2010
Welcome to unity’s summer 2010 programme
summerseason May to July 2010
May celebrating 30 years
Stop the world – It’s the World Cup! Well not everyone will become a soccer couch potato or sucked into the nearest pub with Sky Sport + 3D throughout June and July. For those of you seeking a lively alternative then the variety of unity’s summer programme will offer something to suit your taste. We have everything from revivals of classic plays such Les Liaisons Dangereuses and The Birthday Party to new drama from such bright new companies as Sell A Door, who explore one of the final relationship taboos in Where The Solitary Eagle Flies. The 71st Anniversary of the Liverpool Blitz is celebrated in Jo Mac’s play ‘Red Skies’ and another play which takes an unsentimental look at Liverpool’s past, O’Brien’s Dream is revived after a sell-out run in 2009. Music and dance, which includes everything from modern jazz, [The Road to Fame], flamenco [Brouhaha international], belly dancing [Arabic Dance Showcase] to the songs of Paul Robeson [Call Mr. Robeson] are there to be experienced in our intimate venue. Vivian Stanshall, not in his capacity as a member of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, but as a writer, receives a rare revival of his stage-work Sir Henry At Rawlinson End. Children are not forgotten with our ever popular Play in a Day and To-Do Market sandwiched into the Whit half term holiday. We also welcome visitors from Italy – Blue in the Face – with their family friendly clown show The Jugglers Tale. Summer at unity is a great opportunity to catch an experience that is being created right on your doorstep. We do hope you’ll join us.
Graeme Phillips ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
A private company limited by guarantee Number 3333987. Registered Charity Number 1062463
Saturday 1 ........................................................ timesvary ....... Splatterdays! Wednesday 5 to Saturday 8 ..................... 8:00pm ....... Red Skies – Stories From The Blitz Monday 10 .......................................................... 7:00pm ....... Idiots Of Ants Monday 10 .......................................................... 8:45pm ....... Edward Aczel Tuesday 11 ......................................................... 7:00pm ....... Eric’s Tales Of The Sea Tuesday 11 ......................................................... 8:45pm ....... Brendan Riley Wednesday 12 ................................................. 7:00pm ....... Jack Whitehall Wednesday 12 ................................................. 8:45pm ....... Slaughterhouse Live Thursday 13 ...................................................... 7:00pm ....... Funny Women Friday 14 .............................................................. 7:00pm ....... Pete Firman Friday 14 .............................................................. 8:45pm ....... Jon Richardson Friday 14 ........................................................... 10:15pm ....... Rosie Wilby Saturday 15 ........................................................ 7:00pm ....... Steve Gribbin Saturday 15 ........................................................ 8:45pm ....... Craig Hill Thursday 20 to Saturday 22 .................... 7:30pm ....... Where The Solitary Eagle Flies Thursday 27 to Saturday 29 .................... 7:30pm ....... Les Liaisons Dangereuses
June Tuesday 1 ......................................................... 10:00am ....... Play in a Day 5 to 8 Years Wednesday 2 .................................................. 10:00am ....... Play in a Day 9 to 13 Years Thursday 3 .......................................................... 1:00pm ....... The To-Do Market Saturday 5 ........................................................ timesvary ....... Merseyside Youth Theatre Festival Tuesday 8 to Wednesday 9 ...................... 7:30pm ....... Wishful Thinking Thursday 9 and Friday 10 .......................... 7.30pm ....... Call Mr. Robeson – A life, with songs Tuesday 15 ......................................................... 7:30pm ....... Strictly Amusing Thursday 17 and Friday 18 ...................... 6:00pm ....... The Jugglers’ Tale Tuesday 22 and Wed 23 ...........................timesvary ....... Sir Henry At Rawlinson End Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 ............. 8.00pm ....... That’s the way to do it – Terry Titter
July Thursday 1 to Saturday 3 .......................... 8:00pm ....... Slasher Kincade Tuesday 6 to Wednesday 7 ...................... 7:30pm ....... Comfort Thursday 8 to Saturday 10 ....................... 8:00pm ....... The Birthday Party Tuesday 13 to Wednesday 14 ................ 8:00pm ....... The Isle Of Hidden Agendas Thursday 15 to Saturday 17 .................... 8:00pm ....... O’Brien’s Dream Tuesday 20 ......................................................... 7:30pm ....... All Feet Can Dance – Brouhaha Thursday 22 to Saturday 24 .................... 7:00pm ....... The Road To Fame Tuesday 27 to Wednesday 28 ................ 8:00pm ....... Suffocating Saturday 31 ........................................................ 8:00pm ....... Arabic Dance Showcase
Dialogue Productions In association with Mercury Theatre Colchester, Yvonne Arnaud Guildford and The Bush Theatre unity
Splatterdays! Play the goodies ... be the baddies ... make it ... sing it ... dance it ... shake it ...
The To-Do Furies/Land Market of the Dead/Helter Skelter by Neil La Bute
Photography by Andrew Abrahamson
Splatterdays Playtime 5 – 8 year olds 11:00am to 1:00pm Forget behaving yourself and sitting quietly in the theatre! If you’re 5 – 8 years , these workshops at unity are your chance to have loads of messy, exciting fun and meet new friends. The workshops take on different themes each week and are based around creative activities including storytelling, arts and crafts, music, drama games and performance.
