Following on from their critically acclaimed Sold-out productions, Dirty Laundry and Hot Lane, Stoke-on-Trent based Claybody Theatre Company will once again transport the city’s iconic Spode Works for the premiere of Deborah McAndrew’s new play about Stoke’s major dual carriageway – The D-Road.
Written and directed by award-winning team of Deborah McAndrew and Conrad Nelson, The D-Road will premiere from the 16-26 October at the Spode Works which is located right next to the A500 – the perfect location for the exciting new site-specific play.
A house stands marooned on a forgotten island of land somewhere between the railway, the Trent and Mersey Canal, and the D-Road. It’s where Liam lives with his Nana.
Liam and his girlfriend, Lois, dream of the bright lights of Manchester, but how can they leave Nana, with her very peculiar phobia?
Then a charismatic stranger turns up at the door. Who is he? What does he want? And why is he so interested in the Nana’s back garden?
Playwright Deborah McAndrew said about her new play: “You don’t have to live long in North Staffordshire to realise that the A500 (D Road) is a significant cultural and economic landmark for people living in Stoke-on-Trent and the surrounding area. I’ve been ruminating on a play inspired by this iconic local road for quite a while, and I’m very excited to be finally writing it. The story centres around a modern family, living in close proximity to the road and with complex feelings about it. It will be a light and entertaining show, addressing some serious themes, and reflecting the relationship that many people in the city have with the D-Road, and how we all feel about roads and their meaning in our lives.”
The D-Road is directed by former Northern Broadsides artistic director Conrad Nelson, designed by Dawn Allsopp (Her Naked Skin, Salisbury Playhouse and The 39 Steps, New Vic Theatre) and lighting by John Slevin (The Visitor’s Book, Hope Mill Theatre). Casting will be announced in the coming weeks.
The D-Road will premiere at the Spode Works in Stoke-on-Trent from 16-26 October. For tickets and further information click here.
