A Street Like This: New play in Sunderland announced on World Theatre Day
A new play is coming to Wearside - created by a Sunderland singer, a Newcastle writer and a community of people at Sunderland's Pop Recs arts hub
Last updated 27th Mar 2023
A new play is coming to Wearside - created by a Sunderland singer, a Newcastle writer and a community of people at Sunderland's Pop Recs arts hub.
Unfolding Theatre are presenting "A Street Like This" - written by Newcastle's Alison Carr, with original music from Ross Millard - the frontman of Sunderland rock bank The Futureheads.
It's also been helped with the participation of local residents, who meet at Wearside arts and community hub Pop Recs.
It will take to the state at The Fire Station in Sunderland on the 29th of June, before touring around the North East in the autumn.
Director Annie Rigby says, "I'm incredibly excited to direct A Street Like This. Alison Carr’s writing is brilliant at weaving together the everyday and the extraordinary.
"It’s a show that is full of surprises, laughter, music and huge amounts of joy.
"Set on a ’normal’ street, where people feel disconnected and stuck in their routines, it shows how big, unexpected events can open up new possibilities.”
Ross Millard has co-written original music for A Street Like This, following his first collaboration with Unfolding Theatre on Putting the Band Back Together.
He says;
"Getting the chance to follow-up with the group formed during Putting the Band Together and moving into co-creation territory has been really appealing to me.
"We’ve gained some new members along the way, and it has been great to see the collective confidence of the group grow and grow.
"We’ve had an impressive number of song submissions and workshop-generated material and seeing that come to life as part of this brand new musical show will be very satisfying.
"It's about community, ambition, dreams and routines made by an actual community, with disparate voices, opinions and ways of seeing the world.
"The group have supported one another throughout the process to write and perform and, particularly coming out of the pandemic, some of the conversations we've had along the way have felt really pertinent - I think that will certainly come across in the show.”
To mark World Theatre Day, and the announcement of A Street Like This, Annie tells us;
"It's been a tough time for theatres, like it has for many businesses, but its great starting to welcome audiences back,
"So we really wanted to celebrate World Theatre Day, and invite people to think about supporting... coming to their local venue wherever that might be - to see anything!"
A Street Like This is on at both 6:30pm and 8:30pm on the 29th of June 2023, and you can find out more about how to get tickets here.