Ardour on the dance floor in York Shakespeare Project’s Love’s Labour’s Lost. Picture: John Saunders
YORK has a new nightclub, Navarre, but hurry, because it will be shutting after Saturday night.
Welcome to Anna Gallon’s clubland take on Shakespeare’s early comedy Love’s Labour’s Lost in the Four Wheel Drive artistic director’s debut production for York Shakespeare Project as part of the 2026 York International Shakespeare Festival.
In March 2025, co-writers Nick Lane and Elizabeth Godber packed the lads off to a stag do in Ibiza and the lasses off to a hen do in Menorca in the Stephen Joseph Theatre’s shake-up of Love’s Labour’s Lost (More Or Less). When both groups of revellers end up stuck on the same Mediterranean island, shoddy disguises, mislaid love letters and theatrical chaos ensue, all topped off with 1990s’ pop bangers, sung live on stage.
In April 2026, Gallon re-imagines Ferdinand, the King of Navarre, and his three companions, Nick Patrick Jones’s Berowne, Harry Summers’ Longaville and Nason (CORRECT) Crone’s Dumaine, as the DJs who once ruled York’s Nineties’ club scene. Now, however, in 2005, they renounce the wild world of drink, dance and late nights, committing themselves instead to a retreat of abstinence: no women, no drink and definitely no dance floors for three years, in favour of fasting and study.
We first encounter them flat out, hung over, slumped on the Navarre dance floor after one heck of a party hosted by Tempest Wisdom’s Moth, the club DJ with a licence to ad-lib. The audience had arrived to the sight of all the cast cutting the rug amid the ever-changing floor lights, as they took up their seats on the perimeter, seats that will be occupied by cast members on occasion too for moments of direct address, all adding to the highly energetic production’s “immersive tag.
The lads must sign off a long list of rules and regulations but this contract of abstinence looks as fragile as Liam “Glenn Huddle” Rosenior’s five-and-a-half-year deal at Chelsea turned out to be.
All it takes is the arrival of Charlie Barrs’ Princess of France, a not-so-diplomatic diplomat, and her entourage of Grace Scott’s Rosaline, Cassi Roberts’ Maria, Vicky Hatt’s Katherine and Helen Clarke’s Boyet to rip their paper-thin yet “solemn” vows to shreds.
Not that Love’s Labour’s Lost is that simple. Shakespeare stirs the pot, as is his wont in pursuit of comedy, to include multiple meddlesome figures, not only Wisdom’s droll, mischievous Moth, but also Elizabeth Duggan’s clown, Costard, Stephen Huws’ verbose schoolmaster Holofernes, and James Tyler’s not-so-bright constable, Dull. Then add Sarah McKeagney’s curate, Sir Nathaniel, and David Lee’s Forrester, a guide to the princess, who pops up on the mezzanine level every so often.
Bubbling away throughout is the absurdist farce of aged Spanish nobleman Don Adriano de Armado (Ian Giles) fancying his chances with luscious, lustrous country wench Jaquenetta (Pearl Mollison, dress code, Friday night, York city centre), as lack of reality meets fantasy.
Gallon describes Love’s Labour’s Lost as a “dazzling, witty play about language, love and self-discovery”, where wordplay, vows and romantic mischief meet in the heat of York nightlife in a celebration of love, temptation and folly. Certainly her production is vibrant, with outbursts of dance, playful interaction and a balance between physicality and rhythmic verse, but while it re-locates to the modern world, the somewhat laboured humour still dwells in bygone times, tending to be clever and loquacious, rather than uproariously funny.
More often than not, typified by Huws’ Holofernes, a multitude of verbiage must be pushed up the hill to release the laughter, whereas Wisdom’s Moth can spin off in any direction with a quick impromptu quip.
Nevertheless, Gallon achieves her central aim of sending up “ageing players trying to resist temptation, while nightlife culture collides with wellness culture and the irresistible force of love in this comedy of discipline versus desire”.
There is a pleasing frisson to the machinations and deceptions of Ferdinand’s group and the Princess’s posse, especially when the lads don leathers, black string vests and German accents (rather than the original Muscovite disguise), only to be countered by the resourceful women swapping clothes and jewellery to test their loyalty, in the show’s best scene. Infatuated boy band balladry and assertive Girl Power anthems add amusingly to the friction.
