201 Dance Company announce tour of Michael Rosen’s Sad Book

Following a critically acclaimed world premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, 201 Dance Company are delighted to announce the UK tour of Sad Book which was inspired by Michael Rosen’s award-winning novel. This compelling adaptation is a visually inventive, moving story about navigating complex emotions in the midst of everyday life. 

Selected tour dates, including the Hackney Empire will feature live, in person narration from Michael Rosen.

In this personal story of loss, a father explores the disconnection between what we feel, what we show, and different ways we deal with sadness. Sad Book makes the deeply personal, universal, retelling the story through dance, physical theatre, animation and stunning original music. 

“It’s miraculous to see something I’ve written transformed into what I’ll call a dance drama. It feels like watching myself from the outside in and I’m totally moved by it,” Michael Rosen.

Directed and Choreographed by 201 Dance Company’s Artistic Director, Andrea Walker, Sad Book is the third touring production by this trailblazing company, renowned for presenting emotional, evocative pieces with cinematic production design. Andrea Walker describes reading Michael Rosen’s award-winning Sad Book as being the first time he felt his own mental health and experience of grief were directly ‘spoken to’.  The beauty in the simplistic, conversational language created a pathway into the complex emotion of sadness and Andrea’s vision for his dance theatre adaptation began from the moment he read the final page.  

201 Dance is honoured to be trusted by Michael to adapt such an important piece of work. 

201 Dance Company present the Sad Book UK Tour in partnership with Child Bereavement UK and The HERA Project. Audiences visiting performances on tour will be able to participate in a programme of post-show discussions featuring special guests, accompanying workshops and be supported by a compassionate and trained listener should they experience overwhelming emotions whilst watching the show. 

The Sad Book tour kicks off on 11 and 12 March at The Old Market Brighton. Visit www.201dancecompany.com for full tour details and tickets.

201 Dance Company’s Sad Book, Image credit 201 Dance Company