Two Preston stars are returning to the city with their exciting new piece of award-winning theatre.

Actor Janelle Thompson comes home as the star of the one-woman show Bessie, At Midnight Alone, which has been a huge hit with audiences across the UK this year.

Thompson trained in theatre at the University of Central Lancashire and still lives in Preston. Recently she won Best Newcomer at Birmingham Fest for her breathtaking performance as Bessie.

The play’s writer Derek Martin is also celebrating a homecoming to the city where he lived when he wrote the play.

Martin moved to Preston when he was seven. He first acted and wrote sketches when he was a student at Fulwood High School, now Fulwood Academy.

He studied drama at Preston College, was further involved via the Preston Playhouse, and wrote Bessie, At Midnight Alone while living in Deepdale. Now he is a prize-winning playwright with several successful tours.

Directed by Rhonwen McCormack, Bessie, At Midnight Alone comes to The Ferret on Thursday 24 November.

Read more: Bid to save The Ferret could see iconic Preston venue come into community ownership

Bessie is a harlot, waiting outdoors for a late client. Martin’s richly-written script jumps around the centuries, not fixed in time or space. 

Packed with tense drama and fiery Northern wit, Bessie engages with the audience, has conversations with various characters from her past, and undergoes a transformation in her understanding of her world, with a blazing kick at the end. 

It is being brought to Preston by Manchester-based theatre company Blue Masque Theatre, after vibrant seasons at Buxton Fringe Festival, Greater Manchester Fringe Festival and Birmingham Fest. 

The show is being put on by events organiser Garry Cook’s Enjoy The Show organisation, which has brought 150 shows and events to Preston over the past six years.

Tickets are available from Skiddle.

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