Heath | Vita Nova
Tickets: Adult £14, Concs. £10, Sup
For 25 years Vita Nova has been using theatre to help those in recovery from addiction: rebuilding lives and overcoming stereotypes, their productions draw on the real-life experiences of the cast to challenge audience perceptions about the disease of addiction. Human, visceral and evocative their brand new production, Heath, draws on Shakespeare’s King Lear seen through the prism of addiction.
Funded by Arts Council England and choreographed by Paul Bayes Kitcher of Chester based dance company Fallen Angels, the production examines how far you have to fall, and how much you lose before you understand who you really are. Writer and Artistic Director, Sharon Coyne says, “We are bringing to the stage the trauma induced through addiction – showing how for some, it is only when they reach their rock bottom that they begin to see the insanity of drug and alcohol misuse.
Age 16+
Funded by Arts Council England, the 100 minute play features choreography from dance company Fallen Angels and an accompanying score by Dorset-based composer and musician Stefan Defilet.
Image by Martin Coyne
Reviews
A fiercely topical and tender re-reading of Shakespeare's King Lear, bitterly funny and painfully gripping. This Lear for our times is one of the most artistically ambitious and artistically successful shows I have ever seen staged by what is at heart a drama-therapy troupe. Polished as well as raw, it does as much healing work for its audiences as it does for the remarkably talented group of recovering addicts who are its cast.
The play is a credit to all participants, in front of, on and behind the stage, as well as being complemented thoughtfully by music and audio-visual media. Heath is another triumph for Vita Nova, a powerful voice for creative practice overcoming adversity.
Phenomenal writing, direction, performances, production and musical accompaniment. A beautiful piece. A must see ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️