It’s funny how when you’ve been planning something for a long time it seems to creep up on you all of a sudden. Back last summer as we chatted about the idea of touring Tea is an Evening Meal the reality seemed a whole lifetime away. But now, here we are with just over a week until the tour starts! It all kicks off at The Arc in Stockton next Tuesday 3rd May, then we head to Leeds, Huddersfield, Harrogate,Oxford, Sheffield,Newcastle, Dartington, Hexham and Latitude Festival. That’s 37 shows, 518 cups of tea, a few long van journeys and a whole lot of intimate theatre.
So what’s it all about then?
Tea is an Evening Meal is a one-woman show with a difference. This intriguing and interactive show gathers a small audience of thirteen people around a dining table. This playful dinner party provides us with the opportunity to share the laughs and delights of family meals and regional identity.
I am the host and I’ll welcome you with a brew and a biscuit. The audience join all the people I have shared meals with and gathered stories from. From Andy and his aggression problem, to the girl who sat in the wrong chair, to ingenious ways children deceive their parents into believing they have eaten all their greens. The stories allow you a glimpse into other people’s meal time experiences. The show creates an intimate experience without it being scary or intimidating for audience members. They listen to tales as if they were guests at a mate’s dinner party.
It may make you ask…
Can you eat food after someone else has touched it?
Would you ever eat out in a restaurant alone?
Is it ok to re-boil water that already been boiled in the kettle?
What kind of person sets the breakfast table before they go to bed at night?
Tour dates:
STOCKTON / ARC,Stockton / 3 May
LEEDS /LEEDS MET GALLERY & STUDIO THEATRE / 4–6 May
HUDDERSFIELD / Lawrence Batley Theatre / 11 May
HARROGATE / Harrogate Theatre / 12 May
OXFORD /Oxford Playhouse / 18–21 May
SHEFFIELD / Sheffield Theatres / 26–28 May
DARTINGTON / Studio 3 / 8 June
HEXHAM / Queen’s Hall Arts Centre / 14-15 June
LATITUDE FESTIVAL / 15-17 July
So please take your seat at the table for one of the ‘intimate’ theatre experiences of 2011!
For all the information on the show, including the full tour schedule and how to book have look at the lovely little show microsite:
teaisaneveningmeal.co.uk
Faye Draper - Playful Performance 