Share the joy of a good night out and exceptional drama with Hull Truck Theatre - New Season Now On Sale
22 Nov 2023 | Press Release
Whether you’re a theatre aficionado, a family looking for fun, or simply seeking a great night out with good friends, we have got you covered. Janthi Mills-Ward, Executive Director at Hull Truck Theatre, said: “I’m really looking forward to "Guts" written by Maureen Lennon and performed by a community company telling the extraordinary story of Hull's fish packers fight for equal pay for equal work, providing a fascinating glimpse into the city's rich heritage. The new season also has 4 flagship pieces of drama Animal Farm, A Little Shop of Horrors, A Song for Ella Grey and Happy Jack that are all available on the Drama Deal – so if you can’t decide, this offer is a great opportunity to try something you wouldn’t usually see.” To kick off the produced programme for the new year, Hull Truck Theatre are teaming up with Octagon Theatre Bolton and Derby Theatre to present Animal Farm (Wednesday 27 March – Saturday 13 April). Animal Farm is Orwell’s enduring and devastating satire about the corruption of power. This striking new production has been adapted for the stage by Ian Wooldridge and directed by esteemed theatre director, Iqbal Khan (East is East: Birmingham Rep & National Theatre, Tartuffe: Royal Shakespeare Company and the Opening Ceremony of Commonwealth Games – Birmingham 2022). Feeding audiences with the need for musical fun, Hull Truck Theatre will also present alongside New Wolsey Theatre, Theatre By The Lake and Octagon Theatre Bolton a mean green monster musical and devilishly delicious sci-fi smash hit Little Shop of Horrors (Wednesday 22 May – Saturday 8 June). Filled with incredible rock and roll music, be prepared to laugh, scream, and be convinced to give up gardening for life! Guts! The Musical (Saturday 29 June – Saturday 6 July), will bring the local community together to present a highly entertaining farcical drama which is based on a true story. Written by local playwright Maureen Lennon and directed by Tom Saunders, this is a whirlwind re-telling of 15 women in a fish packing factory in Hull who made history by demanding equal pay for equal work. For fans of Made in Dagenham and Barbie (The Movie), audiences can expect a whole load of hilarity and musical joy thrown in for good measure. Maureen Lennon, Writer, said: “'Discovering the story of how Peter Allen and a group of Hull women had fought for their rights and pioneered a change in equality law felt thrilling. I was desperate for more people to hear it, particularly right now when I think we’re hungry for stories of joy and solidarity and success. It’s a perfect example of women’s stories in our city, people just getting on with it and casually changing the world in their day to day lives. Who could pass up the chance to celebrate that? Particularly when doing so might involve some mad 80’s costumes and a load of fish? The dream.” For fans of gritty drama, Pilot Theatre will return to Hull Truck Theatre with their new production A Song for Ella Grey (Tuesday 5 – Saturday 9 March). In association with Northern Stage and York Theatre Royal this moving experience will present a magical retelling of the Orpheus myth, full of music, sound and storytelling. The John Godber Company is back with Happy Jack (Wednesday 12 – Saturday 15 June), the first play to be written by John Godber when he was 25 years of age, will now be performed starring John Godber alongside his wife, Jane Thornton, in the show which brought them together over 40 years ago. Capturing the ups and downs of ordinary working-class family life, this production is in celebration of miners and their wives all over the world, but especially in Yorkshire. John Godber, Playwright, said: “Happy Jack recounts my mining background and upbringing in the West Yorkshire coalfields. I wrote it for a young woman from Skipton and we have been together ever since. I’m looking forward to presenting this funny, moving account of my nonsense miner Grandad Jack, and his formidable wife Liz. The play is a celebration of working-class lives, personal commitment, and deep affection. We may have lost the mining industry, but in Happy Jack the spirit of the miner’s struggle lives on.” If darkly comedic, verbatim, cabaret and drag is what you are looking for, As She Likes It (Saturday 3 February) is inspired by the story of #MeToo pioneer Patricia Douglas. Other Comedy Drama’s include new script in hand comedy Apocalypse Now Then (Friday 16 – Saturday 17 February), the hilarious, honest and raw Bi-Topia (Friday 1 – Saturday 2 March), and the new show from the ‘easy to fall in love with (Scotsman) double-act Teenage Men (Saturday 15 June). Root & Branch Productions will present modern drama Danny Echo (Thursday 23 May), a play about a young widow - Rachael - who is torn apart by what happened on the final day of her husband’s life. A controversial scientist offers her an AI replica, but it can only be programmed for one day. Meanwhile, for rugby league fans, A Tale of Two Cities (Friday 23 February) is a story about rugby and a Derby of words and song: Hull KR VS HULL FC. Barrie Rutter OBE will celebrate the Bard’s Kings and Queens, their achievements, conquests and foibles with anecdotes and memories from a career playing and directing Shakespeare’s Royals (Thursday 8 February). This season has a smash-hit line up for stand-up comedy, starting off the season with hysterically funny Aaron Simmonds: Bay Steps (Thursday 22 February) who will introduce you to the positive side of being disabled, from having a blue badge to sex in disabled toilets. Daniel Foxx brings his sensational show Villain (Saturday 24 February), as well as comedians Miles Jupp: On I Bang (Wednesday 28 February), Lloyd Griffith: Baroque and Roll (Friday 15 March), Alison Spittle: Soup (Saturday 16 March), Jessica Fostekew: Mettle (Friday 5 April), Paul Foot: Dissolve (Friday 26 April), Matt Forde: Inside No.10 (Wednesday 1 