Tag: Theatre@41 Monkgate

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More Things To Do in York and beyond as a blaze of colour hits the streets. Here’s Hutch’s List No. 14, from The York Press

Sinead Corkery: Making her York Open Studios debut in Monkton Road, York

PERFECT weather greets the opening of studio doors as artists parade their skills while politics comes under the spotlight in Charles Hutchinson’s recommendations.

Art event of the month: York Open Studios, today and tomorrow; also April 12 and 13, 10am to 5pm

YORK Open Studios showcases 160 artists and makers at 117 locations in its largest configuration yet in its 24 years. Artists and makers, including 38 new participants, span ceramics, collage, digital art, illustration, jewellery, mixed media, painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, textiles and wood, Full details and an interactive map can be found at yorkopenstudios.co.uk; brochures in shops, galleries, cafes and tourist hubs. Admission is free.

Rob Rouse: Headlining Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club’s bill at The Basement tonight

Comedy bill of the week: Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club, Rob Rouse, David Eagle, Ben Silver and Damion Larkin, The Basement, City Screen Picturehouse, York, tonight, 8pm

ROB Rouse, from The Friday Night Project, Spoons, BBC3’s Comedy Shuffle, Mad Mad World, Upstart Crow and Rob And Helen’s Date Night self-help podcast, headlines tonight’s bill, hosted by Laugh Out Loud promoter Damion Larkin.

Support act David Eagle, a member of north eastern folk band The Young’uns, mines comedy from exploring how his blindness turns the most ordinary, commonplace events into surreal, convoluted dramas. Box office: 01904 612940 or lolcomedyclubs.co.uk.

Ged Graham: Leading the Seven Drunken Nights celebration of The Dubliners, on tour at the Grand Opera House, York. Picture: Prestige Productions

Irish craic of the week: Seven Drunken Nights: The Story of the Dubliners, Grand Opera House, York, Sunday, 2.30pm and 7.30pm

SEVEN Drunken Nights takes a trip down memory lane in celebration of The Dubliners’ 50-year performing career on a 2025 global tour of 300 shows across 42 weeks. The Irish Rover, The Town I Love So Well and Dirty Old Town will be joined by new additions Paddy On The Railway and The Lark In The Morning in a new production for this year’s travels.

The show’s 2017 founder, frontman and narrator, Dublin-born writer and director Ged Graham, says: “The connection we’ve built with the audience over the years is incredible; they know we’re keeping the iconic music of The Dubliners alive with the same passion that they have for it.” Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Telling the whole story: Writer-performer Andrew Margerison in Dyad Productions’ That Knave, Raleigh

Historical play of the week: Dyad Productions in That Knave, Raleigh, Helmsley Arts Centre, Sunday, 7.30pm; Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, April 9, 7.30pm

DYAD Productions follow up I, Elizabeth with a return to the Elizabethan era in That Knave, Raleigh, writer-performer Andrew Margerison’s story of Elizabethan explorer, sailor, dandy and warrior Sir Walter Raleigh, Elizabeth I’s favourite and James I’s knave. 

The Huguenots, America, the Armada and execution: is that the whole story? “There is so much you don’t know,” says Margerison of Raleigh, father, husband, writer, poet, adventurer, philosopher, soldier, tyrant, egotist, lover, traitor, alchemist, visionary and victim.

“The final chapter of Raleigh’s life is perhaps the most daring, strange and utterly heart-breaking. See the fall from grace taken directly from historical record; marvel at the magnetism of a man who seized every opportunity.”Box office: Helmsley, 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk; York, tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

The Manfreds: Playing Joseph Rowntree Theatre for the first time this weekend

Sixties’ nostalgia of the week: The Manfreds, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, Sunday, 7.30pm

TICKETS are down to the last few for the chance to see The Manfreds in their Joseph Rowntree Theatre debut, featuring original Manfred Mann members Paul Jones and Tom McGuinness, both 83.

The set list takes in such Sixties R&B hits as 5-4-3-2-1, Pretty Flamingo, The Mighty Quinn and Do Wah Diddy Diddy, intermixed with jazz and blues covers from their solo albums. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

Al Murray: Rolling out his barrel of laughs at York Barbican as the Guvnor puts you right on Sunday night

Political insights of the week: Al Murray, Guv Island, York Barbican, Sunday, 7.30pm

THE people have spoken. The Pub Landlord is back for another round of Guv Island with “New Extra Brew Material”in 2025, having pulled pints and punters at the Grand Opera House in March 2024.

