The New Work Fund and Me…. Introducing Don Knibb
Thumb through any list of stars of stage and screen who were born in 1948 and the names of certain solid, reliable – respectable even – performers jump out at you – Elaine Page, Olivia Newton John, Samuel L Jackson. OK, Gérard Depardieu makes the list as well but only just (born December 27th that year.) But then there’s Mike Bradwell, born in June 1948, legendary founder of Hull Truck Theatre.
In 2022, Bradwell himself wrote that he moved to Hull in 1971 “because he thought it was the least likely place in the world to start an experimental theatre company. Plus,” he added “rents were cheap and social security were unlikely to find us any proper jobs.
I was 23 and I believed that theatre could change the world. I still do. I wanted to make uncompromising, provocative, funny, tough, sexy plays about people you didn’t see in plays, for people who didn’t go to the theatre. I wanted Hull Truck to be a nuisance.”
He founded Hull Truck theatre from a squat in 71 Coltman Street, off Hessle Road, in 1971 an achievement now proudly recorded by a blue plaque on the wall of his house. The squat was barely habitable but was nonetheless inhabited by a group of half-starved but driven actors, along with several feral cats. They didn’t get many bookings, “possibly,” mused Mike “because the administration office was the phone box outside.”
Eventually, his drive and determination to write and produce hard hitting - often uncomfortable - theatre about real people began to attract praise as well as criticism and abuse. The big break came when The Guardian published a rave review about a play called The Knowledge which had been banned in Manchester. The Bush Theatre in London immediately booked Hull Truck for a month and sold out.
Mike died in April this year having not only championed raw, tough plays about working class life, but also having inspired writers, directors, performers and audiences for over half a century. Hull Truck are proud to be honouring his legacy by establishing a New Work Fund to commission and develop new work for the stage.
That fund is helping present Grow Festival, which runs until 10th July, bringing new and contemporary theatre to the stage for real audiences, supporting workshops and networking events and - crucially - seeking out new artists, fostering and cultivating their natural talent. New work is the lifeblood of the organisation and Grow Festival is an opportunity to showcase the work of emerging artists and see firsthand what we can achieve with targeted encouragement and support. What better way to honour Mike Bradwell’s legacy?
So, who am I and why am I getting involved? I was a drama student at Hull University between 1967 and 1970, so I’m pretty much of Mike Bradwell’s generation. I was only just 18 when I arrived here and too immature to make the most of the opportunities I was offered.
After that the demands of holding down a job and bringing up a family drowned out practically everything else and it wasn’t until after I’d retired and the City of Culture came along that I started to feel I could get involved in the community, starting as a Pioneer Volunteer for Hull UK City of Culture in 2016. I’ve been volunteering for various things ever since.
When I first read about the New Work Fund, I was immediately drawn to the thinking behind it and wondered if at last there was a way I could support bringing new work to the stage - perhaps I should have thought of that those 50 years and more ago! When I offered my services to Hull Truck Theatre to help support them amplify the work they’re doing in this area they wondered if I would like to contribute a guest blog about the Grow Festival for the next few weeks.
That sounded like a good idea, so I hope to be chatting to a couple of the artists involved, to Hull Truck Theatre’s producer and perhaps to one or two audience members, getting to know why Grow is important to them, what they’re getting out of it and where it’s leading. I hope that’ll in turn help Grow Festival 2026!