May), Alfie Moore: A Face For Radio (Saturday 4 May), John Kearns: Varnishing Act (Friday 17 May), and Steve Bugeja: Self Doubt (I think) (Friday 24 May). If audiences have ever fancied trying their hand at stand-up comedy, then they now have the opportunity to join a 7-week course designed to be a comprehensive Introduction to Stand-Up Comedy with Kevin Precious (Wednesday 31 January – Wednesday 13 March). Audiences will also be invited to watch the graduates embark on their first 5-minute sets in the final week of the course and support them in their Hull Truck Theatre’s Comedy Graduate’s Performance (Wednesday 13 March). For lovers of musical theatre, there are more musical delights! Oh What A Lovely War (Tuesday 19 – Saturday 23 March) will arrive at Hull Truck Theatre, presented by Blackeyed Theatre. The 60th anniversary tour of Joan Littlewood’s musical will bring to life the folly farce and tragedy of the First World War. Wildly satirical, visually stunning and deeply moving, it’s the musical that revolutionised modern theatre. Beverley Musical Theatre invite you to pull up your most fabulous boots for a drag filled night of fun with their amateur production of Kinky Boots (Tuesday 18 – Saturday 22 June). Get ready for a wild and rowdy ride as Northern Academy of Performing Arts present their amateur production of Calamity Jane (Wednesday 17 – Saturday 20 July). And if that wasn’t enough, ‘consider yourself at home’ as Hull’s own State of the Arts Academy presents an amateur production of Oliver! (Wednesday 24 – Saturday 27 July). Don’t miss the ultimate collection of music shows this season, starting with Oh! What A Night (Friday 12 - Saturday 13 January), featuring songs from Frankie Vallie and the Four Seasons such as Sherry, Let’s Hang On, Big Girl’s Don’t Cry, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You! Vocalist Matt Ford presents Broadway to Hollywood: The Cole Porter Songbook (Saturday 27 January). Travel back in time to the electric 80’s with The Time of Our Lives (Saturday 20 January), with chart hits including Club Tropicana, Video Killed the Radio Star and Relax. Mama Afrika (Friday 2 Feb), is a story of hope, determination, and songs, featuring Mbube, Pata Pata and Soweto Blues. And that’s not all, Hull Truck Theatre have plenty more music to lift spirits in this season – Snake Davis Band Classic Sax Solos (Saturday 17 Feb), Rave On (Wednesday 21 February), Whole Lotta Shakin’: The Shakin’ Stevens Story (Thursday 22 February), King for A Day: The Nat King Cole Story (Thursday 29 February), Something About George: The George Harrison Story (Wednesday 13 March), Andalucia – Flamenco (Saturday 16 March), Coldplace (Wednesday 15 May), Emilio Santoro As Elvis (Saturday 18 May), and The Snake Davis Trio (Saturday 27 July). For families, our productions through the school holidays are packed with excitement. The Herd Theatre will present Snowmen on stage from Friday 5 – Saturday 6 January. This is a perfect activity for the first chilly week of the new year, recommended for children aged 2+. During the school holidays, there is also a four-day project running for children ages 7 to 11 (School Years 3, 4, 5 & 6) in which they create their own Pantomime with a peculiar twist – The Peculiar Panto - starting on Tuesday 2 January. Children will develop their skills as theatre makers by inventing ridiculous stories, silly jokes and by crafting brilliant, larger than life characters. The children will finish the week by performing their pantomime to an invited audience of family and friends on the Friday afternoon at 3pm. Families can also enjoy Shark in the Park – the three books are all going to be presented on-stage in one mega show from Tuesday 13 – Thursday 15 February. Other shows for family and children include Ministry of Science Live – Science Saved the World (Friday 16 February), Contrary Mary and The Magic of the Garden (Wednesday 27 – Thursday 28 March), and The Kids Show (Saturday 15 June). Hull Truck Theatre’s Great Adventures programme will continue to run in each of the school holidays offering families the opportunity to take the crafting out of the house and into a fun interactive play that uses what you have made. This programme is designed for adventurers aged 3 – 6 and their families. RSC First Encounters with Shakespeare will perform a 90-minute version of Romeo and Juliet (Tuesday 9 – Wednesday 10 April) using an edited version of the original language to create the perfect first introduction for young people aged 7-13 and their families to enjoy Shakespeare. Family Open Day returns on Saturday 11 May, where audiences will once again be invited to join Hull Truck Theatre and the Albemarle Music Centre for their annual fun-filled FREE event full of activities and fun for the whole family to enjoy. Created by Hull Truck Theatre’s Young Creators, The Dutch Dash (Thursday 18 – Saturday 20 April) is a coming-of-age story that is full of quirky characters, comedy, and heartfelt moments. Also, created by Hull Truck Theatre’s ACT III, Sense & Sustainability written by Lydia Marchant (writer of Mumsy) will take to the stage on Friday 17 – Saturday 18 May. This is a play about a team of green fingered, gossipy volunteers from a fictional northern town, down on its luck. Finally, Hull Truck Theatre is proud to screen some of the best art and independent cinema from around the world. In 2024 Hull Truck Theatre will present: NT Live: Dear England (Thursday 25 January); NT Live: Vanya (Friday 23 February), Northern Silents: Metropolis (Friday 15 March), Royal Opera House: Madama Butterfly (Tuesday 26 March); The Royal Ballet: Swan Lake (Saturday 27 April); Royal Opera House: Carmen (Saturday 4 May); Royal Ballet: The Winter’s Tale (Wednesday 22 May), Royal Opera House: Message in a Bottle (Thursday 30 May) and Royal Opera House: Andrea Chernier (Tuesday 18 June). Further dates and titles to be announced throughout the season. To book tickets, please visit www.hulltruck.co.uk or call Box Office on 01482 323638.
