Audrey Cook is a queer, non-binary theatre maker, performance practitioner, and facilitator, currently Associate Artist at ARC Stockton. This year, they return to Northern Stage with their sell-out stage show, the wildly imaginative ‘Bus Stop Goths’.
Cook has been active in the North East scene since 2021, contributing a powerful and much-needed voice to the inclusion and visibility of underrepresented communities in the arts. Their previous work includes ‘Ricky the Itch’, ‘Feed the Bird’, ‘How This Email Found Me’, and ‘The Golem Steals Your Shoes’.
‘Bus Stop Goths’ is a fantastical, funny, yet thought-provoking commentary on young alternative people striving to live authentically and creatively. Like a grittier modern-day ‘Wings of Desire’, the play follows the magical exploits of two angels: Sid (played by Audrey, presumably named after sneering Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious) and Viv (played by Mimi Loughran, presumably named after fashion icon Vivienne Westwood). Observing Middlesbrough from their dingy celestial office, the duo witness intolerance directed at young people who don’t fit mainstream expectations – and rightly decide to intervene.
As the parent of two alternative children and a former teenage goth myself, I want to express solidarity with anyone struggling, and gratitude to Audrey for this vital piece of theatre.
Tickets, priced at £12.00 in advance, are available at northernstage.co.uk.
