Picture: Johan Persson
Returning, home-grown new musical Standing At the Sky’s Edge will mark the climax of Sheffield Theatres’ 50th anniversary celebrations in 2022.
A hit with critics and audiences since its sold-out debut in 2019, the show will return to the Crucible stage to play a festive season from 10 December 2022 until 21 January 2023 ahead of the production’s delayed National Theatre transfer run in early 2023.
A National Theatre co-production with Sheffield Theatres in association with Various Productions, Standing At the Sky’s Edge received its world premiere in Sheffield in March 2019 and is directed by Sheffield Theatres’ artistic director Robert Hastie.
Combining new and classic songs by award-winning singer/songwriter Richard Hawley and inspired by the people of his home city of Sheffield, the show which features a book by playwright Chris Bush follows the fortunes of three families through 60 turbulent years in the high-rise Park Hill area of the city.
The original production was designed by Ben Stones, with choreography by Lynne Page, musical supervision by Tom Deering, musical direction by Will Stuart, lighting design by Mark Henderson and sound design by Simon Baker.
Standing At the Sky’s Edge will mark the climax of a 5oth anniversary celebrations that will include Bush’s new trilogy of plays, Rock, Paper and Scissors. Providing the centrepiece of the 2022 season, the plays which will be directed by Hastie and associate artistic director Anthony Lau (with a further director to be announced) will be presented across all three Sheffield spaces. In a theatrical first the same cast will perform in the Crucible, Lyceum and Studio, simultaneously with actors moving between scenes and stages.
Unveiling details of the season which also includes Ramps on the Moon’s new production of Much Ado About Nothing adapted and directed by Hastie, the venue’s artistic director said: “It’s the Crucible and Studio Theatre’s 50th birthday and we’re celebrating by announcing a whole year of shows. Both spaces have always been synonymous with innovation and collaboration, sparking new ideas and forging friendships with new audiences. We look forward to lighting up our stages with a bold and ambitious programme, championing new work and partnering with brilliant creatives and companies.
“The centre of our year is a massive project that unifies all three of our spaces in one big celebratory theatrical experiment. In Rock Paper Scissors, the same company of actors performs concurrently in all three of our theatres. When you exit on one stage, you enter on another. Associate artist Chris Bush has penned three brand new plays that can be watched on their own or as a trilogy. Taken together they are three competing visions of the future, a witty and heartfelt exploration of how to use the buildings the past has left us and remake the landscape of our northern cities. Rock Paper Scissors is without doubt the most ambitious project Sheffield Theatres has ever staged.
“And we end our anniversary year with the triumphant return of Standing at the Sky’s Edge, the epic musical by Chris Bush and Richard Hawley. We were overwhelmed with the reaction in March 2019, and so honoured by the way audiences have really taken the show to their hearts. The show, which takes us through 60 years of Britain’s recent history through the lives and stories of Sheffielders living in Park Hill, is co-produced with Various Productions and the National Theatre, and we’re delighted that following its run in the Crucible for Christmas 2022, it will play at the National’s Olivier Theatre in 2023.”
Commenting on the programming, Dan Bates, chief executive of Sheffield Theatres, added: “I’m delighted that we are celebrating 50 years of theatre-making in Sheffield at the Crucible by announcing work on all three of our stages.
“After the last 20 months, it is so good to have something so special to celebrate. Not a day goes by when I don’t look at the majesty of the Crucible and think of the hundreds of workers across the city that paid for this incredible building. A building that has welcomed millions of people through the doors, where young talented actors had their debut, where snooker champions have been created and where theatre makers have cut their teeth. I’m excited about the next 50 years, about the next set of writers, directors, casts and creatives that are nurtured here.
“The Crucible is, and always has been, a true melting pot of ideas. As we celebrate the pride and passion of everyone who has made their mark so far, we look ahead to all that’s still to come, to everyone we’ll welcome and the theatre we’ll make together – we’re looking forward to what the future holds.”
Angela Thomas
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