THE WRITERS of a Huddersfield theatre production have been nominated for a national award.
Chol Theatre, based at the Lawrence Batley Theatre in Queen Street, has been shortlisted for Theatre Centre’s Brian Way Award.
The nomination is for its production of Space Circus, a touring play for Yorkshire schools.
The play aims to educate children on the science of space exploration and was written by four people – Cathianne Hall, Conor Ibrahiem, Michael Stewart and Anna Zaluczkowska.
So far it has toured schools twice since October 2007, performing to over 7,500 young people and will continue to do so until March 2010.
Dave Calvert, who chairs Chol’s Board of Trustees said: “Being shortlisted for the Brian Way award caps a fantastically successful couple of years for Chol.
“It’s wonderful that the quality of the company’s work has been recognised on a national level.”
Space Circus is set in three inflatable pods, as the story takes place in a lunar hotel, a space craft and on Jupiter’s moon, Europa.
Each writer developed their own specific section, after initial collaboration with the director Andrew Loretto and producer Susan Burns.
Writer Anna Zaluczkowska said: “Chol Theatre took four very different writers and actively encouraged us to work collaboratively on the project with a really interesting brief.
“Our success is a result of their inventiveness and open mindedness.”
Another of the writers, Michael Stewart, Director of the Huddersfield Literature Festival, said: “I realised that none of the audience had ever been to a theatre before and I was delighted to see how they were involved with the theatre of the piece without realising they were learning about science at the same time.
“Learning by stealth – I like that”
The award is given to plays that the judges think is of a special quality that stimulates the imagination and shows innovation in language.
Space Circus is up against six other candidates for the award, which will be announced on April 30 and comes with a prize of £6,000.