Performing Arts Club 9 – 13 year olds 2:00pm to 4:00pm Join our performing arts workshops where you can learn the how’s and the why’s and gain valuable insights into the heart of unity. i: unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk boxoffice: 0844 873 2888
Thursday 3 June The workshops offer a range of activities including drama and performance and design. You can learn about storytelling, puppetry and gain technical skills, write a story and put together your own performances. Children and young people are invited to contribute their own ideas and shape their own projects. Workshops are delivered by our dedicated team of practitioners who specialise in a range of art forms, performance skills and creative play activities.
This big jumble sale of fun is a treasure trove of art activities, story tellers, cake decorating, face painting and lots of exciting things to keep the whole family entertained. Join in the excitement at the magical fair where you can make and do and share in the wares of creative stallholders. The activities are family friendly and you can take time to relax in the comfort of the unity cafe bar where there will be tea, coffee, soft drinks, healthy snacks and daily newspapers available.
Parents of all children taking part must stay in the unity building for the duration. Children under 5 years must be accompanied by an adult in the To-Do Market area. Please keep an eye on our website ...
unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk for more details about the afternoons events.
May: 8, 15, 29 June: 12,19 July: 3,10, 17
Prices: £4.50 per child £8.00 for two siblings £2.50 concessions for families on a low income
markettime 1:00pm to 4:00pm tickets £1.00
Dialogue Productions In association with Mercury Theatre Colchester, Yvonne Arnaud Guildford and The Bush Theatre unity
Dialogue Productions In association with Mercury Theatre Colchester, Yvonne Arnaud Guildford and The Bush Theatre unity
The Furies/Land Play In A Day of the Dead/Helter Skelter by Neil La Bute
The Furies/Land Summer Splatts of the Dead/Helter Skelter by Neil La Bute
Photography by Andrew Abrahamson
Tuesday 1 and Wednesday 2 June Play in a Day delivers everything the name suggests. Guided through a journey into drama, music, dance, theatre design and making, participants create their own unique piece of theatre which they perform at the end of the day on the unity’s stage. A fun introduction to making theatre. Throughout the day, your child will take part in a series of creative workshops, making and designing their own props and scenery and using music, dance and drama to tell their own stories in their own way. Supported by our own experienced practitioners, there will be a sharing event with parents at the end of each day.
Photography by Andrew Abrahamson
Monday 2 to Friday 6 August All parents/guardians are invited to watch the performance and tickets are free from the unity ticket office. Play-in-a-Day is run for two age groups: 5 – 8 years Tuesday 1 June 10:00am to 3:45pm 9 – 13 years Wednesday 2 June 10:00am to 5:00pm
In addition to the programme of regular Saturday Splatterdays workshops, unity is offering a week of creative fun for children aged 5 – 13 to kick start the summer holidays! Throughout the week participants will enjoy fun and games, theatre design and art workshops, learn new skills, make new friends and create a unique performance. The week finishes with an in-house performance for families on unity’s stage.
Summer Splatts! 5 – 8 years 11:00am to 1:00pm 9 – 13 years 2:00pm to 4:00pm Book and pay for all Summer sessions in advance and get one session FREE The Summer Splatts! programme welcomes all children and we aim to be inclusive, however the sessions might not be suitable for everyone.
Please meet at 10:00am in the unity foyer for registration. Please bring a packed lunch.
To discuss any specific needs your child may have please contact splatterdays@unitytheatre.co.uk or call Louise Flooks on 0151 702 7365.
tickets £8.50/£6.50 concessions Book early – places are limited!
Prices: £4.50 per child £8.00 for two siblings £2.50 concessions for families on a low income
unity
Education and Community
Ongoing unity is committed to providing excellent opportunities for schools and community groups to benefit from our resources and the experience of our staff. We create bespoke educational projects for pupil groups at Foundation and Key Stages 1 – 4 as well as college and university groups including theatre tours and question and answer sessions with key members of staff where possible. Our popular in-house To-Do Market event has been out and about at different community venues and is available for commission.
i: unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk boxoffice: 0844 873 2888
As well as this we offer regular workshops and post-show discussions for audiences of all ages with the companies that make up our theatre programme. In the last year this has included workshops with companies Told by an Idiot [Fahrenheit Twins], Fevered Sleep [The Forest] and Improbable [Panic]. To find out more contact Louise Flooks: louiseflooks@unitytheatre.co.uk or 0151 702 7367
unityangels
Red Skies – Stories from the
unitytheatre angels scheme
Wednesday 5 to Saturday 8 May
Did you know that you can play your part in unity’s future? By becoming a unityangel, you can! unityangels is a donation scheme, which allows unity to invest in new projects and the development of up and coming local artists, with your support!
71 years ago, the Germans began bombing British cities in the so-called blitzkrieg. Over 4000 people were killed and many thousands more injured on Merseyside alone.
