AN AWARD-WINNING festival of theatre will return to Darlington with an eclectic mix of shows this weekend.

The latest season of Jabberwocky Market will focus on “brand new theatre” and will feature two Edinburgh Festival previews.

Darlington playwright and actor Jade Byrne will stage Pricks, a show that was created especially for the festival and one that will be staged at Edinburgh Fringe Festival later this summer.

The performance focuses on Ms Byrne’s life with type one diabetes and draws on the experiences of others with the condition.

She said: “It’s brilliant to have a preview of my show in my home town before going up to Edinburgh and then touring it around the country.

“I’ve shown it in Newcastle and Durham and the audiences have really loved it.”

Theatre maker Chris Thorpe has worked with groups around Darlington to develop his latest production, Status.

Also being previewed prior to Edinburgh, the show centres on concepts of nationality and people’s sense of their own identity.

Festival director Caroline Pearce said: “We are really lucky to have been working with Chris who is well-known and popular as a groundbreaking maker of new theatre that talks about the world we live in.”

Other events being staged this weekend include The Smog, a storytelling event led by Stockton artist Scott Turnbull.

The festival will conclude with a series of short ‘Power Plays’, staged as part of the Theatre Uncut initiative.

Focusing on political and social topics, the performances have been created by a variety of emerging and established playwrights who were commissioned by the initiative in the hope of engaging people with the issues at the heart of the plays.

Jabberwocky Market will again be hosted at Polam Hall School, where students have been encouraged to work with the festival’s artists and get involved in the event.

In keeping with the festival’s aim to make high quality theatre as accessible as possible, the event’s team believe cost should not be a factor when it comes to enjoying a show.

Ms Pearce said: “All tickets are available on a Pay What You Decide basis, which means that they can be booked for free and after each show, audiences can pay what they think it was worth.

“This means that people can also pay what they can afford and cost isn’t a barrier to them staying for all of the shows, if they want.”

Being staged in and around Polam Hall’s Liddiard Theatre, Jabberwocky Market will be staged on Saturday, June 23 and Sunday, June 24.