90s nightlife exhibition at Danum Gallery, Library and Museum

The exhibition, created by Doncaster artists, has been developed from the memories of local people, in partnership with Cast, Right Up Our Street and Heritage Doncaster to support Children of the Night, a multi arts stage show taking place at Cast later this month.

The exhibition explores experiences of Doncaster nightlife through recent history and features first-hand memories, testimony and memorabilia collected from local people.

Children of the Night is the debut stage play by Doncaster-born writer Danielle Phillips. It is a dynamic coming-of-age story that follows Donny lass Lindsay as she pays tribute to the iconic Doncaster nightclub Karisma, reliving memories of her notorious '90s escapades and her relationship with her ex-miner single dad. With uncertain times ahead, she faces a challenging question: When it feels like your best days are already behind you, how do you keep dancing?

Danielle said: “We are thrilled to be opening this exhibition of Doncaster nightlife in the 90s as a precursor to The Children of the Night premiering for its six-night run at Cast later this month.

“Our thanks go to everyone involved in the exhibition and to people from our local community for sharing their memories and experiences.”

The play has been commissioned by Cast as part of the theatre’s 10-year birthday celebrations, which features a full year of events running from January until December 2023.

Since graduating from the London Academy of Music and Drama in 2016, Danielle has specialised in developing new writing and devised work for the stage, creating work with organisations including: The RSC, Royal Court, Traverse Festival, Camden People's Theatre, Hull Truck & Theatre 503. Her stage and screen credits include: Ben Elton’s The Upstart Crow; Masters of the Air, produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks (Apple TV, 2021); and Spielberg’s Ready Player One (Warner Bros, 2018).

“I am really looking forward to sharing Children of the Night with audiences from across Yorkshire.

“This is a play, and a party. Donny nightlife is electric, unashamed and infectious. And there was no time quite like the heydays of the 90s.

“When I would tell people I was from Donny it was always met with ‘oh I've been on a Donny on a night out’, I quickly realised how iconic the town’s nightlife is on a national level. I am so proud to make a show in, about, and developed with my hometown. I interviewed over sixty people about their experience of the town. The script is, at its heart, a love letter to Donny, all things 90s and hopefully a fresh and truthful representation of the communities here,” added Danielle.

Children of the Night will be at Cast’s Second Space between 21-25 February at 7:45pm, with a 2:15pm Saturday matinee. The Children of the Night: The Exhibition opens on Monday, February 6 at Danum Gallery, Library and Museum (DN1 3BZ) and runs until March 2. Tickets are available here: https://castindoncaster.com/whats-on/children-of-the-night/