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| Maxine Peake’s play Queens of the Coal Age to get stage premiere | Maxine Peake’s play Queens of the Coal Age to get stage premiere |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| A play by the actor Maxine Peake that tells the true story of four women who went underground to occupy a Lancashire colliery during a wave of mine closures in 1993 is to get its stage premiere in Manchester. | A play by the actor Maxine Peake that tells the true story of four women who went underground to occupy a Lancashire colliery during a wave of mine closures in 1993 is to get its stage premiere in Manchester. |
| The Royal Exchange announced details of two 2018 projects involving Peake, an associate artist at the theatre. As well as her play Queens of the Coal Age, Peake will tackle Samuel Beckett when she stars in Happy Days as Winnie, determinedly cheerful despite being buried up to her waist and then her neck. | The Royal Exchange announced details of two 2018 projects involving Peake, an associate artist at the theatre. As well as her play Queens of the Coal Age, Peake will tackle Samuel Beckett when she stars in Happy Days as Winnie, determinedly cheerful despite being buried up to her waist and then her neck. |
| Peake, who grew up in Bolton, said she was compelled to write the play “because of the four incredible and fearless women who wanted to make a stand for a way of life that they had seen systematically destroyed in the 80s.” | Peake, who grew up in Bolton, said she was compelled to write the play “because of the four incredible and fearless women who wanted to make a stand for a way of life that they had seen systematically destroyed in the 80s.” |
| The four women – who included Anne Scargill, wife of the union leader Arthur Scargill – went 80 metres underground, their bras stuffed with wet wipes and nicotine patches, to make a stand for the group Women Against Pit Closures. | The four women – who included Anne Scargill, wife of the union leader Arthur Scargill – went 80 metres underground, their bras stuffed with wet wipes and nicotine patches, to make a stand for the group Women Against Pit Closures. |
| Peake said the passion and determination of ordinary working-class women was astonishing. “They were fighting for their community, for the survival of working class people in general. | Peake said the passion and determination of ordinary working-class women was astonishing. “They were fighting for their community, for the survival of working class people in general. |
| “Writing about the occupation of Parkside colliery was a brilliant experience. I have such huge admiration for them. I hope I’ve captured just an ounce of their wit and humour in this play. If I have I’ll be thrilled.” | “Writing about the occupation of Parkside colliery was a brilliant experience. I have such huge admiration for them. I hope I’ve captured just an ounce of their wit and humour in this play. If I have I’ll be thrilled.” |
| The play began life as a radio play broadcast on BBC Radio 4 four years ago, and gets its stage premiere at the Royal Exchange next summer. It is a co-production with the New Vic theatre in Newcastle-under-Lyme. | The play began life as a radio play broadcast on BBC Radio 4 four years ago, and gets its stage premiere at the Royal Exchange next summer. It is a co-production with the New Vic theatre in Newcastle-under-Lyme. |
| Peake said there was something very special about the Royal Exchange theatre’s in-the-round space. “Actors and audiences are so close to each other that you sort of become one team willing each other on – I can imagine Queens very clearly here, that idea of rooting for each other seems really fitting.” | Peake said there was something very special about the Royal Exchange theatre’s in-the-round space. “Actors and audiences are so close to each other that you sort of become one team willing each other on – I can imagine Queens very clearly here, that idea of rooting for each other seems really fitting.” |
| Queens of the Coal Age will open in June, shortly after Peake returns to the Royal Exchange stage in Happy Days, reuniting with the theatre’s artistic director, Sarah Frankcom. She previously directed Peake in productions that include Miss Julie, Hamlet, Caryl Churchill’s The Skriker and A Streetcar Named Desire. | |
| Peake said Happy Days was a beautiful play. “It’s really poetic and I love Winnie, I love her ordinariness. Despite the fact that she is buried up to her waist she’ll still put on her lipstick every day without fail. It’s such a simple act that seems to carry so much weight, a marker of time passing. | Peake said Happy Days was a beautiful play. “It’s really poetic and I love Winnie, I love her ordinariness. Despite the fact that she is buried up to her waist she’ll still put on her lipstick every day without fail. It’s such a simple act that seems to carry so much weight, a marker of time passing. |
| “Winnie is a challenge, but that’s what’s exciting. Sarah and I always say that we won’t do something unless it scares the pants off us – and this is scary. With Beckett every word counts. It’s there for a reason so I need to make sure I get it right.” | “Winnie is a challenge, but that’s what’s exciting. Sarah and I always say that we won’t do something unless it scares the pants off us – and this is scary. With Beckett every word counts. It’s there for a reason so I need to make sure I get it right.” |
| Beckett’s plays are some of the most challenging theatrical works, for audiences as well as actors, with Happy Days once described by Peggy Ashcroft as the female equivalent of Hamlet. | Beckett’s plays are some of the most challenging theatrical works, for audiences as well as actors, with Happy Days once described by Peggy Ashcroft as the female equivalent of Hamlet. |
| Peake said she interprets Happy Days as being a play “about the resilience of people, of women in particular, and how we can carry on regardless – even when she is buried up to her neck she still goes on. I think it’s about keeping hope alive.” | Peake said she interprets Happy Days as being a play “about the resilience of people, of women in particular, and how we can carry on regardless – even when she is buried up to her neck she still goes on. I think it’s about keeping hope alive.” |
| Frankcom said Happy Days was a physically challenging role. “But also Beckett demands fearless, open connection with an audience … it is technically very difficult to do as an actor. | Frankcom said Happy Days was a physically challenging role. “But also Beckett demands fearless, open connection with an audience … it is technically very difficult to do as an actor. |
| “Having done some very big messy plays, we were drawn to something which was quite rigorous and quite technical … it is a play with a huge amount of life in it, but a very static central character.” | “Having done some very big messy plays, we were drawn to something which was quite rigorous and quite technical … it is a play with a huge amount of life in it, but a very static central character.” |
| The Peake projects were announced as part of a spring/summer 2018 season which also includes a new version of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, adapted by April De Angelis, and the director Michael Boyd making his Royal Exchange debut directing The Cherry Orchard in a new translation by Rory Mullarkey. | The Peake projects were announced as part of a spring/summer 2018 season which also includes a new version of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, adapted by April De Angelis, and the director Michael Boyd making his Royal Exchange debut directing The Cherry Orchard in a new translation by Rory Mullarkey. |