World Premiere of SAY YES TO TESS Announced at Leeds Playhouse & Camden People's Theatre

TheatreState in association with Leeds Playhouse presents the world premiere of Say Yes to Tess - A New Musical. A hilarious, uplifting true story of activism, Yorkshire grit and learning to vote for yourself by Tess Seddon with songs by Harry Blake, co-directed by Harry Blake and Tess Seddon. Performed by Tess Seddon, Kofi Dennis, Jamie Noar, Purvi Parmar and Andrew Whitehead.

Laugh-out-loud funny with catchy original songs, this hopeful new musical is inspired by theatre-maker Tess Seddon's real-life experiences in the world of UK politics.

Colourfully re-imagining Tess's time as a Yorkshire Party candidate, this entertaining and accessible musical is for those who don't think politics is for them. Giving audiences a glimpse into the weird and wonderful 'behind the scenes' world of politics, from canvassing to hustings, the production is brought to the stage by TheatreState, in association with Leeds Playhouse. The musical opens at Leeds Playhouse before being performed at Camden People's Theatre in London.

The musical follows the 30-year-old Labour voter from London to Leeds, where she has returned to try and win back her boyfriend. Temping at a call centre and trying to survive a frosty house-share, she's feeling lost, until she meets the Yorkshire Party and is inspired to stand in the 2017 UK General Election as a candidate for Leeds North East.

Thrust into the spotlight, Tess takes the Yorkshire Party's passion for people, park & rides and Yorkshire devolution to the streets, finding friends in unlikely places. But with the General Election growing closer, she starts to question whether she's doing the right thing.

This is a story about hearing every voice. Self-certified talentless singer Tess plays herself alongside a cast of actors, singers and musicians (tbc) - finding herself in a world she doesn't belong.

Writer and performer Tess Seddon said: "Dodgy politics and regional inequality has only increased since we first tried to stage Say Yes to Tess in March 2020. This pandemic has made it impossible to ignore how our political system serves those at the top. It's farcical. So now feels like the perfect time to tell my unique and funny story about how I joined a cagefighting referee and an erotic novelist to get Yorkshire its own parliament. Say Yes to Tess is a story not just about me, but about how the process of standing affected everyone around me. From my passive aggressive housemate who'd never voted in her life, to my estranged Labour-voting Dad. It begins with me feeling powerless as an individual trying to change something so big and messed up - and ends with me realising that the most hopeful thing we can do is take part. Harry and I wanted this to speak to audiences who find politics overwhelming, boring, or just not for them. We knew it had to be fun and passionate - and what's more fun than a motley crew of unlikely amateur politicians singing big show tunes about changing the world?"

Learn more at:

www.theatrestate.org

www.leedsplayhouse.org.uk

www.cptheatre.co.uk

www.tessseddon.co.uk

Say Yes to Tess is created by TheatreState in association with Leeds Playhouse and supported by Camden People's Theatre. Supported using public funding from the national lottery through Arts Council England, alongside support from the European Cultural Foundation. TheatreState is a 2020 recipient of Nesta's Democracy Pioneer's Award.

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