Welcome to the online presence of Hanby and Barrett: an archive of past productions, news about upcoming projects, links to those connected with the company and information about participants and project partners.

 

LATEST NEWS

 

We have just finished our performances of ‘The Hammer of Defiance’ at Forest Street Baptist Church in Kirkby in Ashfield. The show told the story of the Luddite rebellions in Sutton of two hundred years ago, and was performed with a cast of other thirty local performers and musicians, as well as by a gigantic Ned Ludd puppet. We now start working on a short film which tells the story of what was one of the first Luddite actions in the country. We will post some photographs of the show, which was really well received by hundreds of Ashfield people, soon.

 

We will be running the Beauvale Priory Walks again this summer – a chance to spend some time working in a beautiful setting leading guided walks as a historical character and examining the turbulent history of this building which was the home to the first religious men to be executed during the Reformation. This will be the third year that we have done the walks and we know there will be some people who have taken part before who want to come back and do them again, but we can also welcome newcomers who would like to give it a go. The walks will take place on Sunday 28th July throughout the day, and each tour will need about three rehearsal slots prior to that.
If you are interested please get in touch.

 

We are currently working on a Heritage Lottery funded project building on our work about Raleigh with The University of Nottingham. This will enable us to create a website housing a collection of audio interviews of ex workers from the iconic Nottingham factory, as well as gathering images and maps of the site. We will also be working on developing a trail that will be accessed through the website.

Our work around Raleigh has so far involved us commissioning and screening a film that was shown at Broadway Cinema (see here);  and the touring show ‘A Lifetime Guarantee’. Images will be available soon but for now you can watch this short film about ‘Titchy Wheels’, read this review, or watch a short film that was made during our visit to the Trades Union Congress building to perform the show.

 

 

Hanby and Barrett is a participatory arts organisation specialising in outdoor theatre events. We work in and with communities to create performances about those communities; their heritage and history, their culture and identity, their stories and their aspirations. The plays are performed in locations that are central to that community’s history however unusual they may be, and this site specific nature of much of the work is central to our growing reputation. We have staged shows in woods, train stations, churches, schools, parks, a Napoleonic Blast Furnace, and throughout the streets and public spaces of towns and villages across the East Midlands. Our shows usually include large local casts and combine strong stories and spectacle to produce beautiful, well crafted theatre that entertains, surprises and delights participants and audiences alike. Most important of all is the fact that we are as inclusive as possible, encouraging seasoned performers to work alongside those who have never performed before, backed up with the skills of professional artists and technicians. For us the enjoyment of the work is both in the artistic quality but also in the energy that is created as the play develops. After everything has been packed away and the last piece of confetti has been picked up the communities that we work in often feel like slightly different places. New relationships have been forged, communities have a clearer idea about what makes them who they are, and a sense of possibility is in the air, leaving the question ‘What shall we do next?’

Best wishes,
Andy and Julian