Standing up so you don’t have to take it lying it down anymore, the Guvnor will “make sense of the questions you probably already had the answers to”. “Country, the UK, lost its way, seeks life partner/mentor/inspiration. Good sense of humour essential. No timewasters, tedious show-offs or offend-o-trons need apply. HR free zone,” says Murray. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Inspired By Theatre’s principal cast for Jonathan Larson’s musical Rent at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York. Picture: Dan Crawfurd-Porter

Musical of the week: Inspired By Theatre in Rent, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, April 10 to 12, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

YORK company Inspired By Theatre – the new name for Bright Light Musical Productions – follow up Green Day’s American Idiot with another groundbreaking rock musical, Jonathan Larson’s Tony Award-winning story of love, resilience and artistic defiance. 

Set in New York City’s East Village at the height of the AIDS epidemic, Rent follows a group of young artists struggling to survive, create and hold on to hope in the face of uncertainty. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

Jan Noble in his verse drama Body 115. Picture: jannoble.co.uk/body115

Odyssey of the week: Jan Noble in Body 115, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, April 11, 7.30pm

EVER wished you were somewhere else? Ever wished you were someone else? Escaping the rain, a journey on the London Underground becomes a descent into the underworld in Body 115, 2023 winner of the London Pub Theatre Award for Best Innovative Play.

Written and performed by Jan Noble, directed by Justin Butcher, this tale of broken hearts, old flames and open roads follows Noble’s down-and-out poet-hero through the sewers and tubes of King’s Cross Station to the heart of Italy. Part invocation, part rain dance, this poetic odyssey is delivered with a contemporary kick. From the terraces at Millwall to fashionable Milan, expect shadowy encounters, dodgy connections and chance meetings with a host of poet ghosts.

“Body 115 is an epic poem, a tale of inner and outer journeys in explicit homage to Dante’s Divine Comedy,” says Noble. “From the rain-washed, subterranean underworld of King’s Cross, ‘Body 115’ – the long-unidentified victim of the 1987 fire – becomes Virgil to my Dante in a rhapsodic paean to the trammelling ecstasy of loss: a trans-European odyssey turned safari of the soul.” Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Dianne Buswell & Vito Coppola: Strictly Come Dancing professionals team up for Red Hot And Ready

Show announcement of the week: Burn The Floor presents Dianne Buswell & Vito Coppola in Red Hot And Ready, York Barbican, July 6, 7.30pm; Leeds Grand Theatre, July 18, 7.30pm, and July 19, 2.30pm and 7.30pm

STRICTLY Come Dancing’s stellar professional dancers, 2024 winner Dianne Buswell and 2023 victor Vito Coppola, will star in the new show from the Burn The Floor stable, created by Strictly creative director Jason Gilkison.

Billed as “a dynamic new dance show with a difference”, Red Hot And Ready brings together Buswell, Coppola and a cast of multi-disciplined Burn The Floor dancers from around the world, accompanied by vocalists and a band. Expect “jaw-dropping choreography, heart-pounding music and breathtaking moves, from seriously sexy to irresistibly charming”. Box office: York, yorkbarbican.co.uk; Leeds, 0113 243 0808 or leedsheritagetheatres.com.

John Simpson: BBC News world affairs editor puts leaders and lunatics in the dock at the Grand Opera House, York, on Monday

In Focus: More political insights of the week: John Simpson: The Leaders & Lunatics Tour, Grand Opera House, York, April 7, 7.30pm

IN his bold, unflinching look at leadership, veteran BBC journalist and broadcaster John Simpson CBE ponders why some inspire while others descend into tyranny. “And…are all tyrants ‘lunatics’,” he asks.

After six decades of unparalleled access to world leaders – and lunatics – Simpson explores the personalities that have shaped history. From notorious figures such as Assad, Saddam, Mugabe and Gaddafi to admired leaders Gorbachev, Mandela, Havel and Zelensky, he reveals their common threads, unique quirks and lasting impact.

