By Shelagh Stephenson

Cullercoats, 1881. American artist Winslow Homer arrived in the North East fishing village for two weeks. But what made him stay?

Tickets: £12 to £18Box office: (0191) 232 1232Book online: www.live.org.uk

Thursday 22 April to Saturday 22 May 2010

Thursday 22 April to Saturday 22 May

Cullercoats GallerySee a small display of paintings by peers of Winslow Homer including Robert Jobling’s Darkness Falls from the Wings of Night, 1886 on loan from the Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle.

The Gallery will be open one hour before all evening performances and one hour before and after a matinee performance. The Gallery will also be open during all intervals.

Tuesday 4 May, 6pm & Thursday 20 May, 12.30pm

Places for Painters: Artists’ Colonies in the UKJoin Marie-Thérèse Mayne, Assistant Keeper of Fine & Decorative Art at the Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle as she explains the phenomenon of artists’ colonies looking at four of the most important – Cullercoats, Staithes, Newlyn and St Ives.

Saturday 8 May, 5pm

Winslow Homer & Cullercoats Find out more about Winslow Homer, his time in Cullercoats and his place among painters of fishing village life in this talk by William Feaver, painter, former art critic of The Observer and author of Pitmen Painters, the book from which Lee Hall derived his play The Pitmen Painters.

For tickets and information call (0191) 232 1232

Preview Be amongst the first to see a new show during the preview period at a discounted price. Students are eligible for a £10 ticket for any preview performance.

Opening Night Celebrate the official first night of a production when there’s always an air of excitement in the theatre.

Pay What You Can £PWYCPWYC performances offer a great opportunity to see a show at a price you can afford. Tickets for Sunday PWYC performances go on sale at midday the Friday before. A maximum of 4 tickets can be booked per transaction.

Do you have friends or family that find it hard to hear or see?Live Theatre offers a range of assisted performances throughout the year aimed at improving the theatre experience for all audience members. Watch out for the following symbols to find a performance that meets your needs:

To find out more about assisted performances please visit www.live.org.uk/assistedperformances

For tickets and information call (0191) 232 1232

Ticket Information

Front cover image: Winslow Homer (American, 1836-1910), Hark! The Lark, 1882, Oil on canvas, 36 3/8 x 31 3/8 in. (92.39 x 79.69 cm), Milwaukee Art Museum, Layton Art Collection, Gift of Frederick, Layton L99, Photo by Larry Saunder

Thursday 22 April to Saturday 22 May

By Shelagh StephensonDirected by Max Roberts Set & Costume Design by Gary McCannLighting Design by Charles BalfourSound Design by Dave FlynnMusic by The UnthanksChoreography by Lee Proud

Winslow Homer is one of the most respected figures in American Art History. In 1998, Bill Gates paid a record $36 million for Homer’s landscape Lost On The Grand Banks and the painting Inside the Bar, Cullercoats, 1883 hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

In 1881, Homer paid a visit to Cullercoats, then a fishing village, and minor artist’s colony. He stayed for almost two years. What brought him there, and why did he stay so long?

A Northern Odyssey is a play about love and difference, which looks at art, artist, and outsiders.

DATES:Thurs 22 April to Sat 22 May

TICKETS:£12 to £18

LOCATION:Main Theatre

DURATION: Approx. 2 hours including interval

SUITABILITY: 12+

PERFORMANCES: Tues to Sat, 7.30pm

MATINEES: Sat 8, Thurs 13 & Thurs 20 May, 2pm

£PWYC: Sun 16 May, 4pm

Thurs 22 to Tues 27 April, 7.30pm

Wed 28 April, 7.30pm

Thurs 13 May, 7.30pm

Wed 19 May, 7.30pm

Fri 14 May, 6.15pm

Fri 14 May, 7.30pm

To book online visit www.live.org.uk

A Northern Odyssey

Left: Inside the Bar, Cullercoats, 1883

Right: Darkness Falls from the Wings of Night, 1886 by Robert Jobling on loan from the Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle

Left: Winslow Homer

This leaflet can be made available in a range of formats. Call (0191) 232 1232 with your request.

