Award-winning director Ken Loach and writer Paul Laverty were in the audience at Northern Stage on Wednesday night for the Newcastle premiere of the first stage adaptation of his film I, Daniel Blake.
It is seven years since the hard-hitting film came out and made an enormous impact with its stark portrayal of an ordinary man's struggles to cope with an inhuman benefits system. The drama, the first made by the director in Newcastle, struck a universal chord - and unsettled the powers that be - with its story of a joiner, caught up in endless red tape when a heart attack forces him to apply for benefits, and his friendship with a single mother in similar dire straits who has a meltdown moment at a food bank in a stand-out scene from the film.
It connected not just with others in a similar position in the region but everywhere and it earned Loach his usual heap of praise - and share of criticism from across the political divide - as well as the Bafta of outstanding British fim and the coveted Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival the following year.
Read more: Ovation at Cannes for Ken Loach where director shares The Old Oak's message of hope
Loach has just returned from Cannes where his latest, and last, film The Old Oak had a debut screening. Made in County Durham - the third of his locally-shot dramas, following Sorry We Missed You which itself was selected for a Cannes screening in 2019 - it may have missed out this time on that top prize but it won universal acclaim. Just days after their return from the international film festival, the director, who turns 87 in a few days, was at Northern Stage joined by his wife Lesley Ashton and his screenwriter Paul Laverty for the play's official premiere.
The man behind the adaptation, tasked with creating a new version of Laverty's story, was the star of I, Daniel Blake himself, the actor, writer and stand-up comedian Dave Johns. It was a big responsibility and a big night, which brought the spotlight back to the core issues of the drama and representatives from Newcastle's West End Food Bank - which features in Loach's film - were among the audience too.
Just as Loach and his team had done, Johns and director Mark Calvert accompanied by the play's cast including its stars - well-known local actor David Nellist, who plays Daniel Blake, and Bryony Corrigan who takes the role of single mother Katie - spent time at the food bank to talk to those who run it and who use it. Calvert also volunteered there for months.
To their horror it seems that nothing has changed; if anything it's even worse. They found there has been a 39% increase in food parcels in the last year alone.
When Loach's film came out, the city had one food bank; now there are seven according to foodbank charity The Trussell Trust. The situation at the time was captured raw and real on the big screen but rather than just put the film on the stage Johns had set out to update the story and ensure it is still relevant today.
After seeing the result on Wednesday, Paul Laverty was in no doubt. The writer said: "I'm knocked out. I didn't know what to expect."
Praising the writing, directing and acting, as well as the theatre itself, he added: "They're a very, very talented team. I found it massively moving."
I, Daniel Blake's debut runs until June 10 at Northern Stage, which co-produces it. It is already sold-out but the theatre has just announced the play will return there for another run from September 12-16. It has also added more dates to its tour including Durham's Gala Theatre from September 26-30.
For tickets and details of the tour, which takes in Birmingham, Manchester, Exeter, Liverpool, Leeds, Oxford, Edinburgh, London, Northampton, Coventry and Guildford, see Northern Stage's website here.
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