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Steve North in Meeting Joe Strummer |
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MEETING JOE STRUMMER |
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| "Sellout
audiences delivered a standing ovation nightly, wiping tears on their
sleeves, unselfconsciously reaching across the stage boundary to shake
hands with the actors. We talk about breaking barriers in theatre; in
this case the barriers were not so much broken as pulled out of the
grass, booted into the air and kicked out of the ground." The
Observer (Brighton) The Future Is Unwritten presents MEETING JOE STRUMMER By Paul Hodson New Wolsey Theatre, Fri 19 & Sat 20 March at 7.45pm An emotional blast through rebel politics since punk, and a celebration of the man who set the agenda for a generation. 1978. Steve is in awe of Nick who has defied his middle class parents and rejected his public school by running away to follow The Clash on tour: Nick's stories from the epicenter of the punk rock explosion have a profound effect on Steve. When the lads see the band headline the Anti-Nazi League carnival in Victoria Park (one of the most influential gigs in British history) it is as if they take an oath to stay true to the values embodied in that day. Meeting Joe Strummer is a passionate and comic play about Nick and Steve's attempts to stay true to that "oath": how they coped with the Thatcher years (and crap 80s music), how they struggled to stay true to the "Cause" while paying the bills and maintaining relationships - how they grew up in the real world while trying to stay true to the myth of their hero. Joe Strummer's tragic and unexpected early death just before Christmas 2002 forces the lads to re-evaluate their lives. "A magnificently simple, heartfelt, clear and brave show. It's very funny but it's one of only a couple of shows on this fringe that have actually made me cry" The Scotsman The Future Is Unwritten is a touring theatre company powered by punk values of honesty, integrity, inclusion and the spirit of Do It Yourself invention. The company creates work that explores issues of popular culture, politics, spirituality, responsibility, injustice and respect. The company has been set up by Paul Hodson, one of the original members of Brighton Theatre Events. Paul has written and directed for theatre for over twenty five years. He has also written more than a hundred hours of broadcast television drama. Paul won a Fringe First in Edinburgh for Meeting Joe Strummer, which he also directed. His play about John Peel, Teenage Kicks, sold out its run at the 2007 Edinburgh Fringe. www.the-future-is-unwritten.co.uk "Played in a deliberately rough-and-ready, semi- stand-up style ... a vital piece of docu-theatre" The Herald "The duo asked the audience to suspend their disbelief when portraying their 16 and 20-year-old selves and the quality of the script easily allowed this, despite the lack of props or set, which basically consisted of large prints of Strummer and some well executed lighting and sound" Edinburgh Evening News Tickets (£8.50 to £19.50) for his remarkable production can be booked online at www.wolseytheatre.co.uk or by calling the New Wolsey Box Office on 01473 295900. |
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