Hastings’ Hidden Stories – and Pizza
On 18 September, Spun Glass Theatre launches Pizza & Plays – a new theatre night inspired by Hastings’ history, and created in partnership with Hastings Museum & Art Gallery. The series will bring together playwrights, museum archives, and local food and community celebration.
The project (with support from Arts Council England) challenges three writers to immerse themselves in the stories, folklore and forgotten histories of Hastings, before writing an entirely new short play. Rather than responding to a set theme, each writer has complete freedom to discover the stories that inspire them. Once completed, each play is rehearsed in just five days before being performed live.
Each evening then continues with pizza from local favourites Duke Harper Pizza, with a post-show party hosted by Remi Vibesman (Hidden Beach), transforming a theatre visit into a social event that reflects the character of Hastings itself.
Creative Director Ross Drury says: “Pizza & Plays combines my three favourite things: plays, pizza and parties. But underneath that is a much bigger idea. We wanted to create something that reflects Hastings and the people who live here. Theatre shouldn’t feel like something separate from the community – it should be somewhere people come together, share food, have conversations and discover something about the place they call home.”
The first writer in the series, Chloë Lawrence-Taylor, is Spun Glass Theatre’s new playwright-on -attachment. Her previous work has been developed with the National Theatre and Hampstead Theatre. Her new play, Hannah, Jack and Tomorrow Too, follows two young people returning home to Hastings, drawing inspiration from festival mythology and local history. It raises questions about ambition, sacrifice and belonging. Lawrence-Taylor spent time exploring Hastings’ stories, from pioneering women doctors and Fairlight Glen to Jack in the Green and Hannah the Witch. “What interested me most,” she says, was “how history still echoes in young people’s lives today.” Actors are Helen Black and Seth Ringrose.
Each evening of Pizza & Plays features a different playwright responding to a different aspect of Hastings’ identity.
Spun Glass Theatre has designed Pizza & Plays to be as accessible as possible. Tickets are offered on a Pay What You Can basis (£5, £10 or £15), ensuring cost is not a barrier to attending. Dates (all at the Stade Hall) and writers are: Friday 18 September – Chloë Lawrence-Taylor; Friday 30 October – Anna Atkinson; and Saturday 5 December – Elijah W. Harris
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