PAST THEATRE PRODUCTIONS 2019/20
This multi-award winning journey through Paul Robeson’s remarkable life, highlights how his pioneering and heroic political activism were interwoven with his art. “Tayo Aluko does a fine job in evoking his dynamic presence... and in reminding us of Robeson’s vocal power in such songs as Ol’ Man River and the Battle of Jericho”.
(Guardian). A wonderfully uplifting and inspired performance.
The crowds cheered; the bands played; Queen Victoria waved. But among the smiling, adoring faces were men with murderous thoughts. During her rule there were seven attempts to assassinate Vicky, Empress of Nearly Bloody Everything. Who WERE these would be killers? This fascinating tale is told through melodrama, comedy and Rock n Roll!
A new play by Patrick Prior performed & produced by Isosceles (Pat Abernethy & Dave Marsden).
Shackleton's Endurance sank in Antarctica stranding 27 men. The carpenter, Harry McNish played a vital role in saving them. But he had defied Shackleton, so was never awarded the Polar Medal. Now, ill and destitute, he challenges Shackleton on the dockside.
“ Malcolm Rennie is stunning as Harry McNish. It is a nuanced and masterful performance worthy of a Beckett play, with canny direction from the late Tony Milner” (Arifa Akbar - Guardian)
“Rennie's tour de force holds you until the very end” (Clive Davis - Times)
Guy Masterson brings Dylan Thomas’s masterpiece vividly to life with this internationally recognised and awarded production. Masterson whisks the audience into a wonder-world of enchantment. The beauty of Thomas’s wordplay and the mastery of Masterson’s virtuosity will leave you breathless. A day in the life of Llareggub and all 69 of its ebullient characters. A masterpiece!
Jacqueline du Pre was a brilliant young cellist, whose career was brought to an end by multiple sclerosis. One of the most heart rending true-life tragedies of the 1970's. ''Duet for One, is a speculative dramatization of that story. It is an intensely moving & life enhancing look at what happens when unexpected events lead you to re-evaluate your life.
TheCOMPANY are the Heron's associate company.
Hardy’s masterpiece, traces the life of the young country girl Tess Durbeyfield, driven by family poverty to claim kinship with the wealthy D’Urberville family. This story of the innocent heroine is one of the most moving in all of literature, and is hauntingly brought to life in this new version by Hotbuckle.
A very welcome return to Hotbuckle who brought 'Wuthering Heights' and 'Emma' to the Heron in recent years.
In 1990 Arthur discovered a locked chest in an attic filled with letters between his mother, Edith and a soldier, Geoffrey, fighting in the tunnels along the Western Front. Edith and Geoffrey spent only four days together before Geoffrey went to war in 1916. Despite this, their letters are full of light & life. They tease and joke with each other, writing about shows, books & music they have enjoyed. It is impossible not to be moved by this real-life love story.
Glow was founded by Gloria and Francis Lowe, who together merge traditional storytelling with digital media and animation to create performances they hope will offer audiences a new and exciting experience.
The Wakes holiday tradition was well established at the time when Stanley Houghton wrote Hindle Wakes, first performed in 1912. Mills and factories would close at the same time and workers would take themselves off to the seaside. When such a trip goes wrong its impact on young Fanny Hawthorne is far-reaching and appears to threaten the reputations of all those around her.
This beautifully structured play takes place within exactly 24 hours and explores ideas about morality, justice and social class with compelling freshness.
