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Now Then Manchester opens 'The Box of Tricks'


Stephen Hornby, who co-wrote the play with Ric Brady, tells Kate, "It’s about two brothers growing up together, their relationship with their mother and aunt and what that means to them as young men.

"Mike is the older and when the play opens, his younger brother, Karl, has just been killed. We see them growing up from four-year-olds to their early 20s in flashbacks. There’s a mystery over why they fell out and why Mike won’t speak at the funeral. It’s got some intense and emotional scenes, but it’s also got lots of comedy in it."

When asked why Pagelight created and produced the play, which premiered at last year's 24:7 Theatre Festival, Stephen answered: "Both Ric and I have had experiences of grief, though thankfully neither of us has lost a brother. I think we wanted to explore how grief can send everyone crazy for a bit, how it reveals who people really are and how it throws everything that life is about into question.

"Theatrically, I’m also interested in transformations. It’s always struck me that one of the magical things about theatre is seeing people change in front of you. We’ve got two really talented and physical actors playing the brothers [Sam Thompson and Ryan Clayton].

"I love the magic of an actor sat on the floor being a convincing seven-year-old playing with a dinosaur and, by the time he’s stood up, he’s a 29-year-old man full of anger and grief. Sam, who plays Mike, does such an excellent job at that. It’s mesmerising to watch and I’m sure very demanding for him to perform. But then, we like challenging our actors."

The tour of 'The Box of Tricks' continues next week with performances at The Mill at the Pier in Wigan and Seven Arts Centre in Leeds.

Tickets can be found on venue websites, and also here.


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