Northern Broadsides

The Northern Powerhouse, 1854.

Imagine a world where imagination is forbidden. Coketown is such a place. Thomas Gradgrind will not permit fanciful thoughts in his school or his home. But what effect will this policy have on his own children, Tom and Louisa? How can he protect them from corrupting influences – especially when the circus comes to town?

Dark satanic mills, interrupted by the colour and vibrancy of Sleary’s Circus, set the stage for a sweeping tale of supressed love, seduction and social mores, peopled with the sharply observed and exaggerated characters that Dickens is celebrated for.

Northern Broadsides (For Love or Money, The Merry Wives) return with Deborah McAndrew’s witty adaptation of Charles Dickens’ great Northern novel. Directed by Conrad Nelson, Hard Times brings you a joyful juggling and tumbling through this touching and often hilarious tale of repression and longing.