The creative team behind Manchester’s award-winning Hope Mill Theatre will step out from behind the scenes in April to celebrate the distinctive venue’s incredible first two years in operation.
An evening of song and stories, An Aria of Hope and Dreams on Monday 16 April, will be hosted by Hope Mill’s co-founders Joseph Houston and William Whelton and their co-artistic director Aria Entertainment’s Katy Lipson.
Appearing alongside special guests from previous productions, the trio will share stories and songs revealing the journey which began with an advertisement for a rundown cotton mill on Gumtree.
Recently named The Stage’s Fringe Theatre of the Year, and following on from the launch of a packed third year of musicals with world premiere of new British musical The Toyboy Diaries in January, the event will offer its audience a night of exclusive performances and announcements.
Planned as the first of a series of annual fundraisers, the evening will reveal details of the highly successful partnership between Manchester’s Hope Mill and London arts producer Aria Entertainment which has already produced a number of hit shows including Yank!, Parade and the 50th anniversary production of Hair.
Announcing the event, Lipson said: “The level of work and ambition we have as producers is endless and we are constantly overwhelmed with the impact our productions have on our local audiences and those who travel nationwide to see them.
“Our new annual Hope Aria fundraiser is a long overdue addition to the work we do here. An evening to let you in on the ins and outs of what its truly like to produce musicals at Hope Mill Theatre – the trials and tribulations, the honest ups and downs of creating brave work in a self-funded independent space where our mission is to constantly break boundaries and change the landscape of musical theatre here in Manchester and beyond.
“If you’ve seen any of the shows here at Hope Mill Theatre, let’s just say they’ll be a few special guests on the evening, old and new, with some exclusive performances for one night only!”
The brainchild of Houston and Whelton, the 120-seat Hope Mill Theatre in the Ancoats area of Manchester opened in December 2015 and is part of a converted Grade II listed former cotton mill in the Ancoats area of Manchester that also houses studios for writers, artists and designers; events space and a café and bar.
Hope Mill Theatre’s next in-house musical, the acclaimed modern Broadway hit Spring Awakening, runs from Thursday 29 March to Thursday 3 May, followed by Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic Aspects of Love (Thursday 5 July to Thursday 9 August 2018).
Angela Thomas
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