SnOwQuEeN (BrEaKiNg ThE iCe) | Beachhuttheatrearchi

SnOw QuEeN

SuDdEn ThAwS

(BrEaKiNg ThE iCe Project)

BrEaKiNg ThE iCe, was a project that sought to get conversations started around the common mental health conditions that can have an impact on us all. From the full length musical 'SnOwQuEeN' at Scarborough Old Parcels Office to the run of 'SuDdEnThAwS' at Scarborough Library and Information Centre and at venues across Yorkshire, we had an amazing time performing to so many people.

‘BrEaKiNg ThE iCe’ was funded by Grants for the Arts, Arts Council England and North Yorkshire County Council Stronger Communities with support from the Library Service.

SnOwQuEeN

An urban, fairy tale musical, co-written by John Pattison and Alison Watt

(as a reinterpretation of the tale ‘The Snow Queen’ by Hans Christian Andersen.)

‘Kaiden is a young man from Leeds who is on the run. But he can’t run from himself and now, in Scarborough, he’s literally at the end of the line. But who are these quirky acquaintances that he’s made in this railway-linked, Victorian building? And what kind of musical journey will they take him on? Maybe a tale-telling of ‘The Snow Queen’ will throw some light on Kaiden’s life and how he’s come to be where he is today?’

‘SnOwQuEeN’ is a full-length, original musical which is both hilarious and poignant in turns and has been created by the team that brought you ‘Summer’s Edge’. The musical will be presented as a site specific, full-length performance in the Old Parcels Office gallery space.

Focusing on depression, this urban fantasy musical draws parallels between the hero’s ‘frozen state’ in the world of ‘The Snow Queen’ and the potential social isolation caused by depression in young adults.

Director Alison Watt
Musical Director John Pattison
Designer Michael Roberts

Featuring Bobby Moore, Shannon Barker, Josephine Pimm, Rae Yaldren, Damon Hotchin and Stephen Wilkin. SnOwQuEeN was performed on the following Dates and Times:
Wednesday 29th March: 7.00 p.m.
Thursday 30th March: 7.00 p.m.
Friday 31st March: 7.00 p.m.
Saturday 1st April: Matinee, 1.30 p.m.
Evening, 7.00 p.m.

SuDdEnThAwS

‘Meet the fridge whose sole ambition in life is to help others ‘chill out’. Or calm yourself in a forest of stories with a good friend. Then again, you might like to follow the adventures of someone just trying to get a good night’s sleep.’

‘SuDdEn ThAwS’ comprised six short plays, which animated Scarborough Library’s main lending space during opening hours on Saturday 22nd April 2017.

Social phobia, insomnia, self harming in young people, eating disorders, dementia and general anxiety disorder are all areas touched on to moving or comic effect in order to break the ice around mental health. These plays are mood-boosting and thought-provoking for audiences, whilst also challenging prejudice around mental health issues. Each of these plays was written for two performers and have a fifteen-minute running time. The plays ran concurrently between 10.00 a.m. and 2.00 p.m.

The six plays featured were…

‘Strangers in Waiting’ by Neil Arnott
‘Night Follows Day’ by Paul Beck
‘The Clinic’ by Charleigh Christmas
‘Pinkie’ by Libby Pearson
‘Locked Out’ by Paul Spencer
‘Keeping It Cool’ by Michelle Watts

Director Alison Watt
Musical Supervisor John Pattison
Designer Helen Birmingham

SuDdEn ThAwS was part of ‘BrEaKiNg ThE iCe’, a project that sought to get conversations started around the common mental health conditions that can have an impact on us all.

The ‘BrEaKiNg ThE iCe’ project was funded by Grants for the Arts, Arts Council England and North Yorkshire County Council Stronger Communities with support from the Library Service.