Donate today by clicking onto unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk, or by calling Sue Williams on 0151702 7361. Make sure you gift aid your donation so that unity can claim additional tax relief to maximise your investment.
Liverpool Blitz By Jo Mac
Red Skies follows the fortunes of the Murphy family and how they coped in the face of this terror. It celebrates their humour and resilience but doesn’t shy away from the reality of people’s lives in wartime, yesterday or today. People may have cried a river of tears but they still found the time to laugh and dance and sing.
showtime 8:00pm tickets £10.00/£8.00 concessions
Monday 10 to Saturday 15 May
Monday 10 May
Tuesday 11 May
Wednesday 12 May
It’s time for the sun to peek through the clouds, the rain to naff off to wherever it lives in summer (possibly Wales?) and for everyone to come out and enjoy themselves. The Liverpool Comedy Festival is back for 2010 and has brought enough laughs for everybody.
Idiots of Ants
Eric’s Tales of the Sea
Jack Whitehall
The only show in the country where, not only do you get an evening of ground-breaking new comedy, but also, dinner, a romantic walk home and, who knows? You might even be invited in for coffee ...
With astonishing visuals, Eric gives you an insider’s view of the mysterious world beneath the waves in a nuclear submarine. An underwater existence where edgy camaraderie, black humour, death and destruction are the closest of bedfellows!
The Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer nominee and star of Mock the Week, 8 Out of 10 Cats and Big Brother’s Big Mouth brings you a brand new hour of comedy.
showtime 7:00pm tickets £6.00
showtime 7:00pm tickets £6.00
Edward Aczel
Brendan Riley: Happy Days Are Here Again
Edward won the prestigious Malcolm Hardee Award for ‘Best Comic Originality’ in Edinburgh this year for his sell-out show, ‘Do I Really Have To Communicate With You?’and is a BBC Comedy Award Runner-Up.
Happiness doesn’t happen by chance, it’s a state of mind. Following the success of ‘Happy Days’ comedian Brendan will once again take you on a voyage of fulfilment and self discovery. An hour of revelations, stories and top notch gags.
The Comedy Store’s award-winning character-comedy team’s new show features; Tommy Kittens, Steve Tits’ Movie-RoundUp [‘isn’t Christian Slater Richard Dawkins’ job description?’], children’s storyteller Beryl Haines [‘long ago when Google was still made of wood’] and more…
showtime 8:45pm tickets £6.00
showtime 8:45pm tickets £6.00
showtime 8:45pm tickets £6.00
We are now at Liverpool Comedy Festival number nine and this is possibly the best one yet. I know we say that every year but with acts of the quality of Jimmy Carr, John Bishop and Paul Merton all getting involved then we might be right! We have also got shows for kids, workshops for yoofs and cutting edge shows from the Edinburgh Fringe. A comic play holds the Festival together and there will be the usual collection of Drink Up Stand Up tours and comedy bus rides from Bus Stop Stand Up.
showtime 7:00pm tickets £6.00
Slaughterhouse Live
Thursday 13 May Funny Women Liverpool
Friday 14 May Pete Firman
Friday 14 May Rosie Wilby: The Science of Sex
Saturday 15 May Steve Gribbin: Laugh at First Sight
The Funny Women Awards, now in its eigth year, is here to seek out the newest female comedy talent in Liverpool.
The UK’s top comedic conjuror returns with an exclusive preview of his all new Edinburgh show. Expect an evening of jaw dropping tricks and side-splitting comedy as recently seen on ‘Derren Brown’s 3D Magic Spectacular’.
With her sellout show [Camden Fringe 2009], Liverpool born Funny Women finalist Rosie Wilby investigates the science of attraction and sexual chemistry.
Steve examines his torrid love affair with the comedic arts, detailing the ups, the downs, the stony silences, the euphoric highs, the sulphuric lows, the sheer unadulterated strangeness of a life devoted to that sternest of mistresses ... Comedy.
Multi award winning comedian and author Janey Godley will host the evening and the best new acts will get a chance to perform for this year’s prestigious title at the national final in London on 20th September. To enter: visit: funnywomen.com call: 020 8948 4444. Online registration is open.
Fresh from a critically acclaimed sell-out run at last year’s Fringe, Jon Richardson continues his first UK solo tour this Autumn. Join Jon as he gets life’s idiosyncrasies off his chest in his grumpy, yet uniquely charming, Northern style.
What makes us gay or straight? What turns us on? What are pheromones? Why are we attracted to one person and not another? What happens in the brain when we fall in love? What is the scientific origin of kissing? Do aphrodisiacs work?
showtime 7:00pm tickets £6.00
showtime 8:45pm tickets £10.00/£8.00
showtime 10:15pm tickets £6.00/£5.00
showtime 8:45pm tickets £6.00 Book Early!!!
rosiewilby.com
mrcraighill.com
showtime 7:00pm tickets £6.00
Jon Richardson: This Guy at Night
showtime 7:00pm tickets £6.00
Craig Hill: 40 Love ..? This show’s sooo not about tennis. Brandishing his legendary quick wit, the laughs come thick and fast as soon as the all singing, all dancing bekilted Hill is onstage. It’s a great fun night out. There’s no doubt about it – 40 Love..? will make you love 40!
