Sheffield Theatres to Present New Adaptation Of KES as Part of Yorkshire Festival, 27 March-5 April

A brand new dance-theatre adaptation of Barry Hines' classic novel A Kestrel For A Knave has its world premiere at the Crucible Theatre from Thursday 27 March to Saturday 5 April, and is one of the first events in the Yorkshire Festival 2014.

Based on one of Yorkshire's most celebrated stories, Kes follows the life of Billy Casper, isolated at home and school, who is shaped by two contrasting worlds; an industrial, working class Barnsley and the natural landscape that surrounds his Yorkshire town. When he finds and befriends a wild kestrel hawk, his whole life soars to new heights as his relationship with the bird unleashes his imagination, inspiring him to reach for the sky.

A fantastic company of professional and young performers have been brought together for this brand new production. The cast features Laura Caldow (Mother), Laura Careless (Girl), Dom Czapski (Mr Farthing), Chester Hayes (Billy), Tom Jackson-Greaves (Jud), Barnaby Meredith (Guy), Anton Skrzypiciel (Mr Gryce) and Phil Snowden (Mr Sugden), and a youth ensemble of 18 local performers complete the company.

Adapted for the stage by Barnsley-born director and choreographer Jonathan Watkins (a former soloist of the Royal Ballet Company, who recently worked as Movement Director on People at The National Theatre), Kes is a mix of dance, physical theatre and puppetry and features original music by Alex Baranowski (Betrayal, Othello, The Village Bike) alongside a stunning set designed by Barnsley-born Ben Stones.

Speaking about the production, Jonathan Watkins said: 'Being from Barnsley, Kes is a story I grew up with and I've been passionate about creating this dance-theatre adaptation for a long time now. Working with Alex Baranowski on the score, Ben Stones on design and a fantastic team of dancers to re-imagine this well loved story in a new way, I am very much looking forward to sharing this production with audiences later this month.'

Sheffield Theatres' Artistic Director Daniel Evans said: 'When Jonathan and I first met to discuss this adaptation, I knew it would be something special. Kes will be our first foray into producing dance-theatre for the Crucible stage and I think the combination of dance, physical theatre, music and puppetry will be breathtaking. We're thrilled to be contributing to the celebration of the arts in Yorkshire as well, with Kes featuring as one of the first events in the Yorkshire Festival 2014.'

Yorkshire Festival 2014 is the first ever 100-day festival to precede the Grand Depart in its 111 year history and takes place from 27 March to 6 July 2014. Nearly 50 events have been selected to be officially part of the Yorkshire Festival 2014 which will also include hundreds of fringe events.

Kes comes to the Crucible Stage from Thursday 27 March - Saturday 5 April. Tickets are priced £10.00 - £21.00 and can be purchased from Sheffield Theatres' Box Office on 0114 249 6000, in person and online at sheffieldtheatres.co.uk. A transaction fee of £1.50 (£1.00 online) applies to all bookings made at the Box Office excluding cash. For more details about the production, visit www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk.

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