Hope Mill Theatre

Joseph Houston and William Whelton built on their training in London theatre to create a theatre modelled on the Off West End Theatres which dominate the London theatre scene. They created a small producing venue in Manchester and opened Hope Mill Theatre in November, 2015.^[3]

Whelton and Houston serve as respectively Executive and Artistic director of the theatre. In 2016 they won the Hospital Club Award for their contribution in Theatre and Performance and in 2017 they were also awarded a Special Achievement Award at the Manchester Theatre Awards.^[4]

Katy Lipson, founder of Aria Entertainment, was the artistic director at the Hope Mill for several years, also producing many of the show staged at the venue, from Rags to Mame.^[5]

The Hope Mill Theatre is now a registered charity, under the name "A Factory of Creativity", but continues being called with its original name. Whelton and Houston remain in their directors' roles and a board of trustees has also been appointed, to help support and guide the charity.^[6]

Since 2020 the venue also hosts the "Turn on Fest", a LGBTQIA+ theatre festival, every year for two weeks, with live performances.^[7][8] The festival is usually run in collaboration with Superbia, Manchester Pride’s year-round programme of arts and culture.^[9][10] Every year the festival showcases different work and local queer theatre companies (in 2021 the full programme was held online).

• In 2020 - Qweerdog Theatre presented ‘Absolute Certainty?’, revived for the festival after performing at the Great Manchester Fringe.
• In 2021 - the festival was held online and events were mostly discussions with various artists, including Divina De Campo.^[11]
• 2022 - "The Regulars", a musical produced and developed by Hope Mill Theatre in collaboration with Trans Creative^[12]
• 2023 - headline event was "A Conversation with Jill Nalder: Actor, Activist, Author and inspiration behind Russell t Davies’ critically acclaimed drama It’s a Sin".^[13]

The mission of the Hope Mill Theatre is to "enrich, educate and entertain the community by providing a uniquely superior theatre experience; allowing both audiences and artists alike to be inspired, ambitious and to share stories and enlighten lives through the power of theatre."^[3]

The Hope Mill Theatre is supported by volunteers who cover both front of house and back of house roles in the venue. Front of house volunteers welcome guests, check tickets and show ticket holders to their seats.^[14]

The venue also hosts yearly work experience high school and university students who are looking to pursue a career in the arts.