Two theatre productions from Hull and Beverley are set to take over the same award-winning venue in London this week with month-long runs in the capital.
Middle Child’s electrifying gig theatre show, The Canary and the Crow, transfers to the Arcola Theatre following success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2019, while East Riding Theatre’s production of Maxine Peake’s freewheeling play, Beryl, extends its sell-out transfer at the same venue for an extra month.
Beryl, which celebrates the extraordinary sporting achievements of inspirational cyclist and world champion Beryl Burton, was specially commissioned as an adaptation from Maxine Peake’s acclaimed 2012 Radio 4 play and marked her stage-writing debut.
It received its world premiere on 30 June 2014 at the West Yorkshire Playhouse.
East Riding Theatre (ERT) debuted its version in Beverley to coincide with the 2019 Tour De Yorkshire, earning rave reviews during its run in East Yorkshire before heading to London in
ERT is delighted to be celebrating Northern voices in London with Beverley-based cast members Annie Kirkman and Jessica Duffield flying the flag for Yorkshire.
The Canary and The Crow is a semi-autobiographical show from writer and performer, Daniel Ward, which blends grime, hip-hop and classical music to tell the story of a working-class black kid’s experience at a prestigious grammar school.
Featuring original live music by Prez 96 and James Frewer, The Canary and the Crow won the Brighton Fringe Award for Excellence and was nominated for a Total Theatre Award at the 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Writer Daniel Ward has also been nominated for a Writers’ Guild Award for Best Play for Young Audiences.
Paul Smith, Artistic Director at Hull-based Middle Child says “We are really excited to head to London with The Canary and the Crow and share the Arcola Theatre’s stages with East Riding Theatre and the cast of Beryl.
“That two shows from our neck of the woods can take over such a prestigious building in the nation’s capital, at the same time, is testament to the quality of theatre being produced in our region. We look forward to sharing our work with London audiences and doing Yorkshire proud.”
