top of page

Journey with Us - News and Views from the Road

Looking back, moving forward

It's been a while since we updated the website - our apologies. The Beneath the Banner tour was a rollercoaster ride (almost literally - some of those roads in Northumberland!), with strong audience numbers and fantastic audience responses, especially from former miners. As I said in the previous blog, it's a mammoth undertaking, and never more so than last year. Thank you to all those who supported the show, and to the team I worked with - Aileen, Karen, Jodie, Ellinor and Philip. As ever there are a great many people outside of the company who provide help and encouragement, thank you in particular to Graham, Simon and Dee. To all the volunteer promoters - thank you. You do extraordinary work, without you we would have no venues or audiences. I'd especially like to thank Carol, it was such a privilege to bring the show to the Kent coalfields - thank you for all your months of help and connections. I'm so glad you enjoyed the show. 
 

We took some time after the show to take stock. In addition to this show, I co-produced and directed other projects during a global pandemic. It suddenly felt like a lot. However, time has passed, and things are looking and feeling different. I'm about to start a new job in a beautiful theatre, which will put Up The Road on pause, just for a little while. There's also a wedding to plan! However, Up The Road will make new plans - we have ideas that we want to explore. See you soon.

Nicola, 12th July 2024

Up The Road are On The Road!

It’s been four years since Up The Road Theatre were last on tour. Creating and developing a touring production is always a mammoth undertaking, especially if you’re project funded. Now, if I’m honest, it feels even tougher than before. The threat of Covid looms over everyone, audiences and performers alike; the cost of living crisis makes you wonder if people will want to turn out, if the halls will be able to pay their bills. And then, on the day of your dress rehearsal, it snows so heavily you’re nearly snowed into your digs and your rehearsal space has a power cut! However, all the planning and preparation is starting to pay off. Beneath the Banner opened on Saturday March 11th, with Highlights Rural Touring in Middleton-in-Teesdale. A full house, and, despite the snow outside, a warm reception. Our production explores the vast array of experiences and perspectives from coal mining communities: the men underground, the workers on the surface and those in the community. I realised it’s been two and a half years since I received ACE funding to begin our R&D, which was followed by a second grant last summer for the rehearsals and tour. In between that time there have been a great many Zoom calls with potential project partners and creative team members; programming emails; submissions to Rural Touring scheme menus and (finally!) in-person meetings. Plus research for the show, encompassing interviews with former miners and their families; reading anything I could find and visits to the National Coal Mining Museum and other sites. Then the writing process: drafting, developing and re-drafting. At times it all seems unwieldy and impossible to navigate, but come the start of this year we had our tour, including twelve dates with Rural Touring schemes, a finished script and a cast. My journey with Rural Touring began in 2015, with Up The Road’s first show. I didn’t even know Rural Touring existed until I was introduced to Spot On and Cheshire Rural Touring. Our 12 dates in 2023 haven’t happened overnight, they’re a result of eight years of collaborating and producing good shows that speak to audiences. This is our third touring production, which has given us plenty of opportunity for learning as we go. As I write, on a train heading south, we’re three shows into this tour. We’ve played two of our three shows with Highlights, at the end of the week we’re with Arts Out West, followed by Rural Arts, Spot On Lancashire and Applause before our tour finishes in mid-April. We’ve already played to 180 people, and we’ve plenty more audience members to share our show with. Our van has miles to travel, and numerous digs to drop into. If you see a red VW Fox beetling up the M1 this month, give me a wave as I’ll be heading off to a schools workshop or joining the team for a show. If we could just hold off the snow for a few more weeks, that would be great… Nicola, 15th March 2023

IMG_20230311_154043.jpg
IMG_20230312_160007.jpg

Up The Road Theatre Reveal New Website!

Our latest news is this thing here! Our previous website was lovingly created some time ago, we were in need of a re-fresh. And here it is. We hope you like it and can find your way around easily. Please forgive any possible teething problems as we go live.  

"I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this evening, incredibly well put together."

Audience member, Peril at Sea

Stuart Crowther as Bardolph, who introduced hundreds of children to Shakespeare's plays
BBC074.jpg
bottom of page