The Unknown Land
Cotton Grass Theatre presents
The Unknown Land
by Caroline Small
Forget Bear Grylls. Forget '71 Degrees North'. This is a tale of human endurance in conditions so extreme that body, mind and soul are tested to their limits.
National tours in 2009,2010 and 2011.
The Unknown Land will be revived at Buxton Fringe Festival 2013.
“Absolutely gripping, multi-layered, wonderfully acted and very, very moving. See it if you can!”
Sally Goldsmith, singer/song-writer, poet.
"Spellbinding theatre. Theatrical dynamite!” Catherine Parker, Downfall Productions
About the play...
In the first half of the nineteenth century the race to discover the fabled North West Passage - a northern trade route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans - gripped the public imagination, just as the 'space race' did a century later.
The Unknown Land is an original play for one actor and many characters. A compelling tale of extreme survival from a time before radio or satellite comminication and before the development of specialised polar equipment. The play explores a human tale behind the politics of the age: the tale of one man's journey to the ends of the earth and deep inside his own mind.
Keith Kendrick (concertina maestro and shanty-man supreme) joins ex-RSC actor, David Frederickson in a story inspired by true accounts Arctic exploration, Inuit mythology and the fatal attraction of the polar regions.
“A terrific performance by David Frederickson in a really fascinating play full of wit and love that I didn't expect from the title and subject matter. If it's not the most unexpectedly joyous night out I'll have this year it'll do to be going on with."
Rony Robinson, BBC Radio Sheffield
The Unknown Land has been on two national tours to small-scale venues. A further short tour is planned for 2013 including three performances at Buxton Fringe Festival.
Details coming soon.