Sell A Door Theatre Company
LIPA
Where The Solitary Eagle Flies
Les Liaisons Dangereuses By Christopher Hampton
Thursday 20 to Saturday 22 May
Thursday 27 to Saturday 29 May
Could you destroy an unyielding attraction if that attraction threatens to destroy you? Jake met Rachel as he searched for the answers to his past. Rachel met Jake as she tried to find the answers to her future. In their fairytale romance, a hidden secret lies beneath them that will change their relationship forever. Jake can’t keep his thoughts off Rachel. Rachel can’t hide her heart from Jake. How far can these lovers fare when the world has no place for their love? This hard hitting drama explores one of society’s most powerful taboos as the couple battle their affections in a backdrop of war and broken dreams. i: unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk boxoffice: 0844 873 2888
Multi award winning Sell a Door Theatre Co., and Liverpool Everyman young writer David Hutchinson, return to unity to premiere Where the Solitary Eagle Flies; a powerful drama of forbidden love and broken family.
Christopher Hampton’s Les Liaisons Dangereuses charts the seduction of both the young, innocent and very willing Cecile and the upstanding and devout Mme de Tourvel by Le Vicomte de Valmont.
If Sell a Door continues to offer work of this quality they’ll be around for a long time. The Scotsman on Falsettoland
Valmont begins the play as a cynical pleasure-seeker, proud of his reputation as a master manipulator and seducer.
An undiscovered gem. Remotegoat on The Secrets Inside.
He is encouraged in his enterprises by his former mistress, La Marquise de Merteuil, who shares his cynicism, but who has an ulterior motive.
selladoor.com
showtime 7:30pm tickets £9.00/£7.00 concessions £6.00 Students/Group Bookings
Set in France, among aristocrats before the Revolution, this timeless play is about sexual manners and manipulations bristling with tart, funny and exquisitely moulded lines. It is supple and addictive playwriting at its best. Performed by second year LIPA Acting students Original music score by LIPA student Joaqim Lewerin Contains scenes of nudity and sexual content
showtime 7:30pm tickets £7.00/£3.00 Student Fridays £2.50 NUS
Merseyside Youth Theatre Festival 2010
Mad Hatters Theatre
Move Through
Wishful Thinking
Saturday 5 June
Tuesday 8 and Wednesday 9 June
The future of theatre is here for one day! Young people of Merseyside are presented an opportunity to display their creative talents and achievements through the Merseyside Youth Theatre Festival 2010. After the success of the inaugural festival Move Through will introduce participants giving them a platform in the industry and mainly having fun. Come along and see the fresh, future talents of Merseyside.
The day will consist of three sessions, each made up of unique performances with the adjudication finale from a professional plus special performances.
Seven best friends at Leeds festival having the time of their lives. Suddenly through a irrelevant moment of madness things change forever. Repercussions that will last a lifetime.
Booking early is essential to ensure you see this gratifying collection of works!
‘It’s about standing at that crossroad and making your choice it’s those innocent and deep conversations we’ve all had, it’s about asking if we’ve made every moment count, if the choices we’ve made were right’.
Session One ....... 12:00pm Session Two .......... 3:30pm Session Three ...... 7:00pm Adjudication .......... 9:00pm
sessiontimes vary sessions £5.00/£3.00 Adjudication
An honest insight into a group of students trying to understand life and each other. A journey with a group of friends and the people they meet along the way.
A story about their fears, confusion, and secrets. And them trying to understand what happens next. Madhatters make their unity debut with this performance piece about contemporary youth, life, fears and confusion. Cast includes: Josh Bolt [Nowhere Boy], James Johnson [Nowhere Boy], Jack McMullen [Waterloo Road], Kris Mochrie [Emmerdale], Alex Sheldon [Grange Hill].
showtime 7:30pm tickets £6.50 There is frequent use of strong language
Tayo Aluko and Friends
Cottage Theatre Company
Call Mr. Robeson – A life, with songs Written and Performed By Tayo Aluko
Strictly Amusing
Thursday 10 and Friday 11 June
Tuesday 15 June
Paul Robeson is a world famous actor, singer and civil rights campaigner. When over the years he gets progressively too radical and outspoken for the establishment’s liking, he is branded a traitor to America, harassed, and denied opportunities to perform or travel. Just as physical, emotional and mental stress threaten to push him over the fine line between genius and madness, he is summoned to appear before the House Un-American Activities Committee, to give the most difficult and important performance of his career.
i: unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk boxoffice: 0844 873 2888
This roller coaster journey through Robeson’s remarkable and eventful life highlights how his radical activism caused him to be disowned and disremembered, even by the leaders and descendants of the civil rights movement. It features some of his famous songs and speeches, including a dramatic rendition of Ol’ Man River. This is a special fundraiser en route to the Edinburgh Fringe in August. Winner of the Argus Angel Award for Artistic Excellence, Best Male Performer, Brighton Fringe, 2008.
