Wisbech's Nine Lives Theatre Connections Group is performing Lisa McGee’s ‘The Heights’
Story by: ANNIE FOWLER
The family-run theatre production company Nine Lives Theatre has a small cast of seven putting on its performance of Lisa McGee’s ‘The Heights’ tonight (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday) as part of their work on the Connections programme.
Connections is the National Theatre’s annual, nationwide youth theatre festival. The programme is 28 years old and has a history of championing the talents of young people from across the UK.
Every year, Connections commissions new plays for young people to perform and is open to any company of young people aged 13-19.
The young cast of Nine Lives Theatre Productions has been working tirelessly from September 2021until now to make this rendition of McGee’s play the best it could be.
Annie Larkin, the director, said: "The cast have worked really hard, making sure they learn their lines and getting on track, getting into the characters and understanding the characters. We did a lot of research on the writer and around why she wrote certain things as she did, to help them characterise and come up with ideas that could be for this play.”
Sophie Fenner, a member of the cast, explained the basis of the play: “The Heights is about a girl called Lily and she basically just stays in her room all day and she really likes to tell stories. Her whole world is about stories and one day that all changes when she meets a girl called Darah.”
The cast has the opportunity to take the show to London if chosen by the National Theatre Company, which for some would be a dream come true.
Joseph Tierney, another member of the cast, explained what it would mean to him: "If I was able to go to London I would just be so taken back by it. It’s always been a dream of mine to perform in front of that kind of audience. I think plays like this that are quite introspective. They need a larger audience to follow that and there's a lot of important messages in this play. So it would be an absolute privilege.”
The cast of Nine Lives Theatre Productions is performing The Heights at The Secret Garden in Wisbech today and tomorrow, starting at 7pm. Book your tickets at www.facebook.com/ninelivestheatrecompany/?locale=en_GB
The Connections programme brings together some of the UK’s most exciting writers with the theatre-makers of tomorrow.
Annie Larkin added: "Connections offers a lot of great experiences with being able to tour the play as well as the National Theatre Company coming down to give feedback. But doing any kind of performance gives them experience.”
