Greenwich director James Haddrell announces a new season of shows

It’s easy, running a venue, to get caught up in the day-to-day priorities of a public venue.

The cleaning contract, the front of house staff and volunteers, employment issues, ticketing software, marketing and more are all regular concerns – as they should be.

At the same time, directing a new show can be consuming (which at the moment is our summer family show, Treasure Island), with rehearsals running all day and then production meetings and planning in the evenings.

However, a few times a year there’s a moment when I can step out of that and announce a new season of shows.

Those announcements are always the culmination of a period of work, something that can have taken anything from six to 18 months (or in the face of a global pandemic, with shows repeatedly postponed, several years) but the announcement of that season allows the staff and the artists involved to step out of the immediate worries of the day and look forward to the months ahead.

At Greenwich Theatre, with the autumn season just announced, that is where we are now.

At the heart of the season is a show that was originally programmed for the early months of the pandemic, and which may not have survived its multiple changes of date were it not for the determination of writer Simon Spencer.

Are You as Nervous as I am follows the journey of two sisters – Peggy and Janet – in their search for happiness.

Fighting against their mother’s dysfunctional behaviour, they are forced apart to pursue lives away from their home in Wales.

Peggy sings, though never propelled by a drive to become famous but rather to break unhealthy childhood patterns, find independence and build the loving family she always wanted.

Janet struggles with her own demons, striving for the courage and support to live a truer and more honest life.

Set around that are a series of single-night shows including a new actor-musician production of As You Like It from Jupiter Theatre; a week-long return to Greenwich for Blackeyed Theatre with the Sherlock Holmes tale The Valley Of Fear; Tiger Lady tells the true story of American tiger-tamer Mabel Stark, brought to Greenwich following five-star reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe; and Is That A Bolt In Your Neck is a glorious Frankenstein spoof from Greenwich favourites Gonzo Moose.

As ever we also have a strong programme of family theatre, from well-known titles like We’re Going on a Bear Hunt to the magical There’s a Rang-Tan in My Bedroom, based on a Greenpeace campaign and featuring the voices of Emma Thompson and Rag ’n’ Bone Man.

The year culminates in the return of our annual pantomime, which this year sees a hilarious visit to Sherwood Forest with Robin Hood, featuring the return of super-villain Anthony Spargo as The Sheriff of Nottingham.

I am now heading back into the rehearsal room for Treasure Island – working out how a pirate can arrive at the theatre inside a barrel, how to stage a storm at sea, and how much water our stage can actually cope with – but as we battle with the day to day challenges of running a theatre and making shows we can also take a moment to enjoy the anticipation of sharing a whole new season with our audiences.

 

Pictured: We’re Going on a Bear Hunt – Picture: Little Angel Theatre