WITH plans for a £750,000 redevelopment this year, the Unity, Liverpool’s oldest bastion of small-scale theatre, has just kicked off its spring season.
There are drama world premieres, stand up comedy and all the stuff that's made the Hope Place venue an instituition and a first foot on the stage, for many, since it was formed by Gerry Dawson and Edgar Criddle as the Merseyside Left Theatre in the 1930s.
Merseyside Left Theatre? Imagine that now.
Anyroad, it's come a long way and, in the lastest brochure, CEO Matthew Linley explains the aim is to ensure that the theatre is a world-class venue which is more environmentally sustainable and which still continues to support artists in creating new work.
Acclaimed Liverpool youth theatre 20 Stories High join Theatre Rites to for a Hip-hop-puppetry fusion in The Broke ‘N’ Beat Collective (4-13 February).
It is swiftly followed by I Know All the Secrets in My World (10-11 Feb) which explores father and son relationships.
Then theatre-goers are invited to chippies in Southport, West Kirby and Liverpool for Chip Shop Chips (22-24 February), an immersive love story.
The World Premiere of Who’s Afraid of the Working Class by Luke Barnes is performed by third year LIPA students on 3-5 March and there's an insight into the lives of six Pakistan-American women in Dirty Pakistani Lingerie (1 April).
Resurrection Half Price (13 April) is a surreal dark comedy about Jesus and Mary and Moggies the Musical (14-16 April) provides musical theatre for any feline fan.
The theatre (digitally) crosses the Atlantic in The Lamellar Project (22-23 April) with performers simultaneously in the UK and the USA, whilst Dan Bye’s Going Viral (29-30 April) is an epic, hilarious and tragic performance lecture. Perrier award winner Will Adamsdale premieres his new comic play The Joke on 3-4 May.
Liverpool theatre companies also taking to the Unity stage also include Shrimpton & Routledge (Second Soprano 29 Jan), MATE Productions (The Musicians 9 & 11 March), Impropriety (Schools Improvageddon 10 March), Tea and Tenacity (Tinned Goods 2 April), Donna Lesley Price (Brakin’ Pad 5-9 April) and Naughty Corner Productions (Double Bill 19 April and Dirty Glitter 20 April).
A stellar line-up of stand up comedy includes Stephen K Amos (26 January), Paul Sinha (8 March), Stephanie Laing (12 April), Chris Stokes (12 April), Mark Watson (27-28 March), Matt Forde (17 May) and George Egg (31 May). Musical comedy comes from Jonny & The Baptists on 5 May.
Dirty Pakistani LingerieLiverpool Acoustic Festival (18-19 March) returns for its third year, spreading across the Liverpool Philharmonic’s newly opened Music Room and UnityTheatre, and there will be a supporting programme across more Hope Street venues. Headliners include Scott Matthews, Marcus Bonfanti, Ian McNabb, Stephen Langstaff, Tommy Scott and Paul Hemming.
Shows for a younger audience include awe-inspiring circus at The Black-E from The Hogwallops (18-20 February), Shakespeare-focused Bardolph’s Box (1 March – 3 April) and KITE (15-16 March), which promises to be ‘an adventure as wild as the wind’. The internationally acclaimed, Forced Entertainment bring new family show The Possible Impossible House to Unity on 8-9 April and Error 404 (28-30 April) is an unusual family show for ages 8+.
Saturday Splatterdays workshops for ages 5-13s continue to inspire, and our education programme also offers sessions in circus skills, puppeteering and physical theatre (dates tbc).
Anyway, the list
Jonny and the BaptistsStephen J Amos
Stand up Comedy
Friday 26th January 2016
Second Soprano
From Shrimpton & Routledge company.
Friday 29th January
The Broke ‘N’ Beat Collective
Hip-Hop meets puppetry
Thursday 4th – Saturday 13th February
I Know All the Secrets in My World
Explores father and son relationship
Wednesday 10th-Thursday 11th February
Chip Chip Chips is an immersive love story - but not in the deep fat fryer senseChip Shop Chips
Get invited to chippies in Southport, West Kirby and Liverpool for an immersive love story.
Monday 22nd – Wednesday 24th February
Who’s Afraid of the Working Class
Performance by third year LIPA students.
Thursday 3rd –Saturday 5th March
Paul Sinha
Stand up Comedy
Tuesday 8th March
The Musicians
From the MATE Productions company.
Wednesday 9th – Friday 11th March
Schools Improvageddon
From the Impropriety company.
Thursday 10th March
Liverpool Acoustic Festival
Friday 18th – Saturday 19th March
Mark Watson
Stand up Comedy
Sunday 27th – Monday 28th March
Dirty Pakistani Lingerie
An insight into the lives of six Pakistan-American women.
Friday 1st April
Tinned Goods
From Tea and Tenacity company.
Saturday 2nd April
Brakin’ Pad
From Donna Lesley Price.
Tuesday 5th – Saturday 9th April.
Chris Stokes
Stand up Comedy
Tuesday 12th April
Resurrection Half Price
Surreal dark comedy and Jesus and Mary
Wednesday 13th April
Moggies the Musical
Musical theatre perfect for feline fans.
Thursday 14th – Saturday 16th April
Double Bill
From Naughty Corner Productions company.
Tuesday 19th April
Dirty Glitter
From Naughty Corner Productions company.
Wednesday 20th April
The Lamellar Project
Theatre that digitally crosses the Atlantic with performers simultaneously in the UK and the USA.
Friday 22nd – Saturday 23rd April
Going Viral
Dan Bye’s performance lecture.
Friday 29th- Saturday 30th April
The Joke
Will Adamsdale new comic play.
Tuesday 3rd – Wednesday 4th May
Jonny & The Baptists
Musical Comedy
Thursday 5th May
Matt Forde
Stand up Comedy
Tuesday 17th May
George Egg
Stand up Comedy
Tuesday 31st May
Tickets for Unity Theatre’s shows can be booked via Unity Theatre’s Box Office in person, over the phone (0151 709 4988) or online via www.unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk.
Festival passes for one or both days of Liverpool Acoustic Festival can be purchased via the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall’s Box Office in person, on 0151 709 3789 or online via www.liverpoolphil.com.
