Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester’s independent theatre and event space, today announces an A/W 16 Programme full of drama, cabaret, musicals, comedy and children’s productions.
Hope Mill is nationally renowned for housing exciting shows from talented emerging companies and were critically acclaimed for their first in house musical production Parade, and owners Joseph Houston and William Whelton are in the running for prestigious Hospital Club Award for contribution to Theatre and Performance, alongside Kenneth Brannagh.
The season opens in September with Jason Manford’s Comedy Club; a night of the North’s best undiscovered comedians, handpicked by the man himself. Next up is the return of emerging production company Play With Fire. Following the success of their production of Orphans in January, they are back with Sans Mercifor a three week run.
The final show in September is Bette Midler and Me, a cabaret of all things Bette Midler led by West End star and leading lady Sue Kelvin (Wicked, Les Misérables, Fiddler on the Roof and Chicago).
Throughout the month of October Hope Mill will provide a stage for three shows, Angel of the House, You Forgot the Mince; a gritty piece of new writing that tells the story of a modern day abusive relationship followed by a post show Q&A and its very first in house children’s production Jack and the Beanstalk.
November begins with Parallel; a darkly comic drama from theatre company Black Toffee in collaboration with Harrogate Studios, which sees writer and producer Laura Lindsay join forces again with director James Baker (Credits together include Parade at Hope Mill Theatre and The Rise and Fall of Little Voice: Manchester Theatre Award winner).
Hope Mill Theatre will then present its second in house musical theatre production: Hair, produced by Hope Mill’s co-owners Joseph Houston and Will Whelton and, new resident producer, Katy Lipson of Aria Entertainment. With a creative team led by director Jonathan O’Boyle (Four Play, Sense of an Ending at Theatre503, The Surplus at the Young Vic and Associate Director on Mack & Mabel, The Scottsboro Boys and The Judas Kiss) and musical director Gareth Bretherton (The Verb, To Love – Original London Cast at The Old Red Lion Theatre, Seasons of Larson at the Lyric Theatre, London), Hair is a groundbreaking rock musical that tells the story of the tribe; a group of politically active hippies living in New York and battling against conscription into the Vietnam War.
December at Hope Mill will be made up of a family friendly production of Snow Queen by Little Pixie Productions and new play Manopoleyes by Will Travis (Coronation Street and This Is England). Finishing off the programme will be Hope Mill Theatre’s Big Christmas Cracker; a cabaret of all things naughty and nice and the perfect festive night out for adults only.
Artistic Director of Hope Mill Theatre, Joseph Houston says “Hope Mill Theatre was a huge leap of faith for us, but we are incredibly passionate about Manchester and its growing theatre scene so there was no question we were going to put our hearts and souls into it.
“To be nominated in the same category as Kenneth Brannagh for The Hospital Award is completely overwhelming and is an incredible reward for all the hard work everyone has put in. This new season programme is a testament to all the incredible talent we’ve been working with since we opened our doors in January.”
Vote for Joe and Will to win The Hospital Club award for contribution to theatre and performance here: http://www.thehospitalclub.com/one-hundred
For more information on tickets and the full Autumn programme please visit: hopemilltheatre.co.uk
See a full list of productions below:
Jason Manford Comedy Night – Sat 3rd Sep
Sans Merci – Play With Fire Productions – 8th to 24th Sep
Bette Midler and Me – Aria Entertainment – Sunday 25th Sep
Angel of the House – 10th – 15th October
Jack and the Beanstalk – 24th to 26th October
You Forgot the Mince – 27th October
Parallel – 1st – 5th Nov
Hair the Musical – 12th Nov – 3rd Dec
Manopoleyes – 6th to 10th Dec
Snow Queen – 12th to 17th Dec
Hope Mill Theatre’s Big Christmas Cracker – 19th to 23rd Dec
