Gala Night

Join us for our very first Shakespeare North Playhouse Gala Night, an evening where sonnets, music, and performance come together in celebration.

Experience Shakespeare’s timeless sonnets, alongside songs inspired by his works, brought vividly to life by an extraordinary line-up including;

• Frank Cottrell-Boyce (Millions (screenwriter), 24 Hour Party People (screenwriter), London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony (writer))
• Ben Crystal (Shakespeare on Toast (author/performer), Hamlet (Globe Theatre, actor), The Merry Wives of Windsor (Globe Theatre, actor)
• Les Dennis (Coronation Street, Family Fortunes, Extras, Life’s Too Short)
• Sue Devaney (Coronation Street, Dinnerladies, Shameless)
• Lady Anne Dodd – The Ken Dodd Charitable Trust
• Micky Dunne – The Manouchetones 
• Jessica Ellis – (Coronation Street, The Bay, Hollyoaks, Eastenders) 
• Olivia Frances Brown – Latest Release (Shade of Red). Acting (Coronation Street, The Gathering, Archie, Boiling Point) 
• Daniel Francis (Bridgerton, Once Upon a Time, Stay Close) 
• Kevin Harvey – (This City is Ours, The Gathering, Death in Paradise, Two Doors Down) 
• Julie Hesmondhalgh (Coronation Street, Broadchurch, Mr Bates vs the Post Office)
• Sally Hodgkiss (Comedy credits include The Comedy Store Players, Whose Line is it Anyway? Live and The Stephen Frost Impro Allstars.)
• Rufus Hound (Doctor Who, (BBC), Cucumber (Channel 4), Celebrity Juice (ITV2), Never Mind  the Buzzcocks (BBC2), One Man Two Guv’nors (National Theatre, West End & UK Tour )
• Kimberley Hart Simpson – (Coronation Street, Celebs Go Dating, Brassic, Hollyoaks) 
• James Nelson-Joyce (This City is Ours (BBC), A Thousand Blows (Disney Plus)) Black Mirror (Netflix) Time (BBC) Little Boy Blue)   
• Mike Noble (This City is Ours (BBC)) Shardlake (Disney+) The Long Shadow (ITV), Help, Home Fires (ITV), Macbeth (theatre)
• Ashleigh Nugent (The Mountaintop (theatre), Othello (theatre), Macbeth (theatre))
• Michael Starke (Brookside, Coronation Street, Hollyoaks, The Royal, The Responder, Casualty) 
• Cathy Tyson (Boiling Point (BBC), Band of Gold)
• Sarah White (Brookside, Coronation Street, God’s Own Country) 

Sonnets:

Sonnet 43, Sonnet 138, Sonnet 135, Sonnet 129, Sonnet 136, Sonnet 39, Sonnet 61, Sonnet 130, Sonnet 29, Sonnet 116, Sonnet 94, Sonnet 63, Sonnet 73, Sonnet 71, Sonnet 55, Sonnet 18, Sonnet 20, Sonnet 106, Sonnet 66.

Against the backdrop of our architecturally stunning, oak-beamed Cockpit Theatre, hear your favourite lines lifted from the page and brought to life by the voices of some of our most treasured performers.

Directed by the acclaimed James Dacre, this special event celebrates some of Shakespeare’s most beloved verse.

Whether you’re a lifelong Shakespeare enthusiast or discovering his sonnets for the first time, all are welcome at is what is sure to be a brilliant night of bard magic.

This evening is held to support the incredible work of Shakespeare North, championing and nurturing artists and companies through the artist development programme, ORIGIN8, and the Shakespeare North Young Company.

ORIGIN8 is a programme that supports artists at multiple stages of their careers by offering time, space and professional guidance.

The Young Company is an opportunity for young people aged 7 to 16 to get involved in theatre. A space to create, connect and express themselves.

All those taking part in this event have generously donated their time to support the organisation and help ensure this vital work can continue to grow. The money raised from the evening will go towards sustaining and expanding these programmes so that the artists of the future have the best possible start on their journey.