A New Vic Theatre premiere
Bleak House
By Charles Dickens
adapted and directed by Theresa Heskins

Sat 3 – Sat 24 July

Foggy London meets the forensics of CSI as an exciting New Vic first promises to immerse audiences in the world of a Dickens novel.

Theatregoers are being invited to turn detective for Bleak House, a new stage adaptation of Dickens’ masterpiece by New Vic Artistic Director, Theresa Heskins. In a New Vic first, the fast-moving and lively production will see audiences talk to characters, sift through evidence and explore the scene of the crime before the performance begins.

Explains Heskins: “Throughout the building, we’ll be creating some of the environments mentioned in the story, offering an opportunity to observe characters, evidence and settings of the novel at close quarters.  The endless court case; the mysterious bottle shop; the poor crossing sweeper will all be brought to life. 

”During the course of the journey the audience will collect clues to solve the mystery at the heart of the story, whilst those who already know the novel will enjoy the challenge of seeking out the needle in the haystack.  It will be an epic theatre experience to match this epic novel.

“Promenade events like this have been capturing the imaginations of theatregoers all over the country, so it’s great to offer our audiences an unusual and interactive theatre experience.  After last year’s The Wicked Lady, when we worked with aerial dance company Upswing to create horses, beds and a breathtaking gallows in mid-air, lots of people stopped me to ask ‘What’s the next adventure?’  Here it is!”

Recently announced as one of the UK’s top Women to Watch by the Cultural Leadership Programme, the New Vic Artistic Director is adapting the Dickens classic following her critically-acclaimed revisionings of Great Expectations and the record-breaking The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe last Christmas. The adaptation will be one of the rare occasions that the Dickens’ novel has been put on stage.

An award-winning creative team includes Designer Liz Cooke (The Wicked Lady at the New Vic, Pericles and The Merchant of Venice at Shakespeare’s Globe and Monkey! at the West Yorkshire Playhouse) and New Vic Lighting Designer, Daniella Beattie, who last year scooped a TMA Award for her work on The Wicked Lady.
The 11-strong Bleak House cast includes regular TV and film actress Dido Miles (Rosemary and Thyme, British indie horror film Mum and Dad), actor Jack Blumenau from CBBC’s Noah and Saskia, Martin Hyder, last seen in BBC1’s The Omid Djalili Show and DreamThinkSpeaks Absent at the Royal Opera House, as well as Grange Hill’s Mr. Deverill, Nicholas Tizzard. The company are also joined by members of the New Vic’s Youth Theatre.

Audiences will be able to experience the interactive promenade 30 minutes before the performance begins. Tickets for Bleak House, which cost £8.50 – £17.50 (with concessions available), can be booked by calling the New Vic’s Box Office on 01782 717962, or book online.