AKA Theatre Company’s actor-musician cast of Ayana Beatrice Poblete, Katherine Toy, Samantha Richards, Mark Emmons and Jon Bonner in Lucie Raine and Joe Revell’s musical The Flood. Picture: Cian O’Riain
AKA Theatre Company’s premiere northern tour of Lucie Raine and Joe Revell’s musical The Flood heads to Friargate Theatre, York, tomorrow and on Saturday with its blend of live music and heartfelt storytelling based on true accounts of facing up to disaster in West Yorkshire in 2015.
The Leeds company will give further performances at the Godber Studio, Hull Truck Theatre, Hull, on May 13, Leeds Playhouse Burton Studio, May 14 and 15, and Hebden Bridge Little Theatre, May 16 and 17.
Already, since April 19, the tour has played Leeds Playhouse; Hebden Bridge Little Theatre; Chester Storyhouse; Georgian Theatre, Richmond; The Atkinson Studio, Southport, and 53Two, Manchester.
On Boxing Day 2015, Hebden Bridge experienced the worst floods in a century, but as the West Yorkshire town submerged, a community emerged, working together to rebuild their sodden streets.
Honest and touching with a dash of northern humour, The Flood is a love letter to a town that refused to give in to the volatility of nature, performed by a quintet of actor- musicians representing the diverse, yet passionate, members of Hebden Bridge’s community, interweaving dozens of personal stories taken from every corner of the town.
As a piece of documentary musical theatre, The Flood draws on interviews conducted in and around the Calder Valley and first-person accounts from people who experienced the flood first hand to explore how vital strong communities are in responding to a changing climate.
The Flood writer-director Lucie Raine
“This is a story about what it means to come together when everything falls apart,” says writer-director Raine. “It’s not just a play. It’s a tribute to resilience and creativity, inspired by Hebden Bridge and its people. It’s a celebration for all communities who have faced adversity and emerged stronger.”
Here Lucie discusses The Flood with charleshutchpress.co.uk.
What drew you to the story of the 2015 flood in the Calder Valley and Hebden Bridge in particular?
“I was studying for a Masters degree in Musical Theatre at Leeds Conservatoire and searching for local stories I felt a connection to that I could perhaps turn into a script.
“I had a close family member living in Hebden Bridge in 2015 and our conversations drifted to memories of the floods. The images she conjured were so vivid, I could immediately see it on stage.
“I travelled to Hebden Bridge to see if anyone would be willing to talk to me about their memories. I was a bit nervous at first, and worried I might be raking over unpleasant memories, but everyone was so willing to engage, it was really moving.
“While the characters are fictional, every event and story in the show really happened and is taken from first-hand accounts of people who were there.”
Katherine Toy in rehearsal for AKA Theatre Company’s The Flood. Picture: Cian O’Riain
What made you choose the format of a folk musical? What are its primary theatrical strengths?
“Hebden Bridge has a long musical tradition and the composer Joe Revell and I strongly felt the sound of the show should reflect the people and history of the town. We have everything from traditional mill songs to indie rock foot stompers you might hear coming from The Trades Club in Hebden on a Friday night. The instruments we use – accordion, violin, acoustic guitars etc – go a long way towards creating the sound we wanted.”
Why are actor-musician performances growing ever more popular as a theatrical format?
“The reason musicals are so popular as an art form is because the characters communicate emotionally through the music. I believe eliminating the ‘hidden band’ and allowing the music to emerge entirely from the action on stage doubles this impact.
“It’s also really impressive to see actors sing, dance, act AND play multiple instruments at the same time, (not to mention being a cost effective way of touring).”
“It’s really impressive to see actors sing, dance, act AND play multiple instruments at the same time,” says The Flood writer-director Lucie Raine. Picture: Cian O’Riain
Who is in the cast of five and who do they play?
“All members of the cast play several roles each, as well as playing multiple instruments and creating the soundtrack for the show. Amongst other roles, Katherine Toy plays enthusiastic volunteer Jackie, who finds satisfaction in her role at the heart of the relief effort.
“Company founder Ayana Beatrice Poblete plays Annie, a care assistant desperate to get to work, as well as Gretchen, a carefree bohemian in denial about the flood’s consequences.
