We are excited to be kicking off the second half of our 50th anniversary season, when our Hull Truck
Theatre home-produced work shifts to looking to the future, whether that’s through long term
friendships in Ladies Unleashed, Scrooge’s journey through past, present and future in A Christmas
Carol, or a fresh voice exploring the relationships of women across three generations and the
promise of new life in Mumsy.
Kicking off our diverse and exciting program of visiting work, on what would have been Philip
Larkin’s 100th birthday, writer and broadcaster Matthew Sweet will celebrate Larkin’s poetry and
the inspiration it provides for artists. Finding Home (Tuesday 9th August) will explore the transient
nature of home, telling stories of people Larkin might meet if he walked the Hull streets today.
Inspired by the reformist legacy of William Wilberforce The Freedom Festival will once again build
local, national and international alliances to create cultural experiences that have something to say
about universal values and the future that we want to see in Hull and the rest of the country. We
welcome four thought provoking, playful and powerful performances to Hull Truck Theatre.
White Sun (Wednesday 31st August) Conjures the ghosts of the men who have dominated the stage,
as Will Dickie takes us on a journey, navigating the tensions of inheritance, privilege and addiction.
Bloody Elle (Wednesday 31st August), written and performed by Lauryn Redding (71 Coltman Street),
is a heart-warming and belly achingly funny story. Directed by Bryony Shanahan, the original score,
will make you feel like there is a ten-piece band on stage. Using puppetry and dance, physical
theatre and music, The Little Things (Friday 2nd – Saturday 3rd September) blends the comic
directness and sincere naivety of childhood with the often-absurd struggle of parents to be great
role-models. Arcadia (Saturday 3rd September) will be closing the Freedom Festival in collaboration
with Hull Independent Cinema with a live performance and screening of the acclaimed film by
BAFTA-winning director Paul Wright which captures the beauty and brutality of rural Britain.
September has something for everyone at Hull Truck Theatre, starting off the month with two
musical theatre amateur productions. Urine town (Tuesday 6th – Saturday 10th September) presented
by Hessle Theatre Company, invites you to join the desperate crusade in this riotous musical
comedy that will have you laughing all the way to the bathroom… In a world that has faced a 20-year
drought, private toilets are banned and the population is forced to answer the call of nature in public
conveniences. Carousel (Wednesday 14th – Saturday 17th September) will reimagine the Rogers and
Hammerstein musical, transporting from the American classic to 1950s Hull. Featuring the much loved songs of the original as well as new characters from Hull’s past to tell this much-loved story
where smooth-talking carnival worker Billy falls in love with local girl Julie.
Celebrating Hull-born poet Maurice Rutherford’s 100th birthday, The City Speaks (Sunday 18th
September) will Join on stage some of Hull’s finest talent. Get ready for a night of poetry, songs, and
stories from around the region, plus diamonds from the pen of Maurice Rutherford. Artists will
include Lucy Beaumont, Martin Barrass, Eliza Carthy, Roland Gift, Barrie Rutter and Dean Wilson.
Icarus Theatre presents The Lesson (Thursday 22nd September), Eugene Ionesco’s classic dark
comedy as it returns to the stage. A comically surreal story about a mild-mannered professor who
takes on a new pupil, swiftly descending into tyranny, becoming bent on her destruction. Every
performance will be accessible for deaf and hard of hearing audiences by using Creative Captioning
technology and a dynamic projection design which encapsulates the beating heart of Ionesco’s text.
Ladies Unleashed (Thursday 29 September – Saturday 22 October) follows the popular Hull Truck
Theatre hits, Ladies Day and Ladies Down Under. We are delighted to be working with Amanda
Whittington on the third installment of the Ladies Trilogy. In Ladies Unleashed the group of friends
are reunited on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, as they face growing older and the next stage of their
lives with typical humour, drama and some ghostly goings on. Join us for this moving comedy about
friendship, growing older and living for today as we celebrate new writing, female voices and
continue to champion people from the city of Hull.