Reeves Rowley, Jones, Scott and Wisdom are the stand-outs amid all the ardour on the dance floor, before Gallon’s daring direction delivers one final brave choice: turning on all the theatre lights for the mood-changing announcement of the death of the Princess’s father, the play no longer leading a merry dance.
York Shakespeare Project presents Love’s Labour’s Lost, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, until Saturday 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
P.S. Happy 462nd birthday to William Shakespeare today (23/4/2026).
York International Shakespeare Festival artist-in-residence Lisa Wolpe in Shakespeare and the Alchemy of Gender
THE eighth edition of the York International Shakespeare Festival opens tomorrow (21/4/2026), featuring performances from across Europe and beyond, all grounded in William Shakespeare’s work, until May 3.
More than 40 events will be staged at festival partners York St John University and Theatre@41, Monkgate, the Yorkshire Museum and Merchant Adventurers’ Hall.
First up, at 1.30pm and 3pm tomorrow, is a new collaboration with York Museums Trust for the premiere of Friends, Romans, Yorkshiremen. Taking place on the Roman Mosaic at the Yorkshire Museum, Museum Gardens, it draws on the four plays that Shakespeare set in Rome for an exploration of the history, memory and the seemingly insignificant. This event is free for those with tickets for the museum.
Highlights will include American performer and festival artist-in-residence Lisa Wolpe in Shakespeare and the Alchemy of Gender; With Love’s Light Wings, a theatrical experience inspired by Romeo And Juliet, from Georgia; Codename Othello, a UK/Ukraine collaboration, featuring performers from York and Ivano Frankivsk, Ukraine; Shakespeare-based improv from York company Riding Lights and the world premiere of A Kingdom Jack’d by American playwright Scott Bradley, who is in York for the festival.
Look out too for new work from York-based Ukrainian theatre company D.Space; Romanian productions of The Taming Of The Shrew and Richard III; York composer Morag Galloway’s autobiographical piece Dog Daze; productions of Hamlet from Romania and the UK, complemented by a day exploring David Gothard’s Hamlet archive; Timonopoly, a game-style show based on the rarely-seen play Timon Of Athens by Edinburgh Fringe award winner Emily Carding, and Petty Me, the ShakeSphere Selection 2026.
The full programme can be found at yorkshakes.co.uk, where tickets can be booked.Brochures are available at libraries across the city.
The Roman Mosaic in the Yorkshire Museum
Taking part in the festival too will be the York Shakespeare Project, directed by Anna Gallon for the first time in Love’s Labour’s Lost as Shakespeare meets the 1990s’ club scene in an immersive new take on the Bard’s early comedy.
Set in the heat and heighted passions of modern nightlife, Anna’s reinvention will run at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, from April 22 to 25.
“We are absolutely delighted to welcome Anna as our director,” says YSP chair Tony Froud. “She emerged from an outstanding group of applicants, since when she has brought energy and excitement into the rehearsal room. This promises to translate into a totally memorable and entertaining show.
“York is very fortunate to have so many outstanding young directors. This production will show Anna as a key member of that group.”
Anna is co-founder and artistic director of York theatre company Four Wheel Drive, perhaps best known for its 2023 production of The Trial Of Margaret Clitheroe in the Guildhall. She also appeared as Lucetta in YSP’s The Two Gentlemen Of Verona, directed by Tempest Wisdom in 2024.
“I’m thrilled to be directing Love’s Labour’s Lost for YSP,” she says. “It’s a dazzling, witty play about language, love, and self-discovery – and I can’t wait to bring it to life in a way that feels vibrant and connected to the world we live in today.”
Ben Reeves Rowley in rehearsal for his role as the King of Navarre in York Shakespeare Project’s Love’s Labour’s Lost. Picture: John Saunders
Set firmly in the here and now, Anna’s Love’s Labour’s Lost will re-imagine Shakespeare’s sparkling comedy of wit, wordplay, vows and romantic mischief in clubland. Her playful production promises to mix verse, rhythm, dance and striking visuals to create a fresh and contemporary celebration of love, temptation and folly.
