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Unity Theatre has revealed the first venues confirmed to host Nina – a story about me and Nina Simone on its recently announced 2018 UK tour.
The exceptionally successful production will launch from The Lowry, Salford (30, 31, 02 and 03 January 2018), and visit the Royal Welsh College Music and Drama, Cardiff (24 February 2018), before returning to Unity Theatre, Liverpool (17, 20, 22, 23 and 24 March) to complete the national tour.
Unity Theatre has secured a £95,000 grant from Arts Council England’s Strategic Touring programme to take the production on the road, and has taken on the role of lead producer for the extensive UK tour, for which further venues and dates are due to be announced.
Nina – a story about me and Nina Simone was originally co-produced with Sweden’s Riksteatern, and is performed by Josette Bushell-Mingo. It is a searing and soulful theatre piece inspired by the life and music of Nina Simone. Taking in the singer’s political acts as part of the Civil Rights Movement in 1960s America as well as the struggles in her personal life, Josette Bushell-Mingo finds a parallel with the persisting inequality in today’s society, and questions how far we’ve really come.
Versions of some of Nina Simone’s best-loved songs combine with a clear provocation in this production directed by Dritëro Kasapi, with dramaturgy by Christina Anderson. Design and costume is by Rosa Maggiora, musical direction by Shapor Bastansiar, lighting by Matt Haskins, and video by Dritëro Kasapi.
Since the world premiere of the production at Unity Theatre in October 2016, the show has embarked on a 30 date national tour of Sweden and is currently in the midst of a two week, sold out, run at the Young Vic in London’s West End, where it has been received as a great critical success. Following the current West End run, the tour moves to the Traverse Theatre during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (5 – 13 August).
Matthew Linley, Unity Theatre Artistic Director and CEO said: ‘We at Unity Theatre are proud to be lead producers of Nina – a story about me and Nina Simone, and to be bringing the show to venues across the UK. This is a hugely significant, boundary breaking production, which, to quote the script, asks the question “How did we come to a time when we have to say Black Lives Matter?”
Nina – a story about me and Nina Simone is bringing diverse audiences together throughout the UK to talk about critical, literally life-or-death issues of race, that are unfortunately still relevant despite the passage of intervening years since Nina Simone’s activism. We are delighted to announce the venues that form part of the national tour that Arts Council England has chosen to support, and look forward to adding more tour venues and dates in Autumn.“
UK Tour Dates
A Unity Theatre and Riksteatern co-production
Nina – a story about me and Nina Simone
The Lowry, Salford – 30, 31, 02 and 03 January 2018
Book Tickets: https://www.thelowry.com/events/nina-a-story-about-me-and-nina-simone
Royal Welsh College Music and Drama, Cardiff – 24 February 2018
Book Tickets: http://www.rwcmd.ac.uk/whats_on/events/nina_-a_story_about_me_and_nin.aspx
Unity Theatre, Liverpool – 17, 20, 22, 23 and 24 March
Presale from Friday 28 July. General sale from Tuesday 1 August
Book Tickets: http://www.unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk/whats-on/nina-2018.html