Penny Plain Theatre Company

THE Dales born Penny Plain Theatre Company are on the road again for their third summer season.

In the familiar guise of Malvolio Hardcastle’s Mighty Excelsior, the rabble of ever-hopeful Victorian travelling players begin their tour of the north of England at the weekend with a performance of this year’s epic “The Entire History of the North” at Grassington Festival tomorrow (Saturday 28th)at 1pm and 3pm and Broughton Hall Game Show on Sunday 29th.

The troupe of down-and-out actors and misfits are on a mission: to condense 3000 years of northern history into as many seconds. Without letting little things like facts get in the way, their marathon tale descends into their unique brand of mayhem.

Penny Plain Theatre Company will be appearing at other venues in Yorkshire throughout the summer including Ilkley, Sedbergh, Ripon, and at Belsay Hall in Northumberland with their specially created travelling theatre booth, based on descriptions of the humblest “penny gigs” that entertained fairground audiences in Victorian times.

Author Andrew Jackson explains, “Writing this year’s show has proved quite a task. In order to bend history, you’ve first to get it right. It’s been like a crash course in English history!”

Penny Plain Theatre Company

The inimitable troupe have built up a large following after the success of their previous productions, “Tom Lee”, and “Black-hearted Evil”, both of which have been commissioned by Grassington Festival and gone on to delight audiences throughout the county.

During the winter season, the company are available for after-dinner corporate and social entertainment, performing their interactive show - again in Victorian personae – which features a group of Gothic ghoul-busters and their extraordinary ‘vortex organo alembic morbidulator’ machine.

For further details contact Mark ‘Malvolio’ Bamforth on 01756 751944, or visit www.pennyplaintheatre.co.uk