Fantastic Riverside autumn programme

The Riverside Theatre invites you to shelter from the elements in our warm auditorium and enjoy the theatrical delights we have on offer in our Autumn programme.

The variety of theatre present in the autumn programme is particularly evident this week with four radically different productions gracing the stage.

On Wednesday, September 21 the audience will be transported back to 1850s America to witness the grisly glamour and the dark delights of the Carnival sideshow.

The Penny Dreadful’s The Etherdome is described, according to The Stage ‘partly as knockabout farce, partly as 19th-century melodrama, and partly as a celebration of good old American chicanery.’

This creates a show that has enthralled and delighted audiences throughout it’s tour. Think the Horrible Histories for grown ups and you’re getting the idea…

The Etherdome could not be more different than the show the Riverside is delighted to present the very next day on 22nd September.

The Exodus from Blue Eagle Productions is a beautiful new drama to come out of Londonderry. Written and directed by Jonathan Burgess The Exodus tells the difficult story of Protestant families who felt they had no choice but to leave their homes on the West Bank of the River Foyle in the early 1970s. 95% of Protestant people moved away from the city side between 1969 and 1973 and The Exodus endeavours to sensitively examine this period by focusing on the difficulties faced by a single family.

On Friday, September 23 there’s a fantastic way to kick off the weekend. Henry McCullough, from Portstewart, is back on home turf.

The legendary guitarist will allow you to relive the best of the rock era. Henry’s career has seen him perform at Woodstock in ’69, work with George Harrison, who released Henry’s first solo album under his Dark Horse record label, and rub shoulders with the likes of Paul McCartney, Jim Hendrix and Joe Cocker. This home grown star is not to be missed.

This Saturday’s sees one of Northern Irelands favourite faces come to the Riverside. William Caufield’s exciting new ‘This is Me Tour’ has had audiences in stitches all round Northern Ireland and he is guaranteed to brighten up even the coldest and wettest Saturday evening. So come down for the craic and to support ‘our William.’

Next week the Riverside Theatre is delighted to present Contrast, two, brand new, one act plays.

Scott Marshall, originally from Derry, has crafted to beautifully different plays that will be premiering at the Riverside on Thursday, September 29 and Friday, September 30.

The first piece of the evening ‘Winnie’s Boy’ delicately examines the complex relationships often found in old age as he lays bare the later years of three elderly women.

Poignancy and gentle humour intermingles as these three old friends meet and reflect on their lives and friendship, Polo mints and the uneasy acceptance of death. The subtle gentleness juxtaposes the energy and wit found in The Replacement.

The play switches seamlessly between realism and farce as two men struggle to understand eachother in a unusual form of duologue. A local cast takes on the challenge of this two new and enthralling plays to provide the audience with an evening of Contrast.

Tickets for all the above productions are available from the Riverside’s online booking service, via www.riversidetheatre.org.uk