The King of Navarre and his three companions are re-imagined by Anna as the DJs who once ruled York’s club scene but have now renounced the wild world of drink, dance and late nights, committing themselves instead to a retreat of abstinence: no women, no drink and definitely no dance floors.
However, when the Princess of France and her entourage arrive, their solemn vows begin to unravel, as Anna explores. “I want this comedy of discipline versus desire to play out not in a palace, but in a bar, where vows are as fragile as your morals after one too many tequila shots,” she says.
“My interpretation uses Shakespeare’s original language but finds playful, recognisable parallels for modern audiences: ageing players try to resist temptation, while nightlife culture collides with wellness culture and the irresistible force of love.”
As a key element of Anna’s production, the audience will find Theatre@41’s John Cooper Studio transformed from black box into a nightclub. “The bar setting will place Shakespeare into a familiar social space,” she says. “Instead of watching from a distance, theatregoers will find themselves inside the comedy: vows made across tables, love confessions unfolding on dance floors. It will be a shared night out for all.”
York Shakespeare Project’s poster artwork for Love’s Labour’s Lost
Anna’s cast features many faces familiar to York audiences, such as Ian Giles as Don Adriano de Armado, Tempest Wisdom as page Moth, Harry Summers as Longaville and Nick Patrick Jones as Berowne, complemented by six actors new to YSP, Nason Crone’s Dumaine, Vicky Hatt’s Katherine, Helen Clarke’s Boyet, Elizabeth Duggan’s Costard, Stephen Huws’ Holofernes and Sarah McKeagney’s Sir Nathaniel.
Tony enthuses: “We are very excited that Anna’s production has attracted so many actors who are working with us for the first time. Only three of this cast appeared in our last show, Thomas Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy, at Theatre@41 last October. It’s a very healthy and invigorating mix.
“In a very strong cast, it’s particularly pleasing to YSP to see Grace Scott and Ben Reeves Rowley in the central parts of Rosaline and the King of Navarre. Both first appeared in our annual Summer Sonnets show and it’s great to see them progressing to major parts in a full production.”
Why should you see YSP’s Love’s Labour’s Lost? Let veteran cast member Ian Giles entice you: “Off the scale for daring entertainment, one of Shakespeare’s most verbal comedies is set in King’s Night Spot in 2005 with a soundtrack of Nineties and Noughties’ belters – what could possibly go wrong (or should that be right)? Come and find out.”
York Shakespeare Project presents Love’s Labour’s Lost, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, April 22 to 25, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
With Love’s Light Wings, a Georgian theatrical experience inspired by Romeo And Juliet, plays York International Shakespeare Festival on the opening day at York St John University Creative Centre Auditorium
Festival focus: With Love’s Light Wings, York St John University Creative Centre Auditorium, April 21 at 8.30pm
PROFESSOR Manana Anasashvili, from Georgia, Eastern Europe, participated in York International Film Festival for the first time last year with her documentary film about renowned Georgian theatre director Robert Sturua.
Now the head of the Georgian Shakespeare Association returns with her stage production of With Love’s Light Wings, her spin on Shakespeare’s Romeo And Juliet, in a co-production with the Giorgi Mikeladze State Puppet Theatre that uses minimalistic but highly transformative scenography.
“With Love’s Light Wings is a theatrical experiment inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo And Juliet, presented as a variation on its central theme,” she says. “It draws loosely on the literary original – retaining only its artistic framework, while actively intervening in the text with a bold and playful approach.
“The result is a radically re-imagined interpretation, staged as a two-actor performance – plus two supporting roles – that challenges conventional theatrical norms. It defies genre boundaries, uniting diverse expressive tools and artistic forms to create an eclectic aesthetic.”
Manana continues: “Distinct scenes and characters are represented symbolically – often through objects – shifting focus from narrative to metaphor. This theatrical collage merges elements of dramatic theatre, puppet theatre, finger performance, pantomime, musical and vocal expression, choreographic elements, as well as other theatrical forms.
“Through the creative transformation of various items and scenic details, the performance generates unexpected artistic effects, opening possibilities for future experimentation and the development of new theatrical trends.
