New Year, New Shows, New Writing, Newcastle
Live Theatre has announced a trio of visiting theatre shows for February 2022. The line-up includes Rowan McCabe’s Door To Door Poetry, Drag Me To Love from the fabulous Bonnie and the Bonnettes and Human Nurture written by Ryan Calais Cameron.
Door to Door Poetry on Wednesday 2 February is a funny and thought-provoking show about trust, class and community from Rowan McCabe. In March 2019, Rowan, the world’s first Door-to Door poet, set out to visit 12 locations across England, knocking on strangers’ doors and writing poems for them, for free on a subject of their choosing. It’s a bit like the Avon lady, except with rhymes.
Through this bold and arguably stupid act, Rowan was trying to find out what matters to people, what is the state of our nation and if strangers are really as scary as they are made out to be. As March 2020 approached, world events pushed the project in a very different direction! A mix of theatre and spoken word, the show tells the story of what happened to Rowan in the build-up to lockdown.
Bonnie and the Bonnettes return to Live Theatre from Thursday 10 to Saturday 12 February with Drag Me To Love, an autobiographical three person show combining drag performance with theatrical storytelling. Set against a backdrop of pop anthems and glitter, we follow 14 year old Cameron as he throws himself into a pair of 6-inch stilettos and the glamorous world of drag.
Imagine you are 14 years old – having that fire in your belly and seeing no limitations or rules. It’s the uncertainty of your own identity and the creation of a new one. It’s about finding a safe place between the two. Between boy and drag. It’s a reflection. An exorcism. A scrapbook. It’s expression. It’s power. It’s Doncaster 2009. A sparkly, fun and feel good night out.
The third show is Human Nurture by Ryan Calais Cameron and presented by Theatre Centre and Sheffield Theatres. Directed by Rob Watt the play follows Roger and Harry, two boys who share a bond so strong that they could be brothers. They share the same food, music, computer games and even dreams, everything other than their race - Roger is black, and Harry is white. When Roger is rehomed, Harry is left behind in the care system, and these “brothers” grow up in opposite ends of Britain’s social spectrum. Then on Harry’s birthday, Runako (Roger’s reclaimed Zimbabwean birth name) returns for a dream reunion that turns into a nightmare situation. Human Nurture from Thursday 17 to Saturday 19 February is a new play full of colour, noise, and a lot of dynamite.
Graeme Thompson, Creative Producer at Live Theatre said: “Following a great reopening Autumn season of Live Theatre exclusives, we’re delighted to start 2022 off by bringing this terrific trio of visiting shows, featuring new writing, new stories and new laughs.”
Tickets for a great night of theatre in the heart of Newcastle Quayside are on sale now from as little as £6 www.live.org.uk or from Box Office on (0191) 232 1232.
