New Dance-theatre Show SHED From Northern Rascals Gets London Premiere

New multi media piece showcases love, loss and the essential humanity that resides in us all will debut at The Place.

Shed is a new dance-theatre piece from the acclaimed, Yorkshire based multi-disciplinary company Northern Rascals. It uses drama, digital art, spoken word alongside contemporary dance performance to raise awareness of the mental health issues young people face.

The world première and press night will be staged at The Place, Duke's Road WC1H 9PY on Saturday 28 October 2023 at 7.30pm. This will also be the company's London debut.

SHED is an engaging, ultimately uplifting, beautifully written and choreographed portrait of confused emotions, love and loss and the essential humanity that resides in us all. It is performed by a cast of four skilled dancers in an on-stage pop-up structure that invites the audience to stand outside and look in as real-life experiences are told in a series of three linked shorts. Each gives a different insight into the stories that make us.

Prior to the London date there will be preview performances at Capa College Wakefield (20 Oct) and New Adelphi Theatre Salford (25 Oct). The show will tour in 2024 opening at Leeds' Riley Theatre on 27 January.

Co-Artistic Director and writer Anna Holmes said 'SHED was birthed in a period of social disconnect where our lives were linked through snippets on screens, in windows, through doors. These moments felt isolated and incredibly personal; they belonged to us, our lives and our four walls. Yet, when we regrouped with our creative collaborators and our community we found that our stories were not singular but collectively shared. SHED is a response to that. Our hope is that our audiences will leave taking a part of SHED with them, perhaps a familiar story, or one that's unknown. SHED is rooted in the messy, complicated lives that we all live.'

SHED is created by Anna Holmes and Sam Ford of Northern Rascals. It is written by Anna Holmes, performed by Grace Ford, Flora Grant, Ed Mitchell and Soul Roberts with voice actors Lamin Touray, Brendan Barclay and Anna Holmes. It is supported by Arts Council England, CAPA College, Northern Broadsides and York St John University.

Driven by social conscience, Northern Rascals uses theatre and contemporary dance to lead audiences to original narratives rooted in the current socio-political climate. Nationally recognised, the company is renowned for its raw yet poetic interpretation of today's world and the people that inhabit it. This performance of SHED is their London debut.