Theatre

THEATRE Four theatre shows set for the Foxlowe stage A

series of theatre shows are coming to a community-run arts centre in Leek.

From the ‘Truly, Jack the Ripper’ to ‘Owdilocks and the Three Bears’ there is set to be some interesting and enthralling theatre at the Foxlowe Arts Centre this Winter and Spring.

Michael Quine, who organises the theatre at the Foxlowe, said: “February sees a fascinating duo of horror/thriller work, ideal for these dark evenings, and I’m so pleased we were able to book them close together. “On Thursday, February 17, we have “Truly, Jack the Ripper.’ Think Victorian London,1888, where Jack the Ripper is committing his audacious crimes. The murders were never solved, and the legends surrounding these crimes have captured public imagination to the present day. “Join Inspector Frederick Abberline of Scotland Yard as he lives through the horror and examines theories surrounding the true identity of the infamous Saucy Jack, the Whitechapel Horror himself. “Adapted from classic stories based around the Ripper theme, including ‘The Lodger.’ Theatrical Victorian storytelling at its finest. “Don’t Go into the Cellar theatre company bring new adaptations of nineteenth-century literature’s greatest ghost and horror stories to modern-day audiences. This is the company’s first visit to Leek.”

The following week, Live & Local will bring ‘Nosferatu’ to the Foxlowe Arts Centre on Friday, February 25.

Michael said: “Nosferatu is one of the silent film era’s masterpieces. This screening of the original 1922 film (based on the Dracula story) will feature a new music score performed live by acclaimed soundscapers Minima, a Bristol based quartet who use instrumentation including cello, double bass, baritone guitar, acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin, autoharp, dulcimer, synthesizer, glockenspiel and drum kit to create a unique live experience. “Its eerie Gothic feel and chilling performance from Max Shrek as the vampire set the template for many horror films that followed. Darkly humorous and tender too, this is a story of yearning and the search for fulfilment. “I saw Minima working with Hitchcock’s 1927 ‘The Lodger’ a couple of years ago, and I was able to watch ‘Truly, Jack the Ripper’ on video a few weeks ago and found both of them very gripping: I can recommend them very strongly.”

The ‘Owdilocks and the Three Bears’ will be performed at the Foxlowe Arts Centre on Friday, March 25; while Rob Gee will return with ‘Kevin King of Egypt’ on Thursday, April 21.

Tickets are available for all these shows at the Foxlowe itself and online at wegottickets.com.

Michael added: “While the Covid show seems set to run and run, we’re still – of course – taking great care with all the appropriate safeguards.”

To find out more and to be kept up to date on what’s coming to the Foxlowe Arts Centre, go online to: https://foxloweartscentre.org.uk