“In the context of the post-dramatic era, theatrical eclecticism emerges as both a cultural and aesthetic strategy, one that embraces the fusion of styles, genres, and historical periods. It is often used as a form of innovation, connecting tradition with contemporary expression.”
In this production, eclecticism extends beyond scenographic form to resist stylistic uniformity. “The result is a bold theatrical experiment aimed at redefining performance modes and establishing a new artistic language,” she says.
What does Shakespeare mean to Manana? “Shakespeare has been in my life since childhood. My father was a theatre and Shakespeare lover,” she says. “He knew the To Be or Not To Be soliloquy from Hamlet and recited a monologue very often. Then, being the student of the Medical University of Georgia, I have seen film The Moor Of Venice: Othello (1960), the film-ballet starring Vakhtang Chabukiani. It was unforgettable impression and I began read Shakespeare.
“Later, in 1979 when I was already studying theatre directing at the Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Film State University, I had seen Richard III staged by Robert Sturua: completely stunning and amazing impression.
“After this day I dreamed in my heart – maybe someday a miracle will happen and I can somehow make a film about this performance. Many years later I realised my dream. I made film about world- renowned Georgian theatre director Robert Sturua, who staged the most Shakespearean plays in the world.
“Shakespeare means for me, contemporary writer who helps us in our lives, who can show us the world in all its dimensions and make us think about who we are as humans, what we strive for, and what or who we live for.”
How has Shakespeare impacted upon your career, Manana? “After being a student of the University of Wisconsin in 2002/2003, taking there the course Acting Shakespeare, and also after finishing later my film about Robert Sturua, I finally decided that I can and I have to teach Shakespeare,” she says.
“Now I am professor of the American-Georgian joint undergraduate programme Liberal Arts at the Ilia State university, and from 2008 I am teaching Shakespeare for the bachelor programme students. In 2023 I established the Georgian Shakespeare Association and I am the head of this association.”
What is the importance of festivals such as York International Shakespeare Festival, Manana? “This kind of festival helps artists to deepen meaningful cultural dialogues, to see live performances and films and to deepen our knowledge in the contemporary arts of foreign countries, as well as to create connections that help to establish new collaborations.”
Did you know?
WITH Love’s Light Wings was premiered on October 22 2025 in Beijing and Guilin, China, at the WTEA (World Education Theatre Alliance) International Theatre Showcase 2025.
Objectives of With Love’s Light Wings:
• To explore Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet as a thematic and emotional source, rather than a fixed narrative.
• To integrate diverse theatrical forms, including dramatic theatre, puppet theatre, finger performance, pantomime, musical and vocal expression and choreographic elements, as well as other theatrical forms.
Professor Manana Anasashvili: back story
THEATRE and film director, professor of joint undergraduate programme Liberal Arts of Michigan State University, Ilia State University and AGILE (American-Georgian Initiative for Liberal Education).
Teaching Shakespeare since 2008.
Her stage production In The Dark Room had a record run, being performed in Georgia for 23 years.
Her film Only Once was awarded at several international film festivals.
Head of International Relations of Georgian Film Academy; founder and head of Georgian Shakespeare Association.
Cassi Roberts, left, Grace Scott and Vicky Hatt rehearsing for York Shakespeare Project’s Love’s Labours Lost. Picture: John Saunders
ANNA Gallon is directing York Shakespeare Project for the first time in Love’s Labour’s Lost as Shakespeare meets the 1990s’ club scene in an exciting new take on the Bard’s early comedy.
Her immersive production, set in the heat and heighted passions of urban nightlife, will run at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, from next Wednesday to Saturday as part of the 2026 York International Shakespeare Festival.
“We are absolutely delighted to welcome Anna as our director,” says YSP chair Tony Froud. “She emerged from an outstanding group of applicants, since when she has brought energy and excitement into the rehearsal room. This promises to translate into a totally memorable and entertaining show.
“York is very fortunate to have so many outstanding young directors. This production will show Anna as a key member of that group.”
Anna is co-founder and artistic director of York theatre company Four Wheel Drive, perhaps best known for its 2023 production of The Trial Of Margaret Clitheroe in the Guildhall. She also appeared as Lucetta in YSP’s The Two Gentlemen Of Verona, directed by Tempest Wisdom in 2024.
