Wishful Thinking

'Wishful Thinking' presented by Indefinable Theatre Company

Indefinable Theatre is a newly established Theatre Company created by non professional theatre practitioners interested in experimenting new forms of theatre making and engaging audiences in the process of drama and theatre in a way that would benefit individuals and communities. Their first play is the result of intensive group work where all members were equally involved in all aspects of creating an original theatre production.

Their first play 'Wishful Thinking' depicts the story of four children in a boarding school in rural England in the mid 20th Century. Aside from school life, each of the children experiences complex and sometimes painful realities at home. The intricacies of home life remain a secret that is kept well away from the classroom. But somehow the pain from home finds its expression in the playground. Faced with the reality of the violent world of adulthood and childhood, the four children wish for something different, something that would make their life different and hopefully better.

'Wishful Thinking' is a story at the threshold between myth and reality, between the worlds of adulthood and childhood. The play is also a reflection on the faculty of children and adults to tolerate pain and differences.

The performance of 'Wishful Thinking' will be followed by an interactive workshop that will offer an experience of spontaneous theatre making in a way that will reflect how the members of the Company have been working together and provide an opportunity for an experience of collective theatre making.

Indefinable Theatre Company:
Jean-Francois Jacques
Jean Hammond
Sue Andrews
Anne Sinclair
Liz Galashan

Wishful Thinking is part of Club Ponderosa, a temporary social club produced by Matt Stokes in collaboration with local residents, artists and enthusiasts. It takes its name from both the ranch in the famous 1960s TV series Bonanza and a shelter built in a Newcastle neighbourhood by residents of a crescent seeking an independent space to meet and talk. Club Ponderosa will function as a place for performances and social interaction designed and programmed by residents of the area around 176. Developed in collaboration with self-organised groups and gifted amateurs, the club will operate within 176, but with its own series of events and a separate entrance and access times. It will also include MASS, a free collective sound system made up of donated elements. The project is part of Stokes' residency at the gallery and is being developed partly in response to the history of the former Methodist chapel that houses 176 and its surrounding area.