Hope Mill Theatre

About Hope Mill Theatre

Award winning theatre space- located in Ancoats close to the city of Manchester. Offering a varied programme: including musicals, plays, new writing, comedy & family theatre.

Registered charity: 118 3251

Hope Mill Theatre Description

Hope Mill Theatre is a brand new 70 seat fringe theatre in the heart of the city of Manchester!

Started by performers William Whelton and Joseph Houston, they were inspired by the growing arts /entertainment culture in Manchester.

This is a unique, multi functional venue bringing a lot of opportunities for creative people in the City and beyond! The space is perfect for Plays, Musicals, Cabarets, Comedy, Live Bands, Movies, Rehearsals, Dance classes and even private events such as weddings and corporate events.

Inside is also the brand new Engine Room Cafe and Bar, which is a brand new quirky space, serving brilliant coffee, simple selection of delicious foods, hand selected wines and craft beers.

So, come along and check us out!

Reviews

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On behalf of all of us at Hope Mill Theatre - HAPPY PRIDE WEEKEND!

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Thank you so much to recent backer Ian Strangward for this comment in our Crowdfunder...
"We’ve made two visits to this lovely venue in 2018 & already have our tickets for Return of the Soldier. We love what Hope Mill is trying to achieve - if we could support more money at this time we would... Maybe we will win the lottery next week and be able to bankroll the project!"
... We're crossing everything Ian! ;)
Thank you so much to everyone who has backed us already. We've realised that if everyone who 'likes' Hope Mill on Facebook gave £1, we would surpass our target!
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/return-of-t he-soldi…/comments/?
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We love this Q and A with Ilovemcr and our co-Artistic Director Katy Lipson!
About Hope Mill, musicals, Return of the Soldier and risk-taking!
https://ilovemanchester.com/…/meet-the- salford-woman-helpin…

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ATTENTION!!
To Bee or Not To Bee, a Hope Mill Theatre Scratch night is COMING!
We are on the lookout for any COMPANIES, MOVERS, DEVISERS, WRITERS, POETS, CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS and ACTORS to come on forward and submit any performance ideas that you have been considering either for years or seconds - we want to hear it.
... Please contact for more details, and submit in form of tape or writing to hopemilltech@gmail.com.
Applications to be sent by 31st AUGUST 5PM! You will need to be available on the day and evening of Thursday 4th Oct.
Please share!! #ScratchNight #HopeMillTheatre #Birthday
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Next up at Hope Mill Theatre with tickets going fast! Welcoming back SIDE BY SIDE Productions (one of Manchester’s leading amateur dramatics company)
With music and lyrics by Jeff Bowen and book by Hunter Bell, it follows the story of two struggling writers as they write a new musical for a festival. As the deadline for submissions looms, the pair make a pact to write until the festival’s deadline and submit whatever they’ve written… even if that means a collection of hilario...usly random conversations between themselves and friends Susan, Heidi and Larry.
This refreshing and original musical is above all else, a love letter to musical theatre and to the joy of collaboration.
https://hopemilltheatre.co.uk/events/titl e-of-show/
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This is what it's all about.
What gives theatre-makers that sense of why we do what we do. All the (literal) blood, sweat and tears that goes into putting a show on is worth it - because we are storytellers & choose stories that need to be told.
Thank you so much to the audience member who sent this email following CLOSETS. Well done to the incredible company behind this show. It won't be the end, we know that.
... #PRIDE #PrideManchester #Manchester #ClosetsTheMusical
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Our next #PlayReadingClub is NEXT WEEK! Script & host announcement coming this week....
If you've not been along before to our monthly play reading - what are you waiting for? Only £6 to attend, which includes a free hot drink!
Friday 31st of August... 11am - 1pm Hope Mill Theatre
Open to all!
https://hopemilltheatre.co.uk/…/hope-mi ll-theatres-play-re…/
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Help us get to our next milestone! We've cracked £2K - can we crack 3 by the end of today??
#ReturnoftheSoldier is a brand new British Musical, that will receive it's Northern premiere at Hope Mill Theatre this September!
Be a part of our ground-breaking initiative to bring new musical theatre to Manchester....
... https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/return-of-t he-soldier-1/
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Thank you so much to our community for pointing this out!
We are very proud to be included in this list of the UK's Most Essential Theatres Outside London.
#NorthernPower #theatre #Independent
... https://www.standard.co.uk/…/uk-theatre -outside-london-from…
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We on the hunt for a remarkable Musical Director for PUTTING IT TOGETHER by Stephen Sondheim!
Running from the 24th of October - 24th of November, with rehearsals from the 1st of October. Manchester based project!
Please send all CVs to Katy at katy@aria-entertainment.com
... #WorkWithUS #ArtsJobs #Jobs
Read more about PUTTING IT TOGETHER here!
https://hopemilltheatre.co.uk/…/stephen -sondheims-putting-…/
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Audiences! You can now easily view our Engine Room Bar menu online & even pre-order food!
Loving our swanky new website thanks to Grizzly Bear Design
https://hopemilltheatre.co.uk/restaurant/

