Live Theatre is preparing to open its doors to Newcastle audiences with a new season packed with “the new, the unheard and the unexpected”, kicking things off with a high-energy play about the power of friendship.
We Are The Best! begins its run at Live from Thursday, and promises to be “a glorious high volume slice of anarchy” set in the 80s in which three youngsters decide to start a punk band. Written by Rebecca Glendenning, the play is the directorial debut from Live’s new Artistic Director Jack McNamara.
Taking on the role back in September - in the wake of the pandemic and one of the most difficult periods for the theatre industry - was “daunting”, admits Jack, but “felt like an important thing to do”. Now that audiences are finally able to return to Live, Jack says that he wants to welcome them back with a show that “feels like a hug”.
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“We’ve just all been through a pretty tough time in every respect, and there is something about this show which is all about announcing hope of some sort and the way that creativity can kind of save you,” Jack says of We Are The Best!.
While the play focuses on the experience of a group of teenagers as they find their voice and “stick two fingers up” at a society that tries to put them in a box, Jack promises that this is a show for all generations to enjoy: “It taps into that communal experience of finding your way, and marking out your friends, and deciding what route you may want to take in your life.”
Jack adds that We Are The Best! is “a real feast of a show” full of nostalgia, music and comedy - and it also showcases young North East talent. Audiences will see performances from some new faces that are no doubt set to become stars of the stage.
For the three lead actors of We Are The Best!, this show will be their professional stage debut. Bethany Morris, Elena Porter and Bridget Marumo are all taking to the stage in a professional capacity for the very first time, playing Bobo, Hedwig and Klara respectively.
17-year-old Bethany is from Whitley Bay and says she is “thrilled” to be taking on the role of Bobo, having most recently played Dandini in Whitley Bay Pantomime Society’s version of Cinderella. Co-star Elena is also 17 and grew up in Chester-le-Street, starting off her career at Stagecoach performing arts school in Washington.
Bridget has previously starred in CBBC shows Danny And Mick and The Dumping Ground as well as a BBC Radio 4 play, although this will be her first time treading the boards on the professional stage. The talented young cast will help tell the story based on Lukas Moodysson’s cult film of the same name about the world of punk and politics in 1980s Sweden, this time charged with a North East spirit.
The show captures what Live Theatre is all about in terms of unearthing new talent and exploring new territories when it comes to storytelling. “It’s definitely not a place in which we hear voices or stories that we always expect, or that we’ve seen a hundred times before,” Jack says of Live.
He adds that theatres should always be looking for ways to reinvent themselves: “For me, everything we do is a risk - and should be a risk.”
We Are The Best! opens to audiences at Live Theatre from Thursday until Saturday June 18. Tickets can be booked via the Live website, and the theatre’s Teenagers Go Free offer will be available on selected dates throughout the run.
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