Zoe Cooper’s layered and thoughtful new play about finding your place in the world. Following its run at the Orange Tree it will also tour to 11 venues: Live Theatre Newcastle, Watford Palace, and with house, a project managed by Farnham Maltings, to venues in Havant, Canterbury, Norwich, Sheringham, Colchester, Harlow, Didcot, Petersfield and to Farnham Maltings. The Orange Tree’s work will be seen in 21 towns and cities this autumn with Terence Rattigan’s French Without Tears on tour from September to November with English Touring Theatre and Caryl Churchill’s Blue Heart opening at Bristol’s Tobacco Factory Theatres on 22 September before transferring to the OT on 13 October.
Meet Jess and Joe. They want to tell you their story. Joe is Norfolk born and bred and wears wellies. Jess holidays there with her au pair and is slightly too tubby for her summer dresses. They are miles apart even when they stand next to each other. This is a story of growing up, fitting in (or not), boys, girls, secrets, scotch eggs and maybe even love, but most of all, it’s about friendship.
Spanning several summer holidays, JESS AND JOE FOREVER is an unusual coming of age tale that explores rural life and what it means to belong somewhere, if you can really belong anywhere.
Zoe Cooper (Petrification and Nativities at Live Theatre Newcastle and Man on the Moon for New Writing North/Sage) and directed by Derek Bond (Little Shop of Horrors and the upcoming Sweet Charity at the Royal Exchange Theatre and Alice Birch’s Many Moons at Theatre503).
Jess and Joe Forever was originally commissioned by Old Vic New Voices and supported by Arts Council England.
Orange Tree Theatre
8 September – 8 October 2016
Times Mon – Sat eves 7.30pm (except Mon 12 Sep 7.00pm) | Thu & Sat mats 2.30pm (not 8 & 10 Sep) orangetreetheatre.co.uk
Relaxed Performance Thu 29 Sep 2.30pm
Post-show talks Wed 14 Sep 7.30pm & Thu 22 Sep 2.30pm
Audio-described performances Sat 24 Sep 2.30pm & Wed 28 Sep 7.30pm
On tour
13 Oct 8pm The Spring Arts & Heritage Centre, Havant, Hampshire
14 – 15 Oct 8pm The Marlowe Studio, Canterbury, Kent
18 Oct 7.30pm The Garage, Norwich, Norfolk
19 Oct 8pm Sheringham Little Theatre, Norfolk
20 Oct 7.30pm Lakeside Theatre, Colchester, Essex
21 Oct 8pm Harlow Playhouse, Harlow, Essex
22 Oct 8pm Cornerstone, Didcot, Oxfordshire
25 – 26 Oct 7.30pm Live Theatre Newcastle
1 – 2 Nov 8pm Watford Palace Theatre
3 Nov 7.30pm Farnham Maltings, Farnham, Surrey
4 Nov 7.30pm The Studio @TPS, Petersfield, Hampshire
