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Play about family, loyalty, and political violence coming to Preston

Posted on - 2nd February, 2025 - 6:00pm | Author - | Posted in - Arts & Culture, Nightlife & Entertainment, Preston News, UCLan, University campus, What's On in Preston
The Ferryman cast sat around a farmhouse table during rehearsals
The Ferryman cast sat around a farmhouse table during rehearsals

A play about family, loyalty, and political violence is coming to Preston.

A group of third year UCLan acting students are presenting The Ferryman by Jez Butterworth, a gripping drama based in a County Armagh farmhouse in 1981.

The play follows the Carney family as they prepare for the annual harvest.

A day of hard work on the land and a traditional night of feasting lies ahead, but the usual harvest celebrations are interrupted by an unexpected visitor.

Featuring 21 characters, The Ferryman is described as an intricate and epic story, full of humour, menace, mystery, secrets, confessions and betrayal.

The Evening Standard describes the play as “absorbing, soulful and ultimately shattering.”

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A spokesperson for UCLan Acting said: “Our final week of rehearsals are over, which means the shows are coming up soon. 

“We are so excited for you all to see our wonderful show and the hard work we’ve put into it.”

Two cast members from The Ferryman during rehearsals
The Ferryman opens on Wednesday

The Ferryman by Jez Butterworth will be playing twice a day at St Peter’s Arts Centre from Wednesday 5 to Saturday 8 February.

The shows are on at 2pm and 7pm, with the weekday matinee performances free to watch. The Saturday evening show has sold out.

Directed by Terence Mann, the show is supported by UCLan and NW1 Theatre School, and recommended for age 15+ due to containing scenes of violence and strong language.

Tickets are available from TicketSource.

Teachers wishing to discuss group bookings can contact Joe Sumsion at JRSumsion@uclan.ac.uk. People wishing to discuss venue accessibility and access needs can contact Joe, or Terence Chapman at thchapman@uclan.ac.uk.

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This story was made possible by you, our readers, and a host of organisations in the city, through our Crowdfund Lancashire appeal, which unlocked support from the Lancashire Culture and Sport Fund provided by Lancashire County Council. You can see all our coverage and, if you know of an arts project or event in the city we should be covering, you can submit it for our event listings and/or send details to contactus@blogpreston.co.uk for us to cover it as a story on the Blog.

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