Love’s Labour’s Lost director Anna Gallon: “I want this comedy of discipline versus desire to play out not in a palace, but in a bar, where vows are as fragile as your morals after one too many tequila shots,” she says
“I’m thrilled to be directing Love’s Labour’s Lost for YSP,” she says. “It’s a dazzling, witty play about language, love and self-discovery – and I can’t wait to bring it to life in a way that feels vibrant and connected to the world we live in today.”
Set firmly in the here and now, Anna’s Love’s Labour’s Lost will re-imagine Shakespeare’s sparkling comedy of wit, wordplay, vows and romantic mischief on the nocturnal tiles. Her playful reinvention promises to mix verse, rhythm, dance and striking visuals to create a fresh and contemporary celebration of love, temptation and folly.
The King of Navarre and his three companions are re-imagined by Anna as the DJs who once ruled York’s club scene but have now renounced the wild world of drink, dance and late nights, committing themselves instead to a retreat of abstinence: no women, no drink and definitely no dance floors.
However, when the Princess of France and her entourage arrive, their solemn vows begin to unravel, as Anna explores with mischievous glee. “I want this comedy of discipline versus desire to play out not in a palace, but in a bar, where vows are as fragile as your morals after one too many tequila shots,” she says.
Ben Reeves Rowley: Progressing from Summer Sonnets to principal role in York Shakespeare Project’s Love’s Labour’s Lost. Picture: John Saunders
“My interpretation uses Shakespeare’s original language but finds playful, recognisable parallels for modern audiences: ageing players try to resist temptation, while nightlife culture collides with wellness culture and the irresistible force of love.”
As a key element of Anna’s production, the audience will find Theatre@41’s John Cooper Studio transformed from black box into a nightclub. “The bar setting will place Shakespeare into a familiar social space,” she says. “Instead of watching from a distance, theatregoers will find themselves inside the comedy: vows made across tables, love confessions unfolding on dance floors. It will be a shared night out for all.”
Anna’s cast features many faces familiar to York audiences, such as Ian Giles as Don Adriano de Armado, Tempest Wisdom as his page Moth, Harry Summers as Longaville and Nick Patrick Jones as Berowne, complemented by six actors new to YSP, Nason Crone’s Dumaine, Vicky Hatt’s Katherine, Helen Clarke’s Boyet, Elizabeth Duggan’s Costard, Stephen Huws’ Holofernes and Sarah McKeagney’s Sir Nathaniel.
Tony enthuses: “We are very excited that Anna’s production has attracted so many actors who are working with us for the first time. Only three of this cast appeared in our last show, Thomas Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy, at Theatre@41 last October. It’s a very healthy and invigorating mix.
Ian Giles rehearsing the role of Don Adriano de Armado
“In a very strong cast, it’s particularly pleasing to YSP to see Grace Scott and Ben Reeves Rowley in the central parts of Rosaline and the King of Navarre. Both first appeared in our annual Summer Sonnets show and it’s great to see them progressing to major parts in a full production.”
Love’s Labour’s Lost is the latest staging post in York Shakespeare Project’s 25-year programme to perform all 37 plays, plus plays by his contemporaries, in innovative and engaging ways from 2023 to 2048. Coming next will be the autumn production of The Comedy Of Errors, Shakespeare’s shortest play, the chaotic one with two sets of identical twins separated at birth that accidentally end up in the same city.
More immediately, why should you see YSP’s Love’s Labou’rs Lost? Let veteran cast member Ian Giles entice you: “Off the scale for daring entertainment, one of Shakespeare’s most verbal comedies is set in King’s Night Spot in 2005 with a soundtrack of Nineties and Noughties’ belters – what could possibly go wrong (or should that be right)? Come and find out.”
