Long Sutton Market House to host Model Village play where the audience decides the ending
A new comedy play which sees the audience decide the ending is coming to a town venue.
New Perspectives Theatre Company is bringing the play Model Village to the Market House in Long Sutton on Friday, November 24.
The plot centres around model villagers who have rebelled and the audience chooses the outcome.
Writer Anita Sullivan said, “I grew up in a rural community and first encountered theatre in the village hall.
"I’m delighted to be turning that full circle with Model Village. It’s written with heart and playfulness.
"What is a model village today? What do the little people want?
"I hope you’ll sing along, vote for the village you want to see.”
Written by Anita Sullivan and directed by Angharad Jones it will be encouraging community participation with audience members invited to speak up
Described as a ‘subversive satire with a hint of surrealism’, it sees the miniature residents of a model village rebel against plans from a radical urban artist to update their charming 1930s landscape.
Director Angharard Jones said: “Model Village is a unique, fantastical play that sees two worlds collide.
"It speaks to the idea of change, progress, tolerance, and rebellion asking us to examine where the power in communities lies and how different factions of society can co- exist as one.
"Anita has crafted a brilliant and thoughtful script that traverses across realities whilst remaining relatable and recognisable.
"Model Village is full of surprises, humour and quirk with a hint of the absurd and is a joyful challenge to direct.
"We are thrilled to be sharing this with audiences for the first time in their own community spaces and look forward to seeing what decisions the audiences will make for how we leave the play.”
With the village in decline and visitor numbers low, the model-makers hope an update will put the attraction back on the tourist map.
But they are brought eye-to-eye at a grassroots level with the residents of the waist- high houses who want to return to the halcyon days, and they must learn to collaborate across the divide.
Model Village is the story of a community hankering for an idyllic past, asking if it’s possible to restore it or whether to embrace a bold new future. In the end, the audience will vote to decide on what the outcome will be.
The play will also feature voices from local communities discussing what it is like to live in a village and local choirs and singing groups have been invited to learn a Model Village song for the play.
East Midlands-based New Perspectives is celebrating their 50th anniversary and with a strong rural core, they are starting their anniversary season by getting to know rural communities better through touring Model Village to arts venues and village halls.
With a strong rural core, they create productions to fit spaces of any size in order to bring new work that is unexpected and thought-provoking to a wide range of audiences.
In 2021, Angharad Jones was appointed as their artistic director.
Anita Sullivan is a stage and radio playwright, her 2022 BBC radio drama, End of Transmission, won the Tinnswood Award for writing, the BBC Audio Drama for Best Single Drama, and was a finalist for the Writer’s Guild Award.
Visit www.liveandlocal.org.uk/event/?id=8336&title=model-village for further information.