Blue Box Messiah - Press Pack
Nov 13, 2013
North East theatre company celebrates 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who
A theatre company from Newcastle has found a special way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who with a new comedy play about the religion of Doctor Who.
Illumination Theatre will be staging Blue Box Messiah, in which two life-long fans discuss whether the show would make a good religion. It features a cast of various vicars, aliens, policemen, an ex-Santa and a little girl called Susan, all of whom are played by two actors. Sunderland-based actor Lee Shillito, who plays Matt, says “it’s quite a challenging play to perform, as we both play a dozen very different characters, and we’ve even had to learn puppeteering.”
Lee Shillito and Adam Lightfoot with the two alien puppets from the production
The play was written by Michael M Gilroy-Sinclair, who has previously written the Doctor Who astrology book Whostrology. Michael, originally from Wallsend, is a life-long Doctor Who fan who is also the host of the popular Tin Dog Podcast.
Adam Lightfoot, who plays Luke, says “I’m a huge fan of the Doctor, so it’s been enormous fun to work on this show. Doing the research for the part has been particularly enjoyable, as I’ve been watching all the old episodes!”
The play is directed by Louise Gregory, who was originally sent the script for proofreading. “After I finished laughing,” she says, “I got straight onto Michael and begged him for the chance to direct it for the stage. It’s been such fun to rehearse, and we’re looking forward to bringing it to an audience of fans who will get all the references.”
The play will be launching in London on 24th November at the Whovian wedding, an international Doctor Who-themed mass wedding event, which sees 50 couples say “I who” before tucking into a banquet served by Daleks and a Tardis cake. The company hopes to tour the show around the UK next year, but there will be special preview performances at The Old George in Newcastle on 21st and 22nd November and at the Jam Jar Cinema in Whitley Bay on 26th November. Tickets can be booked from www.blueboxmessiah.co.uk or from www.jamjarcinema.com.