How do you see the future and what sort of future do you want for yourself?
That's the question at the heart of this new show, which opened at Live Theatre on Thursday night, and it's one which proves especially timely following the death of the Queen with many likely to be pondering the future as the country starts to adjust to change following the late monarch's 70 years of constancy.
Here it's already been considered by eight writers - all making their Live Theatre debut - who have come up with their own versions of what the future could be. And it's not particularly cheery.
We're promised a theatrical rollercoaster of a journey and over the course of just over two hours - including an interval which gives us all time to catch our breath - eight short stories covering relationships, sexuality and politics take us to and fro between hope, humour and downers that bring us up short in scenarios that feel uncomfortably real.
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The eight talents commissioned by the Quayside theatre to come up with an answer to the question - what is the future we want for ourselves and how might the world be reimagined? - have created a selection of possibilities that discomfort more than soothe. There are however laughs to be had. The short by writer Miles Kinsley manages to find them in the banter between two people manning a wall that separates a now-independent Scotland from England.
And in a story by Fleur Nixon, told by actress Hannah Wood, there's a message of hope as strangers find common ground while facing a bigot on the Metro. I also particularly liked Nic O’Keeffe's tale - which felt like a whole story nicely wrapped up - about Lucy, played by Catherine Dryden, who reconnects with 'home' following her return to Sunderland after a break-up, and the poetic power of Lizzie Lovejoy's stirring protest that is performed by Becky Clayburn who, placard in hand, whips up our passion about the working class fight.
All the 11-strong cast who, like the writers, are mostly from the North East, do real justice to the stories, several of which create a future that seems pretty close to life now or certainly not far off. A big screen backdrop switches the scene as we move on at a fair pace with barely time to consider and digest one swirl of ideas before we're onto the next.
Writer Lydia Brickland has us meet a trio of school pals, one burdened with a secret; Susannah Ronnie confronts us with talk of environmental disaster and Jack Young gives us quite a speech that lays bare failed socialist ideals of a northern Prime Minister, who points out that all those who leave that office do so in defeat.
The show begins and ends with songs created by the eighth writer, Jenni Winter, who's also a musician, in her upbeat Cabaret of the Future - more upbeat than many of the scenarios we see. All very different, they are without exception, powerful and thought-provoking mini stories which sent us off home not sure quite how to feel.
The rest of the show's cast includes Chloe Jane Millar, Beth Clarke, Tommi Vicky, Adam Donaldson, Simmie Kaur, Eleanor Grainger, Anthony Wallace and Gareth Richardson. Your Voice Your Future: North East at 7.30pm nightly until Sunday. There are also weekend matinee performances at 2pm. For tickets see here.
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