Drawing on his first-hand encounters and personal dealings, Simpson will unravel the enigmatic personas of Putin, Xi Jinping, bin-Laden and Thatcher, while pondering what links Mandela and Princess Diana or Zelensky and Mugabe.

In an increasingly volatile world, BBC News world affairs editor Simpson will navigate the intricate web of international relations, delving into the complexities of the most pressing global challenges of our time – conflicts, war, famine, economic crises and climate change – to reveal how the actions and decisions of leaders, from despots to visionaries, have shaped these crises and continue to influence our world today.

Simpson, now 80, has spent all his working life with the BBC, reporting from more than 120 countries, including 30 war zones, and interviewing myriad world leaders on his foreign correspondent beat.

As a household name who has covered almost every major event in the world from the 1960s to present day in his fearless journalism, he will turn from interviewer to interviewee to take questions from the audience in the second-half Q&A.

What on earth is going on, John? Hear his answers at this talk “truly for our troubled times”, when Simpson promises to entertain, enlighten, and inspire as he provides “insights into past and present events, with no doubt some focus on Trump and the shifting global order”. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

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world affairs editor of BBC News. He has spent all his working life with the BBC, and has reported from more than 120 countries, including thirty war zones, and interviewed many world leaders.

In an increasingly volatile world, John will also examine the most pressing challenges of our time – war, famine, economic crises, and climate change – to reveal how the actions and decisions of leaders, from despots to visionaries, have shaped these crises and continue to influence our world today.

In the second half, the floor is yours. Ask your questions as John offers sharp insights into past and present events, with no doubt some focus on Trump and the shifting global order.


John Simpson: Leaders and Lunatics Tour

After a sell-out tour in 2024, legendary journalist and broadcaster John Simpson CBE is returning to the stage for an exclusive evening packed with unparalleled insights from one of the most distinguished foreign correspondents of our time.

With decades of first-hand encounters and personal dealings, John will explore the enigmatic personas of global figures such as Putin, Xi Jinping, bin-Laden and Thatcher.

John will navigate the intricate web of international relations, delving into the complexities of our global issues – from conflicts, war and famines, to world economies and climate change.

What links Mandela and Princess Diana? Or Zelenskiy and Mugabe? John will reveal the common threads linking these figures, and offer a unique perspective on the impact they’ve had on world affairs.

As a household name who has covered almost every major event in the world from the 1960’s to present day, you will have an opportunity to ask John your questions – what were these leaders and lunatics really like, and what on earth is going on? Don’t miss John for an evening that promises to entertain, enlighten, and inspire with his fearless journalism and captivating storytelling.

What on earth is going on? An event truly for our troubled times – don’t miss this enlightening and compelling evening.

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Next Door But One address disability, LGBTQ+ sexuality, illness, care and death in Hospital Doors premiere at Theatre@41

Ian Weichardt, Christie Peto, centre, and Evie Jones rehearse Hospital Doors under the watchful eye of writer-director Matt Harper-Hardcastle. Picture: James Drury

NEXT Door But One’s new production, Hospital Doors, shines light on the lived experience of disabled, LGBTQ+ and unpaid carer communities in York in next week’s premiere at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York.

On joining Arts Council England’s Investment Programme in 2023, the York community arts collective set an ambition of creating a new play that intertwined the real-life stories of three of their long-standing community collaborators.

Since then, chief executive officer and artistic director Matt Harper-Hardcastle has been running workshops with disabled, LGBTQ+ and unpaid carer groups to produce a script that explores the uniqueness and commonalities from across these identities.

After 18 months of development, Hospital Doors will meet an audience for the first time from March 12 to 15 in a limited series of public performances at Theatre@41.

“I cannot wait to share Hospital Doors,” says Matt. “It really feels like a flagship production for Next Door But One.

“It epitomises our whole ethos and approach to creating theatre; putting the community first, involving them from day one and staging exciting and compelling stories which amplify often overlooked or unheard voices.”

As well as Hospital Doors being an artistic ambition for Next Door But One, the show is a personal investment for Matt. “My own identity has an affinity to all three community groups, so to be able to bring my full self into this process and align my own lived experience with that of all the participants involved has been a really special one. And I think it has made the script even more compelling and relatable,” he says.

