Announcing GLORY - our co-production with The Dukes, Lancaster - Red Ladder Theatre Company

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Announcing GLORY – our co-production with The Dukes, Lancaster

GLORY – a new play written by Yorkshire writer Nick Ahad delves into the larger-than-life world of British wrestling, to grapple with identity and race in contemporary multicultural Britain.

Set in the eccentric world of British wrestling, GLORY – a new play by writer and broadcaster Nick Ahad (Partition, The Chef Show) – will premiere at The Dukes, Lancaster in February 2019 followed by a UK tour.

GLORY is a co-production by The Dukes Theatre and Red Ladder Theatre Company in association with Tamasha, marking the first collaborative partnership between the three organisations.

Directed by Red Ladder’s artistic director Rod Dixon (The Damned United/ Mother Courage and Her Children), the new play will receive its premiere staging at The Dukes Theatre, Lancaster from Thursday 21 February – Saturday 2 March. It then tours nationally to theatres and non-traditional theatre spaces until 13 April 2019 – including Yorkshire, London, Liverpool and Wales.

As British wrestling experiences a resurgence across the UK, GLORY will immerse audiences into the madcap world of the sport. Set in a decrepit gym in the north of England, it sees faded star Jim ‘Glorious’ Glory and amateur wrestlers Dan, Ben and Sami confronting their demons, and each other, as their lives collide – inside and outside the wrestling ring. The unique world that British wrestling inhabits provides a backdrop to Nick Ahad’s state-of-the-nation play, as it grapples with race, identity and what it means to be British today.

Playwright Nick Ahad says“I used to watch wrestling when I was a little boy. I still remember the excitement of seeing Giant Haystacks fight Big Daddy at Victoria Hall in Keighley in the 1980s. But I thought British wrestling was a relic of the past. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Wrestling is alive, well – and as entertaining as ever. With larger than life characters and a perfect combination of sport, performance, blood and sweat, it is pure theatre. It is also the perfect arena to explore the Britain we all share today. I can’t think of a better place for drama to play out than the inside of a wrestling ring.”

The cast of GLORY are Josh Hart (Dan), Jamie Smelt (Jim Glory), Ali Azhar (Sami) and Joshua Lyster (Ben).

The Dukes
Performances: Mon – Sat, 7.30pm
Matinees: Wed 27 Feb 2pm and Sat 2 March 2pm
Tickets: £5 – £16.50, concessions available
Book via: dukes-lancaster.org. Tel: 01524 598500