Hartlepool’s Northern School of Art puts on first production of 2024

The Northern School of Art’s stage and screen students are busy rehearsing for the show ahead of two performances later this month.

No Particular Order by Joel Tan explores the impact a new dictator has on society and spans 300 years.

Jonny Bussell, who is a senior lecturer in acting, said: "It’s a challenging piece for the students to engage with as it looks at a wide range of themes including the refugee crisis, censorship, impacts of climate change and political ideology."

He added: "Getting to perform in our theatre at the end of their first semester is a fantastic opportunity for our first years to showcase the skills they have developed so far.

"The way the acting degree course is structured with a high level of contact hours is very demanding, but the students have embraced the challenge and I’ve really enjoyed directing them on this production."

First year acting student, Molly McKean, 18, is playing the roles of Refugee 2 and Parent, and said that what stands out to her most about the play is “the fact that there's always a sense of closeness and community even in the hardest times like during war or during a dictatorship”.

Molly, from Hull, said: "I love being back in rehearsals with a new group of people and finding out how everyone works together and working with different people."

Fellow student Pierre Brown, 23, who is playing The Man at the Party and also The Patient, said: "One of the things that I really like about the play is the diversity of the characters, like how I go from a villainous role to a role which gains the audience's sympathy.

"Working in the show is awesome because we all work really well together as an ensemble."

The production is being performed at the Northern School of Art Theatre, in Church Square, on Thursday, January 18, and Friday, January 19, at 7pm.

Tickets can be bought online at https://northernart.ac.uk/the-northern-school-of-art-productions-2023-24/.