Waterside Arts Centre in Greater Manchester and Creative Industries Trafford (CIT) have announced the winners of their prestigious Independent Theatre Commission.
York- based Four Shadows Theatre were announced as the lucky recipients following from over 60 submissions.
Four Shadows Theatre’s new show The House at the Edge of the Universe is a devised theatre performance for family audiences. The show will follow Barry and Larry, delivery men working for ‘Roy’s Mail’ who embark on a journey like no other as they travel through space in order to deliver a package that is addressed to ‘The House at the Edge of The Universe’.
With an entire set made out of cardboard boxes of all shapes, the audience will see Barry and Larry encounter zero gravity on the moon, navigate blackholes, travel through (and out of) the Solar System and meet life on distant planets. Alongside the physical comedy and live original music, there will also be an interactive, hour long workshop for families to enjoy.
The House at the Edge of The Universe will premiere during Waterside Arts Centre’s first Summer Family Festival at the end of July, alongside a series of events, performances and activities for family audiences.
As well as securing a three-night run for the show at the Waterside Arts Centre, the company also received £2,000 to produce the play, along with mentoring support from venue staff and the Chambers Studio Producer.
Previous winners include Checkshirt Theatre Company, Nick Birchill and the first recipients, Square Peg Theatre- who have since toured three shows around the UK. The 2015 recipients Mighty Heart Theatre have recently been performing at HOME, Manchester as part of Push Festival.
Chris Andrade from Four Shadows said ‘We are really excited and thrilled to have won this commission and to be working with Waterside Arts Centre on The House at the Edge of The Universe. It’s a great opportunity for us. We can’t wait to get started and work with a great team to bring this show to life.’
Chambers Studio Producer Charlotte Mountford said ‘We had a lot of fantastic applications from across the UK and this was a particularly tough decision for the panel. However, we felt Four Shadows clearly defined how the commission would support their development, moving from outdoor to indoor theatre and we couldn’t help but get excited about Barry and Larry! Waterside is wholly committed to developing our family programme and we are thrilled to be offering our very own commission to our family audiences while continuing to support promising Northern artists’
The Independent Theatre Commissions will be open for applications again in mid-2016.