Evie Jones, left, and Christie Peto will make their Next Door But One debut in Hospital Doors at Theatre@41, Monkgate. Picture: James Drury

Matt’s play follows three estranged siblings who are thrown together for the first time in years when their dad falls ill. Peppered with the humour of family life, Hospital Doors offers a window into intersecting conversations about disability, sexuality, illness and care, all held within the same, chaotic family frame.

This intimate show, set in fleeting, transient places – in corridors, over garden walls, on phone calls – is stacked with questions and reflections of modern family dynamics, and the joy that can be found in the mundane efforts we all make to understand those we love.

Hospital Doors promises to be visually striking, with set and costume design by Stella Backman and Hull-based team Jessie Addinall and Amelia Hawkes contributing an ambitious lighting, video and creative caption design.

Producer Joshua Goodman says: “The team we have formed to create Hospital Doors are bringing so much skill and passion to the production that we are certain we can bring a memorable experience to our audiences, but the final performance isn’t where this all ends.”

The one-act play will be followed by a Playback Theatre performance on several dates, when the audience will be encouraged to stay on to share their own stories inspired by the play. These will then be improvised by a team of specialised performers and musicians.

“We know that a lot of our audiences appreciate time and opportunity to reflect on what they have just watched, and this will facilitate that,” says Joshua. “It will also help us to better understand our work and what resonates with people, which will only benefit the future of our work and ensure any developments remain informed by our community.”

Hospital Doors writer-director and Next Door But One chief executive officer and artistic director Matt Harper-Hardcastle

Here, writer-director Matt Harper-Hardcastle discusses Hospital Doors with CharlesHutchPress.  

What did the research and development (R&D) for this play involve over 18 months, Matt?

“We started by asking three of our community groups – disabled adults, LGBTQ+ young adults and unpaid carers – what a play that was representative of them would look like.

“From there we ran workshops on characterisation, creative writing and improvisation to shape the narrative, with every workshop focused on what they wanted Hospital Doors to say.” 

How did you turn that research into a play?

“It was a purposefully gradual process, which started with an exchange of stories from across the different communities to find common ground, leading to an anthology of stories, poems, mood boards, Venn diagrams, pictures and transcriptions that I then formed into some initial scenes.

“These scenes went back to the groups who ‘red penned’ them or improvised around them to create more detail. This back-and-forth process went all the way through 2023 until we produced a rehearsed reading for all our community members to come to, provide feedback on and ‘sign off’, as it were.”

How have your own experiences influenced your writing of this play?

“They have really shaped the writing. As a gay, disabled man who shared caring responsibilities for my mum before she died, everything that was shared with me in the research & development I felt an affinity and empathy towards.

“It’s very rare that as a writer you get to bring so many facets of your identity into one script, so I’ve not only relished in the process, but also felt a great sense of responsibility.” 

At the heart of NDB1’s mission is working with the community, with this production being the epitome of that work. Is that why you call it your “flagship show”?

“Absolutely. When we joined Arts Council England’s Investment Programme, one of our artistic ambitions was to look at how we could tighter braid the participation and performance strands of our work together; how we could work with our communities to create performances that then shared their experiences with wider audiences.

“It all connects – and Hospital Doors is a really thorough and public display of our commitment to this.”

Aside from filmmakers Mike Leigh and Ken Loach, it is hard to think of British writer-directors who would address these subjects so directly: disability, sexuality, illness & care and death. How come you discuss all four in one play?

“It can sometimes feel quite blinkered to make a show that is only about one subject or one identity, because in truth we don’t exist as a silo. A show about disability would naturally bring in conversations of relationships, as it would care, and so rather than ignoring that we looked at it intentionally.

Ian Weichardt and Evie Jones in rehearsal for Next Door But One’s Hospital Doors. Picture: James Drury

“And in doing so, by placing these seemingly very different identities side by side, actually what it does is amplify them all and support a richer discourse in the very complex commonalities between them.

“Put it simply, our work exists to bring people together and that’s what we are hoping to do via this approach with Hospital Doors.”

Are all the cast – Christie Peto, Ian Weichardt and Evie Jones – new to Next Door But One?

“Yes – which is great, as we love working with new artists! We put a lot of effort into casting for this show, not only because we needed to form a trio of siblings, but also we really wanted to be as authentic as possible to our communities and therefore we sought actors who had a shared lived experience with our communities and therefore the characters.

