SEASON LAUNCH
Following the launch of our annual Pantomime ‘Rapunzel’ on stage at The Armoury in Ashton-Under-Lyne this winter, we are excited to bring to you our full 2022 – 2023 season.
This season we have something for everyone when it comes to our plays. Something new for this season sees HLT taking our productions out of Hyde to be performed at various venues around Tameside and beyond. We are excited to build connections with the larger community and our theatre friends further afield.
So, what’s on?
We start our season with ‘The Railway Children’ at Guide Bridge Theatre this September. The well-known drama that follows a group of children who are evacuated to a Yorkshire village during the Second World War, where they encounter a young soldier who, like them, is far away from home.
Now on sale at www.hydelittletheatre.org/whatson/ ‘The Railway Children’ is a popular option for all the family.
Something a little more mature for our first play of 2023 is the magnificent drama ‘A Man for all Seasons’. Written by Robert Bolt and Directed by Keith Dalby-Oldham. The classic tale of Sir Thomas More’s historic conflict with Henry VIII–a compelling portrait of a courageous man who died for his convictions. An enduring modern classic ‘A Man for All Seasons’ challenges the mind, and, in the end, touches the heart
Something exciting about this production is that we will be performing it at our home, Studio 9 in Hyde. Offering a more intimate theatre experience, perfect for this play.
Tickets for ‘A Man for all Seasons’ will go on sale from 1st October 2022.
In Spring 2023 we return to Guide Bridge Theatre with ‘Brassed Off’. A play set ten years after the miners’ strike of 1984-85 in the fictional town of Grimley.
‘Brassed Off’ follows the fictional Grimley Colliery Brass Band (modelled on the real-life Grimethorpe) which enters a national music competition while a vote takes place on the closure of the pit. Into the mix is thrown Gloria, a former Grimley resident who joins the band and rekindles her childhood romance with Andy despite a job which could impact on the working life of her band mates.
It’s a great mix of drama, romance, and political comedy… all perfect for the antics of today’s world. We are currently looking for a director for this production and accepting expressions of interest. (July 2022).
Tickets for ‘Brassed Off’ will go on sale in December 2022.
Something for the family again in July 2023 as we present ‘The Wind in the Willows – The Play’ at The Carver Theatre, Marple. A first for Hyde Little Theatre.
Written by Kenneth Grahame, adapted by Mike Kenny. ‘The Wind in the Willows’ follows the adventures of the anthropomorphic animals Mole, Rat, Badger, Toad, and their friends. Grahame’s idea was to promote moralistic themes that most parents would like their children to follow. We welcome the talented Daniel Cope as director for this well know children’s tale.
Tickets for ‘The Wind in the Willows’ will go on sale in March 2023.
For our final offering for this season, we return to Studio 9 to bring you a play that audiences have loved since it’s launch in 2012. ‘Mrs. Lowry and Son’ the story of the seven years that the painter L.S. Lowry spent caring for his bedridden mother from 1934.
Written by BAFTA-nominated Martyn Hesford, the play offers a fascinating insight into her perennial disappointment at having had a son rather than a daughter and on being forced to live in Pendlebury as a result of her husband’s debts. Mrs Lowry’s dissatisfaction with her lot in life is evident. Studio 9 is the perfect space to set the scene for this intimate production.
We are delighted to welcome Richard Hall as Director for ‘Mrs. Lowry & Son’. Tickets will go on sale in July 2023.
All of the team at Hyde Little Theatre are excited to be bringing our selection of plays to life through this season and we cannot wait to be working with many faces throughout the year.
If you would be interested in joining us on stage or off for any of our productions, then get in touch admin@hydelittletheatre.org