Horrible Science hits Darlington
By Karen McLauchlan, Evening Gazette
THERE’S a fun science lesson with a difference in store at Darlington’s Civic Theatre next week.
Birmingham Stage Company, producers of six hugely popular Horrible Histories shows, will bring new show HORRIBLE SCIENCE to town from Tuesday until Saturday.
The production is based on the popular Horrible Science books by Nick Arnold and illustrated by Tony De Saulles. These books have sold more than 10 million copies in 38 different languages worldwide and won important scientific awards such as the Rhone-Poulenc Prize in 1997 and the Aventis Prize in 2004.
Using actors and some amazing 3D Bogglevision special effects, BSC’s Horrible Science attempts to find the awful answers to such important questions as: why do we produce 50,000 litres of spit in a lifetime - enough to fill 100 baths? Can you fight deadly diseases and beastly bacteria just using orange juice?
The audience will join 10-year-old Billy Miller as he battles his way through the Horrible Science World, facing dreadful dangers and putrid puns!
They’ll encounter fatal forces such as gravity and magnetism, discover the shocking truth about electricity, how bacteria and microbe monsters inflict their killer diseases, and how the different parts of the body fit together.
Horrible Science is suitable for all the family aged six-plus and covers much of the science curriculum for Key Stage 2.
Tickets are £12 for adults, and £8.50 for children, details on 01325 486555.
Other theatre highlights include:
THIRD Angel will present CLASS OF ’76 at Stockton’s Arc on Wednesday.
In 1999 the group made a performance based on a class photograph taken in 1976 - coming up with their own stories about children in the picture.
In May 2000, they performed Class of ’76 again, on the spot where the photograph was taken 24 years earlier - and this time they told the true stories of the faces in the photo.
Next week’s production is the latest outing for Class Of ’76 as part of its 10th anniversary tour.
It is a fresh and funny show for the friends reunited generation.
Tickets £10, concessions £8 and students £5. Details on 01642 525199.
A WEEK today ArtsSpark and Half Moon Theatre present an exciting fusion of new writing and multimedia with their show BEGIN/END at Darlington Arts Centre.
Inspired by his own work with teenagers and the intensity of friendships that dominate the lives of many young people, David Lane’s new script has been developed in consultation with young people and speaks with the authenticity of their voices.
Begin/End is a compelling piece of drama in which betrayal and loss of trust can mean that sometimes even the greatest friendships just end.
The story centres on the friendship of two girls Lili and Yaz who are struggling with their identities and growing up. Their friendship offers a form of escapism from their problems at home and school and they become an inseparable gang of two.
The intensity of their relationship reaches breaking point, however, when Lili develops unreciprocated feelings for Yaz.
Tickets are £8 with discounts at £5. Details on 01325 486555.
SALTBURN ‘53 Drama Group are taking to the stage to raise funds for charity on Valentine’s Day.
The group will present THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES at Saltburn Community Theatre on Sunday, February 14.
All profits from the show, which is for over-18s, will be donated to local women’s refuges.
Tickets £6, concessions £5, tickets available from Saltburn Health Food Shop, 01287 624622
AWARD-WINNING family drama DEAD FISH, which was penned by Teesside’s Gordon Steel, is heading to the stage in the north of the region next week.
The Phoenix Theatre in Blyth, Northumberland, will present the tale of one family’s struggle to survive the rigours of daily life from February 11-13. Tickets £9.50, details on 01670 367228.
CIRQUE Du Soleil is returning to the North-east this summer. Following the critically-acclaimed UK tour of Quidam, the troupe will return to the Metro Radio Arena from June 30 to July 4 with their vibrant signature production SALTIMBANCO.
Created by Franco Dragone, it is the first time the production has toured the country’s arenas.
Saltimbanco is Cirque du Soleil’s longest running major touring show and has toured the world since 1992 to widespread acclaim, enjoying sell-out success across the globe. The show has a cast of more than 50 high-calibre artists hailing from 20 countries.
It includes seemingly impossible balancing, jumping and spinning during the Chinese poles and the Russian swing plus the gravity-defying bungees and trapeze, crowd-pleasing juggling and acrobatic bicycle and the celebrated and unique clowns.
Details on 0844 576 5483.
MUSICAL favourite HAIRSPRAY is heading to the region later this year.
Sunderland Empire will welcome the award-winning West End production, which stars Michael Starke as Edna Turnblad, from September 7-18.
Tickets priced £18.50-£40.50 are available from 0844 847 2499 and online at www.SunderlandEmpire.org.uk