“All three actors care very much about the play and what we are trying to achieve, but also have a wicked sense of humour which is making rehearsals very fun indeed. Ian is originally from York, Christie is from Leeds and Evie is a University of York alumnus.” 

What strikes you as the best benefit of performing in the black box space of the John Cooper Studio at Theatre@41, Monkgate?

“We held our rehearsed reading there in 2023, so it feels like we are coming full circle, but also it’s the intimacy of the space, which we really wanted for Hospital Doors. We want the stories, the characters, the words and the emotions to be almost tangible to our audiences.” 

What part will the set and video design, lighting, creative captions and sound design play in the show?

“We are condensing huge topics and hundreds of stories into a one act three-hander, so the design helps to bring in the epic scale of that mission! All of the design helps to paint the wider world of the play, show us the characters’ pasts, bring life to their memories and help us understand how much they are revealing or concealing.

“The creative captioning not only increases access to the performance, but also puts the important stuff front and centre – the words and stories handed to us by our community.”  

What happens next to Hospital Doors? Maybe a full tour?

“This is definitely not the end of Hospital Doors. We could R&D it forever, but we needed to decide when to put down the pen and share it with an audience. That is now. What we learn from this, what we find resonates with or speaks to our audiences, will shape another future iteration that will then tour.” 

What do Playback Theatre performances involve?  When will they take place in the York premiere run?

“Playback Theatre will be our Act 2. Audiences who have watched Hospital Doors will be invited to stay and share their own stories, inspired by the play, and then watch them spontaneously performed by a team of actors.

“Our actors care very much about the play and what we are trying to achieve, but also have a wicked sense of humour which is making rehearsals very fun indeed,” says writer-director Matt Harper-Hardcastle of Evie Jones, left, Christie Peto, right, and Ian Weichardt. Picture: James Drury

“This aims to give our audiences more time to reflect on what they have watched, connect with the play more and also understand what others have in common with it too.

“Also hearing the stores that Hospital Doors evokes in our audiences will help us understand the real moments of resonance and therefore how we should develop the play in the future. Playback Theatre will accompany all performances except the Thursday matinee and Saturday evening.”

How has NDB1 progressed in the company’s nine years? What fills you with the most pride?

“A lot has changed since we started; we’ve grown in size, in reach, in skill, in profile, in impact, but what has stayed the same is our values of what we do and why we do it. Even in the toughest of times these haven’t faltered and have always been our driving force. So I’m really proud of that.

“There are too many moments to think of that I’m most proud of, but I always have an anecdote from a recent project in my back pocket that I like to share that I think epitomises our work.

“The one I’m currently sharing a lot is from a carer who attended our Arts and Loss workshops. She recently lost her partner and was heavily in the throes of grief. At her first workshop, she cried a lot but wanted to stay, safe in the space we had created.

“Slowly she started to share her story. She then started using her experience to offer advice to others. She enjoyed being creative with new friends. At the end of the project, she gave me a hug and whispered ‘this is the happiest I’ve been all year’.

“It’s those moments – and there are many more like it – which are priceless, get me up in the morning and make me immensely proud of what NDB1 does.”

Next Door But One presents Hospital Doors at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, March 12 to 15. Performances:7.30pm, except March 13, 7pm; 2pm matinees, March 13 and 15. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Hospital Doors cast and creative team:

Actors: Christie Peto, Ian Weichardt, Evie Jones

Writer and director: Matthew Harper-Hardcastle

Designer: Stella Backman

Video, lighting and creative captions designers: Amelia Hawkes and Jessie Addinall

Sound designer and composer: Lara Jones

Company and stage manager: Jane Williamson

Next Door But One: the back story

OVER the past nine years, York community arts collective Next Door But One has been creating touring productions inspired by the lived experience of the communities from across their arts participation programme.

This has included Operation Hummingbird’s exploration of themes of bereavement and care; The Firework-Maker’s Daughter, created in partnership with neurodivergent young people and their families, and their most recent tour, She Was Walking Home, shaped from the real-life testimonies of 33 women living, working and studying in York.

Next Door But One’s poster for Hospital Doors, next week’s production at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York

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