Amanda Whittington, Playwright, said:
“I’d resisted the urge to revisit the Ladies for too long. We began conversations pre-Covid but last
year, the time felt right to see where they are and how they were doing. As soon as I started writing
it was like meeting old friends. Once again, they’re fish out of water – first the races, then Australia
and now in the magical surroundings of Lindisfarne. Our audience will meet them as they are now, in
a somewhat turbulent 24-hours on Holy Island. Prepare for laughter, secrets and let’s hope, a
wonderful reunion.”
Powerful and thought-provoking performance pieces will finalise September as we enter October.
My Voice Was Heard But It Was Ignored (Friday 30th September), written by emerging playwright
Nana-Kofi Kufuor and directed by Dermot Daly will express a gripping tussle of power and an urgent
interrogation of racial identity. 15-year-old Reece is roughly accosted by the police outside M&S, he
wants his teacher to pay – and to fully understand the pain her inaction of stepping in caused.
Dark comedy The MP, Aunty Mandy & Me (Wednesday 5th October) explores consent and grooming
within the gay male community with biting humour and contemporary social commentary about a
political sex scandal. Emmerson & Ward Productions and Curve present a bittersweet tale where
Dom wants to be an #instagay #influencer, but it’s tough when no one likes your posts.
After starting our 50th Anniversary year by celebrating the work of Mike Bradwell (71 Coltman
Street) and John Godber (Teechers Leavers ’22), we are now looking forwards as Mike Bradwell
presents Eastendless (Friday 7th – Saturday 8th October). Written by Tim Fountain, James Holmes
returns as obsessed fan Tony Coventry in this hilarious play that looks behind the scenes of Britain’s
favourite soap, where the scandalous truth behind EastEnders is revealed! The Godber Theatre
Foundation presents Don’t Just Sit There (Monday 10th – Tuesday 11th October), an inspiring play by
BAFTA-winning playwright Jane Thornton (co-author of Shakers) and directed by Beth Murrell.
Teenage Kimberley is struggling, she has low self-esteem and no ambition. Find out if a random
meeting with local rapper Quade can change Kimberley’s path to success!
We are thrilled to be hosting events that can make a real difference to our local community. We
want Hull residents and people of all ages to feel that the arts are for them and that everyone is
included within the work that we do. Twelfth Night (Tuesday 18th – Wednesday 19th October) is a
hugely entertaining story of hoaxes, heartbreak and hidden identities. This production by The Royal
Shakespeare Company has been created to give 7–13-year-olds a fantastic first experience of
Shakespeare. Using edited versions of the original language, First Encounters brings the plays to life
on stage in just 90 minutes.
Hull Truck Theatre’s popular Great Adventures (Saturday 22nd and Tuesday 25th October) continues
to encourage children aged 3-6 and their families to get creative. The Adventures feature an arts &
crafts session followed by an interactive performance where the children’s craft items come to life
as part of the interactive play and offers a wonderful first theatre experience for young children.
Our visiting programme continues throughout October as Larkin Society presents In Conversation
With Rosie Millard & Alan Johnson (Thursday 27th October). In this centenary year, the Larkin
Society presents a conversation about Larkin the writer, the man and the controversy that
sometimes surrounds him.
Join Off The Kerb as they present Suzi Ruffell: Snappy (Thursday 27th October), a brand-new show
about settling down (but not settling), becoming a mother (without becoming mumsy). Join us for an
evening with Suzi, who has appeared on numerous shows such as Live At The Apollo, The Jonathan
Ross Show, QI, The Last Leg, and Womanhood to name but a few.
Red Coat (Thursday 27th October) invites you to meet Lewis. He’s a Redcoat, living the dream and
living it large in Bognor Regis. He likes to smile and show you a good time. But what happens when
you’re having an ‘off day’? And you tell Barney the dinosaur to p*ss off (in front of a load of kids)?
Presented by The Six Twenty, Join Redcoat Lewis for his larger-than-life UK tour!
Notflix (Friday 28th October) brings you back the “Spice Girls of improv” as they return in their fivestar, sell-out musical comedy. Inspired by audience suggestions, the all-female cast improvise the
musical version of your favourite films, creating movies with 100% more singing, 99% more women
and a full live band. Because Everything is better as a musical.
