Posted: 2 May, 2023
This is a UK-first, an ‘off-grid production’ where cyclists will be on stage, generating the electricity for the play through pedal power! Our Pedal Away riders – staff, volunteers and participants – will literally be pedalling away at all 8 performances.
Written by Miranda Rose Hall, the play is full of dark humour, “a moving exploration of what it means to be human in an era of man-made extinction.”
Although a touring play, only the play itself travels, not the people. So, the Liverpool production has a local director (Nathan Powell), local cast (renowned actress Shareesa Valentine playing Naomi), a choir made up of local people, and costumes either borrowed or being reused. A carbon-neutral play, so to speak!
This is “a ground-breaking international experiment in reimagining theatre in a climate crisis.”
Wheels for All are commissioned by Knowsley Public Health and so we engage with locals to encourage people to increase their activity levels and introduce them to their community and what’s happening in their neighbourhood.
Jonpaul (Knowsley Pedal Away Co-ordinator) says, “This is such a fantastic way to bring together two completely different groups of people who might not know all that much about each other’s worlds. Theatre and cycling aren’t things you would usually put together and we are delighted to be part of – and the POWER of – this unique project.”
Shakespeare North Playhouse is a brand new theatre, less than a year old, built as part of the Regenerate Knowsley project, and awarded ‘Theatre Building of the Year 2023’. The play will be performed in their ‘cockpit theatre’ – a C21st re-imagining of Shakespeare’s Globe.
20 cyclists from our Pedal Away programmes in the North West will provide the pedal power over the week’s performances and, on the opening night, several of them will cycle from Court Hey Park in Knowsley – the venue for our regular Pedal Away sessions – to the theatre.
In a small but rather lovely coincidence, Meg Terzza, Digital Content Creator at the playhouse, tells us “My grandad – who lives in Leeds – has volunteered at his local Wheels for All for quite a few years now. He loves volunteering and always has amazing stories.”
Click here to go straight to the play booking page.
Tickets start from just £3! That is because Shakespeare North releases some tickets (for every event) as ‘pay what you decide’, making theatre more affordable for more people. Local Knowsley residents have access to even more of those ticket types. With seats ranging from £3 to £30, you have the opportunity to witness this ground-breaking event in eco-theatre.
