The Chief Executive of the Blackpool Grand Theatre, Adam Knight, shares what he is most excited about for the new Spring/Summer season.
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00:00 Hi, I'm Adam Knight and I'm Chief Executive of Blackpool Grand Theatre
00:04 and we're here today at the new season launch for Spring 2024.
00:08 And are you excited for the launch?
00:10 Thrilled for the launch. We've got a fantastic array of shows,
00:13 something for everyone, West End drama and musicals, fantastic shows for families,
00:18 headline comedy and we've got some great dynamic dance, so yes, really excited about the season ahead.
00:24 Is there anything you're particularly looking forward to seeing?
00:26 I guess my highlights for the season are probably going to be My Beautiful Laundrette,
00:32 a brand new production of Hanif Kureishi's Oscar-nominated play, so that's going to be
00:38 with us and very exciting because it's got an original score by the Pet Shop Boys,
00:42 local to Blackpool of course. And then Unfortunate, which is a parody musical direct
00:48 from the West End, the parody of Ursula the Sea Witch, which is going to be a bit naughty,
00:52 a bit feisty, definitely not one for the children but absolutely one for a great laugh for the adults
00:57 and that's with us later this spring as well.
01:00 You may have mentioned it there but is there a show that you think is going to bring in
01:03 the biggest crowds, the biggest attention?
01:05 We've got some really great titles this year but we've also got some really,
01:10 really solid star-led drama. We've got 12 Angry Men, which is from the late, great
01:16 producer Bill Kenwright and that's coming direct from the sellout success of the West End.
01:21 And also for children and families because that's a really, really exciting part of the
01:26 programme for me as well, inspiring young people. We've got the multi-million selling
01:31 book Boy at the Back of the Class, which is going to be live on stage with us later this
01:36 year and that's going to be really exciting I think.
01:38 Aside from the shows, is there anything that the Grand's doing in the following few months
01:43 that you want to mention as a shout-out?
01:45 Yeah, I mean we are riding off the back of our awards success last year, our Creative
01:50 Learning and Engagement activity is as strong as ever. We've got some really exciting projects
01:56 coming this year. We're launching our first ever summer youth musical production,
02:00 Boxy Malone, so young people between the ages of 8 and 17 can come and audition for that
02:05 on the 25th of February. We're also launching a brand new writing project with young writers
02:11 connecting across the North, that's called Life in a Northern Town with acclaimed theatre
02:16 company Northern Broadsides. And we're also launching a very exciting two and a half year
02:21 project with the choreographer Gary Clark and his company and that's going to be working
02:27 with people from the LGBTQ+ community here in Blackpool, looking back at the impact of
02:33 Section 28 on their lives and the stories that come from people here in Blackpool will
02:37 inform the creation of his brand new main stage work which will premiere here in 2025.
02:44 And finally, would you do a rallying call to people in Lancashire to get tickets for
02:48 your shows?
02:49 Absolutely, there literally is something for everyone this season, from blockbusters to
02:54 brilliant new work to as I say dynamic dance and laugh out loud comedy. So yeah, get booking
03:01 and make sure you get in quick, join our 1894 Club because you'll also hear exciting
03:06 announcements of some of the biggest and best new shows and you'll have priority
03:10 access to those tickets there.