Bike Shed Theatre hosts week of thought-provoking plays

The Bike Shed Theatre in Exeter begins a week of short plays about modern attitudes to suffrage and democracy tonight (23/07/13).

Three short plays have been commissioned as part of the Bike Shed’s annual ‘New Blood’ performances, in which up and coming writers and directors produce work around a central theme.

The theme for this year of Democracy and Suffrage are then considered afterwards with a planned panel for discussion and debate. Each night will cover a separate topic with a series of guest panellists including a BBC sports journalist for a discussion on representation of women in sport on thursday night.

David Lockwood, Director of the Bike Shed said: "I'm thrilled to be hosting this fabulous week of new work created in response to the suffragist march of 1913, and more specifically to the question 'what does the right to vote mean today'.

“It seems particularly apt that in the week that we celebrate the birth of a baby born to be King, these fabulous theatre makers are asking questions around the way our society is governed and how, why and whether we should activate our right to vote at all."

Labour MP for Exeter, Ben Bradshaw is also attending as a guest panellist on the opening night for a discussion on what has changed in Global Democracy in the last 100 years and what to expect in the next 100.

Mr Bradshaw said: “It’s great that the Bike Shed is putting on interesting, edgy theatre like this as anything that brings lively discussion is a good thing.”

The plays ‘I’m Suffraging’ by Callum Elliot Archer, ‘Slippage’ by Hannah Townsend and Shiona Morton cover modern attitudes towards a disillusioned political identity in the last general election and family life.

Callum Elliot Archer wrote: “New Blood is one of my favourite initiatives the Bike Shed Theatre runs. Each year, artists get to respond practically to a set provocation and perform their work in front of an audience. Brilliant.

“I have wanted to look at the way our country views voting, and the political system in general for a while, and I have been given the perfect opportunity to do so.”

A third play ‘Common Sense’ by Tom Nicholas is concerned with the royal baby and the place of a monarchy in a democratic society.

Speaking to The Exeter Daily Nicholas said: “hopefully it gets discussion going, as this issue tends to be fairly one-sided. Well until yesterday at least.

“I responded to the provocation from the Bike Shed about three months ago, which challenged people to think about democracy and suffrage.

“What I wanted to ask is why we never went further after suffrage. Why get democracy and still keep the monarchy.”

Nicholas will be part of Friday’s panel on issues surrounding the latest addition to the Royal family.

Blogging yesterday Nicholas wrote: “It’s a mash up of poetry, treason and a bit of the Sex Pistols. For the most part though it's an appeal for a better system, a system that reflects Britain in the 21st century not the 15th. In the words of the late Christopher Hitchens”

New Blood, Bare Bones will be showing at 7.30pm each night between 23 and 27 July with tickets starting at £5.

Click here to book tickets.