CityLife

Preview: Re:play Festival 2011

National Express

Now in its fourth year, the Re:play festival is an annual event offering a second chance to see some of the most exciting new theatre from Manchester’s thriving fringe scene over the last 12 months.

This year, the festival’s usual host, the currently-homeless Library Theatre, is collaborating with Contact. The festival, opening on January 18, features 10 new plays, including three 15-minute plays presented as one programme.

There are also three related events, including the Re:play Debate, chaired by Contact’s artistic director Baba Israel; First Stage, an opportunity for writers, devisers and performers to test ideas under development in front of an audience; and Pitch Party, which offers young artists the chance to pitch an idea for a new work to The Library Theatre Company and Contact, one of which will be chosen that night for supported development over the next year.

The first two productions, both running from Tuesday to Thursday next week, are Make Believe, by Luke Walker and Sally Lawton, and The National Express, by Stephanie Ridings, a comedy set on a National Express coach taking three women back to Manchester.

Make Believe was first seen at last year’s 24:7 Theatre Festival and Luke and Sally first met three years before that, when each had a play in the 2007 24:7 Theatre Festival. Luke’s play went on to be seen at the Octagon Theatre in Bolton and the Library Theatre as well as getting nominated for an MEN Theatre Award for Best New Play before embarking on a national tour.

Even though Sally’s was, as she wryly admits, a bit less successful, the pair, from Littleborough and Haslingden respectively, joined forces after they discovered that they shared the same birth date and were born only hours apart – a chance of thousands to one – making them, in astrological terms, Astral Twins!

Make Believe, they say, “is a comedy that leaves a lot to the imagination.  If you let it, your mind can take you anywhere.  But in a world where fantasy and fact collide, is it time to stop pretending and join the ‘real’ world?”. It’s directed by Alyx Tole who lives in Stalybridge.

Following a sell-out performance as artist-in-residence at Contact Theatre, Blackpool-born writer and actor Stephanie Ridings , is also bringing her play The National Express “back for a return journey” as part of the festival.

Her play, redeveloped for this outing with comedian Debs Gatenby of the comedy duo Harry & Lou, and local actress and writer Francesca Waite, co-artistic director of Manchester-based Monkeywood Theatre, took shape after three women answered an advert posted on the internet, reading ‘Wanted: journey men or women to take a trip on the National Express. Calm, centred, together people need not apply.’

Each had their own reason for applying - to discover things about themselves, as it could be their big break, and because no one else was available.

So they set out on a journey aboard a National Express coach,  heading home to Manchester, observing, eating and drinking the miles and the time away as they test the theory, posited by pop group The Divine Comedy, ‘Take the National Express when your life’s in a mess, it will make you smile’.

“I’ve always been a big fan of the Divine Comedy,” Stephanie explains, “and thought it would be interesting to see if their theory still stands up today. When you take a journey for no other reason than to observe the world around you, interesting, funny, sometimes beautiful moments that may have passed you by become inspirational.”

Stephanie’s recent play Me, Mum & Dusty Springfield work enjoyed a sell out run at the Edinburgh Festival and a highly successful national tour recently. As a result she is now developing the work as a one-off drama for television. 

Re:play 2011 runs from January 18 to 29. Tickets and more information from www.librarytheatre.com or www.contact-theatre.org.