showtime 7:30pm tickets £10.00/£8.00 concessions
This spirited company presents a feast of silly sketches, from; Little Britain, Strictly Come Dancing, Star Trek and others. Together with an added dash of humorous songs and dances and a sprinkling of jokes this simply light hearted performance which is suitable for all ages, promises to leave you, at the very least, smiling. The Cottage Theatre Company is part of Fazakerley Special Needs Project. The company was created eighteen years ago initially for people with special educational needs. Although the priority is still with those with disabilities Cottage Theatre are
now an inclusive performing arts group and all ages and abilities are welcomed and work together. Through the performing arts they endeavor to help performers develop self confidence and a sense of self worth. Meetings Tuesday and Thursday evenings 6:30pm – 9:30pm. For further information contact: Fazakerley Special Needs Project, Cottage 4 Newhall Campus, Longmoor Lane, Liverpool L10 1LD Tel/fax: 0151 521 7569 email: fanp89@hotmail.com
showtime 7:30pm tickets £5.00/£4.00 children
Blue in the Face Theatre Company and Black Box
Guilty Dog Productions
La Favola dei Saltimbanchi [The Jugglers’ Tale] By Diego Grimaldi
Vivian Stanshall’s: Sir Henry at Rawlinson End
Thursday 17 and Friday 18 June
Tuesday 22 and Wednesday 23 June
In a world where the magic of dreams is overwhelmed by the coldness of everyday life a troupe of performers; jugglers and acrobats, are one step from extinction when a young child offers them new hope. In one last effort, they struggle to bring people back to the world of evergreen wonders and dreams. The management of a large chemical company provides a group of acrobats with the opportunity to tour the country in order to publicise its products. The only condition is that they leave Eli, a girl that the acrobats have found on the edge of a road after a global chemical catastrophe. But the story takes unexpected developments ...
Blue in the Face visit Liverpool for the first time and through the Italian and international clownish tradition, take you into a world where drama blends perfectly with juggling and clowning, full of colour and magic. Blue in the Face thinks of theatre as a form of ethnic art which looks at recitation as a strong personal tool for one’s self growth. Our slogan, “We live of dreams, as the others do, but we live of ours!”, is the evidence of our idea of art as a ‘sweet revolution’ of the way to do Culture. This show is in Italian with some English.
showtime 6:00pm tickets £7.00 ages 7+ and families
English as tuppence, changing yet changeless as canal water, nestling in green nowhere, armoured and effete... Great Aunt Florrie, toast-crumbs specking the fine hairs gracing her upper lip, tea-cup half empty, lukewarm in her lap, dozed in a cosy Chippendale settle... It was chill, but a beautiful morning. Overnight soft snow mattressed the vast acreage of Rawlinson... Outside icicles crystalline and lovely pendant from his nose, Old Scrotum the wrinkled retainer scrunched up the gravel whistling a dirty song...Sir Henry Rawlinson surfaced from the blackness, hot and fidgety... God’s turban and tutu! Do I need a dair of the hog...”
Guilty Dog Productions Present the World Premiere of the recreation of Vivian Stanshall’s legendary 1978 LP ‘Sir Henry at Rawlinson End. Mike Livesley plays the legendary Vivian Stanshall, who both narrates the story and portrays all the grotesques who inhabit Rawlinson End. Mike Livesley as Vivian Stanshall Director Paul Carmichael Musical accompaniment by Brainwashing House Design Joe Boyle
showtimes 8:00pm on 22 and 9:00pm on 23 tickets £9.00
Robert Productions
Too Write Productions present
That’s the way to do it Terry Titter
‘Slasher’ Kincade
Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 June
Thursday 1 to Saturday 3 July
Let’s get some sand in your lovely pants and slap that sunburn! Bluddy lovely!
Get buzzing. Sorted. Mines a 99! Do me back for me... Wish you were here.
Show us your white bits for two summer nights, a one off, one hour[ish!] brand new seaside spesh for flippin’ June! Join Mr T for a hot, sticky, Punch and Judy, deckchairs, get laughin, funfair seaside smasher! Get your after-sun on an’ park your arse for a right holiday hoot pass me that P*$*s Colada…
Terry is a regular cast member and contributor to Count Arthur Strong’s Radio Show, radio 4 which won the Sony Gold Award for best radio comedy.
Tickets please and make a night of it! No Kids or Dole, oh go on then Dole. But deffo not kids.
i: unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk boxoffice: 0844 873 2888
See him, be appalled, then see him again. The Independent Wonderful and brilliant. Edinburgh Evening News Made me sick through my nose into a paper cup from laughing. Brighton Argus
showtime 8:00pm tickets £10.00/£8.00 concessions Over 16 years only
There’s 80 minutes to go before the big speech at the trade convention. But if Robert’s new business and his very survival depend on it being a success, why has he asked terminally nervous Daniel to deliver it for him? Victims of his past savage down-sizing, what did Kincade do to them; what is Robert trying to prove? With the deadline fast approaching Daniel is still too petrified to speak when something unexpected happens. Unable to step in and save the situation Robert seems doomed. His and Daniel’s positions have changed utterly but now their perceptions must also as Daniel is now Robert’s only salvation.
