LAVA By James Fritz to Embark on UK Tour

By: Nov. 20, 2019
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LAVA By James Fritz to Embark on UK Tour

This latest play from bold new writing theatre company Fifth Word and co-producer Nottingham Playhouse focuses on the stages of grief and the ways we find to cope, exploring love, friendship and human connection. Written by James Fritz, the play is set in the aftermath of a natural disaster which has struck London. In a small town far from the capital, a young man called Vin can no longer speak. Is it shock? Grief? Or something else? Lava considers what happens to those who can't express themselves in a world that celebrates self-expression, and looks at the lengths we will go to to make sense of our sadness.

While Vin's mum Vicky is struggling with a loss of her own, his friend Rach is determined to help him find a way out of silence. But when Rach's family take in a charismatic and articulate survivor of the asteroid disaster, who thinks talking - or even singing - about your suffering is the way to heal, Vin's plight is suddenly eclipsed.

Writer James Fritz said: "I love these characters to bits, and can't wait for more people to meet them. Lava's probably the most hopeful play I've worked on, and it feels like the right time to be doing it again.

"During the initial run at the Nottingham Playhouse we got the sense that the story of Vin's silence meant very different things to different people, depending on who they were and what they'd been through. That's all you can ever ask as a playwright, I think, when a play that was written from a very personal place starts speaking to audiences in ways you could never have imagined. I can't wait to see how the response changes and grows as we take the story across the UK."

Fifth Word's Laura Ford and Angharad Jones said: "We first came across James's work when we saw Four Minutes Twelve Seconds. We immediately knew we wanted to work with James and commissioned him to write a new play for us in 2016.

"As joint artistic directors of Fifth Word, we commission work that tells the stories of people who often find themselves on the margins or struggle to be heard, and with Lava this is literally the case. Lava tells the story of Vin, a young man who stops talking in the wake of a catastrophic disaster, and who is struggling to make sense of his feelings in a world that feels out of control. At a time when conversations about masculinity continue to dominate headlines, this play feels more pertinent than ever, asking questions around whether some people's grief or sadness has more legitimacy than others depending on their experiences.

"This play feels so right for now - at a time when the world often makes little sense, feels unpredictable and sometimes terrifying, but where there is also hope, resolve and a sense that anything is possible. At the very heart of this play is a story about love, friendship and an asteroid-shaped hole."

Fifth Word work to commission writers they believe will be part of the next mighty wave of playwrights leading the way in British Theatre. They currently have their most ambitious commissioning programme to date, working with Mufaro Makubika, Sophie Ellerby, Satinder Chohan, Sonali Bhattacharyya and Maureen Lennon; demonstrating their commitment to seeing more commissions and productions for female playwrights, regional playwrights and playwrights of colour.

The UK tour of Lava is supported using public funding by Arts Council England.

Company information

Director Angharad Jones Associate Director Laura Ford

Designer Amy Jane Cook Lighting Designer Alexandra Stafford

Sound Designer Dan Balfour Video Designer Louise Rhoades-Brown

Dramaturg Nic Wass Producer Corinne Salisbury

Web and social media links: www.fifthword.co.uk | Twitter: @fifthword | Facebook: /fifth.word

Running time: 1 hour 25 minutes (no interval) | Age restriction: 14+

Fifth Word is an associate company of Oxford Playhouse and former associate company at Nottingham Playhouse. Run by joint Artistic Directors Laura Ford and Angharad Jones, Fifth Word produce and tour ambitious new plays from the most exciting voices around the UK. Their work shines a light on unheard stories bringing fresh, engaging work to theatres and younger audiences. They present plays that entertain, emotionally engage and spark debate relevant to our time. Located in the East Midlands, they nurture regional voices and the next generation of talent.

Fifth Word's productions include: All The Little Lights by Jane Upton (UK tour/Arcola Theatre 2017 - nominated for Best New Play by the Writers' Guild Awards and for Off West End Award for Best New Play; Joint Winner of the George Devine Award); Wreck by Toby Campion (Nottingham Playhouse 2017); Amateur Girl by Amanda Whittington (UK tour 2014); Bones by Jane Upton (Edinburgh Festival 2011/ UK tour 2012); Fifth Word is a previous winner of the Olwen Wymark Theatre Encouragement Award.

