Marianne McNamara Archives - North West End UK

9Apr

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Jennie Lee – Marsden Mechanics Hall

Over two million people have graduated from Open University courses, and most of them are probably blissfully unaware their futures have been changed forever because Labour MP Jennie Lee was totally committed to the idea of education for all. The rich life story of a politician who moved from gesture politics to understanding how being in power can change lives for the better is a natural fit for Mikron Theatre as they begin their 52nd year touring the country on their specially adapted barge. Lindsay Rodden offers a fast-paced account of an intelligent working-class woman who rose from the poverty of the Scottish coalfields to become Westminster’s youngest MP aged 24, and there is a terrible irony that she couldn’t even vote for herself as only women aged 30 plus could cast a ballot...

Mikron Theatre Company tell us how they keep relevant and their loyal fans happy.

18Apr

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Interviews

Mikron Theatre Company tell us how they keep relevant and their loyal fans happy.

Mikron Theatre Company’s Artistic Director Marianne McNamara tells us on their fiftieth anniversary how they keep relevant and their loyal fans happy. Not many theatre companies celebrate their fiftieth anniversary, but Mikron Theatre Company have always done things a bit differently which is why they have survived for so long. For a start they tour round the country with the cast living on the company’s own narrowboat named Tyseley, but they have a strong social conscience so commission new work that makes people laugh, and also think a bit about the world around them. Not surprisingly given their longevity they have developed a loyal fanbase who have been happy to dip into their pockets to keep the boat on the water through some hard times and more recently a global pandemic. ...

Mikron Theatre Company announce productions for 50th anniversary

10Feb

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

NEWS

Mikron Theatre Company announce productions for 50th anniversary

Mikron Theatre Company announce productions for 50th anniversary tour Mikron Theatre’s four strong cast will take two plays via the company’s narrowboat and van to 130 venues to celebrate their 50th anniversary. One play is the premiere of Red Sky at Night which is Lindsay Rodden’s new play about the nation's obsession with the wild and wonderful world of weather. The other revisits their successful 2015 production of Maeve Larkin’s play about the Women’s Institute, Raising Agents. Mikron are based in the village of Marsden at the foot of the Yorkshire Pennines, and over the last 50 years have played to nearly half a million people as they toured 66 productions on board their vintage narrowboat spending over 34,000 boating hours on the inland waterways. ...

11Jun

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Atalanta Forever – Halifax Piece Hall

On the day after the first ever female chair of the Football Association was announced this witty and powerful piece about the pioneers of the women’s game being banned by a bunch of misogynists in a committee room couldn’t be more pertinent. These footballing underdogs are classic Mikron Theatre territory as a fictional Huddersfield factory girl and a posh teacher come together under the watchful eye of even posher Miss Waller to form Atalanta Ladies raising money for starving wondered soldiers in the years after the war to end all wars. My only criticism is that Mikron often play posh characters off against the working class, and that idea has run its course. Bit of context here for non-footie fans as in 1921 Preston’s Dick Kerr’s Ladies played in front of 51000 at a Boxing Day gam...

Mikron Theatre back on the water with Atalanta Forever celebrating the pioneers of women’s football

6May

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Mikron Theatre back on the water with Atalanta Forever celebrating the pioneers of women’s football

Mikron Theatre back on the water with Atalanta Forever celebrating the pioneers of women’s football. Mikron Theatre celebrate their 49th year of touring on their narrowboat with the premiere of Atalanta Forever telling the story of pioneering women footballers in 1920. Amanda Whittingham has gone back to 1920 where women’s football teams are pulling in huge crowds for fund-raising games raising money for wounded soldiers. Huddersfield amateurs Ethel and Annie are teammates at Huddersfield’s Atalanta AFC who are tackling new football skills, mastering the offside rule and kicking back at the doubters. The play is based on the true story of one of three women’s football teams in Huddersfield in post war Britain. A measure of the popularity of the women’s game at that time ...

Mikron Theatre Company smash fundraising target in less than three weeks

22Jul

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Mikron Theatre Company smash fundraising target in less than three weeks

Mikron Theatre have smashed through their fundraising target of £48,337.49 in only three weeks which means they can stage their 50th year of touring in 2021. That very specific target was the shortfall they calculated cancelling their entire 2020 season had cost the Yorkshire based company, but their incredibly loyal band of fans built up over the last 48 years rallied round to keep them afloat. The company have been touring the UK’s canals, rivers and roads onboard a vintage narrowboat putting on their shows in places that other theatre companies wouldn't even think about from a play about growing-your-own shown in allotments to a work about chips to audiences in a fish and chips restaurant. The runaway success of this appeal means Mikron can tour two brand new shows in...

Can you help Mikron Theatre raise £48.337.49?

2Jul

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Can you help Mikron Theatre raise £48.337.49?

Like most companies canal-based Yorkshire theatre makers Mikron Theatre are struggling to survive the impact of the virus but they've set a very specific target to stay afloat - £48,337.49 That's the amount the virus has cost them in lost income from shows, no merchandise, no programmes, or raffles after they were forced to cancel their entire 2020 season when they were going to premiere two new plays as the company toured the UK’s canals, rivers and roads. Next year is Mikron's 50th anniversary, so they asking their legion of fans to dig deep so they can finally perform two brand new shows; Amanda Whittington's Atalanta Forever, which tells the story of Women's football in the 1920s, and Polly Hollman’s canine comedy caper A Dog’s Tale. And they deserve help as since they to...