‘With the chemistry of such a beautiful text and believable acting, the spell is indeed cast…’ Extra! Extra! on ‘The Baby Box’ 2008 ‘Chris Leicester’s clever, acerbic, unpredictable play…’ The Stage on ‘The Fourth Wall’ 2005 ‘…beg, borrow or knee-cap for a ticket!’ The Scotsman on ‘Mafioso’ 2003 slasherkincade.info
showtime 8:00pm tickets £9.00/£7.00 concessions
Patchwork Theatre
The Enthusiastic Theatre Company
Comfort Written by Stephen Smith
The Birthday Party
Tuesday 6 and Wednesday 7 July Redundancy has followed Rob around like a stray dog, but, as a counsellor for Personal Agony Relax and Release Call Centre [PARRCC] he begins to believe he has found his niche. With a talent for adding to company scripts Rob is noticed by the directors of [PARRCC] and he is invited to become the model for their AVATAR project. Immortality and ungenerous financial rewards beckon, however, Rob deviously breaks the company’s prime rule, “No counsellor shall ever meet a caller!”
Thursday 8 to Saturday 10 July Formed in 2008, Patchwork Theatre brings together poets, actors and musicians in performance at social clubs, pubs and theatres. Patchwork performances typically stitch together Shakespeare, performance poetry, social commentary sketches and popular music in a cabaret format. Nurturing artistes from the city’s community arts scene, Patchwork provides entertainment with a nip of satire.
A comedy of manners for the internet age with sparkling wit that punctures the dark side of our convenience culture.
showtime 7:30pm tickets £9.00/£7.00 concessions
There is something in your past – it does not matter what – that will catch up with you. Though you may go to the ends of the earth, hide yourself in the most obscure lodgings in the least popular of towns, one day there is the possibility that two men will appear. They will be looking for you and you cannot get away.
Widely slated on its premiere, now considered a classic, The Birthday Party is a masterful demonstration of Pinter’s ability to create terror in even the most innocent-seeming domestic settings, [here, a run-down Bed & Breakfast in a down-at-heel seaside town].
It is best to tell jokes, to bang a drum, to play blind man’s buff – anything to distract from fate’s inexorable approach.
Likened to the works of Becket and Ionesco, peopled with unforgettable characters, and variously labelled ‘avant-garde’ and ‘theatre of cruelty’, The Birthday Party has necessitated the coining of a new word: Pinteresque.
Happy Birthday, dear Stanley.
Come and find out why.
showtime 8:00pm tickets £10.00/£8.00 concessions
The Flyin’ Pig Theatre Company
Keyhole Theatre Company
The Isle of Hidden Agendas Written and directed by A.J Butler
O’Brien’s Dream Written by Bill Morrison
Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 July
Thursday 15 to Saturday 17 July
“Rule number one ... no questions!” When Jack, a security guard, is sent to guard an armoured door on a mysterious island, for a mysterious boss who has a reputation in cutting off more than the wages of lesser guards, he immediately starts to question his luck, his morals, and the strange sounds emanating from behind the door! Will Jack listen to the crazy conspiracy theorist? Will curiosity get the better of him? Will he survive the night? A hilarious comedy mystery about morality, curiosity and insanity. i: unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk boxoffice: 0844 873 2888
Formed in 2003, award winning Flyin’ Pig Theatre Company are a performance group that specialises in staging new writing. We all involve ourselves as much as possible in the theatre scene, helping in other companies’ productions and offering help and guidance wherever possible. Over the last few years The Flyin’ Pig have staged six-one act plays in theatres across the northwest. One of which, Melting Point [also written by A.J Butler] was submitted into the All England One act Festival, where it was nominated for Most Original Script, Best Comedy, and Best Actor awards.
showtime 8:00pm tickets £9.00/£7.00 concessions Contains infrequent strong language
The year is 1845 and hunger and lack of work has forced Sean O’Brien to leave Ireland and join other emigrants on the boat to England. This, however, is only the first stage for Sean and his dream to sail on to America. Sean’s friendliness and innocence makes him a prey for the crimps from the moment he arrives in Liverpool and his subsequent fortunes and misfortunes on this journey is the subject of this musical play. After the sell out premiere of O’Brien’s Dream in 2009 Keyhole Theatre return to unity with this new piece of musical theatre.
Music and lyrics by Frankie Connor and Alan Crowley. Keyhole Theatre Company started in 1990 as a way of offering performance possibilities and opportunities for actors in between jobs, non-professional enthusiasts, newly qualified drama students waiting for work and playwrights waiting for work to be shown. Over the years Keyhole has had fun writing workshops, worked in prisons, presented new plays, toured the Edinburgh Festival several times, joined forces with established community drama groups, worked in schools and appeared in local festivals.
showtime 8:00pm tickets £9.00/£7.00 concessions
Brouhaha! 2010
LHK Productions
All Feet Dance
The Road to Fame
Tuesday 20 July
Thursday 22 to Saturday 24
A night of dance and music from Spain and the Caribbean Islands. It’s the night for festival favourites Ballet Entredanzas to showcase their dazzling contemporary flamenco style. Country Boys Tassa Group and Amritam Shakti Dance Company [Trinidad & Tobago] Bring the Tassa Style indigenous to Trinidad & Tobago mixing traditional South Asian rhythms with Caribbean sound of Soca. This year they are accompanied by the Amritam Shakti Dancers who have recently had the honour of performing in the USA for President Barack Obama.