York Shakespeare Project presents Love’s Labour’s Lost, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, April 22 to 25, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Tempest Wisdom’s Moth in rehearsal for Love’s Labour’s Lost
Who’s in the cast for York Shakespeare Project’s Love’s Labour’s Lost
BEN Reeves Rowley, Ferdinand, King of Navarre; Nick Patrick Jones, Berowne; Harry Summers, Longaville; Nason Crone*, Dumaine; Charlie Barrs, The Princess of France; Grace Scott, Rosaline; Cassi Roberts, Maria; Vicky Hatt*, Katherine; Helen Clarke*, Boyet; Ian Giles, Don Adriano de Armado; Tempest Wisdom, Moth; Elizabeth Duggan*, Costard; Stephen Huws*, Holofernes; Sarah McKeagney*, Sir Nathaniel; James Tyler, Dull/Marcade; Pearl Mollison, Jaquenetta, and David Lee, Forrester
* New to York Shakespeare Project
York Shakespeare Project’s mirror-ball poster for Love’s Labour’s Lost
Four Wheel Drive working on The Trial Of Margaret Clitherow in development
YORK theatre company Four Wheel Drive will host a new immersive, interactive theatre experience, focusing on Catholic saint Margaret Clitherow, on Saturday in the Guildhall York council chambers.
From 12 noon to 4pm, audiences can explore the “vibrant heritage and creative innovation within York” in a programme of afternoon activities run by artistic director Anna Gallon and her co-creators of “bespoke off-road theatrical experiences”.
These will include a first look at Four Wheel Drive’s new play in development, an historical presentation from author Tony Morgan and a study of how heritage storytelling can be presented for modern audiences.
Immerse: Heritage: Afternoon of heritage, immersive and interactive storytelling events on February 17
12 noon: Doors open for audiences to explore the council chambers.
12.15pm to 1.15pm: The Trial Of Margaret Clitherow
SCRIPT-in-hand performance of extracts from The Trial Of Margaret Clitherow, a new immersive experience in development by Four Wheel Drive that relates the story of Catholic saint Margaret Clitherow in York.
That story? In 1586, Margaret refuses to comply. In a scramble to regain control, the council decides to coerce her to a public fight, threatening her family, faith and pride.
The play invites the audience to engage in Margaret’s trial, wrestling with moral dilemmas and making choices in pursuit of justice.
Ultimately, audience members must decide whether they will abstain from cooperating with a corrupt system out of protest or try to mitigate any further damage the case might inflict on the community of York.
The Guildhall council chambers in St Martin’s Courtyard, Walmgate, York
1.15pm to 2pm: The Life and Death of Margaret Clitherow in Tudor York
AUTHOR and historian Tony Morgan uncovers the extraordinary story of Margaret Clitherow within the history of Tudor York, one that takes in family, politics, religion and tragedy.
During her life, Margaret underwent an extraordinary transformation from being an ordinary woman who lived in Tudor York to a notorious rebel who took on the state, the Church and the assizes court.
University of Leeds associate professor Morgan writes non-fiction history books and novels, including a biography and novel covering the life and death of Margaret Clitherow, and gives regular history talks to groups.
2.30pm to 3.15pm: Reviving Heritage: Making Heritage Storytelling Relevant
YORK theatre-maker and Four Wheel Drive artistic director Anna Gallon reveals the company’s process of bringing heritage storytelling to modern audiences as specialists in creating new works for non-traditional theatrical spaces.
Discover how historical narratives can serve as a powerful lens for examining contemporary issues, fostering a deeper understanding of the choices that shape our world. “Nothing is more powerful than bringing history to life to challenge our choices today,” says Anna.
3.15pm to 4pm: Interactive and Immersive Storytelling
INNOVATIVE storytellers who work with immersive and interactive forms will discuss what these words mean and how they can affect the way we tell stories, along with York innovation in this field.
The four sessions can be booked and attended separately or enjoyed as a whole afternoon. There will be chances to ask questions and offer feedback to inform the development process.
Bee Scott’s poster for tonight’s Connect Festival performance of If You Find This
QUEER science fiction theatre maker and University of York researcher Bee Scott presents the premiere of her new play, If You Find This, at Theatre@41, Monkgate, tonight (20/7/2023).
Forming part of the Innovate strand at Four Wheel Drive Theatre’s Connect Festival, the 50-minute interactive sci-fi travelogue invites audiences to make choices leading them to one of three possible endings each night.
