ABOUT THE SHOW
After sell-out performances in 2018 & 2019, Hive North want to share the story of a remarkable man who had a particular talent for friendship with the world.
Martyn Hett lost his life in the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, within hours #BeMoreMartyn trended on Twitter – but what does it mean?
Hope Theatre Company asked eight of Martyn's closest friends and created a unique piece of verbatim theatre using their words. They give a remarkable insight into an extraordinary young man, who transformed each and every one of them.
Martyn’s friends take us on a journey from the cobbles of Canal Street to his legendary Eurovision parties, celebrating Coronation Street, Mariah Carey and Michelle McManus along the way.
Martyn’s outrageous and hilarious take on popular culture is brought to life on stage including his infamous Deirdre Barlow tattoo and the YouTube sensation that is The Audrey Roberts Noise.
This play celebrates the power of friendship and encourages audiences to live life to the full, to be proud of who you are and to #BeMoreMartyn.
CAST & CREATIVES
Written by
Adam Zane & Mike Lee
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Directed by
Adam Zane
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Produced by
Mike Lee
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Designer
Dick Longdin
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Company Manager
Flick Gourley
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CAST
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Rachel Paula Lane
Alastair Calum Scott
Mikey Jospeh Carter
Christina Chloe Proctor
Andrew Daniel Maley
Russell Matthew Forey
Hannah Bridget Gallagher
Stuart Carl Blakeley
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DIRECTORS NOTE
Verbatim theatre is a form of documentary theatre in which plays are constructed from the precise words spoken by people interviewed about a particular event or topic.
We welcome you to a new piece of verbatim theatre, about an extraordinary person – Martyn Hett.
I didn’t know Martyn but, like thousands of others I’d liked and shared his videos and even glimpsed his Deirdre tattoo once as my husband and I were rushing through the gay village. I have many friends who knew Martyn and it was for that reason that I found myself at his funeral, sat next to my co-producer Mike Lee.
We were both incredibly moved by the memories shared that day, and couldn’t think of a more fitting theatrical tribute than interviewing Martyn’s friends and sharing their stories of the boy with the Deirdre tattoo. I also wanted to discover for myself what it means to ‘Be More Martyn’.
Martyn’s family put us into contact with eight people who would give a snapshot of his life. We conducted interviews with them in September 2017 and April 2018.
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