THE LEFTBEHINDS Tour Will Visit Schools Across Wolverhampton
Performances run from 27 January - 7 February.
Young people across Wolverhampton will have the opportunity to watch a new theatre production in their school hall as The National Theatre brings a nationwide school touring production of THE LEFTBEHINDS directly into local schools from 27 January - 7 February.
The tour will visit schools across the Wolverhampton area including Dudley College of Technology, Ormiston Shelfield Community Academy, Khalsa Academy, Ormiston NEW Academy and others.
Co-created by Bristol playwright Ross Willis and director Ned Bennett, THE LEFTBEHINDS is a new production set in a post-apocalyptic future. THE LEFTBEHINDS must race across a desolate wasteland in a high-octane quest to rebuild an android, unlock its power and save the planet. This new production gives students in Wolverhampton access to a genre-pushing theatrical experience in their school hall. In addition to seeing the show in their school hall, pupils will take part in an interactive workshop exploring the theatre making elements to produce the show and teachers will receive accompanying education resources.
Part of the Theatre Nation Partnerships programme, the tour will be seen by 10,000 young people, visiting secondary school halls in 11 areas from 13 January - 28 March 2025. In partnership with local theatres, the production will also tour to schools across Outer East London and South Essex, Sunderland, North Devon, Wakefield, Doncaster, Greater Manchester, Leicester and Peterborough.
The Theatre Nation Partnerships network combines local expertise with nationally delivered activity, creating more opportunities for local communities and schools to engage with cultural and creative experiences. Local students are also taking part in Speak Up, a secondary schools programme that encourages young people to explore issues that are important to them and think, see and bring about change by creating artistic responses.
As part of the Theatre Nation Partnerships network, a national tour of HANDBAGGED by Moira Buffini will play at Wolverhampton Grand from 27 February – 1 March.
Co-creators Ned Bennett and Ross Willis said “We are thrilled to be collaborating again on this new incarnation of THE LEFTBEHINDS. From its beginnings at LAMDA to its development with the NT, this production has continually evolved, and we're delighted to now share it with young people. We couldn't be more excited that The National Theatre is bringing this production directly into school halls across the country.”
Vicky Price, Associate Director of Audiences & Communication at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre said; “touring to schools is a crucial part of our outreach programme. Last autumn, we successfully toured our own adaptation of My Gnome On The Roam with fully integrated British Sign Language to students in schools who are deaf and hard of hearing. By touring to their school halls, we broke down barriers that prevented them from accessing theatre. Excitingly, by teaming up with The National Theatre we can further increase our cultural offering by introducing young people to quality drama from a London-based theatrical organisation – an opportunity they are very unlikely to have. This is the kind of work that makes The National Theatre truly national, and we're very proud to be one of a brilliant network of theatres nationwide to be offering these opportunities for our local schools.”
THE LEFTBEHINDS cast includes Ryn Alleyne as Kit KnightShade, Tanaka Mpofu as Bandit, Julian Brett as Shadow, Gabriella Foley as Rot, Francis Nunnery as the Android, Ethan Hughes as Beandigo, Emma Gray as Ducky, and Brandon Kimaryo as swing.
The creative team includes Associate Director Rachel Lemon, Movement Director Jackie Kibuka, Puppetry Designer, Builder and Director Matt Hutchinson, Production Manager Jordan Harris, Set and Costume Designer Georgia Lowe, Lighting Designer Jessica Hung Han Yun, Composer & Sound Designer Giles Thomas, Casting Director Abby Galvin, Associate Designer Jasmine Araujo, Associate Lighting Designer Lucy Adams and Trainee Resident Director Rrita Pula.
Reaching a record number of young people last year, The National Theatre's Learning & National Partnerships Department aims to inspire young people nationwide, widen access to creative experiences in schools and boost skills to support the next generation of theatre-makers.
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