The Mooted Theatre Co.

"It is the spring of 1737 and notorious highwayman Dick Turpin has fled to Yorkshire with a bounty on his head. He stumbles across The Ferry Inn at Brough, a quiet, friendly establishment where, under the alias of John Palmer, he resides intermittently for the next 2 years. This period of exile in Turpin’s adventurous life is, to this day, something of a mystery. From the history books we know that he traded in the area as a horse dealer until he was apprehended in October 1738 for breaching the peace. Turpin, whose guise was beginning to slip, had inexplicably shot a neighbour’s cockerel in the street, the act of which lead to his capture and later execution at York in 1739. In the transcripts of his trial there are several mentions of a woman to whom Turpin bequeathed his last effects on the day of his execution.

So who is this mysterious figure known simply as ‘the woman at Brough’? And why did Turpin leave her his wedding band and 2 pairs of shoes?

Magical and intriguing, Dead Man’s Shoes reveals the woman behind the mystery, and the man behind the myth. It is a dark and passionate tale of danger, deception and the destructive forces of a fugitive in love."

The ultimate battle of the sexes is commenced in Shakespeare’s most outrageous comedy, as sharp wits and sharper words are furiously exchanged between suitor Petrucchio and his would-be bride Katherina. Some call her plain Kate, sometimes Kate the Cursed, but Petrucchio has a cunning plan to tame her for his wife. She has other ideas, most of them violent, and none involving marriage.

Meanwhile little sister Bianca, the apple of her father’s eye, inflames the considerable passion of every eligible man in town and attracts would-be husbands everywhere she looks. But daddy won’t let that happen until big sister Kate gets a husband of her own. Deceit and disguise add to the confusion as mistaken identity and misunderstandings collide with hilarious consequences.

Packed full of slapstick humour, riotous jokes and a rogue’s gallery of colourful characters, this is Shakespeare at his most hilarious.

17th century Parma is a city teeming with intrigue, conspiracy and murder, where nothing is as it seems. But even this murky, deceitful place will be turned upside down by the secret affair of two young lovers, who find a passion together that will echo through the ages.

For there's a problem: They're brother and sister.

'TIS PITY SHE'S A WHORE by John Ford is a dark disturbing slice of Jacobean tragedy, a play in which forbidden passions and unspeakable crimes collide explosively with tragic effect.

Like Tarantino writing Romeo and Juliet, this is an energetic, uncompromising masterpiece of British theatre. Despite its age, the play depicts a world beset by discrimination, bigotry and censorship, issues that resonate as much these days as they ever did.

A Life in the Theatre follows two actors (Andy Curry and Bill Laughey) through the highs and lows of a life-changing season, sharing the detritus of their lives and their dressing room together. This is a comedy not just about actors but about friendship, jealousy, love and hate, the passion of youth and the wisdom of age. It is about knowing when to speak and when to listen, and when to teach and when to learn.

It is also the story of two people spending an awful lot of time together in a confined space.

Along the way they negotiate the trenches of World War 1, Shakespeare, an ER operating theatre, an 80s law office and a lifeboat stranded in the Atlantic.

Mooted's witty, energetic and stylish production incorporated physical comedy, original composed score (by Andy Curry), innovative staging and some truly spectacular hats!