Great Expectations- Basingstoke ...a fine production, and Hotbuckle are to be applauded for bringing classics to regional audiences in such an accessible and entertaining way. WOS Rating:  - by Simon Cole - Whatsonstage.com read full review   Great Expectations-Spring 2012 All the performances are good. Proffit has the measure of the boy who learns the hard way that becoming a gentleman involves more than fine clothes and wine-rich dinners. Lockwood is properly cool as Estella, puppyish as Pocket and country simple as Biddy. Davidson’s Joe Gargery is the essence of honest goodness..... WOS Rating:  - by Anne Morley-Priestman - Whatsonstage.com It was a tightly choreographed performance by all five of the actors, which worked beautifully, like a Swiss watch, and was a pleasure to watch.....All of the Actors were outstanding..... I was particularly impressed with Fiona Leaning who somehow managed to glide across the stage as a memorably creepy Miss Havisham, - Ray Turner , Eastleigh News "This is one of the most powerful pieces of theatre I have ever seen." John MacKenna - Novelist, Playwright "The actors play all the parts in this fast-paced, moving, humorous and novel re-making of Great Expectations The script is wordy and fast paced, requiring great demands from the actors, but it is with this they excel.... .... this production is a clever and novel re-birth of a famous classic that does not fail to grip you through its contemporary approach." Reviewer: Nicola Harrison The Public Reviews Rating:  / read more

Please click on venue names to book tickets

Darlington Arts Centre	Mar 9th
Sutton, Bedford	Mar 10th
The Grand, Clitheroe	Mar 14th
Blake theatre Monmouth	Mar 16th
the Brook Theatre, Chatham	Mar 17th
Castle, Wellingborough	Mar 21st
Berry Theatre, Eastleigh	Mar 23rd
Manor Pavillion, Sidmouth	Mar 24th
Tivoli Theatre, Wimbourne	Apr 5th
The Place, Bedford	Apr 6th/7th
Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge	12th Apr
The Mermaid, Bray	13th Apr
The Ramor, Cavan	14th Apr
The Ellen Terry Barn, Smallhythe	Apr 19th/20th/21st/22nd
The Mill, Banbury, Oxon	Apr 26th
Junction, Goole, East Yorks	Apr 28th
Stantonbury Campus theatre , Milton Keynes	May 3rd
Old town Hall, Hemel Hempstead	May 4th
Basingstoke Central Studio	May 18th
Riverhouse Arts Centre	May 19th
Ropetackle Centre, Shoreham by Sea	Jun 6th
Theatre Royal, York	Jun 8th
The Carlow Festival	Jun 12th/13th
Roscommon Arts Centre	Jun 14th

 

 

Ballad of a bird Tour 2010

please click here to read further details of our exciting production "Ballad of a bird"

  This exciting new play from Hotbuckle playwrite Adrian Preater tells a modern fable of a girl searching for her dreams. With his usual wit and love of the absurd, Adrian delivers another exciting experience, only this time it's in rhyme! To find out more please email Gemma, Fiona or Adrian on info@hotbuckleproductions.co.uk

Mrs M Lofthouse (Blackburn): "Excellent play"
Margaret Henman (Clitheroe) "Clever, poignant, amusing. Very cleverly performed. Impressive!"
Jean Goodwin (Padiham): "Very good play - unusual, original and funny."

*****************************************************************

 

Joshua Tour Autumn 2009 and Autumn 2010

(re Joshua tour Autrumn 2010) This is theatre of the absurd, redolent of Kafka’s The Trial refracted through Joe Orton’s Sixties’ farces: daft, not too weird, increasingly humorous, and peppered with Orwellian politics. Hotbuckle hope to return to York; Joshua is a promising start.

Charles Hutchinson The Press

(read full review)

Hotbuckle's production of Joshua achieved the difficult feat of being very funny and illustrating the corruptible nature of power in our society. The hunger for belonging and meaning that besets the everyman of today, leaves us open to exploitation and makes us capable of nonsensical cruelty. Today's wars and divisions are in then name of Truth, justice and GOD and Joshua manages to show how both absurd and dangerously  manipulated this can become. The use of the intended crucifixtion of Joshua was brilliant. It simultaneously reminded me of  "the life of Brian " , Abu Greab detention centre and  the sacrifice of Jesus!!! The play was expertly poised between genuine laughter and discomfort. The acting was superb especially the characters around Joshua who whirled in and out of his "cell" with wonderful energy and light. The last scene was so funny that I am eagerly awaiting the writer's next production.!! Emma Buckley

Just to say, I thought you were all wonderful. I thought the play was brilliant and I just loved the whole thing. You are a truly talented lot. Thank you for inviting us!

Penny Vincenzi

 

Hotbuckle Productions Community Interest Company is a Surrey based, professional theatre company created by actors Adrian Preater and Gemma Aston. Hotbuckle's purpose is to bring excellent theatrical productions to the general public at an affordable price. Our company value is to "do as you would be done by". In other words, as employers we only ever ask things of our employees that we would be happy to have asked of us. As a company we treat our clients as we would wish to be treated ourselves.

From our experience as jobbing actors and having worked for many companies ourselves, we have concerns that some theatre companies produce some very mediocre and expensive productions and take advantage of both their actors and their clients, once they find themselves in a position to do so. Our mission is never to do this but instead produce excellent theatre that impresses all concerned and that actors are proud to perform. We practise a policy of "equal opportunities" employment.