Christopher Finnegan, Peter Pearson, Tommy Carmichael and Jonny Wakeford in The Growth House’s interactive cabaret Big Strong Man
BIG Strong Man will invite tomorrow’s audience at Bilton Working Men’s Club, Skipton Road, Harrogate, to become part of the action, challenging societal norms and shining a light on the systemic barriers that shape how men’s mental health is addressed.
“This is radical theatre at its most alive: unfiltered, unafraid and unmistakably northern,” says The Growth House, as this surrealist comedy theatre company mounts its boldest tour yet, “setting a new standard for socially driven, interactive performance”.
Mentored by Emma Rice’s Wise Children company, The Growth House is on a 12-venue tour with its groundbreaking flagship production. As associate artists at CAST in Doncaster, the company continues to seek to push boundaries with its unapologetically working-class, socially conscious theatre.
Part party, part protest, Big Strong Man is a riotous, high-energy cabaret where four northern lads blend fast-paced improv, physical comedy and the aforementioned audience participation to tackle men’s mental health.
The lads are given the impossible task of deconstructing and rebuilding manhood in one night. Bonj reckons we should get rid of this outdated concept forever; Winston thinks we should listen to King Charlie; Gaz knows all we need is work, women, food and the gym; Timternet thinks they’re all idiots and would rather play Pokemon Go
“Only one of them can become the Big Strong Man to save us all. Which one?!” Find out as The Growth House probes men’s mental health
They have some big decisions to make, but every time they do, something happens: a game, a song, a scene or a mysterious feeling they cannot quite describe. They need help to get the job done…and that’s where you, the audience, comes in, because only one of them can become the Big Strong Man to save us all. Which one?!
“Big Strong Man puts the power in your hands by letting you choose what parts of the show you want to see,” says The Growth House. “What elements of masculinity do you love? Let’s celebrate it. What aspects do you hate? Let’s talk about it. And what is it missing? Let’s find out!
“This show is a celebration of northern culture and community spirit. A unique experience with all the remarkable features of a cabaret or gig.”
Created in response to the disproportionately high rates of suicide and depression among working-class men in the North, this urgent, electrifying, interactive cabaret show will be performed by Christopher Finnegan (Winston), Peter Pearson (Bonj), Tommy Carmichael (Timternet) and Jonny Wakeford (Gaz).
Cue alternative comedy, storytelling, song, dance, improvisation, ladders, competition, boy band parodies, lip syncs, placards, blocks, charity-shop suits, a bear and “Poundland-level extravagance”, plus the content warning of “strong language and references to suicide, mental health conditions, infant death, domestic violence and karaoke”.
Big Strong Man: “A celebration of northern culture and community spirit with all the remarkable features of a cabaret or gig”
“Male identity is no longer as rigid and homogenous as it once was,” says The Growth House. “Industry, politics and society are moving away from a single culture. Big Strong Man looks at the current state of masculinity to attempt to understand the soaring depression and suicide rates facing men across the north of England.
“What are the rules to being a male? What are the expectations of men in the 21st century? What can we do to develop male culture in order to make the world a better place to live in?”
The Growth House was founded by directors Finnegan, Pearson and Sam Dunstan, who have been collaborating for five years on works that combine movement, voice, song, contemporary creative writing and sweat aplenty from the performers.
Co-writer, choreographer and performer Finnegan is an actor, director, writer, lecturer, physical theatre practitioner and tutor; Pearson is a Geordie actor and performer who specialises in devised and improvised theatre, working with social theatre companies that combine activism with art; director and co-writer Dunstan is a creative director, producer and educator, born and bred in Yorkshire.
The Growth House, in association with Harrogate Theatre, presents Big Strong Man at Bilton Working Men’s Club, Skipton Road, Harrogate, tomorrow (13/6/2025), 7.30pm. Further tour dates include Slung Low, The Warehouse, Crosby Street, Holbeck, Leeds, on July 12, 7.30pm. Box office: Harrogate, harrogatetheatre.co.uk/events/big-strong-man/; Leeds, ticketsource.co.uk/booking/select/emyxmqvaznlp.
The Growth House’s poster artwork for Big Strong Man, heading for Harrogate tomorow and Holbeck, Leeds, on July 12. The 12-date tour already has played The Carriageworks Theatre, Leeds, on May 23 and 24 and Hull Truck Theatre on May 29