Ballet Les Fonds Blancs Their first year at the festival the company will bring participants from their Grundtvig project presenting dance and music of the traditional folkloric style including ‘Bel Air’ and carnival dances. Ballet Entredanzas Returning for their 15th year, continuing to push contemporary flamenco into uncharted territories. Ballet Entredanzas’s unique style continues produce performances for public spaces. Fusing traditional Spanish Flamenco, choreographed ballet, contemporary dance with castanuelas and rhythmic clapping.
showtime 7:30pm tickets £7.00/£6.00 concessions
In Act 1 we celebrate numbers from the hit musical ‘Fame’ The opening number ‘Hard Work’ introduces the students and teachers. We follow Carmen, Tyrone, Shlomo, Joe Vegas, Lambchops and their fellow students as they sing and dance their way through the highs and lows of study at this justly famous school. With numbers including ‘Fame’, ‘Dancin’ on the Sidewalk’ and ‘Bring on Tomorrow’ this inspirational story shows the determination On the Road To Fame. Following that in Act 2 we invite you to celebrate some of the best musicals Broadway and the West End can offer. The Jersey
Boys- story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons celebrates their music and will have you singing along to your favourites such as ‘Oh What a Night’, ‘Big Girls Don't Cry’ and ‘Sherry’. Then follow the stories of Glinda and Elpheba in Wicked, the prequel to The Wizard of Oz as they ‘Defy Gravity’ in the Emerald City. Finally we raise the roof with the unforgettable music of Queen in ‘We Will Rock You’. Not to be missed this will see dancing in the aisles.
showtime 7:00pm tickets £12.50/£10.50 children/concessions
DGF Productions
Arabic Arts
Suffocating Written by Rachel Feeny-Williams and Dawn L Foster
Merseyside Arab Dance Showcase
Tuesday 27 and Wednesday 28 July
Saturday 31 July
Suffocating tells the story of Charlotte, an unfortunate girl who is given up to a world of violence, drugs, prostitution and her eventual incarceration into an institution. It also challenges the emotions of the audience as they are drawn into the world of Charlotte and the issues as she was growing up. Premiering in 2007 at The Cornerstone Festival’s one act play competition, Suffocating won a deanery prize and proved influential when performed at Liverpool Hope University over three nights to near sell out audiences each night in March 2008.
“I saw suffocating in its first performance at Hope uni, and was impressed. It gave a bleak insight into murky world of prostitution and its effects on its victims, yet managed to make us all laugh at times. The characters are lively and interesting, and when needed, creepy and loathsome ... or funny. A well directed gem of a play.” Student who watched the show at the Cornerstone Festival. dawnyelle.co.uk
Directed By Dawn L Foster i: unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk boxoffice: 0844 873 2888
showtime 8:00pm tickets £9.00/£7.00 concessions Suitable for age 15+
Teachers and students from across Merseyside come together in this exciting celebration of Middle Eastern dance. From lively Egyptian and Turkish folklore to modern spin offs such as American Tribal Style. This dance form has captured the hearts and imagination of so many women and men around the UK.
Coordinated by Caroline Afifi who is one of founding members of the Liverpool Arabic Arts festival.
In this performance you will experience the diversity of people drawn to this unique dance style.
Caroline will be touring in the United States October 2010 starting in Las Vegas and heading North to Seattle.
Enjoy the night of music and learn more about one of the most misunderstood and misrepresented dance forms around the world.
For more information go to arabicartsfestival.co.uk
She has been performing and teaching Egyptian dance for 15 years and working both nationally and internationally.
showtime 8:00pm tickets £9.00/£7.00 concessions
Mick Gill
unity
Mersey Son
30 years at unitytheatre
Tuesday 4 May to Saturday 29 May
Tuesday 1 June to Saturday 31 July
South Liverpool > the Holy Land > across the Irish Sea
How Did We Get Here! This exhibition celebrates, through posters and photographs, raided from the archive, thirty years of presenting theatre at unity’s Hope Place venue.
Mick Gill studied at the Royal Academy of Art from ’94 – ’97 and is Director of Art at Merchant Taylors Girls School, where he runs The Vitreum arts space. He has works in numerous corporate and private collections, including Rothchilds Bank. “I love making and finding images through various techniques and processes. Mersey Son is a series of paintings which explores place, memory and feeling through colour and paint. A kind of modern day Divine comedy set in Liverpool.”
