Ensemble ’84 will present its own adaptation of Robert Tressell’s classic novel The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists at The Playhouse from 30 September.
It will be the third major production staged at the new venue this year, following The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet and the return of the musical documentary Pits, People and Players.
Set during the early years of the twentieth century, Tressell’s story follows a group of painters and decorators who spend their working lives creating beautiful homes for wealthy clients. Meanwhile, they struggle to keep their own families warm and properly fed.
The work is exhausting, wages are low and the threat of unemployment is never far away.
Among the workers is Frank Owen, who begins questioning why those responsible for creating wealth are so often the people left living in poverty. As he encourages his colleagues to look at society differently, he discovers that fear, insecurity and the daily need to earn a wage can make collective action extremely difficult.
Funny, moving and unapologetically political, The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists explores friendship, working life and the challenge of creating a fairer society.
The production is directed by internationally acclaimed theatre-maker and Ensemble ’84 Artistic Director Mark Dornford-May. The company’s adaptation will introduce Tressell’s ideas to a modern audience through a distinctive mixture of storytelling, movement and music.
“The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists was written more than 100 years ago, but it still speaks directly to the world we live in today,” Mark told That's Books and More.
“It asks who creates wealth, who benefits from it and why so many people who work the hardest continue to struggle. These are conversations that belong everywhere, but especially in communities with proud industrial histories like East Durham.”
The production continues an ambitious opening year for The Playhouse. Since Sir Ian McKellen helped launch the Horden venue, Ensemble ’84 has welcomed thousands of audience members through its doors.
Its production of The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet attracted a string of four and five-star reviews, while also introducing many audience members to Shakespeare for the first time.
Ensemble ’84 is also an original partner in Into the Light, a county-wide cultural programme intended to support long-term growth across County Durham.
Into the Light Director Julia Handelman-Smith said East Durham had always been shaped by “hard work, solidarity and creativity”, describing Ensemble ’84 as a brilliant example of culture-led regeneration in action.
With its enduring questions about inequality, employment and solidarity, The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists feels particularly at home in a community with such a proud industrial heritage.
The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists will be performed at The Playhouse, Horden, from 30 September. Tickets are available through the Ensemble ’84 website.
