Arcola Theatre announces the London premiere of The Band Back Together on the day that its playwright and director Barney Norris faces the polls as the Green Party candidate for Salisbury. The play will run from 4 – 28 September with a press night on 6 September as part of an autumn season of Arcola Theatre productions and co-productions (to be announced next week).
Barney Norris says: “I’ve dedicated this year to championing my home town of Salisbury, which has struggled to recover since the Russian novichok attack on our community in 2018. As the local Green Party candidate at this election, I’ve been campaigning to restore our environment whilst my play The Band Back Together tells a story of the city, its recent struggles, and the lasting legacy of the chemical attack that rocked it. I am thrilled to be announcing the London premiere of the play, and look forward to sharing it with Arcola’s audiences.’
The Band Back Together is a raucous and tender new story full of music. Celebrating growing up, coming home and making noise, The Band Back Together premieres in London after a rural community tour of England and Wales produced by Farnham Maltings.
Joe, Ross and Ellie used to be in a band. They were pretty good too, making waves across a rugged patchwork of pubs and clubs. But time has thrown the three friends far from their younger selves. Back together for one night only to play a benefit gig in their home town of Salisbury, they find a community reeling from an infamous poisoning and a pandemic. And as they rehearse the old songs together, their stories and secrets must also be excavated.
Barney Norris is a multi-award-winning playwright and novelist. His plays include Visitors, Eventide, and We Started To Sing.
A full list of candidates standing for election in Salisbury can be found here