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Be a part of 'Return of the Soldier'!
We are reaching out to our amazing supporters, audiences & friends to help us continue making the best independent musical theatre in Manchester.
Please have a read of our pledges and see how you can be a part of this special, special project!
... #SupportUs #Crowdfunder #Soldier #Musical
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/return-of-t he-soldier-1/
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Hey folks! Please bear with us as we are launching our swanky new website at the moment! And, as with anything new and swanky, there are some teething issues.
If you're trying to book tickets, and cannot, feel free to give us a call or email hopemillproductions@gmail.com and we will get it sorted for you!

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Please support us and help us bring you new British musical Return of the Soldier!
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/return-of-t he-soldier-1/

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⭐️ CROWDFUNDER! ⭐️
Following two unsuccessful bids to Arts Council England, we are reaching out for any support out there to help us deliver our next musical “The Return of the Soldier”.
Please have a watch of our pledge video and read more. Any “shares” or help spreading the word would be beyond appreciated.
... Please support us and allow us to continue bringing you the very best in local independent musical theatre! And thank you to all our wonderful audiences and supporters who have helped us come this far.
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/return-of-t he-soldier-1/?#
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Proud to say our Engine Room Bar continues it’s 5-Star food hygiene rating!
Love our new #Chef & Supervisor @loiselizabethmackie ❤️🤘🎉😎

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Opening TONIGHT to a #SoldOut show is Closets the Musical!
If you want to see this - do not delay. Tickets going like hotcakes!
https://www.whatsonstage.com/…/closets- musical-first-listen…

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Read all about Hope Mill Theatre's next musical - The Return of the Solider by Charles Miller and Tim Sanders. A musical adaptation of Rebecca West’s remarkable novella written at the end of World War One.
Set in Harrow during the summer of 1916, The Return of the Soldier is an intensely bitter-sweet tale, dissecting the very different love of three women for one man. When Christopher returns from the front, shell-shocked and with memory loss, there are profound consequences ...for all three women and their love. In the end, only an extraordinary sacrifice will restore the fragile status quo.
Secure your tickets today!
https://hopemilltheatre.co.uk/ev…/the-r eturn-of-the-soldier/
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‘Aspects of Love’ was absolutely stunning!! Go & see it.. just beautiful!! & such a great, welcoming & intimate theatre.. Loved it!

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You can literally see the sheer love for (musical) theatre everyone involved in their productions has. So happy and grateful a venue like this exists in Manchester, keep up the excellent work y’all!

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What great theatre a hidden gem in Manchester glad that we have found this will definitely going again ! Aspects of love was brilliant .

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What else can I say but a thankyou, from the bottom of my heart. First time at the venue- perfection! The production of little women took me right back to growing up, peformances were just stunning. The cast were sensational & thankyou so much. Have a fantastic Christmas to you all, I cannot wait to come back. Huge love to you all. Xxxxx

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What a great venue. Went for the first time to see Aspects of Love. The cast's performances rival the West End. The theatre offers a smaller, more intimate setting than other venues in Manchester but by 'eck does it provide quality productions. Will definitely be going to see more here, which will hopefully live up to the bar set by Aspects of Love.

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Went to see “Little Women” on Friday.. Absolutely great space and a wonderful show! The cast was fantastic but the the standout for me was the girl that played Beth .. she was amazing!!!

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Went to see D'Eon at Hope Mill last night. A fantastic performance from a great troupe of actors. Brilliant story about a fascinating and virtually forgotten character in history. Would be sorry if it didn't receive a nomination in the Manchester Theatre Awards.

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Went to Hope Mill for the first time this evening and saw Spring Awakenings. Superb.

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This is the second visit to HopeMill Theatre, having attended a performance of "The Boy with the Deirdre Tattoo" on the anniversary of the Arena bombing.



The theatre is small and very intimate. The staff in the establishment are friendly and helpful. Booking online is slick and easy.



The current production - "Aspects of Love" - is terrific. The set is simple but multi-functional. Sound and lighting are spot-on.



