Last modified on Sun 23 May 2021 19.03 EDT
As Leeds Playhouse welcomes back audiences, it is looking backwards as well as forwards. The theatreâs post-lockdown reopening coincides with its 50th anniversary, marked by a collection of new monologues. Involving writers and directors with close connections to the Playhouse, and featuring stories set in Leeds and the surrounding area, Decades reaffirms the theatreâs place within its community. Some of these monologues are more firmly rooted in their historical moment than others, and each takes inspiration from one of the six decades of the Playhouseâs life.
Nicole Botha as Sophia in The Unknown by Leanna Benjamin, directed by Amanda Huxtable. Photograph: Sharron Wallace
3/5
These separately authored mini-dramas, set in the 1970s, 80s and 90s in West Yorkshire, provided some genuinely powerful writing
20 May 2021 • 5:13pm
Connor Elliott as Wilf in Simon Armitage s The Bodyguard, one of the highlights of Decades
Credit: Zoe Martin
As Covid-19 restrictions are eased, tentatively, in England’s theatres, Leeds Playhouse (which is currently celebrating its 50th anniversary) has been quick out of the traps with Decades, a series of six newly created monologues for small, physically distanced audiences. The collection of mini-dramas, by six different writers, including Simon Armitage and Maxine Peake, are a diverse collection of tales set in Leeds and West Yorkshire in each decade from the 1970s forward.
Spruce Kings whitewash Merritt with 11-goal outburst
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The goal light at the Chilliwack Coliseum received a workout thanks to the Prince George Spruce Kings.
Andrew Seaman and Christian Buono led the way offensively with a hat trick each pacing the Spruce Kings to a dominant 11-2 win against the Merritt Centennials on Wednesday.
“I think we knew we had a lot more offense to bring after those first two games. A lot of it was shaking off the rust as it’s been a while since we played. The second and third periods we got pucks to the net, got some good bounces and it’s just the way it goes sometimes,” added Seaman.