Claybody Theatre to Stage World Premiere of THE CARD

Claybody Theatre is delighted to announce that this summer it will be presenting the world premiere of Deborah McAndrew's (A Christmas Carol, Leeds Playhouse and Pride and Prejudice, Grosvenor Open Air Theatre) new stage adaptation with music of Arnold Bennett's celebrated 1911 novel The Card.

Directed by Conrad Nelson (Pride and Prejudice, Grosvenor Open Air Theatre) and performed at Fenton Town Hall from 29 June - 9 July, The Card follows the adventures of the loveable rogue Denry Machin, as he makes his way up from humble beginnings to become the most celebrated 'card' in The Five Towns!

The Five Towns make up Bennett's fictional Stoke-on Trent - each identifiable with one of the real towns. However, he was missing one - Fenton. Bennett had nothing against Fenton - he just felt that from a literary point of view, Five Towns just sounded better than six. Fenton has never quite forgiven him. Ironically, performances of The Card will take place in the newly refurbished Ballroom at Fenton Town Hall.

In the comical novel, the character of Denry Machin is identified with 'the great cause of cheering us all up' - and this is the inspiration for the new production. The joyful production will feature a professional cast of 7 actors/musicians and will be supported by the Claybody Community Company and championship brass band Acceler8.

Written in 1911, The Card was adapted into a successful film in 1952 featuring Alec Guinness as Denry Machin and Petula Clark as Nellie. In 1973 it was made into a West End musical featuring Joan Hickson, Jim Dale and Millicent Martin and featuring the choreography by Gillian Lynne. The musical was revived in 1994 at Regent Park's Open Air Theatre.

Arnold Bennett was born and raised in the Potteries which consisted of the six towns of Tunstall, Burslem (where Bennett spent most of his childhood and youth), Hanley (where he was born), Fenton, Stoke and Longton. The six towns amalgamated in 1910 to become the county borough of Stoke-on-Trent. In 1925 it was granted city status. Locally it is still known as 'the Potteries' and every 'Stokie' will tell you that it consists of six towns.

Bennett's original success was based primarily on the novels and short stories based on the life and history of his birthplace but after 1916 the focus of many of his novels was on London and he continued to produce both popular and critically acclaimed novels.

Director, Conrad Nelson said:

"After almost three years without creating a full production, it's wonderful to be back with a show that will lift all our spirits and celebrate a local literary hero - Denry Machin. For a number of years local people have been asking us if we would do an adaptation of The Card, and it feels that this show has arrived just when we need it the most. It's a story that demands music and celebration, and I'm particularly excited to be collaborating with actors/musicians, and the Acceler8 brass band to create a show full of life and fun."

Writer Deborah McAndrew said:

"I'm a huge Arnold Bennett fan and The Card is one of my favourites. Denry is a fantastic character and I know audiences are going to love him."

To coincide with the new production, Claybody Theatre will be staging a series of community and educational activities including 'Have a go' music workshop with community band, Penkhull Village Brass; a post-show panel discussion on Wellbeing and writing and creative workshops - in partnerships with the National Literacy Trust - at local schools and YMCA North Staffordshire.

Claybody Theatre is a Stoke-on-Trent based company whose work is inspired by the lives and experiences of local people. Founded by playwright Deborah McAndrew and director Conrad Nelson, the company's inaugural production, Ugly Duck, was first performed in 2013 at the Burslem School of Art and then at the New Vic Theatre in 2014. Other productions include Digging In, a play for schools about children of mining families during the 1984-5 Miners' Strike; Dirty Laundry, Hot Lane, and The D-Road all presented in Spode Works, Stoke. Claybody's audio drama work includes a podcast version of their 2017 production, Dirty Laundry. During the pandemic years of 2020/21, Claybody continued to make work for the communities of Stoke-on-Trent, with a new audio drama series, The Call, starring Mark Benton, and an online choral work, Greenwood Dreams, which won Staffordshire Day Film Festival 2021. Greenwood Dreams was subsequently developed into a longer piece for live performance - The Silver Arrow - presented in June 2021 at Stoke Minster.

The Card will premiere at Fenton Town Hall from 29 June - 9 July. For further details visit www.claybodytheatre.com

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