“Mark Emmons and Samantha Richards play Gavin and Laura, a married couple struggling with the loss of their family home, and Jon Bonner is Smithy, a shop owner distraught at the loss of both his cat and his stock.”
From Noah’s Ark onwards, floods bring about transition…
“The same way people now talk about ‘before lockdown’ and ‘since the pandemic’, a lot of people in Hebden will measure changes to the town as ‘after the floods’. 2015’s floods were by no means the only floods the area has seen, and there was already infrastructure in place to deal with them. But there’s something about water’s ability to get…well, everywhere… that is utterly devastating.
AKA Theatre Company’s poster for the premiere northern tour of The Flood
“It’s unstoppable. It changes the landscape. And it leaves a hell of a mess. But in cleaning the mess and rebuilding, towns like Hebden find a new life. And when a neighbour loses everything, it’s heart-warming to see the number of people who are there to help.”
What is the message of The Flood?
“The Flood is a story about community. They dealt with the unimaginable, but just kept pushing forward. There’s a lot of hope there, but we’re also not afraid to look the pain and struggle in the eye.”
How did AKA Theatre’s partnership with Leeds Playhouse for The Flood come about?
“Leeds Playhouse producer Rio Matchett came to see the graduate shows at Leeds Conservatoire and approached us about supporting the project. From there they hosted a week’s research and development on the project and invited us to pitch to a group of programmers at Venues North to help book a tour.
“Their help has been invaluable and we were lucky enough to be hosted by them for our four-week rehearsal period, as well as previews and press night.”
“It’s not just a play. It’s a tribute to resilience and creativity, inspired by Hebden Bridge and its people,” says The Flood writer-director Lucie Raine. Picture: Cian O’Riain
How important is Arts Council England’s support to AKA Theatre?
“Making theatre in the current financial climate is really difficult, and it would be nearly impossible to tour new work with a cast of five if you were gambling on ticket sales alone. Arts Council England gives us that financial safety net to tell the story the way we want to tell it and take it to the audiences we otherwise couldn’t afford to reach.”
What will be your next project?
“I’ve written Hush Hush!, a musical about Bletchley Park, for Mikron Theatre Company, which debuts at the Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield tomorrow (9/5/2025) before embarking on a six- month UK tour.
“I’m also writing the 2026 touring production for the same company, this time about cheese-making in the Yorkshire Dales, so the next few months will mainly be spent eating Wensleydale. In addition I continue working as a freelance director and choreographer and teach theatre throughout the region.”
AKA Theatre Company in The Flood, Friargate Theatre, York, May 9 and 10, 7.30pm; Godber Studio, Hull Truck Theatre, Hull, May 13, 7pm; Leeds Playhouse Burton Studio, May 14 and 15, 8pm, and Hebden Bridge Little Theatre, May 16 and 17, 7.30pm. Box office: York, ticketsource.co.uk; Hull, 01482 323638 or hulltruck.co.uk; Leeds, 0113 213 7700 or leedsplayhouse.org.uk; Hebden Bridge, 01422 84907 or hblt.co.uk.
Mikron Theatre Company in Hush Hush!, Clements Hall, Nunthorpe Road, York, September 21, 4pm. Box office: mikron.org.uk/show/hush-hush-clements-hall.
Meet AKA Theatre Company founder Ayana Beatrice Poblete
Ayana Beatrice Poblete in AKA Theatre Company’s premiere touring production of The Flood. Picture: Cian O’Riain
AYANA undertook her performance training mostly in the Philippines in the field of musical theatre and studied for her Masters at Leeds Conservatoire.
She was last seen on stage in York in Black Sheep Theatre Productions’ staging of Jason Robert Brown’s Songs For A New World, directed by Matthew Peter Clare, at the National Centre for Early Music, Walmgate, in October 2024.
She was part of the original cast of The Flood during her MA course’s Leeds Festival Theatre in 2023.
Ayana Beatrice Poblete, with Reggie Challenger, in Black Sheep Theatre Productions’ staging of Jason Robert Brown’s Songs For A New World at the NCEM, York, last October