Over three days, the theatre will be showcasing vibrant contemporary work at all stages of development, from full productions to the very first readings of new material.
Alongside these shows the arts centre in Summertown will present a rich and diverse series of talks, masterclasses and workshops with leading figures from across the theatre industry.
The festival kick starts on April 7 at 5.30pm with a panel discussion and Q&A entitled Writing For Our Time with some of the UK’s leading female theatre-makers talking about the state of the industry, the challenges facing young playwrights and practitioners, and the stories theatre-makers should be telling in 2017. Speakers include writer and director Stella Duffy, playwright April de Angelis, writer Zoe Cooper, director Ellen McDougall and writer Katherine Soper.
This is followed by Theatrecraft 2017 at 7pm which is the North Wall’s prestigious annual residency for six emerging writers and directors. This is the culmination of their intensive two-week programme: a fast-paced evening combining extracts from six brand-new plays performed by an ensemble of professional actors.
The opening day culminates with a 9.45pm performance of Phroot Salad. How do you solve a problem like a “clenchy c***”? Perry, a young Filipina Australian stuck in Brisbane’s sweaty suburbia, goes on a hunt to find out.
A colourful intermingling of comedy, cabaret, and new writing, Phroot Salad is a performance about the peaks, troughs, and peculiarities of living between cultures, and the murky double-edged waters of sex.
Day two of the festival on April 8 starts with a panel discussion Page to Stage: Producing New Writing at 10.30am which is followed by a 1.30pm performance of I Guess Ideally I’d Be Me - the first reading of some new poems and a couple of monologues examining desire, doubt, and what they might have to say to each other. At 3pm there’s Madonna and Child - a story about the fierce relationship between mothers and daughters. Then at 4.30pm there’s Two Short Plays by Catriona Kerridge with performances of Shoot, I didn’t mean that and Bunch.
At 5.15pm you can catch Ella Hickson: In Conversation as the playwright discusses her career and work so far. A play written by Rosie Kellett that explores family relationships and fostering Roost takes place at 7.30pm. And the final piece for the day is Songs from Fragment written by John Hoggarth & Dom Coyote, which takes the audience on a musical voyage as the pieces of a broken heart are finally put back together.
The final day on April 9 kicks off with masterclass Shaping New Plays with Stephen Unwin at 11am. At 3pm is The B*easts written and performed by Monica Dolan - a work in progress about criminal pyschotherapy. Then finally at 4.30pm is Weapons - a new play about the police by Tom Brennan.
For details and to book tickets visit www.thenorthwall.com