SUNFEST 2016 – The Student Take Over!
Sunderland drama students are staging a series of critically
acclaimed plays at Arts Centre Washington as part of the annual arts festival ‘Sunfest’ throughout
the month of May.
The University of Sunderland
students will bring several plays to life at the venue, featuring the work of
some of UK’s greatest playwrights, presenting some
unforgettable nights of drama.
‘Sunfest’
is organised by the University’s Faculty of Arts, Design and Media, in which
students take over the Theatre space at Arts Centre Washington for a whole
month to run their own exciting programme of theatre. This will be the fifth year that the festival
of drama has taken place.
Graeme
Thompson, Dean of Arts, Design and Media at the University of Sunderland,
said: “Sunfest gives our students the
experience of planning, producing and performing shows for a paying audience.
It’s an invaluable experience and a tremendous platform to showcase their
skills. I am grateful to our friends at
Arts Centre Washington for providing
this unique opportunity for our students.”
Helen
Green, Creative Director at Arts Centre Washington said “At
Arts Centre Washington we are
passionate about working with young people; supporting new and emerging talent
in Sunderland and the
development of high quality theatre experiences for all. We are therefore
delighted to be able to merge all three of these priorities in the Sunfest
partnership with the University of Sunderland. Arts Centre Washington’s growing
reputation for original and innovative theatre makes it an ideal base for the
drama students where they can gain a real insight into the workings of a
small-scale touring venue.”
There
are a number of thought-provoking plays including works by William Shakespeare,
Sean O’Casey, William Wycherley and others
Performances
will include:
The Drunks on Thursday 5 May and
Saturday 7th May. Taking place in a
small rural town in Russia, Ilya, a shell shocked soldier returns home after
serving on the frontline only to unwittingly
becomes a pawn in an extraordinary power struggle.
Juno and the Paycock on Thursday 12
and Friday 13 May. In this modern
classic, playwright Sean O’Casey mixes drama and pathos with robust humour as
he creates a vivid depiction of Irish working-class life during a bloody civil
war.
The Plough and the Stars on Saturday 14 May. Sean O'Casey's masterpiece paints a
vivid portrait of a city and a nation in turmoil during the Easter Rising
in Dublin 1916.
The Country Wife
on Thursday 19 May + Saturday 21 May. A
play reflective of a new era—the "Restoration"—which followed an
eleven-year period of harsh Puritanical rule under Oliver Cromwell, by William
Wycherley.
King Lear on
Thursday 26 May. By William Shakespeare
- A kingdom is divided on a whim, a King loses first his family, then his
throne and then his mind.
The Tempest on Saturday 28 May. By William Shakespeare, when a powerful
sea-tempest shipwrecks Prospero’s former adversaries, they are tricked and
tormented to hilarious effect.
Tickets:
Sunfest
runs at Arts Centre Washington
from Thursday 5 – Saturday 28 May.
Tickets for all performances are £7.50 / £6 (concessions )/ £5 (NUS) and start at 7.30pm. To book or for more information visit www.artscentrewashington.co.uk
or call 0191 561 3455
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