“My production plays with game mechanics that let the audience change how they explore the universe, depending on what it is they hope to find. When you imagine the future, do you hope for love, adventure, or comfort in the familiar?” asks Bee.
What happens in If You Find This? “Earth is trashed, but space is vast! And you’ve stumbled on a bunch of messages from the first human intergalactic hitchhiker telling you exactly how to chart your way to safety,” says Bee.
All the messages seem to be addressed to her girlfriend. “They’re kind of private, but it’s probably fine? This is for survival,” says Bee. “The messages are a little jumbled up. But you’re smart and you’ve played those make-a-choice Netflix episodes before. Finding your way through the cosmos along with the other remnants of humanity should be easy. If she could make it, you can too, right?”
As for Bee’s own progress, born to an English father and American mother in Sacramento, the “city of trees” in California, Bee studied theatre at Occidental College, Eagle Rock, the only small liberal arts college in Los Angeles.
Holding dual citizenship, she moved to the UK in 2014 to do an MA in music theatre at Central School of Speech and Drama. Performances at the Edinburgh Fringe, voiceover work and new writing pieces in the sci-fi sphere ensued, leading to her first full-length play, Mission Creep, being mounted by Controlled Chaos Theatre Company in London after being developed from a series of 15-minute extracts with various companies.
Bee had been working front of house at the Old Vic too and had just started afternoon shifts as a receptionist for Hospice UK when the pandemic struck. “We still kept phonelines operational, so we were very, very busy, but I never worked at their office,” she says. “I only visited it for the interview and never saw those people again! Everything went onto Zoom.”
Controlled Chaos Theatre Company in Bee Scott’s Mission Creep in 2019
During lockdown too, Bee was working on a proposal for her PhD. “I got in touch with Louise LePage at the School of Arts and Creative Technologies, who’d been a speaker at an event I’d helped with, where she looked at robot actors.”
Bee duly left “lockdown London” for York two years ago to study for her creative practice PhD on the subject of “How we imagine the future of queer people through science-fiction theatre”.
“It’s been a mixture of looking back and looking forward as science-fiction always looks to the future, but then you can look back at how it influenced what we ended up doing, as well as looking at how those predictions worked out,” says Bee.
“I would say the easiest way to consider queer sci-fi is through the characters, for example the San Junipero episode in Black Mirror. The 2010s had a lot of queer sci-fi and audiences were primed and ready for it.
“Russell T Davies planted the seeds early in Doctor Who and has had such an influence on queer sci-fi culture, and there’s a lot happening in literature too.”
Historically, Bee says, the queer character is seen as the outsider. “The default position has the heroic white man as the main character, with the colonial settler narrative of going out and conquering the world,” she says.
“Whereas now writers can explore things from more perspectives with more people coming forward to offer their view, and that’s something that If You Find This plays with.”
For her PhD, Bee’s first step has been to “dive into queer theory in theatre and contemporary literature”. “I’ve refracted that theory through theatre and then, since last term, I’ve been able to mess around was able to mess around with interactive theatre, working with another practitioner, Anna Gallon, when she did a VR [virtual reality] musical in March,” she says.
Writer and performer Bee Scott
“This interactive element is new for me, and If You Find This is my chance to get my feet wet with this form of theatre.”
If You Find This is a solo piece but with more than one central character. “There are two main characters and depending on the ending we arrive at, there could be a third character. Those alternative endings depend on how the audience on how the audience chooses to interact with other life forms,” says Bee.
“The way the play ends with all those different endings possible tells you there is a very definite sense that this exploration of where one is in the universe never finishes. There’s a lot in the play about finding home, finding a place of safety, and that’s not only for humans.”
Expect minimalism in Bee’s performance. “I’m a big fan of it, and it’s one of the most powerful things about sci-fi theatre,” she reasons.
Expect unpredictability too. “Tonight will be its first outing, and I want to see how it plays with an audience. I want to see how the audience vote works,” says Bee.
“There’s a ‘Game Master’ element to the show, the mechanism for choice that facilitates the options available to the audience and then guides them through each option they choose.
“But the interactive element is quite gentle. I’m not putting anyone on the spot. It’s a group effort. No spotlights!”
