Opening Unity’s 2019 Autumn season is Lost Boys on 4th – 11th September from National Youth Theatre; a timely take on life in northern towns from nationally-acclaimed Formby playwright Luke Barnes. Prepare for a healthy dose of provocation, laughter and witty comment on disability with Still No Idea from Bunny on 13th – 14th September.
Next up is a fantastical, physical tale – A Long Way Home on 26th September; made by Ben Phillips in collaboration with John Wright, a founder member of the acclaimed companies Told By and Idiot and Trestle. On September 28th the theatre is host to gorgeous puppetry and the history of women’s suffrage with Horse and Bambo’s Suffrajitsu, based on the real-life story of the group, who used Jiu Jitsu to protect themselves from arrest and police brutality. On 4th – 6th October LEAP Dance Festival from Merseyside Dance Initiative (MDI), with Cupid’s Revenge from New Art Club, one of the U.K.’s best-loved and funniest dance theatre companies and Black Holes from Alexandrina Hemsley and Seke Chimutengwende. Lovers of new dance can indulge at the LEAP Scratch Night before the latter.
Box of Tricks Theatre are back on 9th – 12th October after the runaway success of SparkPlug with Under Three Moons, a generation-spanning play about how men relate to each other today. 15th October sees the first of their Big Imaginations Children’s Festival shows; Stitch Brothers, Patchwork Dreams from Matthew Linley Creative Projects. This magical fusion of hip-hop, music, live drawing and animation unites musician and composer Arun Ghosh, artist Fabric Lenny and composer, beatboxer and sound artist Jason Singh.
Next up in the festival is visual feast Baba Yaga (25th October) from Windmill Theatre and Imaginate Productions; winner of Best Design in the 2019 Critics’ Award for Theatre in Scotland. Direct from critically acclaimed seasons at the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival and Adelaide Festival, it’s a gorgeous new take on an old Russian folktale. Last up in Big Imaginations is mini from Italian theatre-makers Compagnia TPO; a riot of colour and magical real-time projections that will be an unforgettable theatre experience for pre-school children on the 30th October.
An undoubtable highlight this October is LUNG’s Trojan Horse (18th-19th), a multi-award-winning examination of the accusation of “hardline” Muslim teachers and governors of plotting extremism in Birmingham schools. It’s a brave, terrifying – British values”.
The Unity Theatre is delighted to welcome back Paines Plough following the success of Pop Music last year. I Wanna Be Yours (25th October) is a tender, funny, lyrical play about finding love from London Poet Laureate Zia Ahmed. On 29th October Unity present a new play that is in development from emerging theatre-makers Kitchen Sink Live. This new Liverpool company are dedicated to making real authentic theatre with and for young people, and real-Eyes is eagerly awaited.
November sees the return of the peerless deaf & disability-focussed company Graeae. True trailblazers, and inimitable in the theatre industry, every show is hotly anticipated, and this new production of Winsome Pinnock’s One Under (14th – 15th November) is no exception.
On Saturday 16th November, the theatre welcomes moving five-star performance event Truth to Power Café (London Artists Projects) that is making waves on its U.K. tour. The evening combines memoir, image, poetry, music; live and spontaneous testimony from participants in response to – who has power over you and what do you want to say to them?”. Participants are cast in advance from the people of Liverpool.
Finally, this year the Unity Theatre has an extra-special Christmastime treat in the form of Theatre-Rites’ magical Beasty Baby (10th – 28th December). It’s won five-star reviews for its inspired mix of puppetry and live music, taking audiences on a journey deep into the forest, on a wild adventure to bring up a mischievous and totally loveable child. It’s a first for Unity to present a Christmas show for the under-fives, and we can’t wait to invite audiences along for the ride.
Alongside its artistic programme, Unity presents The Big Taboo. These are free events are designed to help audiences get more out of their experience, and include debates, Q&As, screenings, podcasts & more. Events and experiences will be programmed directly in response to the shows and artists on our stages and will be detailed in full at unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk. Gordon Millar, Artistic Director and CEO said, “Last year I asked audiences what they wanted from their Unity experience. The response was clear – performances from renowned and emerging artists with content that asks questions and styles that challenge norms.
It was also apparent that artists from Liverpool’s communities needed to tell their stories. We have all of that and more this season. Celebrated companies Told by An Idiot, Graeae and New Art Club join artists from our city such as Kitchen Sink Live, Luke Barnes and Ben Phillips. And we’re challenging the status quo with Still No Idea, Trojan Horse, Homotopia and Truth to Power Café. I hope you find our Autumn season entertaining, captivating and fulfilling. As always, Unity invites you to get curious, see a performance, and get involved and be inspired”.