Chop, Dissolve, Burn
Chop, Dissolve, Burn premieres at Alphabetti Theatre.
Tuesday 20th June – Saturday 8th July 7:30pm and Saturdays at 1pm
When disabled and non-disabled worlds collide, the consequences can be serious…or seriously funny.
This summer, Alphabetti & WANCS will be showing one of their most adventurous projects to date, Chop, Dissolve, Burn.Written by acclaimed North East writers, Lisette Auton and Richard Boggie, this dark and (literally) side-splitting showrelentlessly pokes fun at society’s attitudes towards disability, whilst exposing the terrifying truth about the impacts of inequality on disabled people’s lives.
Boggie comments, “Lisette (Auton) and I share a dark and sometimes frankly ridiculous sense of humour, so we’ve had a lot of fun developing this story.” It follows Rose and Pete, two former lovers separated by circumstance and a hasty note written on the back of a receipt, brought back together by a pandemic. After a year of shielding, how far will they go to be together again? “Chop, Dissolve, Burn isn’t trotting out the usual tired stereotypes. The characters are disabled, and funny, and flawed, and complex, and smart,” he continues, “I’m so looking forward to them coming to life on stage.”
The people responsible for bringing this story to life will be Steven George and Helen Fox, along with director, Paul James, who says, “I’m looking forward to bringing Chop, Dissolve,Burn to life with two talented disabled performers. The play is funny, moving and poignant. It deals with the important issue of disability and relationships in a fun and accessible way.”
For WANCS and Alphabetti, the topic of accessibility goes beyond the plot. From the outset, this show has been designed to put disabled artists and audiences at the forefront. “It’s not just about our voice and our characters. It’s about making the show accessible for everyone – every show, not just one or two performances.”
Every performance of Chop, Dissolve, Burn will be captioned, audio described and relaxed. Furthermore, every day that the performance will be showing, there will be a BSL performance and the option for a touch tour. Producer, Gina Ruffin, comments, “We’re proving that top-tier art should be universally designed. Not only is it entirely possible, but it’s a joy to make and there should be lots more of it.”
Chop, Dissolve, Burn premieres at Alphabetti on Tuesday 20th of June for three weeks and, as Auton promises, “If people have half as much fun when they come along, as we had writing it, then we’re onto a winner. I’m really proud of this comedy full of love, complete carnage, telling it like it is, and epic swears.”
Box OfficeBooking essential. Tickets range from Pay What You Feel to £15 and are available from alphabettitheatre.co.uk/chopdissolveburn