As for sci-fi’s desire to head into space, to expand our reach beyond Earth, Bee says: “It’s been interesting to watch certain people with all their money explore that vision of space travel, but I don’t think we’ll quite get there in my lifetime. Maybe in another generation after that. It feels like we need to clean up our own mess first.”
Meanwhile, back on Planet Earth, Bee is working on another project: making audio dramas. Watch this space…and watch Space too.
Natasha Stanic Mann in The Return, tonight’s 8.45pm performance at the Connect Festival
IF You Find This forms part of Connect Festival’s Non-Linear Narratives night at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York. At 8.45pm, Natasha Stanic Mann performs her devised one-woman show, The Return, an immersive insight into the hidden consequences of war, directed by Andres Velasquez.
“The beaches are lovely. Remembering is crass, embarrassing and in poor taste. But to remember is to return,” says Natasha. “If we cannot return, where do we start from? Come to laugh, to cry and to feel awkward. Whatever it is, we will survive it – survival being an art. Or an embarrassment?”
The story, based on the experience of living in Croatia during the break-up of former Yugoslavia, is fragmented and collaged. “It unveils an aspect of family history and explores the surreal circumstances around a conflict building up and what goes into surviving it,” says Natasha.
Combining movement, storytelling and poetry, her piece explores how living through war has affected where Natasha is now.
Bee Scott: If You Find This, 7.30pm tonight; Natasha Stanic Mann: The Return, 8.45pm tonight, Connect Festival, Theatre@41 Monkgate, York.Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Connect Festival: “Enabling audiences to connect with one another and with new work”
Four Wheel Drive’s Connect Festival: the 2023 back story
“TO us, enabling audiences to connect with one another and with new work is invigorating,” say Connect Festival organisers Four Wheel Drive.
Running from July 19 to 23 at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, the festival aims to connect York-based creatives with one another and the next stage in their career.
This week’s event not only connects York creatives with like-minded individuals and industry experts, but also enables networking across disciplines, as live arts, digital media and innovative technology connect to celebrate this city’s creative communities.
Connect Festival offers York creatives the chance to broaden their horizons and network with others
Connect Festival offers opportunities for people in York to connect with York’s creative and cultural scene. Festival guests include: Ben Porter, founder of NODE and York Creatives; Mary Stewart David, of Imminent XR; freelance York playwright and comedy sketch writer Paul Birch; Joe Rees-Jones, of XR Stories, and award-winning audio drama producer Kate Valentine.
Masterclasses, workshops, networking events and panels during the day and early evening offer York creatives the chance to broaden their horizons and network with others who share the same passions.
The evenings present theatrical performances, followed by late-night entertainment on selected days. After Friday evening’s two comedies, Joe Maddalena and Gianluca Scatto’s Self Help and Aidan Loft’s On The Rail, Freida Nipples Burlesque hosts burlesque performances of glitz and glamour in A Night With York’s Stars.
In the frame: Joly Black and Anna Gallon, Four Wheel Drive’s co-producers for the Connect Festival, in the doorway of Theatre@41, Monkgate, York
Following Saturday’s LGBTQ+ performances, Josh Maughan’s Nice Jewish Boy and Aidan Thompson-Coates in the collaborative work Contradicktion, the Family Shambles Drag troupe will be in action. Both evenings have limited tickets and are predicted to sell out fast.
Connect co-producer Anna Gallon is passionate about welcoming everyone to the festival, be they from a theatrical background or not: “If you want to pursue your creativity, then my question would be: why not? This is a positive and inspiring space where we want to know what you are creating and what you are interested in,” she says.
The programme for the 2023 Connect Festival
For co-producer Joly Black, this ties in with accessibility: “The success of Connect is all about opportunity; I want to create as many opportunities for people to learn, exploring their creativity in a low-risk environment, and build their network to step up their career,” he says.
“But in the end, if you want to be connected with the next stage of your career – theatrical or otherwise – to experiment with new technologies while meeting new people, or simply have a great time watching vibrant performances, come on down to the Connect Festival. We’ve got something for everyone!
“You can browse tickets at www.connectyork.co.uk with free events available. Book now to avoid disappointment as tickets are very limited.”
