‘Rift’ by Natalie McGrath and produced with The Brewhouse Theatre & Arts Centre opens at The Brewhouse on Thursday 17 May to coincide with the arrival of the Olympic flame in Taunton. Heralded as “a playwright of promise” (The Times), Natalie is best known for her last production ‘Coasting’ which opened at The Bristol Old Vic in 2011. Well received by both theatre goers and reviewers alike, The Guardian observed that “there was no mistaking the distinctive timbre of McGrath’s voice”.
‘Rift’ is inspired by stories of Kenyan runners from the Rift valley, where many international long distance athletes now go to train at high altitudes. Natalie wondered how a wide open landscape like Exmoor might find some common ground with that of the famous Rift Valley after finding out that the Kenyan Running Squad were to be based in the South West leading up to 2012.
What emerged was a tale of two strangers at the opposite ends of the earth. One is an athlete dreaming of Olympic success as he trains in Kenya’s Rift Valley. The other is a woman on Exmoor, who puts on a pair of trainers that don’t belong to her and begins running for the first time. Both these people are connected by the tectonic plates beneath them, great forces moving beyond continents.
Natalie has spent time on Exmoor writing the piece and continues her journey by becoming the writer in residence at The Brewhouse from this March onwards. This close proximity will allow Natalie to be better involved with the production of the show as well as having a space through which to explore artistic inspiration. For a continued update on the progress of the show why not visit Natalie’s blog at www.thebrewhouse.net/blog/
Having been awarded the Inspire Mark by the International Olympic Committee who recognise Rift as an accessible, participative and inspiring project, the project aims to highlight the way in which sport brings together people from all cultures and backgrounds.
Seb Coe, Chair of the London Organising Committee Of The Olympic Games And Paralympic Games says:
“We want to use the power of the Games to inspire change. The Inspire programme is recognising the work our partners all round the UK are doing to help us achieve this. I congratulate everyone involved in Rift for securing the Inspire mark and wish you every success with your work.”
Rift comes to The Brewhouse from Thursday 17 – Saturday 19 May at 7.45pm (Saturday matinee 3pm), tickets cost £7.50 – £12.50 with concessions available.
For more information or to book tickets, please call The Brewhouse Box Office on 01823 283244 or visit www.thebrewhouse.net
