THE POLITICAL HISTORY OF SMACK AND CRACK by Ed Edwards

Autumn tour dates 2019 TBA

Co-Produced by Offstage Theatre and Most Wanted, Co-commissioned by Soho Theatre
Directed by Cressida Brown




‘BOOM! Neil feels a violent leap of ecstasy in his chest. The history of Manchester jumps off its axis. The history of England jumps off its axis. 2am, 8th July, 1981, 20 cities across England burn.’

The Political History of Smack and Crack is an epic love song to a lost generation; the story of two star-crossed lovers annihilated by the Northern heroin epidemic of the Thatcher years. This urgent play traces the fate of the pair from the epicentre of the riots in ’81 through to their present-day struggle surviving on the streets of Manchester.
Partly inspired by the playwright’s own experience in prison and rehab, this two hander was one of five finalists in this year's Theatre503's Play Writing Award out of over 1600 entries from 58 countries.

It's said to understand the present we must understand our past - but a political history like this can all too easily smack and crack you in the face again right here and right now.

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About the Writer: Ed Edwards was brought up in Birmingham where he acquired an accent that took him years to erode. He has many TV and novel writing credits, he did three-and-a-half years in jail in the 90s where he wrote his second novel and he now lives with his partner and her children in Manchester.



Land Defenders (working title)


The extraordinary human rights theatre company Ice&Fire have commissioned Cress to work with human rights lawyer Danna Ingleton to a new project about female land defenders.

Each year, ice&fire theatre pairs a theatre-maker with an ‘expert witness’ in the field of human rights and supports them to create a new piece for live performance together. In 2018, this pairing will be Cressida Brown and the human rights lawyer Danna Ingleton.

Click here to see more about iceandfire’s amazing work exploring human right’s stories through performance: I http://iceandfire.co.uk/ I


The Machine by Susan Mulholland


Zora: Welcome to Life Solutions, can I take your name and school identification number please?

Lucy: Lucy Strange, 37595

In development at the Unicorn Theatre, this story is set in a dystopian future in which children aged 8 are sent to meet The Machine which determines what they will do when they grow up.

The play started with the support of Live Theatre & Theatre Hullabaloo as part of a scratch commission.

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About the writer:
Susan has developed her writing career over the last ten years having first been commissioned to  adapt Thumbelina for the under 6s Christmas show at Northern Stage. She then went on to write a further eight Christmas shows for the company.

 





email: info@offstage.org.uk
Offstage Theatre Company