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Issued:12/06/13
A world exclusive performance of a brand new play from internationally renowned playwright John Godber is coming to the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield from Friday 12 - Saturday 20 July, as part of the celebration of the centenary of stainless steel.
A collaboration between Sheffield Hallam University and Sheffield Theatres and written by the multiple-award winning John Godber, 'Jack Steele and Family' is a funny and moving story about a former steelworker whose heart belongs to Sheffield's industrial heritage, but whose family have moved on.
The play will be directed by Neil Sissons, who spent 25 years as artistic director of Compass Theatre Company and is now a senior lecturer in performance at Sheffield Hallam. The University's students will take on some supporting roles behind the scenes with performance students having small roles in the play itself.
The play tells the story of elderly Jack and those closest to him as they prepare for a big family celebration. Jack is in turmoil, torn between his yearning for a return to the past and the industrial heritage that defines him as a person, and his family's march into an unknown future.
John Godber is one of the most performed writers in the English language. His plays include Bouncers, Up ‘n' Under (which he made into a film in 1998), Teechers and Happy Families. They are performed across the world and he has won numerous awards for his writing, including a Lawrence Olivier award and seven Los Angeles Critics Circle Awards.
Neil said: "I am delighted to be working alongside John Godber on this collaboration between the Sheffield Hallam and Sheffield Theatres. 'Jack Steele and Family' deals with what steel has meant to the city of Sheffield and to those families that have emerged from generations of steel workers. It's a bitter-sweet look at Sheffield’s steel heritage and the impact the past has on future generations.
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"John’s wonderful new play mixes his trademark comedy with some powerful emotions and it will be wonderful to see it on the main stage of the Crucible Theatre, at the heart of the city in which I grew up."
'Jack Steele and Family' is on at the Crucible Theatre from Friday 12 July until Saturday 20 July.
Tickets are available to book now from Sheffield Theatres’ Box Office in-person, by phone on 0114 249 6000 or online at www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk.
2013 marks the centenary of stainless steel, discovered in Sheffield by Harry Brearley. This play is just one of a range of events taking place across the city this year to mark this historic occasion.
For press information: contact Ally Mogg on 0114 225 2811 or email a.mogg@shu.ac.uk