Free Events

2010 is the 100th anniversary of the death of Winslow Homer. Celebrate Local History Month this May by finding out more about the artist Winslow Homer, his peers and artists’ colonies such as Cullercoats.

All events are free but tickets must be booked via Live Theatre’s box office on (0191) 232 1232. Places are limited, please book early to avoid disappointment.

All events will last approximately 1 hour.

Thursday 6 & Wednesday 19 May, 2pm

Cullercoats Art WalkJourney back in time and see Cullercoats through the eyes of famous artists. This well-established walk, led by North Tyneside Tourism Officer Jonathan Barrand, is a chance to see the key locations featured in works by Cullercoats artists, including Homer. Free tea and coffee will be provided. Please meet at the Watch House in Cullercoats.

Live Theatre Broad Chare, Quayside Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 3DQ www.live.org.uk

Admin: (0191) 261 2694Box Office: (0191) 232 1232Text Relay: 18001 232 1232Fax: (0191) 232 2224

Location & Contact Information

By Shelagh Stephenson

Cullercoats, 1881. American artist Winslow Homer arrived in the North East fishing village for two weeks. But what made him stay?

Tickets: £12 to £18Box office: (0191) 232 1232Book online: www.live.org.uk

Playwright Shelagh Stephenson, who was born in Tynemouth, is an award-winning writer. Her first stage play, The Memory of Water (1997), won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy and her second stage play, An Experiment With An Air Pump (1998), was joint winner of the 1997 Peggy Ramsay Award.

Playing the part of Winslow Homer is Ron Cook, who recently played Polonius on Broadway in Michael Grandage’s Hamlet. He is joined by a talented cast including Lizzy McInnerny, who appeared in Shelagh’s play Five Kinds of Silence, Deka Walmsley, who plays George Brown in The Pitmen Painters, Philip Correia who starred in The History Boys at the National Theatre, Helen French and Zita Frith who last appeared at Live Theatre in the musical drama Lush Life, Catherine MacCabe who graduated from the Northumbria Live Academy and Amy McAllister who is making her Live Theatre debut.

Music for the play has been provided courtesy of the Mercury Music Prize nominees The Unthanks who will be performing at Live Theatre on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 June. For more information and to book tickets please contact the box office on (0191) 232 1232 or visit www.live.org.uk

This play, like The Pitmen Painters, is a local story with universal appeal.

The Writer

The Cast

KEY

Parking Quaylink Stops Metro Station

Free Events

Thursday 13 May, 5pm

Meet the CastJoin director Max Roberts and members of the cast as they talk about the process of bringing Shelagh’s play to life. They will also be answering questions from the audience.

Left Page

Top: The Lifeline, 1884 by Winslow Homer

Bottom Left: Mending the Nets, 1882 by Winslow Homer

Bottom Right: Fishergirl with Net, 1881/82 by Winslow Homer

Thursday 22 April to Saturday 22 May 2010

All events are free but tickets must be booked via Live Theatre’s box office on (0191) 232 1232. Places are limited, please book early to avoid disappointment.

All events will last approximately 1 hour.

Left: Girl With Red Stockings, 1882 by Winslow Homer

Thursday 6 & Wednesday 19 May, 2pm

Cullercoats Art WalkJourney back in time and see Cullercoats through the eyes of famous artists. This well-established walk, led by North Tyneside Tourism Officer Jonathan Barrand, is a chance to see the key locations featured in works by Cullercoats artists, including Homer. Free tea and coffee will be provided. Please meet at the Watch House in Cullercoats.

Live Theatre Broad Chare, Quayside Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 3DQ www.live.org.uk

Admin: (0191) 261 2694Box Office: (0191) 232 1232Text Relay: 18001 232 1232Fax: (0191) 232 2224

Location & Contact Information

KEY

Parking Quaylink Stops Metro Station

Free Events

Thursday 13 May, 5pm

Meet the CastJoin director Max Roberts and members of the cast as they talk about the process of bringing Shelagh’s play to life. They will also be answering questions from the audience.

All events are free but tickets must be booked via Live Theatre’s box office on (0191) 232 1232. Places are limited, please book early to avoid disappointment.

All events will last approximately 1 hour.