East Riding Theatre in Beverley’s autumn production Horseshoes for Hand Grenades is a new piece of writing by Richard D.
Cushing which explores the passions, hopes and struggles of a Yorkshire community trying to come to terms with the devastation of the First World War.
Horseshoes for Hand Grenades opens on the 26th September and runs until the 19th October.
This inaugural production will be the world premiere of the play.
It’s 1914. Andrew wants to be an artist not a blacksmith like his father and grandfather before him.
He has great plans for himself and his sweetheart Emily. The Great War, unfortunately, has other plans for the able-bodied men of the East Riding!
As the brutal war in Europe lays waste to the young men of Great Britain, life is changed forever.
After the last shot is fired, Emily waits for Andrew, on the station platform as the wounded return from the front.
Did he survive? What will the future hold? Will life ever be the same?
East Riding Theatre welcomes back two popular performers, Malcolm Tomlinson and Evie Guttridge.
Evie was highly praised for her first professional role as Maud in The Night Season in 2017 Evie then went on to capture the hearts of audiences at ERT and across the pond in New Zealand with her inspirational solo performance as Spoonface Steinberg in 2017 and 2018. Earlier this year she appeared in Glory Dazed with Sam Edward-Cooke at ERT.
Malcolm Tomlinson has recently finished filming a small role in the new series of Peaky Blinders. The series will be shown during the prime-time slot of 9pm on Sunday evenings and Poldark will move to the 8pm slot. Sundays promise to be an important family day in the Tomlinson household not least because Malcolm’s daughter Eleanor Tomlinson has endeared herself to the nation through her role as Demelza.
Joining Evie and Malcolm, ERT brings a plethora of Northern voices to its stage. Mark Rathbone is playing the role of narrator Mr Ward, the blacksmith who works for Lord Stenton on his country estate in the East Riding.
Robbie Fletcher-Hill is a Northern actor from Southport, Merseyside, currently based in London. In 2018, he graduated from Royal Central School of Speech and Drama with a degree in acting. Robbie has played such roles as Hamlet, Tom (The Accrington Pals), and Sebastian (Twelfth Night).
Daniel Rainford, born and raised in Mansfield, will be playing Andrew’s friend, Julian, and Edward (Lord Stenton’s son). Amongst other roles, Daniel has appeared in the BBC TV series Doctors.
Horseshoes For Hand Grenades will be directed by Eric Loren who will be making his East Riding Theatre directorial debut.
