The Legend of Ned Ludd at Liverpool Everyman Theatre
Kristy Stott, Theatre Editor
Live theatre, innovative storytelling and bold themes, this daring and unique new play at Liverpool Everyman has the full house. Created by award-winning playwright Joe Ward Munrow, The Legend of Ned Ludd is a powerful new play exploring the impact of capitalism and globalisation on working people.
Weaving stories of work, automation and capitalism from around the world, The Legend of Ned Ludd is billed as “a show for anyone who’s ever put in a hard day’s graft”. Perhaps what makes this play so special is the fact that it is driven and dictated by an actual machine; an entity at the heart of the play that has the power to choose what the actors present at any given performance.
In this bold, cutting-edge production, a talented cast of three find themselves at the mercy of The Machine, a powerful central automaton that chooses what will be presented on stage at any particular performance. There are 256 possible versions of the play and The Machine will randomly select 15 scenes to be performed live on each night, offering a spontaneous experience – for the audience and performers – at every show.
Taking audiences on a whirlwind global commute throughout different moments in history, from the Luddites’ nineteenth-century war against new technology through to modern-day Liverpool, London, Lagos and beyond, The Machine decides what we see – on the night, in front of our eyes. Thrilling and inventive, this is liveness at its very best.
Writer Joe Ward Munrow, told us, “It’s a play about people, work and automation. It explores what happens when machines make decisions rather than humans. As we wrestle with the impact of AI and algorithms on our lives, I wanted to look at how this has been a timeless question. I’m hoping it will be an entertaining reflection on the history of work, class, and the impact of technology on our lives.”
Directed by Jude Christian, this exciting world premiere stars award-winning writer and spoken word artist, Reuben Johnson (There is a Light That Never Goes Out and A Streetcar Named Desire, Royal Exchange; stage and screen actor, Menyee Lai (The Responder, Inside No.9 and Waterloo Road, BBC) and Liverpool actor and graduate of the Everyman’s youth theatre, Shaun Mason (Macbeth and Billy Wonderful, Liverpool Everyman).
The Legend of Ned Ludd is the first of three homegrown productions to mark the Liverpool Everyman’s 60th birthday – the perfect production to celebrate the Everyman’s six decades of artistic innovation and social transformation.
