Calder Bookshop and Theatre Residencies 2025
ALL THE BEAUTIFUL THINGS BY LIV ELLO
What if the things that haunt us—the fears, the shame, the expectations we can never quite meet—were embodied by a single, absurd, endearing figure? All The Beautiful Things is a solo comedy live art show that takes us to the heart of identity, trauma, masculinity and beauty, all through the unassuming yet poignant lens of a scarecrow.
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OPEN REHEARSAL 12 SEPTEMBER 2025 7:30 |
At Calder Theare, September 26th and 27th
26th and 27th of September 2025, 7.30
pm
Written by Adam Laboda
Directed by Valentin Burwell
Set across contemporary Britain, In Plain Sight is a collection of British-focused Stories of Love told in the form of a one-act play. Each scene is 20-25 minutes in length and is set in a unique location across the U.K., from the shores of Cornwall, rural Wales, and the Peak District echoing the complexity of life in Britain. The show highlights how love takes many different forms, from familial, platonic, and romantic, and how love is more complex than we often see in media. In this Work in Progress showcase, we are performing three of the five stories, celebrating love in all its forms:
Erin, Alys, & The Open Space
Telling the Story of Erin, who travels from Denbigh to Chester to meet her birth mother.
Alex, Danny, & The Space Between
Set in the City of Plymouth, Alex and Danny reconnect following a tragic incident that tore the two of them apart three years ago.
Hannah, Max, & The Whirlwind
When Hannah goes on her first date with Max in Lancaster, her life is swept up in a Whirlwind as their entire relationship is played out. A fun theatrical twist on the traditional rom-com.
Ticket Prices: £11
Run time: 70 minutes (no interval)
Content Warnings: References to alcohol, sex, drugs, suicide, and adoption.
IN PLAIN SIGHT
Written by Adam Laboda
Directed by Valentin Burwell
Set across contemporary Britain, In Plain Sight is a collection of British-focused Stories of Love told in the form of a one-act play. Each scene is 20-25 minutes in length and is set in a unique location across the U.K., from the shores of Cornwall, rural Wales, and the Peak District echoing the complexity of life in Britain. The show highlights how love takes many different forms, from familial, platonic, and romantic, and how love is more complex than we often see in media. In this Work in Progress showcase, we are performing three of the five stories, celebrating love in all its forms:
Erin, Alys, & The Open Space
Telling the Story of Erin, who travels from Denbigh to Chester to meet her birth mother.
Alex, Danny, & The Space Between
Set in the City of Plymouth, Alex and Danny reconnect following a tragic incident that tore the two of them apart three years ago.
Hannah, Max, & The Whirlwind
When Hannah goes on her first date with Max in Lancaster, her life is swept up in a Whirlwind as their entire relationship is played out. A fun theatrical twist on the traditional rom-com.
Ticket Prices: £11
Run time: 70 minutes (no interval)
Content Warnings: References to alcohol, sex, drugs, suicide, and adoption.
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Ended March 9th
The Trial of Jemmy Button
A verbatim play based on old documents and letters.
Written and directed by Luis Gayol.
Wednesdays to Saturdays 7.30pm.
February 14th to March 9th.
It was the year 1830 when a young aboriginal from Tierra del Fuego was abducted and brought to England. As he was exchanged for a large pearl button, he was given the name of Jemmy Button. He was spared from being exhibited in a human zoo, as was the custom of the time; instead, he was sent to school to be indoctrinated in all aspects of English culture and the Christian religion.
After some time, he was put on a boat and returned to his land – the famous voyage of the Beagle, with Charles Darwin on board – in the hope that he would spread “civilization” among the members of his community.