Current Shows
Mother Courage and her Children
Peace is bad for business.
The ‘Thirty Years War’ rages on. Whether flogging leather belts, greasy pots, bullets or her children’s lives – life for Mother Courage is reduced to a series of transactions, and escape routes.
Bertolt Brecht’s timeless and epic drama about the turmoil and trauma of conflict is vividly depicted through Lee Hall’s richly textured and crisp-witted translation.
In this wholly immersive production audiences follow in the steps of Brecht’s fearless matriarch, as Mother Courage hauls her tinkering wagon of junk through crackling battlefields and bombed-out villages – echoing the modern-day refugee’s universal displacement.
Starring Pauline McLynn (Father Ted / Shameless / EastEnders) in this iconic title role, Mother Courage and Her Children will mark Red Ladder’s 50th anniversary; over five decades of presenting stories of human struggle and resounding spirit in times of stark adversity.
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The Damned United
Down the stairs…
Along the corridor…
Round the corner…
Into the dressing room… HIS dressing room. Hateful, hateful place. Spiteful, spiteful place. Dirty, dirty Leeds.
1974. Brian Clough, the enfant terrible of British football, tries to redeem his managerial career and reputation by winning the European Cup with his new team. Leeds United. The team he has openly despised for years, the team he hates and which hates him. Don Revie’s Leeds.
Originally co-produced with the West Yorkshire Playhouse, The Damned United takes you inside the tortured mind of a genius slamming up against his limits, and brings to life the beauty and brutality of football, the working man’s ballet.
‘a cracking piece of theatre’ 4* review from British Theatre
‘swift, compact and bullishly to the point’ 5* review from Entertainment Focus
‘Luke Dickson is a commanding presence’ Yorkshire Post
‘powerful and demanding, Red Ladder Theatre Company’s production of The Damned United is every bit as belligerent and uncompromising as the protagonist of its story.’ 4* review from Broadway Baby.
‘Yes, this a play about football, but it’s so much more than that. It’s a tribute to an era-defining genius, a portrait of a man terminally wrapped-up in his own bravado, a study of loyalty and friendship under pressure…’ 4* Review in The Stage
‘The Damned United delves into a fear of loneliness, vulnerability and the relationships that truly matter – something we can all relate to.’ 4* Review in Leeds-Live
‘this could very easily have been an exercise in lionisation, but the decision to show, in equal measure, Clough’s strengths and weaknesses is a smart one’ 4* review from The List
‘An intriguing portrait of a man who had an ability to inspire and aggravate is painted through this briskly-paced production, and the charismatic performances make this a compelling play.’ London Theatre 1
‘This is an intimate character study of one of sport’s biggest personalities and is a brilliant production for both football fans and theatre lovers.’ 4* Review from Three Weeks
‘a masterpiece of theatre’ – 9/10 review from Liverpool Sound and Vision
‘a fascinating, if fictional, psychological study of one of sport’s most complex, charismatic and infuriating characters’ 4* review from Arts City Liverpool
‘…the production captures the essence of one man’s tortured mind and his attempts to do things his way.’ 5* Review from Daily Business Magazine
By Anders Lustgarten
Adapted from the novel by David Peace
Directed by Red Ladder’s Artistic Director Rod Dixon
A Red Ladder and West Yorkshire Playhouse Co-Production.
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Playing The Joker
December, 1977 – it’s nine years since the infamous ‘Watersplash Final’ – and the once revered “Uncle Eddie” has withdrawn into the protective walls of the The Queens Hotel.
Out front fanatical Rugby League fan Eddie Marlowe, grieving the recent loss of his father, is hellbent on speaking alone with his idol. Will he get that chance?
Playing The Joker is about one man’s dream to give rugby league a national profile – written by award winning author and former Sunday Mirror journalist Anthony Clavane (Leeds Lads).
Through a winning combination of gripping action and infectious humour, Playing the Joker presents a moving and funny slice of 1970s northern life.
After a sell-out run at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in November 2013, followed by a 2014 tour to rugby league clubs throughout the north of England, Playing the Joker is back on the road – 50 years on since the ‘Watersplash Final’. Featuring an all new talented cast of three including Leeds Rhinos forward Jamie Jones-Buchanan, and directed by Red Ladder’s Artistic Director Rod Dixon.
Recommended age 14+
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Wrong ‘Un
February 1918, and after several decades of protest and four years of bloody war Parliament is poised to grant what the suffragettes have demanded and fought for – votes for all women. After years of direct action, arrest, imprisonment and force-feeding, it seems their time has come.
Wrong ‘Un tells of the adventures of Annie Wilde, a Lancashire mill-girl galvanised by a rousing mixture of injustice, conviction, self-doubt and fear on her journey from schoolroom to prison cell and beyond.
A one-woman musical written by Boff Whalley, directed by Red Ladder’s Artistic Director Rod Dixon.
Wrong ‘Un has toured for five years – the longest tour in the history of the company. The show has played a wide range of spaces: theatre studios, pubs, village halls, trade union conferences, and even a tent at Shambala Festival. It is still in demand. This one woman show is a musical with no musicians – the performer takes on five different roles and sings all the songs unaccompanied! Kathleen Yore (of Odd Doll Puppetry) has taken on the challenging role of Annie Wilde which was originally written with and for Ella Harris.
“…warm, likable and subversive… One hundred years on, the suffragette movement is still relevant.”
The Stage
“…a sharp and intelligent musical”
The Guardian
A full education pack is available to accompany this show, download it here – Wrong ‘Un Education Pack June 2013
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