Those taking part receive a year-long creative attachment to Landmark Theatres – which runs Peterborough’s New Theatre and Key Theatre – and the majority of their work will be based and delivered at the Key.
This weekend, local audiences have the chance to see the early sparks of creativity in Peterborough at a discounted ticket price before the artists take their work on the road.
There’s a wide range of shows – spoken word, a musical, cabaret, so something for everyone to enjoy.
There’s one finished piece, from Jude Simpson called A Noise Annoys, which is a family poetry show.
The rest are all works in progress.
Tickets are priced at £8 (cheaper tickets for children for A Noise Annoys) with offers available if you book multiple shows. See www.keytheatre-peterborough.com
Here is what is coming up:
Charley Genever: Mind, Run Wild Friday, May 2 (6pm) Mind, Run Wild is a one-person spoken word show about imagination, rule breaking, and belief by Peterborough’s Charley Genever.
Disillusioned by democracy, and carrying the weight of injustice in her hair follicles, Charley attempts to find the answer to the question: what happens if we actually let our minds run wild?
Alan Seiglow: The Resurrection of Joy Friday, May 2 (8.30pm) The Resurrection of Joy is the story of a working-class son’s journey to find the best way to celebrate his mum.
It’s an exploration of memory, navigating challenges and survival through the darkest of times, of searching through the past to understand the present. It’s also a big old celebration of family do’s, knocking back a Babycham, dancing with your aunties, of bingo at Butlins and bowls of scouse and the power of finding joy in life again.
Jude Simpson: A Noise Annoys Saurday, May 3 and Sunday, May 4 (2pm) “A Noise Annoys” is a poetry show for all the senses!
It features rhymes, noises, songs, surprises and lots of audience interaction suitable for the whole family.
Bursting with joyful humour and witty wordplay, Jude takes the audience on a mind-bending journey through the sounds of language and the language of sounds. There is lots of joy, a healthy dose of nonsense, and a few heartfelt moments of beautiful hush.
A Noise Annoys started its development at Cambridge Junction Theatre, where audiences described it as “witty, engaging, fun, imaginatively clever.”
Jude looks forward to developing the show to its full potential, ready for touring this year.
Emma-Louise Howell: What Are We Looking For?
& Sam Turton: What Would The Neighbours Think
Saturday, May 3. 6pm (double bill) What Are We Looking For? “You are asking me to describe a gap. Something that has become an empty space.” A woman goes missing and the world looks for her. They look at every single detail of her. A new play interrogating the unstoppable rise of media sleuths and our obsession with True Crime, this play tackles the dangerous phenomenon of Missing White Woman syndrome and what happens when crime against women becomes a genre of entertainment. Blending theatre, audio drama and podcast culture, this is a new way to experience true crime podcasts and unravel the darker side of the stories we can’t seem to stop ourselves listening to. What Would The Neighbours Think attempts to look at the current conflicts within the country around the reaction to the refugee crisis. It follows the story of a community in the East of England and their reaction to their local restaurant and hotel being turned into a migrant hotel.
How does a community deal with drastic change and what will be the effect of the new residents.
It also focuses on the story of a young boy living in the hotel and the journey of his family to that place so far away from the home they loved.
What Would The Neighbours Think Was conceived in early 2024 in the build up to the summer election. With the rise of reform and the summer of mass unrest, the work attempts to examine the country’s relationship with migration, refugees and how welcoming we really are as a nation.
Lydia Idakula : Queen Idia The Musical Sunday, May 4 (4pm) Queen Idia: The Musical is a vibrant new production that brings to life the inspiring story of Queen Idia, the iconic warrior queen of 16th century Benin Kingdom in Nigeria.
With a powerful blend of Afrobeats, spoken word poetry, and dance, the musical captures her bravery and intelligence as she plots her son’s ascension to the throne and shapes his reign and the destiny of her people. Queen Idia the Musical is being developed through a collaborative R&D process with UK and Nigerian creatives. This production is a celebration of resilience, leadership, and cultural heritage and promises a captivating, modern retelling of an African legend. Jenna Unwin: “…And Then John Farted and Everybody Died” Sunday, May 4 (7.30pm) “…And Then John Farted and Everybody Died” is a Cabaret-style anthology show combining dance, text, music and drag into a raucous comedy about the uniquely human experience of embarrassing ourselves.
This one-woman show is eclectic, funny and unapologetically weird as Peterborough-based Jenna takes storytelling to a whole new level.
Inspired by her dad Funky Steve – who believes his best friend John’s farts are so bad, we may all die from the smell – Jenna is on a mission to embarrass us all.
With the threat of John farting any minute, we need your true stories of the mortifying moments of your lives, don’t hold back!
