'Our Hull City AFC project has ruffled some feathers' please log in to view this image Mungo Arney, a producer with the Middle Child theatre company hopes Hull City fans will help him write a new play about the club's supporters and the recent controversy over the proposed name change. It turns out that doing a play about football is quite controversial in Hull. Middle Child's last production, Mercury Fur, covered subject matter such as murder, torture and genocide, yet it's our Hull City AFC project that has ruffled more feathers. I'm also not, as it's mostly our own fault. The project's original working title was City 'Til We Die and we teamed up with the Hull City Supporters Trust to reach out to fans across Hull. The project pricked the ears of BBC Radio Humberside and the Hull Daily Mail and, before long, we were faced with a barrage of questions – and complaints. The general consensus was that City fans were tired of the name change saga. Fair enough. Our intention was to use the name change as a starting point, nothing more, but I can understand why people thought we were leaning one way. So we regrouped, dropped the working title and tried to make clear that the performance was not going to be name centric. Then came the second wave, from the other side of the coin – Hull fans frustrated that we weren't putting the Tigers tale centre stage, it was worthy of discussion, debate and a venue to vent. We thought we couldn't win, then we realised – this was actually perfect. We didn't get into theatre to tell pretty tales that neatly wrap up at the curtain call. Our project had already polarised opinion, but that was a gift. People care, and how often can you say that about theatre? We're still in the middle of our research and we still don't know what the show is going to be about. We have three more drop-in sessions to go, which will help inform the final show. All we can say now is that a human story will be at the heart of it. It's not the name change that will make this the best piece of theatre – it's the granddad who's weighing up whether to sacrifice his weekly trips to the KC with his granddaughter because of principle. It's the man whose loyalties are split because of his new girlfriend. It's you. It's your stories. So come and help tell it. The final drop-in sessions take place on: • Wednesday, December 16, from 9am to 3pm at Goodwin Community Café in Icehouse Road. • Wednesday, January 13, from 2pm to 6pm at Greenwood Avenue Library. • Saturday, January 30, from noon to 6pm at The Three Tuns in Boothferry Road. http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/Hull...tory-28330425-detail/story.html#ixzz3tv7uZyxA
I think people are cynical of what seems to be a group using the situation for self publicity, rather than relying on their artistic and creative ability. Initially, it read as though they were intent on using the play to make some sort of statement on the situation. They seem to have either misread, or been misinformed on what interests people.
The drop in sessions are for people to tell them what interests them, I don't think they've got any preconceptions at all.
Why would anyone ever think it was about the name change? The mind boggles. No publicity is bad publicity eh? Riding that wave of controversy in Hull like a boss they are.
Perhaps. The tone does seem to have changed from the initial blurb. Shame really. it could have been interesting.
Don't worry Dutch, at some point you can be certain the Allams will be blamed for something around this project. You heard it here first.
****ing Allam's fault, the whining ****s. Everybody should sneak a marine generator set into the ground & lob it onto the pitch just before kick off in way of a protest. Pie munching fat **** Burnsey will probably report it as the fans trying to put a spark into the recent wet arse performances rather than a protest against our gobshite owners. They've missed the boat regarding the play anyway. Pantomime season is all but upon us.
I saw the 'second wave' they mentioned but knew nothing of the first. I assume it was comments on the Hull Daily mail site. There's some proper numpties on there when it comes to anything about the name change subject. Worse than on here.
Hope it's better then the last Hull City themed play I saw at Fruit. Written on the back of or our first promotion to the Premier League under Phil Brown it was a very thinly disguised comedy ( not a laugh in it) about three women who turn up to watch City's last game of the season v Manchester United and one of them was wearing a red coat, I know hilarious material. It was obvious from the terrible script that the person who wrote it had no knowledge at all of Hull City and football fans in general, they were just hoping to sell a few tickets because it was supposed to be a play about Hull City fans. I hope this one is better. Heard from a leading light in the Hull literary circle that the way to get some funding ( money for old rope) for a play in this neck of the woods it to write about someone from Hessle Road who went fishing, supports Hull FC, was related to Phil Larkin, or Amy Johnson ( both would be ideal) had links to abolishing the Slave Trade, a member of the Labour Party, lived through the Blitz and it would help considerably if the main character was called Clive Sullivan. You couldn't go wrong with that. And pronounce telephone 'fern.'
It seems that they have a problem now that Hull & East Yorkshire Community Trust has gone bust... Middle Child @MiddleChildHull @bbcburnsy our Hull City Project is now in doubt because of this, unfortunately. We're one of many. Sad for everyone involved.
Looks like they haven't given up yet, the next drop-in session for their Hull City Project is tomorrow at the Goodwin Community Cafe, 9-3.. please log in to view this image
