Just Dickens!

Toured 28th November to 7th December 2025

Just Dickens!

To herald the Christmas Season

A Gallimaufry of readings, snippets, anecdotes, factoids

and semi-dramatisations

from

“the man who invented Christmas”

Performances commence at 7.30pm except where stated

*****

Autumn 2024

How to Be Brave

by

Louise Beech

In 1943 Colin Armitage’s ship was torpedoed in the South Atlantic. He and 13 others scrambled aboard a life raft. 50 days later HMS Rapid rescued him, only he and one other still alive.

Colin was the grandfather of Louise Beech, the playwright. 64 years after his ordeal Louise’s daughter, Katy, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. In order to distract her during insulin injections Louise began to tell her the story of Colin’s bravery and determination to survive.

Katy has said that Grandpa Colin’s story inspired her to carry on when she wanted to give up and die: “If Grandpa Colin can be survive an ordeal like that, I can do anything. I can do these injections”.

The scenes alternate between the life raft and Katy’s house in Hull.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3cswlf3

Tour Schedule

Spring 2024

Around the World in 80 Minutes

Miscellaneous readings, snippets, anecdotes, factoids, semi-dramatisations and  the fastest version of Jules Verne’s classic novel that you are ever likely to witness

Spring is the time when the world begins to open again for us, and what better way to celebrate this than by planning to travel – or at least spending an hour and a half or so transported to various parts of the world.

Touring in Yorkshire

Performances commence at 7.30pm except for

Sancton and Appleton-le-Moors Village Halls

*******

Landmarks

by

Nick Darke

Toured Autumn 2019

“Splendid performance… Excellent… A significant production… A wonderful evening… One of the best things I have seen… A truly memorable evening… Poignant, touching, funny… Superb acting… Terrific play… The affecting ending takes one by surprise… All round top notch performances… Engaging for all ages… I have worked in a theatre for 18 years and have, therefore, seen many productions over the years. There is something special about Landmarks“

The Catch

by

Nick Darke

Toured October & November 2021

Such has been the reaction to our tour of Landmarks (see below for 4 star Theatre Hub review) that, Covid permitting, plan a tour this autumn of another Nick Darke play called The Catch. It is a comedy set in Padstow in which two fishermen, suffering the effects of the new quota system, are wondering how to supplement their income and decide to go in for a little extra-curricular smuggling. The dodgy local character with whom they are dealing is playing a double game with them, and also with the daughter of one of the fishermen.

Although the play is a comedy, topically post-Brexit it raises concerns and challenges faced by fishermen who feel that they have again been let down despite all the pre-Brexit talk of protecting them. It also raises issues about sustainability in the environment. Jane, Nick Darke’s widow, is fully supportive of this revival. She filmed a performance of our ‘Landmarks’ production which is to be fed into a documentary she is making about Nick’s life and work and which it is hoped will be screened on television sometime before our tour of ‘The Catch’, which will be good pre-publicity.

Notwithstanding that Nick wrote plays for the RSC, National Theatre, Royal Court, Kneehigh and other companies, not many among our audiences had heard of him; but our feedback after Landmarks in Autumn 2019 heard a chorus of “more Nick Darke, please!”

Given the ‘fishy’ nature of the play, several venues plan to serve a fish and chip supper before, during the interval, or at the end of the show. This will be indicated against the venues below as details are finalised.

Schedule

*******

Fallen Leaves

30th October to 11th November 2018

Our production marked the armistice at the end of the First World War. It included popular songs/music hall of the time, the war poets, letters from the trenches and sketches, culminating in a moving finale. The final performance was at the East Riding Theatre, Beverley, on the 11th day of the 11th month.