Joint Effort

Two brand new works in progress presented by Leeds Playhouse as part of Furnace Festival, created in partnership with Opera North, the Royal Court Theatre and Edinburgh International Festival.

What Happened To Agnes

Presented in partnership with Opera North | A work-in-progress performance
Written and performed by Nishla Smith

“When my grandmother’s sister Agnes was nine years old, she disappeared. As a child in 1930s Malaysia, my grandmother never really understood where she went…’

In What Happened to Agnes, vocalist Nishla Smith imagines what might have happened next, spinning together her grandmother’s lush childhood memories into a magic-realist realm of talking tigers, hidden dangers and never-ending staircases. The story moves in and out of focus through Nishla’s distinctive songs, which could be the haunted, shadowy flipsides of the standards of Agnes’ time. With projections by visual artist Luca Shaw and piano by Tom Harris.

Developed by Opera North Projects and Leeds Playhouse, with support from the PRSF Talent Development Programme.

The Abyss

Presented in partnership with the Royal Court Theatre and Edinburgh International Festival | A work-in-progress reading | Written by Ghiath Al Mhitawi  | Directed by Aisha Khan

Part of the International Climate Crisis Plays, presented by the Royal Court Theatre and Edinburgh International Festival.

‘I climbed up quietly, their screams became louder and farther away, I reached the top of the chimney and looked inside the Abyss.’ One conversation around a German dinner table turns to the topic of the climate crisis.