Ed and Trevor are delighted to announce details of the North East tour of their new play Amazing Grace, a novel take on the story of North East sea rescue heroine Grace Darling .
The prolific pair penned Amazing Grace to celebrate the achievements of the first Victorian heroine who tragically died in 1842 aged only 26, four years after her heroic deed off the Northumberland Coast between Bamburgh and Seahouses.
Grace Darling and her lighthouse keeper father lived on Longstone island when, in a storm on September 7, 1838, the SS Forfarshire struck the notorious Harcar rocks, a part of the Farne Islands. Of the 63 people aboard, nine managed to escape in the lifeboat while Grace and her father selflessly manned a coble to heroically rescue 13 people stranded on the rocks.
Queen Victoria bestowed the Silver Bravery medal on Grace, and, after Victoria, she became the most well know woman in 19th centuryBritain.
The play will tell the story of Grace Darling through the eyes of a modern-day writer called Grace who wants to make a film about her famous namesake.
Trevor explained: “It’s a funny, modern take on a wonderful story and will appeal to everyone aged from 13 to 113. We want to celebrate Grace’s achievement whilst illustrating how the Hollywood machine can play fast and loose with the facts.
“Grace was the first working-class female celebrity – the Cheryl Cole of her time – and the play is a tribute to her achievement.”
Amazing Grace will include film of some famous Northumberland landmarks and is being co-produced by Alnwick Playhouse with the support of Sunderland University. The filming itself is being provided by Contrapunto, a digital film company recently formed by graduates from the University.
Jo Potts, manager of Alnwick Playhouse, said: “Alnwick Playhouse is excited to premiere this new play based on and around Grace Darling. Her unique story is rooted firmly in the Northumberland landscape and deserves to be told.”
Judith Hills, Associate Dean for Recruitment and Development at Sunderland University, said: “We are very excited to be involved in Amazing Grace. It’s a novel approach to a fantastic story which I’m sure will make a terrific piece of theatre.”
The three-week north east tour will begin at Alnwick Playhouse on Wednesday, October 17, taking in Berwick Maltings, Hexham Queen’s Hall, Blyth Phoenix theatre, the Customs House (South Shields), Gala Theatre (Durham), Gateshead Old Town Hall, Hartlepool Theatre, Consett Empire and end at Whitley Bay Playhouse on Saturday, November 3. Full dates for each venue are shown below.
You can buy tickets from the relevant box office on the numbers shown or online by clicking on the theatre name below. Some of the online facilities are not yet up and running but will be added here as as when they become available.
Amazing Grace is supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
Alnwick Playhouse 17-19 October 01665 510 785
Consett Empire 20 Oct 01207 218171
Hexham Queen’s Hall 22-23 Oct 01434 652477
Gala theatre Durham 24-25 Oct 0191 332 4041
Hartlepool Theatre 26 Oct 01429 890 000
Gateshead Old Town Hall 27 Oct 0191 433 6965
Customs House South Shields 29-30 Oct 0191 454 1234
Blyth Phoenix theatre 31 Oct 01670 367 228
Berwick Maltings 1-2 Nov 01289 330999
WhitleyBay Playhouse 3 Nov 0191 251 5484 or 0844 277 2771