Theatre News

Cardboard Citizens to stage new play inspired by Cathy Come Home

Fifty years since Ken Loach’s film, the theatre company are taking a new production on tour to theatres, prisons and hostels

An image of Cathy Come Home at the Barbican Theatre
An image of Cathy Come Home at the Barbican Theatre
© Richard Davenport 2016

Theatre company Cardboard Citizens have announced a new nationwide tour inspired by Ken Loach's film Cathy Come Home.

Following a theatrical staging of the film at the Barbican, the company will take the brand new production of Cathy to theatres, prisons and hostels across the country between October and February.

Written by Al Taylor, Cathy is a new forum theatre show which looks at how life might be like today for the protagonist of Cathy Come Home. Loach's film was first broadcast in 1966 and told of a young family sliding into homelessness. Cathy marks 50 years since the film was released and 25 years since Cardboard Citizens – a company that makes work with and for homeless people – was founded.

The piece looks at the impact of rising house prices and the forced relocation out of London of many people on council waiting lists. The show opens at the Pleasance Theatre on 11 October, before touring to Nottingham, Oxford, Peterborough, Colchester, Kent, Exeter, Sheffield, Newcastle, Birmingham, Croydon, Bridport, Warwick
and Wakefield. Further venues and performance timings are still to be announced.

Cathy runs at the Pleasance Theatre 11 to 15 October and then tours.