Cast and Creative Team Set For NEL'S PLACE UK Tour

REWRITES - the showcase for new musicals started by The Lowry, Salford in 2017 will present Nel's Place - a new musical from Sheep Soup. Nel's Place examines what material things really mean to us, and how easily we can become buried by the past.

REWRITES was launched by The Lowry to support and promote new musicals at the start of their journey to the stage. It's a platform that puts shows on their feet and in front of an audience for the first time via presentations including scratch nights, works-in-progress workshops and concerts.

In 2024 REWRITES has expanded with three new partner venues - Birmingham Hippodrome, MAST Mayflower Studios and Norwich Theatre - to create a new twice-annual touring platform for new musicals in development, starting with Nel's Place.

A workshop performance of Nel's Place plays The Lowry, Salford from 8-9 March 2024, MAST Mayflower Studios, Southampton 14-15 March 2024, Birmingham Hippodrome 19-20 March 2024 and Norwich Theatre 22-23 March 2024.

Trapped in a hoard of memories and music, Nel yearns to make space for granddaughter Molly's 16th birthday celebrations. Can Nel find a way through grief to let her family in?

The musical's songs span a number of genres from rap to soul, folk to ballads and the show not only represents Nel's struggle with hoarding but also allows the audience to reflect on their own relationship with ‘stuff'.

Sheep Soup has worked with a range of organisations and professionals that support people affected by hoarding, as well as with support groups looking at how to creatively express their journey. They have been working Ian Porter and “Hoarders helping Hoarders” support group in Liverpool for three years who have been heavily involved in the making of the show through consultation, music exploration and creating a verbatim opening sound scape for the show.

Clare Chandler, Director says: "I'm excited to collaborate with Sheep Soup again to bring Nel's Place to Rewrites. I got to workshop Nel's Place with the musical theatre students at the University of Lincoln last year and totally fell in love with the musical. Esther's writing is an absolute gift and Rob and Nic's songs are gorgeous.  Join the hoard as we bring Nel's Place to life, celebrating the magic of collaboration, creativity, and the pure joy of storytelling."

On REWRITES Ben adds: “REWRITES is a brilliant way of connecting companies and shows with audiences. We were a part of it at The Lowry in 2019 and it's amazing to see the platform expand across the new venues who are supporting the project. It's rare that original musicals make it to the stage, so it's a dream opportunity to surprise audiences and take a risk on something they haven't seen before.”

Esther Coles, Book Writer says: "I have loved discovering and writing the life of a hoarder. It has been very humbling and also a lot of fun. Taking Nel's Place on its first major outing and sharing it with a whole new audience is truly exciting."

Cast includes Esther Coles (Nurse, Enola Holmes), Ben Welch (Big Boys), Aminita Francis (Family Tree) Emma Bispham (Emmerdale, The Clink) + Keaton Guimarães-Tolley (Grenfell - National Theatre) 

Tour Dates

8th - 9th March – The Lowry, Salford

14th – 15th March – MAST Mayflower Studios, Southampton

19th-20th March – Birmingham Hippodrome

23th – 23rd March – Norwich Theatre

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