Join Mr Bubbles with his extraordinary soap bubbles in all shapes and sizes! The Bubble Show
(Saturday 29th October) is a unique blend of magic, storytelling, and bubble art which sees Guinness
World Record holder, The Highland Joker create smoke bubbles, square bubbles, giant bubbles and
even fire bubbles in this interactive, fun, international award-winning bubble extravaganza!
November at Hull Truck Theatre begins with the double BAFTA winning partnership of John Godber
and Jane Thornton as they bring their writing skills to the classic play Shakers, sister play to
Bouncers. John Godber directs Shakers: Under New Management (Tuesday 1st – Saturday 5th
November). For waitresses Adele, Nicky and Mel, their lives juggle home, work, school and
everything in between, but how long can it be maintained? Funny, physical and fizzing with wit,
Shakers might just be the bar that we all want to be seen in! Join us in this revamped version of the
iconic play which puts women’s lives front and centre, as everyone returns to going out out!
We hope to have Hull laughing all through November with Hull Comedy Festival, starting us off with
Best Of ‘Ull (Wednesday 2nd November) who insist that Hull is funny! Prepare for laughter as a
selection of Hull’s multi-award-winning comedy talent returns for one-night-only! Jack Gleadow:
Jack’s Entertainment (Thursday 3rd November) returns Jack to his hometown, bringing with him
jokes, gags, stories and funny sentences. Stand Up For Health Stars NHS Charity Comedy Night
(Friday 4th November) will be an INCREDIBLE line-up of local and regional comedy talent with a
sprinkle of the hottest multi award winning acts from the UK festival scene! We’ll be aiming to raise
lots of laughs and money for Health Stars, who work in partnership with the Humber Teaching NHS
Foundation Trust. Jeddy Bear & Gary Live (Saturday 5th November) Hull’s comedy duo Jed and Gary
bring you a show full of games, music, dancing and pie facing madness…well, what else would you
expect from these festival favourites?! Don’t miss the mayhem! Closing the festival with audience
participation, ridiculous impressions and jokes aplenty will be Pottervision (Saturday 5th November),
a Harry Potter parody show that has something for everyone. Four performers are all set to recreate
Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone but, when two of them drop out on the day (and take all
the props and costumes with them), Tom and Lukas must go it alone.
Do you remember “Smelly Cat” if so, this one is for you! Friendsical (Tuesday 8th November to Friday
11th November) presented by Brooke Mauchline Productions LTD, is an original and unique new
parody musical inspired by the gang in Friends, the iconic TV show. With original new songs, the
gang take on naked Thursdays, a power cut, and a dinosaur convention! What could possibly go
wrong? Friendsical will also feature a surprise guest star.
Let Piscean comedy duo Norris and Parker lure you into an hour of their wild, nautical madness.
Sirens (Wednesday 9th November), their Debauched sketch comedy for lovers of the strange, the
sordid, the musical and the dark. Norris and Parker are part of our supported arts scheme at Hull
Truck Theatre, a programme of bespoke support for artists and companies whose work inspires us.
Celebrating their 30th winter edition, The Hull Jazz Festival will return in November presenting more
live, original, and modern styles of jazz. Ubunye (Friday 11th November) will offer you the chance to
experience the raw power of African voices in harmony
Hull Jazz Festival has been working with NYJO (National Youth Jazz Orchestra) and Hull Music Hub to
make sure that our young local musicians are offered inspiring opportunities for performance. NYJO
Regional Academy (Saturday 12th November) will be an exciting afternoon featuring young
musicians from across the Humber Region in an eclectic programme of new and original jazz created
by young people under the direction of Sean Miller and will include a new commission by Myra
Brownbridge plus compositions by Andy Scott and Tom Lawrence.
Jazz Messenger and Grammy award winning saxophonist Jean Toussaint (Saturday 12th November)
takes center stage after sell-out gigs in 2016 and 2018 with his most ambitious and exciting work to
date and an all-star band. He is one of the world’s leading jazz artists at the forefront of modern jazz.
