News: New theatre production company provides the perfect excuse to get in out of the cold this winter

New theatre production company provides the perfect excuse to get in out of the cold this winter

Newcastle Alphabetti Theatre
Tuesday 7 to Friday 10 November The Establishment: Eton Mess
Tuesday 21 to Friday 24 November Hummingbird
Tuesday 5 to Friday 8 December Be More, Do Better But Don’t Change
Wednesday 13 to Friday 15 December Improvised Bond

Thursday 14 December C Hammersmith’s Magical Freestyle Factory

As the nights draw in and the temperature drops new North East based company CaroleW Productions is providing theatregoers with the perfect excuse to get in out of the cold and be entertained this winter as it presents work by five eclectic companies at Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle’s newest theatre venue based on St James Boulevard.

During November and December audiences will have the chance to enjoy an eclectic mix of entertainment including the side-splitting, stiff-upper-lipped hilarity of The Establishment: Eton Mess; a startling tale of love, murder and Americana in Hummingbird; an evening featuring villains, gadgets and femme fatales galore in Improvised Bond; freestyle hip hop comedy courtesy of MC Hammersmith as well as the homegrown talents of Rosin Crowley Linton with her endearing brutal honesty and disarming charm in Be More, Do Better But Don’t Change.

The Establishment: Eton Mess

Kicking off the CaroleW Productions season will be energetic duo Dan Lees and Neil Frost with their show The Establishment: Eton Mess from Tuesday 7 to Friday 10 November. Following critically-acclaimed runs at Edinburgh, Brighton and Prague Fringes this is a chance to see some of the best of clowning, quick wit and British stiffed lipped eccentricity in action courtesy of Honky Bonk Theatre. Audiences will get the chance to meet two ultra-privileged British gents from a bygone era as they take to the stage in this extremely fun, high-spirited show. Struggling to hold on to their values, wealth and power in the modern world, their whimsical world of cricket, tea and secret arms deals is under threat and they’re not giving up that easily.

Hummingbird

Next up is young international company Tooth+Nail with their award-winning physical theatre production Hummingbird which shares a darkly beautiful story of how doomed love leads to complicity in murder from Tuesday 21 to Friday 24 November. Like latter-day Macbeths audiences are invited to meet Ralph Conti and Edith Cole as they lead each other ever further into darkness along a path that ultimately leads to the electric chair.

Inspired by the infamous Lonely Hearts Killers who entrapped their victims through newspaper small ads in the USA in the late 1940s and early 1950s Hummingbird, which premièred at the Edinburgh Fringe 2016 is both disturbing and thrilling. Using songs, jingles, TV broadcasts, adverts and other Americana typical of the era the show conjures up the spectre of a couple who are mesmerised by consumer culture. This acrobatic, delicate and often funny show is underpinned by an awareness of love’s destructive potential.

Be More, Do Better But Don’t Change

Taking to the stage from Tuesday 5 to Friday 8 December will be Newcastle’s very own Roisin Crowley Linton with her own unique take on love. Members of the public are invited to join her as she talks about Love with a capital L, how annoying Love is, and ultimately how much she wishes we could talk about anything else in her debut one woman show Be More, Do Better But Don’t Change.

Using her unique and seamless blend of spoken word poetry, stand up and story telling this is a show that feels just like having a chat in the pub with your new best friend, if your best friend drank her wine too quick and told her intimate secrets to a room full of strangers.

Improvised Bond

Providing alternative Christmas entertainment from Wednesday 13 to Friday 15 December will be improvised comedy troupe The Men With Coconuts with their show Improvised Bond. Based in Edinburgh, The Men With Coconuts have firmly established themselves as Scotland’s leading professional musical improv troupe. Known for their energy, easy confidence, self-effacing good humour and quick fire comedy, Improvised Bond showcases the eccentric talents of Steve Worsley, Charles Hindley, Colin Bramwell and Will Naameh. This a real crowd pleaser, programmed to encourage audiences to dress to impress and incorporate this hour long show in their Christmas festivities.


These productions have been hand-picked by seasoned theatre professional Carole Wears whose new company CaroleW Productions aims to bring the best the festival circuit has to offer to the region. Carole explains “I am delighted to be bringing such a talented group of companies to the region, many for the first time. With each show lasting no more than an hour this is a great way to start a night out in such a vibrant city. As a space to experiment, evolve and discover excellence I could think of no better venue than Alphabetti Theatre to present my first season of shows. I can’t wait for audiences to sample the range of eclectic, engaging and professional productions that I will be bringing to stages across the region now and in the future.”

Carole will be a familiar face to may of Newcastle’s theatre going audiences after spending the last 25 years welcoming audiences to theatres across the region, most recently for the last 22 years at Newcastle’s Live Theatre. Incredibly, Carole has also spent the last 17 years as Associate Director of the Prague Fringe after co-founding it in 2000. Since then she has welcomed over 600 companies from far flung destinations including Japan, Norway, USA, Holland, Serbia, India and Canada. This year’s Prague Fringe festival ran for nine days in late May/early June, presenting 160 performances of fifty shows across nine venues.

Ali Pritchard, Artistic Director at Alphabetti Theatre said: Like all great plans the seed for Carole to launch CaroleW Productions with Alphabetti's new venue was firmly planted over a pint of beer in a sunny/rainy beer garden! Carole's work with Live Theatre and setting up Prague Fringe Festival has been invaluable to not only the North East but the UK's art scene - Alphabetti and I are honoured to be part of her next chapter.”

All of the companies presenting work via CaroleW Productions are also offering a series of accompanying workshops for schools/students making these production real value for money.

Tickets:
For more information about productions or to book tickets visit www.alphabettitheatre.co.uk or contact the Alphabetti Theatre box office on (0191) 261 9125 to reserve tickets. Tickets range from ‘Pay what you like’ to £8.