New talent tours the area

Over the past six months, New Perspectives and Dramaturg William Drew have supported three regionally-based emerging writers, Alison Dunne, Imogen Joyce and Saraa Rain, to each create an exciting new short play inspired by places across the East Midlands.

These scripts, exploring familiarity and otherness, are brought to life by a group of eight talented creatives, who have come together to further develop their practices and showcase the talent of the region.

Led by New Perspectives’ Director-on-Attachment, Theresa Keogh, they have completed a six-month practical programme, including workshops and masterclasses led by industry professionals.

This Place explores familiar places through the eyes of the outsider.

Journey into the worlds of our three isolated heroines as they search for a new home. Can they find a way to build a new future? Notts Sweet Home (Saraa Rain) is the story of Gabrielle, forced by family circumstance to travel from her home country to an alien city where nowhere feels quite right and everyone is moving in the opposite direction.

A cold house becomes home to the next heroine in Bonemill (Alison Dunne), where she must discover common ground with her estranged aunt, and face her fear towards the unsettling mill buildings out back. In the final play, Bonner Mox (Imogen Joyce), Wreck has just had the worst day of her young life. She wants to break free, but the best she can do is hide at the top of Bonner Hill. And she’s beginning to realise her most meaningful relationship is with a fox.

This year’s creative company sees a lot of Derbyshire talent working with others from the region to produce this East Midlands tour. The whole company is made up of actors Simon Butler (Derby), Ryan Gilmartin (Spalding), Kyle Futers (Nottingham), Alisia Hargreaves (Nottingham), Chloe Culpin (Nottingham), Madeleine Jogela (Derby), producer Sandy Peet (Mansfield) and assistant director Hope Ward-Brown (Derby).

Actor Simon Butler, from Allestree, has played a number of iconic roles in student performances, including Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Victor in Private Lives, and Billy in Lovesong. He is honing his talents with Emerging Perspectives before heading to Edinburgh to perform in two shows at the Fringe Festival.

Maddy Jogela is also a budding actress; she is currently a member of the National Youth Theatre, and performed at venues such as the open air Minack Theatre in Cornwall. She is delighted to have the opportunity to perform close to home once again.

Aspiring director Hope Ward-Brown will be working with another Derbyshire talent, Theresa Keogh, to direct the show.

Theresa most recently directed Unforgettable (2015), which ran for a week at the Derby Guildhall Theatre. In 2012 she won the BBC Writersroom Heartlands Award. She also achieved the Creative Exchange diploma in directing, working on various stage productions and films and is a graduate of the Creative England Talent Programme.

About This Place and this year’s company, Theresa said: “We are delighted to have welcomed such a diverse and talented range of theatre-makers from the region, to create such an exciting new piece. Every year we work with emerging artists from across the East Midlands and it is extraordinary to see them develop and establish themselves; This Place is testament to their exceptional talents.

Artistic director of New Perspectives Jack McNamara said: “A lot of our work at New Perspectives is informed by a strong sense of place and our connection to the East Midlands region. As a touring company we are constantly visiting new places and communities and this has made us fascinated by the idiosyncrasies that underpin them.

“This year, we challenged our writers on attachment to write for specific locations, unearthing stories that lie hidden within them. It has proved to be a great stimulus, which the exceptional quality of writing in This Place demonstrates.

This Place’s four-date tour will be visiting:

Bonington Theatre, Arnold, at 7.30pm, on Tuesday, July 7.

Old Library, Mansfield, at 7.30pm, on Wednesday, July 8.

St. Peter’s Church, Thurgarton, at 7.30pm, on Thursday, July 9.

St. Christopher’s Church Hall, Sneinton, at 7.30pm, on Saturday, July 11.

See www.newperspectives.co.uk for ticket details and more on the performances.