Bouncers Close Hull Truck Before £14m New Build

Hull Truck Theatre company, under the artistic direction of playwright John Godber, will close the doors of its Spring Street venue, its home for the past 25 years, in February 2009 ahead of moving to a new, £14.5 million custom-built facility next spring.

The final production at Spring Street will be the 30th anniversary production of Godber’s best-known play, Bouncers, which will run from 15 January to 7 February 2009. Ahead of that the final season at Hull Truck this autumn/winter, the season will comprise in-house productions of Godber’s Teechers (11 September to 4 October), Nick Lane’s My Favourite Summer (23 October to 15 November) and Gordon Steel’s A Kick in the Baubles (4 December to 10 January).

Formed in 1971, Hull Truck first began operating from the back of a truck. The company acquired its first home, converted church rooms in Spring Street, in 1983. John Godber joined as artistic director in 1984. Godber’s many other plays – which have enjoyed runs in Hull, the West End and around the country – include April in Paris, Departures, Going Dutch, Gym and Tonic, Happy Families, Men of the World, On the Piste, Up ‘n’ Under and Wrestling Mad.

Bouncers celebrated its 30th anniversary last year with a nationwide tour that concluded with a sell-out return season in Hull. Marketing director Eve Jackson explained why it was selected for the Spring Street theatre’s last-ever production: “Bouncers is undoubtedly the play most associated with Hull Truck Theatre so staging it here one last time seems a very fitting way to close this much-loved building.”

She said the play is “as popular as ever” with local audiences and she is expecting “massive” demand at the box office, which opens on 3 November, with tickets restricted to four per person bookable by phone or in person only. Visitors during the final week of performances will also receive a special Spring Street souvenir.

Hull Truck’s new home (pictured), designed by Wright & Wright, will incorporate a 440-seat main auditorium and a 134-seat studio, as well as an education suite, corporate facilities and a café bars.

– by Terri Paddock