Welcome to Night Classes - Artistic Director, Annie, introduces Unfolding Theatre’s latest show

Ahead of its premiere at ARC Stockton, Artistic Director Annie Rigby introduces the show Night Classes, its themes and what to expect.

We’re so pleased you found our invitation.  

We’re assuming you found our invitation?  

Perhaps you were just walking past the door, felt a tiny nudge and here you are! 

For years and years, I have wanted to make a show where you enter through a tunnel. The tunnel itself doesn’t have to be fancy. But something that says, you have stepped into a new world. 

Theatre is all about making new worlds. Temporary places where we can reimagine the world outside. So, let me introduce you to the world of Night Classes! 

As the sun sets outside, three guides welcome the audience. Around the space you see colourful, large-scale structures of crumpled paper designed by Lady Kitt. There is a den. There is a pile of comfy cushions. There are festoons of lightbulbs. There is a signpost. 

You can probably tell this already, but Night Classes isn’t a traditional piece of theatre. Over the course of the show, you’ll learn how to build a den, navigate by the night sky and think about - not just the things we want to learn - but also the things we want to unlearn.  

The show began life after a conversation with co-writer, Lisette Auton. Lisette talked about how highly we prize independence in our society. She talked about the guilt and shame that often comes with asking for help. She talked about how problematic that is from a disabled perspective. That conversation felt like a wake-up call. Why can’t independence look like asking for help? Perhaps we’ve been imagining independence all wrong. 

I am lucky to be making Night Classes with an extraordinary group of theatre-makers and artists. They have brought brilliant insights into questions of independence and inter-dependence. Together we hope to make a space where audiences can have fun, learn and unlearn and return to the world feeling refreshed and reconnected.  

This is the world that Night Classes hopes to create. Consider this your invitation! 

Night Classes will premiere at ARC Stockton on Wednesday 20th March & Thursday 21st March 2024. Book your Pay as You Want tickets here.