We will be screening the best art and independent cinema from around the world as Our Studio
Theatre hosts a state-of-the-art screen and sound system streaming live broadcasts in partnership
with The Royal Shakespeare Company & National Theatre. Running in partnership with Hull
Independent Cinema we will present Pleasure (Wednesday 7th September), NT Live: Much Ado
About Nothing (Thursday 8th September), HIC: Brian & Charles (Thursday 15th September), NT Live:
Jack Absolute Flies Again (Thursday 6th October), and Silent Cinema (Friday 14th October).
Christmas is always a favourite time of year at the theatre and we’re looking forward to welcoming
families and friends to enjoy two magical shows. Jack, Mum and the Beanstalk (Wednesday 7th
Saturday 24th December) gives a Hull Truck Theatre twist to the well-known fairy-tale and will be a
great introduction to theatre for ages 3+. Jack can’t wait to spend Christmas with his super-fun,
Lego-building, song-singing, chocolate-sharing, Superhero Mum. But then they get a call, Nan is
joining them for Christmas. Suddenly everything becomes about tidying bedrooms, clearing up toys
and having no fun at all. When Jack discovers a beanstalk has sprouted in his living room and is
stretching up into the sky, he’s ready to escape. A magical journey into the sky, that is sure to be
filled with big laughs, hidden treasures, and giant friendships.
Tom Saunders, Director at Hull Truck Theatre, said:
“Jack, Mum and the Beanstalk offers all the magic and fun of the original tale anchored to a beautiful
and recognisable relationship between a Jack and his Mum. I am thrilled to be continuing our
relationship with writer Sam Caseley – from excellent Hull-based children’s theatre company The Herd
– after our previous collaborations on The Ugly Duckling (2018) and How to Fly Like a Reindeer
(2019.)”
Our 2017 production of A Christmas Carol (Friday 25th – Saturday 31st December) has been wowing
audiences with two revivals at Leeds Playhouse, and a refreshed version returns under a new
director, Sameena Hussain. This thrilling adaptation of Dicken’s classic Christmas ghost story, set in
Hull, is a magical, festive treat for all the family. Nowhere are the effects of poverty more keenly felt
than in the Cratchit family, especially by their youngest son, Tiny Tim. As Scrooge’s inspirational
journey shows him both the hardship and love of those around him, he is reminded of his own
powers of charity and kindness. Packed with singing, dancing and music, audiences of all ages from
5+ are guaranteed to enjoy a classic festive treat.
The finale of our 50th anniversary season sees the talent of the future placed centre stage. Written
by Hull’s own Lydia Marchant, Mumsy (Thursday 2nd – Saturday 25th March) is a warm and moving
comedy about mother-daughter relationships and the challenges of being a single parent. Sophie is
going to be a third generation single Mum and she’s terrified. How will she afford to feed them
both? Can she hold on to her job? What if she’s a crap Mum? Surely, she can count on her own Mum
and Nan to help…Wrong!
Mark Babych, Artistic Director at Hull Truck Theatre said:
“I am delighted that we are showcasing one of Hull’s most exciting new artistic voices as part of our
50th celebration. Developed through our Grow Artist Development programme, we can’t wait to see
this brought to life on our main theatre.”
You can also join us for our Heritage Open Day Tours (Saturday 17th September), to go on a
backstage adventure at Hull Truck Theatre’s Heritage Open Day, England’s largest festival
celebrating history and culture. We are opening our doors to the public once again where there will
be guided tours of the building at 9am, 10am and 11am. Tour places are limited to 25 per tour so
early booking is advised.
Janthi Mills-Ward, Executive Director at Hull Truck Theatre said:
We are very aware of what the future 50 years looks like for Hull Truck Theatre, ensuring we lay the
ground stones for green shoots of new stories and artists to be part of this journey. It’s been exciting
to give focus to female stories and artists in this 2nd half of our 50th year and we look forward to the
development of our new Hull Truck Play Project, working with four local writers to explore new
stories dug from the heart of our city alongside pivotal projects with our local communities, young
people, and our Act III over 55s groups”
