Live Theatre & Soho Theatre to Host Political Panel Debate at Soho Theatre, 11/24

Inspired by the forthcoming A WALK ON PART, the dramatisation of the critically acclaimed political diaries of former MP Chris Mullin, Live Theatre and Soho Theatre host a panel debate with MPs and artists as they discuss how to change the world; chaired by Channel 4 News Political Correspondent Michael Crick at Soho Theatre on the evening of Thursday 24 November.

Michael Crick will chair a panel of artists and MPs; this will include Liberal Democrat Spokesman for Culture and MP for Bath Don Foster, Live Theatre Artistic Director Max Roberts and Soho Theatre Artistic Director Steve Marmion, with more panellists to be announced shortly. The panel will answer questions from our audience on ‘changing the world' bringing together the world of theatre and politics.

Soho Theatre and Live Theatre in Newcastle bring Chris Mullin's witty, irreverent take on contemporary politics to the stage in A WALK ON PART, reflecting three worlds during a time of crisis and change - the febrile political village of Westminster, the flash points of Africa he toured as a Minister and the fragile community he served as an MP. Adapted for the stage by Michael Chaplin and directed by Max Roberts (The Pitmen Painters), A WALK ON PART provides an insider's view of the last and most turbulent decade in politics opening at Live Theatre Newcastle on Tuesday 25 October before making its London premiere at Soho Theatre opening for previews on Tuesday 15 November.

Michael Crick is Political Correspondent of Channel 4 News. He has been a journalist for more than 30 years, working for three of the great flagship TV programmes. He was a founder member of Channel 4 News in 1982 and later served as Washington Correspondent. Crick joined the BBC in 1990, and worked on Panorama before joining Newsnight in 1992. He won Royal Television Society Awards in 1989 and 2002 and was political editor of Newsnight from 2007-11. Crick is the author of several books, including biographies of Arthur Scargill, Jeffrey Archer and Alex Ferguson - which were all bestsellers - and of Michael Howard and Michael Heseltine.

The Rt. Hon. Don Foster is the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Bath. A seat he has held since 1992 when he famously beat the then Chairman of the Conservative Party, Chris Patten. Don was elected to Avon County Council in 1981 and served as Chairman of the Education Committee. He remained a councillor until 1989. On his election to Parliament he became the Liberal Democrat Spokesman for Education under Paddy Ashdown's leadership, and also served on the Select Committee for Education. In 2003 he was appointed as the Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport, a post he held until 2010. Don is currently co-chair of the Liberal Democrat Back-bench Committee for Culture, Media and Sport and a Governor of the Westminster Forum for Democracy.

Max Roberts is the Artistic Director and a founding member of Live Theatre in Newcastle upon Tyne where he has directed new plays by many writers from the North East including CP Taylor, Tom Hadaway, Alan Plater, Peter Straughan, Julia Darling, Peter Flannery, Shelagh Stephenson, Michael Chaplin and Lee Hall. Max's production of Lee's multi award winning play The Pitmen Painters was commissioned to re-open the newly refurbished Live Theatre in September 2007. After celebrated seasons at Live Theatre, The National Theatre and on Broadway the latest production has just concluded an extensive National tour and opened in the West End at The Duchess Theatre on 5th October 2011 in association with Live Theatre, The National Theatre and Bill Kenwright Ltd"

Steve Marmion's first season as Artistic Director of Soho Theatre began in May 2011; his credits at Soho include the current Fit and Proper People, Anthony Neilson's Realism and Ed Harris' Mongrel Island. Previously he was a Literary Associate at Soho Theatre and, as a freelance director, worked on Anthony Neilson's much acclaimed Edward Gant's Amazing Feats of Loneliness in April 2009. He directed Macbeth for Regent's Park Open Air Theatre in July 2010 and for the Lyric Hammersmith he directed the celebrated Jack and the Beanstalk and last year's Dick Whittington and his Cat. He worked at the Royal Shakespeare Company for two years and was Associate Director on Macbett and God In Ruins during his time there. He has also worked with The National Theatre, Royal Court, the Theatre Royal Plymouth, Theatre Royal Bath, and Sherman Cardiff amongst many others.

The cross-party panel debate is at Soho Theatre Downstairs on Thursday 24 November at 7.15pm/ Debate 9.45pm. Tickets are £35 (price includes ticket for A Walk on Part, debate and glass of wine). Premium table seats are available on request. For bookings call 020 7478 0100 or visit www.sohotheatre.com.

A Walk on Part From the diaries of Chris Mullin and Adapted for the stage by Michael Chaplin and Directed by Max Roberts is at Live Theatre, Newcastle from Tuesday 25 October - Saturday 12 November at 7.30pm with Thursday & Saturday Matinees at 2pm. Tickets are £10 - £18. For bookings call 0191 232 1232 or visit www.live.org.uk.

It is also playing at Soho Theatre Downstairs on Tuesday 15 November - Saturday 10 December at 7.15pm with Thursday & Saturday Matinees 2.15pm. Tickets are £10 - £20. For bookings call 020 7478 0100 or visit www.sohotheatre.com

Chris Mullin BOOK TALK is on Saturday 03 December at 5pm. Chris Mullin will be doing a Book Talk, about his new book A Walk on Part: Diaries 1994 - 1999 and audience Q+A at Soho Theatre. Tickets are £5.

Soho Theatre aims to bring the most entertaining, brave and theatrical new work to audiences across a programme spanning comedy, cabaret and theatre; with three spaces, a late night bar, innovative education projects and world famous writers centre. The theatre has a network of partnerships and associations across the industry and the globe. These enable us to support, collaborate and be at the heart of more work on our stages and help make more work happen. As well as Live Theatre, Newcastle our associates include Bristol's Watershed, leading African company Tiata Fahodzi, Jagriti Theatre in Bangalore, Kathy Burke and Roy Williams.

From its base on Newcastle's quayside, Live Theatre produces work as varied and diverse as the audiences it engages with. To do this it: creates and performs new plays of world class quality, finds and develops creative talent, unlocks the potential of young people through theatre.
Founded in 1973, the theatre was transformed in 2007 via a £5.5million redevelopment. The result is a beautifully restored and refurbished complex of five Grade II listed buildings with state-of-the-art facilities in a unique historical setting, including a 160 seat cabaret style theatre, a Studio Theatre, renovated rehearsal rooms, a series of dedicated writer's rooms as well as a thriving café, bar and pub.