THE DINNER LADY MAN RAPE OF LUCRECE ABNORMALLY FUNNY PEOPLE
1977 LYSISTRATA STOPGAP DANCE REACH FACTOR 2010
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
WED THU FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI
WHO DO WE THINK WE ARE? TALES FROM THE ANKOU’S WAGON
HAMLET - THE COMEDY!
CHRISTMAS WITH A SWING
THE LION, THE WITCH & THE WARDROBE
35
HOW TO FIND US By Road The Arena Theatre is easily accessible by road, situated right in the heart of the city centre.
Car Parking Street parking is available outside and around the theatre on Wulfruna Street. The Civic Centre car park (adjacent to the University) is usually open until 10.30pm (please check on arrival). The nearest NCP car park to the theatre is Broad Street.
Public Transport The Arena Theatre is a 5-minute walk from the Railway, Bus and Metro stations. Wolverhampton has main line Network Rail links to Birmingham, Stafford and beyond. In addition, Bus companies provide links to all the surrounding towns in the area.
ARENA THEATRE Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton, WV1 1SE. Box Office 01902 321 321 (Mon - Fri 10am - 5pm) Facsimile 01902 322 599 Minicom 01902 321 327 E-mail boxoffice@arenatheatre.info Website www.arenatheatre.info