The cast are amazing and the singing and acting of the very highest standard. The two main characters (Alex and Rose) are brilliantly portrayed and sung. Mention in particular to Felix Mosse who plays Alex: I suspect we'll hear and see a lot more of him in the future.



The show is on until August 9th. If you want a great night out, go and see it. This theatre is a gem and the quality of its actors/actresses is astounding.

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Theatre's timeline.



Saw last night's performance of Little Women and cannot recommend this production enough. This was one of my favourite books growing up and I still have such vivid pictures of the four March girls in my head even now. And it was as if the director Bronagh Lagan had taken those memories and cast the four parts accordingly. The four actresses are all wonderful. Jemima Watling has all the reserve and serenity of the oldest, sensible sister Meg, Cathy Read looked and acted just as warm and caring and delicate as Beth should be and Katie Marie-Carter's Amy was just spoilt enough but with enough warmth that you did not absolutely hate her. And as for Amie Giselle-Ward's Jo, I really do not have words enough to convey how utterly she inhabited the role, with such energy and spirit that after each performance she must be absolutely exhausted. I must also mentio Anna Stolli who played Marmee becasue she too was everything I expect Mrs March to be. By singling out these five ladies I do not detract from everyone else in the cast whose performances were also a joy to watch.

The score was wonderful and the sound made by this cast of 10 was amazing. My only small criticism was with one or two costume issues but I have nothing but praise and admiration for all the performances and would urge everyone to go see this fabulous production.

I live in Peterborough which is a three hour drive away and first went to Hope Mill to see Parade because I had never seen it performed. That was the first of five productions here that I have now made the journey for, and I will continue to support this amazing little theatre whose performance standards are second to none.

User

Saw Spring Awakening tonight. Absolutely amazing. If you haven't seen it get a move on, you will not be disappointed

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Saw Spring Awakening tonight and just wow! Huge congratulations to all the cast and crew, and without any spoilers for those who have yet to experience the story, its rare that I come away from a show with such a feeling of frustrated righteous anger at some of the characters and what they have done. Stunning performance, and I only hope I can be as good as this cast one day!

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Saw Spring Awakening last night, absolutely amazing and so great to be so close to the action! Cracking cocktails too �

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No one is producing theatre as good as this! These guys are fantastic x

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My wufe & I came to see 'Aspects of Love' last night in celebration of our wedding anniversary. From the moment we walked through the door we were treated to the most incredible experience.



We reserved a table in the engine room and enjoyed pizza with a bottle wine. The decore and atmosphere are excellent.



Then we were invited to take our seats in the theatre. The setting is intimate and we were so close to the stage that during the performance, we felt part of the performance.



I came not really knowing the story and only able to say that 'Love Changes Everything' is from the show. It was not on my bucket list of shows to see.



I was blown away with this performance, the company were incredible. Each gave an amazing and convincing performance that could not be faulted. I have been to many West End shows with some company members falling short in their performance.

Kelly's performance of 'Anything But Lonely' was absolutely incredible in her role as Rose Vibert. Felix exceeds Michael Ball in his performance of Alex. His vocal command and diction....amazing.

You only have to read the programme and the training / experience of each company member to know this is a stella cast.



Thankyou each and everyone for giving us such a treat.



We will return to this venue, we are so lucky to have this on our doorsep.

User

Me and my youngest daughter went to see your matinee performance on Saturday 28 April. I'd only ever really heard the original cast recording a couple of times, but I was aware of what the musical was about etc.



I have to say that after having now seen your performance, Spring Awakening is now my new favourite musical and that it is ahead of some pretty major musicals at that.



The performances, singing and orchestration were all fantastic and as good as can be found in any West End production. The small intimate set was perfect and was brilliantly adapted for the production and I loved the ingenious lighting design throughout the show.



It's unfortunate that we went so late into the production run, otherwise I would definitely pay to see it again, I only wish a recorded performance could be made available, but at least I have fantastic memories of it to think back on.



I wasn't sure what to expect, but I absolutely loved the venue and is perfectly suited to musicals such as this.



Well done everybody and good luck for the future :)

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Manchester’s coolest theatre, bringing innovative and exciting musicals to the North-West together with quality touring productions.

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Just seen a stunning performance of Aspects Of Love at Hope Mill Theatre. Stunning voices, choreography, set and ambience. Get tickets!

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Just saw Aspects of Love and it was amazing, every member of the cast were incredible and would highly recommend everyone seeing it before they miss out!!