These two consecutive exhibitions not only recall the huge variety of work that has been on show, but will remind you of some of the extraordinary companies and artists who have performed here. Many of them have gone on to greater fame, and a few are probably now selling insurance! But, that is the essence of unity – every visit holds surprises.
free: view throughout unity during opening hours
free: view throughout unity during opening hours
A collection from the archives for our unity exhibition
fleetstreet
unity promotions These shows are programmed by unity, promoted by unity marketing and the producing company. For more information please call Graeme Phillips on 0151702 7363.
arradstreet Car Park myrtlestreet Philharmonic Hall caledoniastreet Ego
hopeplace
Richer Sounds
Liverpool Art School [R I P]
Tokyou
falknerstreet
roscoe Lane
For large print and audio brochures, please call us on 0844 873 2888.
Jacksons Art Shop seelstreet
Our thanks to... The Makin Charitable Trust Heritage Lottery Fund Hope Street Ltd The Granada Foundation The Frood Family Anne Hornsby BBC Children in Need, supporting unityyouth theatre Our patrons: Josette Bushell-Mingo, Bill Kenwright, Andrew Lancel, David Morrissey and unityangels Thanks to the City of Liverpool for its financial support
Cream
The Kazimier wolstenholmesquare Gostin Building dukestreet The Mayflower
Christakis St Petersburg
Restaurant
Bar
33 45
3Beat
parrstreet
Car Park
Car Park
HeebieJeebies
Theatre
ricestreet
Blackburne House
Number 60
Car Park The Pilgrim
Far East The Grapes knightstreet
mountstreet LIPA
Yuet Ben
dukestreet C3 The China Monroe Town Music Venue
Blackburne Café
Ye Cracke
Static
Zanzibar Peacock seelstreet
Liverpool Art School [R I P]
anglicancathedral
These shows may include professional, semi-professional, community, student or amateur companies.
Jamm Factory The Side Door
Quarter
boldplace
woodstreet Probe FACT 3B fleetstreet
Everyman Theatre & Bistro
The Picket [R I P]
hopestreet
woodstreet Krazy House Open Eye
Church
metropolitancathedral
Utility
pilgrimstreet
Waterstones HMV
Dory’s
Independent Production
Korova Fly In Philharmonic Pub The Loaf Magnet hardmanstreet 10 til 10
For people with disabilities,senior citizens, job seekers, students and under 16s. Proof of eligibility must be provided.
LJMU – LSU
Leecestreet rodneystreet Hannahs Bar roscoestreet
Concessions
Post Office
Buy ten tickets and get the eleventh free, subject to availability.
rodneystreet Café Porto roscoestreet
boldstreet
Masque Car Park
Group bookings
Zorbas
boldstreet
slaterstreet
We are unable to offer refunds. Due to the studio nature of our auditoria, doors will open a few minutes before the performance. Latecomers may not be admitted.
marylandstreet
WRC
Reservations Tickets can be reserved for up to 3 days. If the performance is within those 3 days tickets can be held until 1 hour before the performance, at which point they will be released and put back on sale.
Bargain Booze
Resurrection
Tabac
unity is accessible to disabled visitors. The entrance is ramped and there is a lift to all levels of the theatre. Wheelchair spaces are available in both theatres and there are accessible toilets on all levels. Call unity boxoffice in advance with any access requirements and to book a wheelchair space.
station
berrystreet
Disabled access
Rennies Coffee Matta’s Art Shop Union
central
Soul
Please note: 50p charge for credit/debit transactions.
If you have a few spare hours each week and would like to see shows for free, why not come and help our Front of House team. Please call Chris Hennessey on 0151702 7360.
The Egg Café
Forbidden Planet
You can also contact the ticketoffice by: utext: 07840 65 98 07 email: tickets@unitytheatre.co.uk
Volunteers
slaterstreet
Monday: 1:00pm to 6:00pm Tuesday to Saturday: 10:30am to 6:00pm Performance Nights: 10:30am to 15 minutes after the show begins. Sunday: Closed
Dickie Lewis'
renshawstreet
ticketoffice is open between the following hours:
Both theatres and bars are available for daytime hire, workshops, events, meetings and conferences. Catering is also available by arrangement, call Chris Hennessey on 0151702 7360.
unitymap, with places to go before and after newington
telephone: ticketoffice 0844 873 2888 [local Rate] online: unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk [£2.50 per transaction] inperson: 1 Hope Place, Liverpool L1 9BG
Theatre & bar hire
Host
Booking your unitytickets
blackburneplace
Bellews
upper dukestreet
Recording Studio
Cinema
Café
Retail
Gallery
Studio
Transport
Parking
Central Station and Lime Street Station are a 15 minute walk away. For timetable information call 0871 200 22 33.
Please note that Hope Place is residents only parking between 8:00am & 6:00pm.
Arriva buses 1 and 4 link Hope Street with Liverpool city centre and both stations.
printed by
Merseylink on 0151 709 1929. t: 0151 922 8516 e: info@theprintroomuk.com
ticketoffice: 0844 873 2888 online: unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk email: tickets@unitytheatre.co.uk utext: 07840 65 98 07 inperson: at unity 1 Hope Place, Liverpool, L1 9BG a plast•c design by Ged Doyle This brochure has been printed on an alcohol free press using vegetable oil based inks and is100% recycleable.