Synopsis

"Some persons hold... that there is a wisdom of the Head, and... of the Heart." The highest priority for Thomas Gradgrind, head of the Gradgrind model day school, is his version of Education - feeding the mind while starving the soul and spirit. These strict teachings also apply to his own children. Louisa, his dutiful eighteen-year-old daughter, is forced to marry Josiah Bounderby, a man she detests, while watching her brother descend into a gambling addiction. Meanwhile, factory worker Stephen Blackpool hides the endless repercussions of a shameful early marriage, whilst his factory co-workers bay for his blood. The arrival of leisurely James Harthouse unleashes the desires of these isolated lives, creating a storm that strikes at the very heart of Thomas Gradgrind's "system" . With original new music, mime, movement and puppetry, this exuberant production brings Dickens' classic novel to life in a distinctive and powerful new stage adaptation.