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Just home from an Aspects of Love showing. BRILLIANT. Great dialogue. Could hear every word from every cast member.

My only one small complaint - Please come back in for a second round of applause. Please consider it. All the cast fully deserve the accolade of a second round of applause.

I saw this play in London, December 1989, This evenings rendition was Fabulous - worthy of a standing ovation actually.

I hope you all enjoy this next few weeks run.

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Just been to see Spring Awakening and absolutely loved it. What an amazing show. The cast put on a fabulous performance. The choreography and production were outstanding. Well done to all!

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Just back from seeing Little women at Hope Mill. What a truly fantastic show. I loved every second of it. The cast were all great especially thd young lady who played Jo. What a great performance.it was my first visit to Hope mill but will not be my last. A wonderful experience from start to finish.

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If you haven't seen ToyBoy Diaries yet then book fast before this show finishes....this is yet another masterpiece of theatre by HMT. It's a great show full of fun and laughter and without a spoiler.....wait till the Garden Party.....you will be crying with laughter. DO NOT MISS THIS SHOW! Loved it, thank you.

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I travelled all the way from Bracknell to Manchester to see this, and it was worth it many times over. A fantastic show.

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I have been to hope mill theatre with my dad (Jonathan Webster) on numerous occasions. All of the staff are great and always welcome us with open arms.

The cast of everything we have seen have been full of talent. My all time favourite was hair!!

Looking forward to my next visit!!

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Hope Mill hosted our wedding reception in October and was an amazing venue. Already a great looking space with great atmosphere, we were given a lot of creative freedom with the decoration which was really special. Everyone had a lovely time and the bar staff were attentive and very friendly.

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Hope Mill Theatre will always be a special place to me. I was warmly greeted every time I went. The ambience is wonderful. The staff and indeed the owners were very welcoming and helpful. I only wish Manchester was nearer. I wish the theatre enormous success in the future.

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Great little theatre. Accessibility was good (couldn’t see any designated parking spaces though). We will definitely be back.

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First visit this evening and I have been blown away this place is amazing. Talking to people it’s a place for everybody the prices ensure accessibility . I will definitely return

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First visit here tonight and I’m absolutely blown away! What an amazing place! Massive well done to everyone that has ‘a part to play’ here. Amazing!! I’ll be back for sure x

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First time at Hope Mill Theatre and definitely won’t be the last . Went to see little women last night, wasn’t feeling my best & for some reason reason didn’t have the highest expectations. However, this show proved to be probably one of the best productions me and my husband, David Bishop have seen. It was up there with all the big theatre productions. Absolutely brilliant and lucky to have had the opportunity to get to see this in such an intimate setting. Everything was perfect, the music, the stage setting, production and of course the casting. I really wish everybody involved in this production the best and have no doubt they will all go on to excel in whatever they do.



After the interval, 2nd half and all that could be heard from the audience was people crying. You felt every emotion from the actors, very emotional. A real grand finale to a stunning performance.



Well done

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Close enough to flick the ears of the performers if I wasn't so restrained, dodging spittle and moving my toes out of the way at times too. Overall verdict? Stunning. Every single performer was on top form dramatically and vocally. One of them even threw in a bit of piano and distorted electric guitar along the way. Fantastic value for money. Can't recommend it enough. Spring awakening.

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Came to see Spring Awakening and I was blown away by the brilliance of it - choreography, vocalists, performances all completely stunning - I have seen musicals all over the world and have to say this performance topped the lot - a brilliant musical but directed with complete care and emotion towards it's subject matter - Teleri Hughes melted me in Purple Summer and to see there were 4 or 5 first time performers amazed me - I will be back

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Came last night to watch The visitors book. What a lovely place this is. The atmosphere was really good. Never been before but hope to come again in the future x

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Aspects of love fantastic show full of great singing and dancing in the best theatre ever ��

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An amazing theatre and amazing show! West End Quality!

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An amazing and accommodating theatre that has been so well designed. The staff were fantastic and the owner even took time to speak to us. Fantastic place

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Amazing atmosphere every time we go...and top-drawer in terms of productions.

We’ve seen “Spring Awakening” & “Aspects of Love” this year so far and will be back again...

It might be a three hour drive but worth every minute of it!

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Went to see Toyboy Diaries last night. The cast were excellent.

We enjoyed some food in the cafe before the show. Lovely atmosphere. Would definitely go again.

More about Hope Mill Theatre

Hope Mill Theatre is located at 113 Pollard Street, M47JA Manchester, United Kingdom
01612759141
http://www.hopemilltheatre.co.uk