Santa Must Die! is a raucous new gig theatre show for the gig economy at the most difficult time of the year! This production by archipelago, written by Rosie MacPherson, with performers Rhian Liu and Robin Ravi is a different kind of festive story about when Christmas is all work and no play. It looks at finding joy in unexpected places and fighting against that which is meant to keep you down.
Nadia and Abed might just be the next big thing. They are the duo behind The North’s greatest Punk band this side of the Seventies, and for one night only they’re playing their local. But it’s Christmas eve, and Santa is a bad boss. Dealing with unending queues of demanding, entitled customers, minimum wage, unpaid overtime and zero hours contracts means the elves are ready to riot.
Inspired by many friends who’ve had bad jobs over Christmas, with long hours and barely any time off, Santa Must Die! looks at the fact that, for most of us, Christmas is actually a busy and stressful time. Made in conversation with local people in Bradford and Newcastle who have experience of working on zero hours contracts at Christmas, this is a Christmas show for audiences who like their theatre with a bit of bite. Taking the riotous punk energy of archipelago’s previous show about our NHS in crisis, An Act of Care, the company have been inspired by the heart of traditional Christmas shows and brought them to the stage in this production – expect audience interaction, panto-like tropes, great music, genre-bending video projections and a heartfelt story about workers coming together to fight against the corporate greed of Father Christmas.
Santa Must Die!
Dates Thursday 16th – Friday 24th December 2021 | Wednesday 29th– Friday 31st December 2021
7.30pm, plus 1pm Saturday matinees
Wednesday 22nd December (7:30pm) – captioned performance
Wednesday 29th December (7:30pm) – audio described
Saturday 18th December (1pm) – relaxed
Location Alphabetti Theatre, St James’ Blvd, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4HP
Box Office Booking essential. Tickets are Pay What You Feel and are available from https://www.alphabettitheatre.co.uk/santa-must-die
