If I walk through this door will I find heaven?

“If I walk through this door will I find Heaven?"

Devised by Aorta Theatre Collective

Performers:
Jennifer Bryden
Philip Cairns
Mark Fitzgerald
Laura Hooper
Natasha Magigi
Robert Pollington
Cassie Raine
Carol Robb
Caroline Wildi

Guides:
Stephanie Brittain
James Carter
Richard Nickols
Christos Norton
Orna Salinger

Rob Hale Director
Juliet Prague Director
Fiona Carew Assistant Director

Matt Stokes Artist-In-Residence at 176
Anna Caligari Designer
Hugo Danino Lighting
David Herbert Lighting
Josh Grey Jung Sound Design
Rowan October Sound Operator

Thanks to:
Albert Potrony
Richard Nickols
Peader Kirk

And huge thanks to all at 176 for their kind support and endless patience.

In Memory of James Neale - Kennerley

Aorta Theatre, founded in 2005, is an evolving group of artists collaborating on a variety of projects. Previous work includes Serenading Louie by Lanford Wilson at the GBS Theatre and most recently a joint collaboration with Hugo Danino, Dreama Centaur at 176 as part of Matt Stokes's Club Ponderosa. Current research projects include The Remaking Project by Charles Mee and a forthcoming production at Trafalgar Studios of work by Theresa Rebeck, American playwright and author.

"If I walk through this door will I find heaven?" 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.