Announcing my latest writing/directing commission. Sundae Opening is a short pop-up piece of theatre examining the phenomenon of Tuppenny Libraries and their effect on the Sheffield’s reading experience.
There’s a new kid on the block! It’s 1933 and Tuppenny libraries are popping up all over Britain, much to the alarm of civic and subscription-based lenders, such as Boots Libraries. For tuppence you can borrow a book from a newsagent, a tobacconist or even your local ice cream parlour. Does this herald a worrying dumbing-down of our reading habits or a brave new era of literary democratisation?
Sundae opening will be performed in Libraries around Sheffield in June. The piece is part of the Reading Sheffield project and is funded by Sheffield Hallam University’s Arts and Humanities Research Council.