Described by audiences as “unapologetically honest” and “Shane Meadows-esque” Lee Lomas’ play, Sunrise for the Blind, returns to London at the Tristan Bates Theatre this month. The working-class drama, staged by 1956 Entertainment, plays a limited season from 11-16 February 2019, so get your tickets fast!
Sunrise for the Blind exposes the lack of opportunity amongst the working-class and ongoing issues with racism in small towns.
Nas is a young Asian man who runs away from home to escape his father’s oppressive religious rhetoric. Set in a small, industrial town north of Manchester, this bleak, true-to-life drama shines a spotlight on the trivialities of life in an area of society living below the working class. With fast-paced, punchy dialogue and a boatload of social commentary, this satirical comedy is a stinging indictment of our current benefit system, and addresses the hidden racism still prevalent across the UK.
Sunrise for the Blind premiered in Manchester at The Salford Arts Theatre in October 2018. It transferred to London’s Kings Head Theatre later that month, playing to a sold-out crowd.
In addition to writing the play, Lomas also directs the production and stars as Nathan. The performer boasts credits including Coronation Street, Shameless, The A Word, Casualty and Happy Valley, and he can currently be seen playing Marcus in Hollyoaks. Lomas is joined in the cast by Michael Black, Alana Eaton, Izzy Stevenson-Olds, Sonja Doubleday, John Michael Rooke and Nasreen Hussain.
Speaking about the production, Lomas said:
“I think it’s important for working-class stories to be told from the perspective of someone from that background and it’s equally important for the theatre community to support this. I’m inspired by David Mamet and Harold Pinter, I’m not trying to write a play, I’m trying to create real life, the dialogue is written and delivered fast and overlapping because this is indicative of how people communicate, it’s not pretty and it’s not polished, but neither is life.”
Lomas launched 1956 Entertainment, which was originally 1956 Theatre, in 2013. Since then, the company’s output has included a rep season of four shows in Manchester, a production of Mamet’s Sexual Perversity in Chicago and a re-imagining of Oliver Twist.
Sunrise for the Blind plays as part of an exciting spring season at Tristan Bates Theatre, which also includes Scott Kettner‘s Americat: A Love Story… Really, and the return of Liane Grant‘s tale of love and acceptance, Half Me, Half You.
