•• Dumfries Youth Theatre takes play about being gay to Newcastle’s Northern Stage ••

Dumfries Youth Theatre to take a play about the struggles and joys of being gay to Northern Stage in Newcastle.

Dumfries Youth Theatre, who are taking part in the National Theatre of Great Britian and Ireland’s Connections programme, invite Dumfries audiences to a free performance in Lochside Community Centre.

The play, called Dungeness, (written by award-winning playwright Chris Thomson), is about love, protest and commemoration and is centred around an attack on the LGBT+ Community. A group of teenagers in a safe house for LGBT+ young people, try to find their voice in the aftermath.

Jack Finlay, Associate Producer said:

“The Connections programme is a brilliant opportunity for young people in the region, and Electric Theatre Workshop are one of the only theatre companies in Dumfries and Galloway who deliver the programme with the National Theatre.”

“I’m hoping that it will encourage other young people interested in drama to attend our free workshops here at Dumfries Youth Theatre.”

Dumfries Youth Theatre is known for tackling hard hitting plays – in 2015 they took part in Connections, performing ‘Follow Follow’, a piece about sectarianism which they toured to Brewery Arts Centre in Kendal.

9 young people aged 12 – 16 from across Dumfries are taking part in the Connections programme and if successful in Newcastle, they will share a stage at the Nation Theatre in London.

Audiences are welcome to attend the performance free of charge at 5:30pm on Tuesday 17th April at Lochside Community Centre, and you do not require a ticket.

Dumfries Youth Theatre is delivered by award-winning local theatre company, Electric Theatre Workshop (ELEKTRONIKA), producers of Big Burns Supper festival, Carlisle Fringe and Le Haggis.

Notes to Editors:

For more information or media, please contact Jack Finlay at:
jack@bigburnssupper.com or call him on 01387 271 820 / 7769181837.

About Electric Theatre Workshop

Electric Theatre Workshop (ELEKTRONIKA) is a cultural producer which creates platforms for audience engagement through a diverse range of community arts-based programmes, including Big Burns Supper Festival, Carlisle Fringe Festival, Creative Schools, Dumfries Community Choir, Dumfries Youth Theatre and our award winning participatory programmes that have helping to transform the communities we serve.

About Dungeness

Fifty years on from the partial decriminalization of homosexuality in England, Chris Thompson wanted to write a play about the struggles and the joy of being gay. In a remote part of the UK, where nothing ever happens, a group of teenagers share a safe house for LGBT+ young people. While their shared home welcomes difference, it can be tricky for self-appointed group leader Birdie to keep the peace.

The group must decide how they want to commemorate an attack that happened to people like them in a country far away. How do you take to the streets and protest if you’re not ready to tell the world who you are? If you’re invisible, does your voice still count? A play about love, commemoration and protest.

About National Theatre Connections

Each year the National Theatre commissions ten new plays for young people to perform, bringing together some of the UK’s most exciting writers with the theatre-makers of tomorrow.

260 youth theatre companies and over 5,000 young people from every corner of the UK are producing a Connections play this year. Ten companies will come to the National Theatre with their productions of plays by Alice Birch, Brad Birch, Chris Bush, In-Sook Chappell, Fiona Doyle, Phoebe Eclair-Powell, Natalie Mitchell, Barney Norris, Chinonyerem Odimba and Chris Thompson.