Blackpool Grand Theatre's new season

The Chief Executive of the Blackpool Grand Theatre, Adam Knight, shares what he is most excited about for the new Spring/Summer season.

Transcript

00:00 Hi, I'm Adam Knight and I'm Chief Executive of Blackpool Grand Theatre

00:04 and we're here today at the new season launch for Spring 2024.

00:08 And are you excited for the launch?

00:10 Thrilled for the launch. We've got a fantastic array of shows,

00:13 something for everyone, West End drama and musicals, fantastic shows for families,

00:18 headline comedy and we've got some great dynamic dance, so yes, really excited about the season ahead.

00:24 Is there anything you're particularly looking forward to seeing?

00:26 I guess my highlights for the season are probably going to be My Beautiful Laundrette,

00:32 a brand new production of Hanif Kureishi's Oscar-nominated play, so that's going to be

00:38 with us and very exciting because it's got an original score by the Pet Shop Boys,

00:42 local to Blackpool of course. And then Unfortunate, which is a parody musical direct

00:48 from the West End, the parody of Ursula the Sea Witch, which is going to be a bit naughty,

00:52 a bit feisty, definitely not one for the children but absolutely one for a great laugh for the adults

00:57 and that's with us later this spring as well.

01:00 You may have mentioned it there but is there a show that you think is going to bring in

01:03 the biggest crowds, the biggest attention?

01:05 We've got some really great titles this year but we've also got some really,

01:10 really solid star-led drama. We've got 12 Angry Men, which is from the late, great

01:16 producer Bill Kenwright and that's coming direct from the sellout success of the West End.

01:21 And also for children and families because that's a really, really exciting part of the

01:26 programme for me as well, inspiring young people. We've got the multi-million selling

01:31 book Boy at the Back of the Class, which is going to be live on stage with us later this

01:36 year and that's going to be really exciting I think.

01:38 Aside from the shows, is there anything that the Grand's doing in the following few months

01:43 that you want to mention as a shout-out?

01:45 Yeah, I mean we are riding off the back of our awards success last year, our Creative

01:50 Learning and Engagement activity is as strong as ever. We've got some really exciting projects

01:56 coming this year. We're launching our first ever summer youth musical production,

02:00 Boxy Malone, so young people between the ages of 8 and 17 can come and audition for that

02:05 on the 25th of February. We're also launching a brand new writing project with young writers

02:11 connecting across the North, that's called Life in a Northern Town with acclaimed theatre

02:16 company Northern Broadsides. And we're also launching a very exciting two and a half year

02:21 project with the choreographer Gary Clark and his company and that's going to be working

02:27 with people from the LGBTQ+ community here in Blackpool, looking back at the impact of

02:33 Section 28 on their lives and the stories that come from people here in Blackpool will

02:37 inform the creation of his brand new main stage work which will premiere here in 2025.

02:44 And finally, would you do a rallying call to people in Lancashire to get tickets for

02:48 your shows?

02:49 Absolutely, there literally is something for everyone this season, from blockbusters to

02:54 brilliant new work to as I say dynamic dance and laugh out loud comedy. So yeah, get booking

03:01 and make sure you get in quick, join our 1894 Club because you'll also hear exciting

03:06 announcements of some of the biggest and best new shows and you'll have priority

03:10 access to those tickets there.