I love the past, but I couldn’t live there.

We have been thinking a lot about the past twenty years. How we have built a story telling machine that entertains people, all people with comedy and drama. I’ve mentioned Thick as Thieves, how we took it from nothing and turned it into something special, something award winning and successful. I have gloated about being innovative and a front runner in pop ups and site specific and adventure projects like Poles Apart and Coast to Coast.

As 2018 begins we have sat down and thought about the future and we’ve come to the conclusion that all those thoughts and conversations have been about work in the past. Bringing stuff back. Well, bugger that. I have very little time to leave a lasting memory on this planet and I’ve got to start, as ever, by looking forward, not back. Back is comfortable and fuzzy and warm, but tied. Forward is frightening, poverty potential, lunacy, but exciting.

So it’s January 9th 2018, we as ever are skint, but me as ever has a million and one ideas about telling tales.

Stay tuned friends, it’s going to be an exciting, roller coaster of a year and I want to put you at the centre of it.

See you soon

Mark

Happy Birthday Hard Graft

20 years ago 4 newly graduated actors decided to put a show on, above a pub in Nottingham.  Who would have thought that the company would still be knocking about today. Do you remember any of these past shows? Win,Lose,Draw (above a pub in Nottingham) Bedders & Pike (above a pub in Nottingham) Much (Nottingham Playhouse studio) True Story (17 Forester St Netherfield) Weird Doug goes Camping (video) Thick As Thieves (Shops, houses, theatre everywhere, Edinburgh festival) Burt & Joyce (Charity shops across the country) Thick As Thieves 2014 Charity Begins at Home (shops and a theatre tour) Pop Tarts (shops and a theatre tour) Christmas At Our Carols (Audio Play) The Big Adventure (fields, barns, kitchens, pubs, anywhere) Coast to Coast (National theatre tour, Edinburgh festival) Poles Apart (National tour) When Will I Be Famous (National Tour) Red Riding Hood (Regional tour) Grass (24:7 festival and a shop in Oldham) The Elves and the Shoemaker (Regional tour) Ghost walks (Oldham, Rawtenstall, Saddleworth & Burnley) Pinocchio (Regional tour) Knife Edge (National Tour) Hansel & Gretel (Regional tour) Babushka (Regional tour)

Awards TAPS comedy writing award Manchester Theatre Award Alfred Bradley Award (runner up)