North North North - opening

After rehearsals and development in Svalbard, Oslo, Oxford and Peterborough - our latest touring show  North North North opened at The Key Theatre on the 9 May!

“A witty and darkly poignant show”

@Jumped Up Theatre

“Wonderful, inventive storytelling - humorous, engaging and moving”

@Harry_Waller_

“Another excellent show. Funny and poignant in equal measure. A ‘must see’”.

@Paul_E_Barnes

“Absolutely terrific!”

@BecksStrawberry

“Director Alex Byrne has a sure hand with his material...we know that the end will not be a happy one but somehow we want history to rewrite itself…****” WhatsOnstage.com

The show will tour in the UK in October 2013 and then go onto touring in Norway and festivals in 2014 onwards. Check out the website for more touring details!

Written by Cat Moore (UK Producer)

Last week of North North North rehearsals

It’s a great time for NIE, our rehearsal residency in Peterborough at the Key Theatre has neatly coincided with the warmest weather anyone’s seen in months. So in between conjuring sub-zero temperatures, shivering, donning multiple layers and yelling over the sound of the icy wind, we’ve been having picnic lunches in the sunshine on Peterborough embankment.

One half of set design team Bicat&Rigby- Kate has had a colourful few weeks, browsing local shops for taxidermy pigeons, suspending maps from the ceiling of the Key Theatre studio and not infrequently finding herself covered in PVA glue.

We received some great feedback from our open rehearsal last week and are now in the final countdown with one day until the premiere. Though the time’s gone by unnervingly fast, we’re looking forward to it. Jump into your preferred mode of transport, be it car, train or sled - don a moustache, and get yourself to Peterborough to see North North North this week!

Written by Holly Sharp, NIE Intern

Adventures in Peterborough

After development time at The North Wall, Oxford we are now in residence at The Key Theatre studio Peterborough for the final rehearsals for North North North.

We have been working on how to use the photographs from the expedition and our set designers Bicat&Rigby have been busy finishing off the set design and finding the right costumes.

We have an open rehearsal tomorrow night so it will be really useful to hear some feedback on how we present the story and responses to it so far...

 Margit trying on her moustache and thermal clothing!

Martin working with the crashed air balloon and original photograph

Using ladders to represent the height of the balloon

Written by Cat Moore, Producer

Balloons and blowers

We had a great week in residency at The North Wall in Oxford working on North North North. Through the week we looked at how to tell the story, and to find both the comic and poignant moments within it. We played with the use of projection and object puppetry as ways to illustrate the story.

On Friday we had an informal sharing and found the feedback really useful to inform the process.

"Well, @NIEtheatre have a treat in the making with NorthNorthNorth. Great real adventure story, invention & a big balloon. Hope they keep...the leaf blower"
‏@‏JoannaRidout

We are back to work on the show for final rehearsals at The Key Theatre, Peterborough from the 22 April, with the opening on the 9 May!

 Picture of the crashed balloon

 Showing how windy it was at the North Pole with the aid of a leaf blower and a cup of coffee!

 Feedback after the sharing

Hunting a polar bear

written by Cat Moore, UK Producer

North North North to North Wall!

This week we have been developing the show further at North Wall Arts Centre, Oxford - looking at the story and how the projection will work in the show.

Some Great North North North Pictures from Martin!

We went to the Andree Museum in Sweden where they have a full size replica of the balloon basket

Then headed back to Asker in Norway to work on the narrative and some scene ideas - we had a great time working at our new rehearsals space in Dikkemark.

This is Lis sending Martin off in the Balloon!

And Margit

and this is Martin swimming in the very cold lake during our lunch break....