One-person play by Henry Roberts about cruising, starring Stefan Race and directed by Cheryl Martin of Red Ladder Theatre Company.
Close Enough to Touch opens at the Stephen Joseph Theatre on Monday 9 November, 7.45pm. It's a one-person drama by northern playwright Henry Roberts, and the script was longlisted in the Royal Shakespeare Company's 37 Plays Project. The show opens up the world of cruising — anonymous sexual encounters in public spaces — and follows a man searching for pleasure, acceptance and the language to express himself, swinging between passion, humour and pathos.
Yorkshire-born actor Stefan Race, an ALRA graduate, carries the whole thing on his own. He's the only person on stage, so the weight of the story rests entirely with him. The play is directed by Cheryl Martin, who's been championing new writing for nearly 60 years, and it's brought to the stage by Red Ladder Theatre Company in collaboration with Hull's Silent Uproar.
Red Ladder has a long history behind it, founded in 1968 against a backdrop of civil unrest and anti-war protests. Over the years they've worked with Leeds Playhouse, Liverpool's Royal Court and Theatre Direct, and have even taken their work to Toronto. Silent Uproar, established in 2013, joined forces with them to get this one on its feet. Alex Mitchell of Silent Uproar describes the play as 'messy, filthy, funny and heartfelt', which gives you a fair idea of the ground it covers.
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It's recommended for ages 16 and over, and it runs at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough on Monday 9 November at 7.45pm.
