Chris Thorpe in Darlington

POSTED ON THURSDAY 14 JUNE

In summer of 2016 the brilliant theatre maker, Chris Thorpe, visited Darlington and met with groups of local people to talk about how they feel about their nationality, or Britishness specifically. They were interesting conversations. He did the same in a few other places you might not expect around the country and then worked with a team of award winning collaborators to create this show, Status. He invited back the participants for a reading of the script this spring, and finally now, Darlington audiences are some of the very few people to see a preview of what promises to be a stunning performances.

Simon Stephens on Chris Thorpe

…his work thrills me as much as the work of any playwright I read.

Simon Stephens’ short essay on Chris Thorpe for the 2014 Berlin theatre festival, The Stuckemarkt.

http://www.warwickartscentre.co.uk/news/2014/05/in-praise-of-chris-thorpe-by-simon-stephens/

About Chris Thorpe

Chris is a writer and performer from Manchester. He was a founder member of Unlimited Theatre and still works and tours with the company. He is also an Artistic Associate of live art/theatre company Third Angel. He has worked with, among others, Forest Fringe, Slung Low, Chris Goode, RashDash, Belarus Free Theatre, Portuguese experimental company mala voadora, poet Hannah Jane Walker and director Rachel Chavkin of the TEAM. He plays guitar in Lucy Ellinson’s political noise project #TORYCORE and works with the National Student Drama Festival.

Selected work includes There Has Possibly Been An Incident, originally for the Royal Exchange, selected by Simon Stephens for the Stuckemarkt in Berlin in 2014, and directed by Sam Pritchard. Confirmation, developed with Rachel Chavkin and China Plate. Overdrama, House/Garden and Dead End – a trilogy of pieces for mala voadora, for the Centro Culturel do Belem in Lisbon and the European Capital of Culture in Guimaraes. Chorus for the Gate Theatre as part of their Iphigenia Quartet. The Milk of Human Kindness – a durational piece for the Royal Court and LIFT. Am I Dead Yet for Unlimited, currently touring the UK and abroad. Your Best Guess for mala voadora, and Lisbon’s Almada festival. The Shape of the Pain (Fringe First Winner 2017) with director Rachel Bagshaw, currently touring. Beowulf for the Unicorn Theatre – 2017. Victory Condition for the Royal Court Theatre – 2017. The Mysteries – a new cycle of six plays for the Royal Exchange premiering in 2018.