Angharad Jones is co-founder and joint Artistic Director of Fifth Word. Recent directing credits include: The Fishermen (Associate Director for New Perspectives) (HOME, Manchester/ Assembly, Edinburgh Festival Fringe/UK tour/Arcola 2018); Lava by James Fritz (Nottingham Playhouse 2018); All The Little Lights by Jane Upton (Associate Director) (Nottingham Playhouse/UK tour/Arcola Theatre 2017 - nominated for Best New Play at the Writers' Guild Awards and for an Off West End Award for Best New Play; joint winner of the George Devine Award) and Bones (Edinburgh Festival Fringe/Tristan Bates Theatre/UK tour).

Laura Ford is co-founder and joint Artistic Director of Fifth Word. Directing credits for Fifth Word include: Lava by James Fritz (Associate Director) (Nottingham Playhouse 2018); All The Little Lights by Jane Upton (Nottingham Playhouse/UK tour/Arcola Theatre 2017 - nominated for Best New Play at the Writers' Guild Awards and for an Off West End Award for Best New Play; joint winner of the George Devine Award); Bones by Jane Upton (Edinburgh Festival Fringe/Tristan Bates Theatre/UK tour). Recent semi-staged readings include: Are We Dead Yet Benny? by Phoebe Eclair-Powell (Derby Theatre 2017), Wreck by Toby Campion (Nottingham Playhouse 2017).

James Fritz is a multi-award-winning writer from South London, whose plays for stage and radio include Four Minutes Twelve Seconds, Parliament Square, Ross & Rachel ("a virtuosic piece of writing" Time Out), Start Swimming, The Fall, Comment Is Free, Death of A Cosmonaut and Lava. He has won the Critics Circle Theatre Award for Most Promising Playwright, a Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting and the Imison and Tinniswood BBC Audio Drama Awards, the first time a writer has won both in the same year. He has also been nominated for an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre, a BBC Radio Award for Best Single Drama, and was named runner-up in the 2013 Verity Bargate Award. He is a graduate of both the Channel Four Screenwriting Program and the BBC TV Drama Writers Program and has a number of original television series in development.

Tour Listings Information

Salisbury Playhouse (Salberg Studio)

Malthouse Lane, Salisbury, SP2 7RA

Thursday 23 - Saturday 25 April 2020

7:45pm and 2:45pm matinee on 25 April | £13.50 (£9)

Box office: 01722 320 333 | www.wiltshirecreative.co.uk

Birmingham Rep Theatre (The Door)

Centenary Square, Broad Street, Birmingham, B1 2EP

Tuesday 28 April - Saturday 2 May 2020

8pm | £TBC

Box office: 0121 236 4455 | www.birmingham-rep.co.uk

Soho Theatre (main stage)

21 Dean Street, Soho, London, W1D 3NE

Tuesday 5 - Saturday 16 May 2020

7.30pm and 2:30pm matinees on 9, 14 and 16 May | £10 - £24

Box office: 020 7478 0100 | www.sohotheatre.com

Theatre Royal Bath (Ustinov Studio)

Sawclose, Bath, BA1 1ET

Tuesday 19 - Wednesday 20 May 2020

8pm | £17.50 (£14)

Box office: 01225 448844 | www.theatreroyal.org.uk

Nottingham Playhouse (The Neville Studio)

Wellington Circus, Nottingham, NG1 5AF

Thursday 21 - Saturday 23 May 2020

7:45pm | £13 (£12)

Box office: 0115 941 9419 | www.nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk

Theatre Royal Plymouth (The Drum)

Royal Parade, Plymouth, PL1 2TR

Tuesday 2 - Saturday 6 June 2020

Time TBC | £TBC

Box office: 01752 267222 | https://theatreroyal.com/

Oxford Playhouse (Burton Taylor Studio)

11 - 12 Beaumont Street, Oxford, OX1 2LW

Tuesday 16 - Saturday 20 June 2020

7:30pm | £10 (£8)

Box office: 01865 305305 | www.oxfordplayhouse.com



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