Hull Truck Theatre launches new fund in honour of founder
22 May 2025 | Press Release
At Hull Truck Theatre we are proud to announce the launch of the Mike Bradwell New Work Fund to honour the legacy of the theatre’s pioneering founder who sadly died on Monday 7 April 2025. With the blessing of his family, the fund has been established to invest in the next generation of great plays, championing local talent and pushing boundaries. Mike Bradwell originally founded Hull Truck Theatre in 1971, when he and a group of fellow actors toured out of the back of a truck, improvising and performing a new form of theatre that put real people and real stories centre stage, staging “great plays, with enough jokes”. From Spring Street to Ferensway, the theatre’s ambition and impact continues to go from strength-to-strength, building on the company’s original aim to make theatre accessible for all. Hull Truck Theatre is keen to honour Mike’s memory by investing in new stories and ideas, building a staple of bold, brave and engaging new plays for future audiences to enjoy. Janthi Mills-Ward, Executive Director at Hull Truck Theatre, said: “Over 50 years ago Mike laid the foundations for a theatre company which flouted conventions and had the courage and determination to follow its own path. Mike’s vision redefined what regional theatre could be – accessible, fearless, and unashamedly real. His legacy lives on not just in the plays he championed, but in the generations of writers and audiences he inspired. Thank you, Mike, for daring to follow the dream.” Critically acclaimed comedy drama, To Have and to Hold, starring Paula Wilcox, Ian Bartholomew and Stephen Tompkinson, currently playing on stage at Hull Truck Theatre, ended its press night with heartfelt tribute by writer, Richard Bean (One Man, Two Guvnors), who asked for a final round of applause in memory of his friend and peer Mike Bradwell. Richard Bean, Playwright said: The Mike Bradwell New Work Fund is a vital lifeline for local, young or unproduced playwrights finding a voice. Theatre new writing is the life blood of not just theatre but also TV and Film as most film and TV writers learned story telling in the theatre. As a dynamic city, Hull is producing stories every day, they're just lying around waiting to be told. Mike Bradwell knew this and that's why he began Truck in Hull. Mike Bradwell believed that theatre should be for everyone and should showcase real-life experiences that audiences could connect with on a personal level. He has continued to be an inspirational presence over the years, and a fitting tribute was paid to his hard work, dedication and risk taking as part of the theatre’s 50th year anniversary celebrations in 2022, where Richard Bean wrote a comedy-drama based on Hull Truck Theatre’s inception story, aptly named 71 Coltman Street. Mark Babych, Artistic Director at Hull Truck Theatre, said: “Hull is a place that champions creativity with new work and new voices, a city Mike Bradwell saw the potential in, all those years ago; “The least likely place in the world to start an experimental theatre company”. The fund is a fitting tribute that will enable us to celebrate the spirit of our founding artistic director and help us sustain our ambition, to continue to take risks in a climate which is often challenging and risk-averse.” Hull Truck Theatre is a registered charity. To donate to the Mike Bradwell New Work Fund and invest towards the commissioning and development of the next generation of great plays, please visit: Mike Bradwell New Work Fund | HullTruckTheatre
