LIVING WITH THE LIGHTS ON to Tour UK and Europe

Mark Lockyer's critically acclaimed Living with the Lights On - produced by ATC and directed by Ramin Gray - hits the road this autumn with a UK and European tour, following two sell-out tours in 2016, including an extended sell-out run at the Young Vic.

It's 1995. Mark Lockyer is in Stratford Upon Avon, having been offered a job by Adrian Noble Artistic Director of The Royal Shakespeare Company to play Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet. On a sunny afternoon he has nothing to do so decides to get out of town and go for a walk along the bank of the river Avon. An encounter along the way changes things profoundly and forever. From that point, Mark starts to lose control of his life, as he abandons a promising career and embarks along a pathway to hell.

This is Mark's story - a terrifying roller coaster ride that takes him through the medical and criminal justice systems, through prison and hospital and on towards eventual recovery. This is a gripping tale of a life lived at the edge, a personal memoir as moving as it is funny, as brutal as it is true.

Mark is testament to the fact that mental illness can happen to anyone, that the bipolar mind is not a deficient one and that, with the right treatment there can be a life beyond it.

Mark Lockyer trained at RADA. His career spans three decades and includes leading roles at The National Theatre, The Royal Shakespeare Company, The Old Vic, The Young Vic and The Royal Court working with likes of Ken Campbell, Mark Rylance and Sam Mendes. Last Summer Mark returned to the RSC to take the role of Subtle in Polly Findlay's production of Ben Johnson's The Alchemist and most recently he played Iago in ETT's co-production of Othello with Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory For Actors Touring Company, Mark appeared in Martyr by Marius von Mayernburg directed by Ramin Gray and co-produced with The Unicorn.

'Mark is one of the most compelling, extraordinary and fearless artists I've had the pleasure to work with. This show is a remarkable tour de force.'
Rufus Norris, Artistic Director of the National Theatre

Actors Touring Company (ATC) makes international, contemporary theatre that travels. We create shows with a global perspective: activating and entertaining the audience whilst asking questions of the world around us. Placing the actor at the heart of our work, and employing a lean aesthetic which promotes environmental sustainability, the company have toured the UK and internationally since we were founded in 1980, reaching audiences far and wide.

ATC's co-production of The Suppliant Women received universal critical praise when it opened at The Royal Lyceum Theatre last year and has subsequently been performed in Belfast, Newcastle and Manchester; it will open the Dublin Theatre Festival in October before a run at the Young Vic in November this year. . Adapted by David Greig from the Aeschylus work and directed by Ramin Gray with music by John Browne The Suppliant Women brought together the team behind ATC's The Events, which has toured extensively in the UK, the US and internationally, and has enjoyed revivals in Denmark, France and Australia. Earlier this year the company staged the UK premiere Winter Solstice by Roland Schimmelfennig in coproduction with the Orange Tree Theatre, where it received rave reviews.Winter Solstice will tour the UK in early 2018. .

http://www.atctheatre.com

ATC presents
LIVING WITH THE LIGHTS ON
Written and performed by
Mark Lockyer
directed by Ramin Gray

Friday 15 Sep
High Tide Festival - Aldeburgh
https://www.hightide.org.uk
01728 687110

Mon 18 - Fri 22 Sep
Tobacco Factory - Bristol
https://www.tobaccofactorytheatres.com / 0117 902 0344

Sun 24 Sep
Orange Tree Theatre - Richmond
https://www.orangetreetheatre.co.uk /
020 8940 3633

Thurs 12 - Sat 14 Oct
Espoo City Theatre - Helsinki
https://espoonteatteri.fi /
+358 (09) 4393 388

Tue 17 - Thu 19 Oct
Scottish Storytelling Centre - Edinburgh
http://www.tracscotland.org/scottish-storytelling-centre /
0131 556 9579

Fri 20 - Sat 21 Oct
Citizens Theatre Studio - Glasgow
http://www.citz.co.uk /
0141 429 0022

Thu 26 - Sun 29 Oct
Theatre Lliure, Barcelona
http://www.teatrelliure.com /
+ 34 902 106 369

Wed 1 - Sat 4 Nov
Warwick Arts Centre
https://www.warwickartscentre.co.uk /
024 7652 4524

Mon 6 - Tue 7 Nov
Crucible Studio - Sheffield
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk /
0114 249 6000

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