Mike Bradwell New Work Fund

We owe so much to our founder Mike Bradwell, who died in April 2025. He made a huge contribution to the progression of new writing in the UK. To mark his pioneering legacy, we’ve started this new fund to carry that flame – investing in commissioning and developing new work for the stage.

Mike founded Hull Truck Theatre in 1971, originally as a radical theatre company touring out the back of a van. Born from a rebellious spirit and a belief that theatre should be for everyone, Hull Truck quickly gained a reputation for bold, raw, and often hilarious storytelling rooted in working-class life.

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.

We want to honour Mike by continuing to be a nuisance. Donate to the Mike Bradwell New Work Fund today and invest in the next generation of great plays with enough jokes.

Thank you Mike – you will never be forgotten.

“The bargain of real, proper theatre is when a group of human beings on stage get together with a group of human beings in the audience to fearlessly celebrate their human being-ness. Pass it on.” - Mike Bradwell