History

Hull Truck Theatre was founded in 1971, when Mike Bradwell, seeking out artists to pioneer a new type of theatre, placed an ad in the newspaper reading, “Half-formed theatre company seeks other half.” The 12 founding members moved into a squat at 71 Coltman Street with the aim of creating raw, contemporary theatre about real lives, intended for audiences who did not visit traditional venues. Touring out of an actual truck, Hull Truck Theatre productions attracted national attention and were called “one of the best touring venues in the U.K.” (Theatre Ireland, 1982.)
 
In 1983, the Company found a base on Spring Street at The Hull Arts Centre.  This was a 150-seat theatre that had been created from the old St Stephen’s church hall, and where Hull playwright Alan Plater co-founded the Humberside Theatre in 1970.  From 1983, the theatre became known as Hull Truck Theatre.  In 1984, John Godber became Artistic Director. 
 
Spring Street remained the home of Hull Truck until the early 21st century.  In 2006 work began on a new theatre on Ferensway, as part of the St Stephen’s development. Specially built for the Hull Truck Theatre Company, funded by the Arts Council, Hull City Council and the European Regional Development Fund, the theatre was completed three years later. The first production in the new building was Godber's play Funny Turns which opened on 25 April 2009. In June 2010, under Artistic Director, Gareth Tudor Price the theatre hosted the launch of Hull’s Larkin 25 Festival. Andrew Smaje oversaw a number of new-writing initiatives during his tenure as CEO between 2010 - 2012.
 
In 2013, Mark Babych became Artistic Director of Hull Truck Theatre, and Janthi Mills-Ward became Executive Director.  In 2017, the joint CEOs led the delivery of Hull Truck Theatre’s Year of Exceptional Drama programme as part of Hull’s tenure as the UK City of Culture 2017. Partnering with internationally renowned theatres and premiering a ‘Made In Hull’ series of new writing, we welcomed an audience of almost 90,000. Standout productions included The Hypocrite, a co-production with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and The Last Testament of Lillian Bilocca, one of Hull Truck’s fastest-selling shows. Working with critically acclaimed playwrights James Graham and Tanika Gupta, the theatre delivered ambitious and exciting new work, which put Hull Truck Theatre’s stage in the national spotlight. 
 
We celebrated our 50th Anniversary in 2022 by looking towards the future to ensure another 50 years of exceptional drama. As part of the Theatre’s 50th anniversary celebrations, Richard Bean wrote the play 71 Coltman Street about Hull Truck's inception story, which was performed on the main stage. 

We remain committed to responding to the needs of our city and expanding the profile of Hull with bold storytelling, inclusivity and celebrating the voices of the North. Through an extensive community engagement programme and commitment to growing the next generation of exceptional talent, we use our unique resources to bring local people, artists and audiences closer together. We continue to tell extraordinary human stories that offer fresh and imaginative perspectives on the world, presenting each project to the highest artistic standards and encouraging the growth of people and ideas.
 
Founding members:
 
Mike Bradwell
John Lee
Steve Halliwell
Dave Greaves
Alan Williams
Cas Patton
Rachel Bell
Mary East
Pete Nicholson
David Ambrose
Steve Marshall
David Hatton