Hull Truck Theatre is pleased to announce an exciting programme of musical experiences, inviting audiences to celebrate the joy of coming together.
Live musicians, award-winning band members and astonishing singers and dancers will entertain you through June, before jazzing it up in July in partnership with Hull Jazz Festival, one of the leading producers of world jazz in the North of England. Producing the Hull Jazz Festival since 1992, also building, maintaining, and developing partnerships with organisations including Hull Truck Theatre, providing developmental opportunities for national, regional, and local performing artists.
First up, June kicks off summer with the work of The Boss, an 8-piece tribute The Sound Of Springsteen (Thursday 16 June) bringing their years of live performances and recording to rock you with Bruce Springsteen’s greatest hits and deep cuts. With songs including Born In The USA, Glory Days, Streets of Philadelphia and many more, this is a night of passion for Springsteen.
The Bluejays return to Hull Truck Theatre with Rave On (Friday 17 June), a thrilling tour through music’s most revolutionary decades. The show features the greatest hits of the 1950s and 60s, from the likes of Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, The Beatles, Connie Francis, Eddie Cochran to Little Richard, Roy Orbison, Lulu, Cliff Richard and many more.
Ollie Seymour-Marsh, Band leader of The Bluejays said: “We’ve had the chance to explore material we’ve not covered before and create a show which moves into an exciting new decade. We didn’t want to lose sight of the 1950s and of course, the story of rock and roll starts here, but we started to ask ourselves how could we explore the way the music travelled globally throughout the next decade? We stop around 1966 just before psychedelia turns up. Who knows, maybe that’ll be our next show.”
Showstopper! The Improvised Musical (Saturday 18 June) returns to Hull for another truly unique evening of smash hit musical comedy. A brand-new musical comedy is created from scratch at each performance of this award-winning show as audience suggestions are transformed on the spot into all-singing, all dancing productions with hilarious results. These incredible performers are guaranteed to impress as they create shows packed with drama, dazzling dance routines and catchy melodies – it’s just all made up on the spot! So, whether you fancy Hamilton in a hospital or Sondheim in the Sahara, you suggest it and The Showstoppers will sing it!
Hull Jazz Festival (12 – 16 July), returns to celebrate 30 years with a selection of international guests alongside a spotlight on new music, with a strong focus on Hull. Artists from the Ukraine, New Orleans and New York join musicians from across Hull to headline the festival.
David Porter, Director at Hull Jazz Festival said: “There’s something for everyone at the July Hull Jazz Festival ranging from the authentic New Orleans banjo sounds of Don Vappie through to the extraordinary jazz harp music of Ukrainian Alina Bzhezhinska. Artists from around the world come together at Hull Truck Theatre to join with great Hull musicians Such as Late-Night Marauders, Hull Freedom Chorus and Violinist Matt Holborn.”
The festival opens with an extraordinary large-scale collaborative choral work Earth Makes No Sound (Tuesday 12 July) presented by Filament Theatre and the Hull Freedom Chorus. This work is inspired by the elements and the changes happening to our planet and how we look after it. Exciting, stirring, and bizarre in equal message, the overall message is one of hope that we can live in our home in harmony and with respect.
Ukraine / Polish internationally renowned harpist Alina Bzhezhinska (Thursday 14 July) brings her international hip harp project to Hull Truck Theatre. One of the leading harpists in the world today, she has built a strong reputation for innovation. Creating a unique sound on the harp, with layered effects and electronics, Alina will be supported by music supremo’s Mikele Montolli (bass), Joel Prime (percussion) & Adam Teixeira (drums). Expect to hear the harp as you’ve never heard it before.
Hull-bred Matt Holborn (Friday 15 July), unveils his new suite of music inspired by the City of Hull, inspired by its history and place on the map. Matt is one of the UK’s finest jazz violinists. This piece was specially commissioned by the festival for its 30th year. Following this on the same evening Hull’s band of the moment Late Night Marauders play their first major theatre show, led by soul singer Ruth Scott, piano wizard James Wood and an expanded brass and soul section especially for the occasion.
Don Vappie and Jazz Creole (Saturday 16 July), arrive in the city direct from New Orleans. Don Vappie is the number one jazz banjoist on the planet today and is the recipient of the 2021 Steve Martin Banjo Prize. He has kept the Creole music of New Orleans alive winning many awards and performs alongside such greats as Wynton Marsalis, Eric Clapton and Bette Midler. The show combines all the New Orleans styles from early traditional jazz to modern day funk.
Finally, there is a triple bill of new work by 3 Hull and East Yorkshire-based emerging artists, commissioned by the Jazz Festival. The Kickstart Commissions: 3 World Premieres (Saturday 16 July) features British-Egyptian singer Camille Maalawy who has created a series of songs with composer Tom Lawrence and Hull schoolchildren themed around migration, connection, and cultural identity. Stories of Hull, it’s people and history take centre stage with the improvising musicians Aby Vulliamy, George Murray, Seth Bennett and Maureen Lennon. Lastly, Composer and producer James Rushworth’s multi-media piece Trespass documents the story of the 1932 Kinder Scout Mass Trespass 90 years ago.
-ENDS-
The Sound Of Springsteen
Date: Thursday 16 June
Tickets: £24.50
Rave On
Date: Friday 17 June
Tickets: £22.50
Showstopper! The Improvised Musical
Date: Saturday 18 June
Tickets: £21 – £15
Filament Theatre
Date: Tuesday 12 July
Tickets: £12 (students and under-26s £6)
Alina Bzhezhinska
Date: Thursday 14 July
Tickets: £18.50 (students and under-26s £6)
Matt Holborn
Date: Friday 15 July
Tickets: £12 (students and under-26s £6)
Late Night Marauders
Date: Friday 15 July
Tickets: £12 (students and under-26s £6)
Don Vappie and Jazz Creole
Date: Saturday 16July
Tickets: £20 (students and under-26s £6)
The Kickstart Commissions: 3 World Premieres
Date: Saturday 16 July
Tickets: £6 (students and under 26s £3) for all 3 shows
Box office information:
Hull Truck Theatre, 50 Ferensway, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, HU2 8LB
01482 323638