King Cotton (play)
Encyclopedia
King Cotton was a specially commissioned musical written by Jimmy McGovern
and directed by Jude Kelly
, with original music by Howard Goodall
, based on an idea by Ian Brownbill and designed by Ti Green
.
The piece was co-commissioned by The Lowry
and the Liverpool Culture Company to mark 'Liverpool 08' and the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade. The project was supported by Arts Council England
, the PRS
Foundation and the Liverpool Empire Theatre
.
The production is set in the Lancashire cotton famine and links with the American Civil War. King Cotton is the epic story of Tom, an impoverished mill-worker from the North West of England and Sokoto, a black slave from an American cotton plantation. Both are searching for their own freedom, but neither imagines that this journey will bring them together with such devastating consequences. The play is set to a moving live score of brass band music, provided by Ashton Under Lyne Brass Band and traditional spiritual music.
The play starred John Henshaw
, Israel Oyelumade, Paul Anderson
and Cornelius Macarthy opened at The Lowry
, Salford, UK on 12 September 2007, before moving to the Liverpool Empire Theatre
from 25 September 2007.
Jimmy McGovern
Jimmy McGovern is a BAFTA award-winning English television scriptwriter from Liverpool.-Early career:McGovern started his career working on Channel 4's soap opera Brookside in 1982, tackling many social issues such as unemployment.-Successes:...
and directed by Jude Kelly
Jude Kelly
Judith Pamela Kelly OBE is a theatre director and producer from Liverpool, England.Kelly founded Solent People's Theatre, a touring company in 1976, and was artistic director of the Battersea Arts Centre from 1980 to 1985. In 1986, she joined the Royal Shakespeare Company...
, with original music by Howard Goodall
Howard Goodall
210px|thumb|Howard Goodall at St. John the Baptist Church in Devon, United Kingdom, May 2009Howard Lindsay Goodall CBE is a British composer of musicals, choral music and music for television...
, based on an idea by Ian Brownbill and designed by Ti Green
Ti Green
Ti Green is an American costume designer for stage and film.Green grew up in Kew, south-west London in the 1970s where she attended Queens School....
.
The piece was co-commissioned by The Lowry
The Lowry
The Lowry is a theatre and gallery complex situated on Pier 8 at Salford Quays, in Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is named after the early-20th century painter, L. S. Lowry, known for his paintings of industrial scenes in North West England...
and the Liverpool Culture Company to mark 'Liverpool 08' and the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade. The project was supported by Arts Council England
Arts Council England
Arts Council England was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three separate bodies for England, Scotland and Wales. It is a non-departmental public body of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport...
, the PRS
PRS
- Computers and telecommunication :* Procedural Reasoning System, an architecture for developing intelligent agents* Premium Rate Service, internationally available telephone-based premium services....
Foundation and the Liverpool Empire Theatre
Liverpool Empire Theatre
Liverpool Empire Theatre is located on the corner of Lime Street and London Road in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. The theatre is the second to be built on the site, and was opened in 1925. It has the largest two-tier auditorium in Britain and can seat 2,350 people...
.
The production is set in the Lancashire cotton famine and links with the American Civil War. King Cotton is the epic story of Tom, an impoverished mill-worker from the North West of England and Sokoto, a black slave from an American cotton plantation. Both are searching for their own freedom, but neither imagines that this journey will bring them together with such devastating consequences. The play is set to a moving live score of brass band music, provided by Ashton Under Lyne Brass Band and traditional spiritual music.
The play starred John Henshaw
John Henshaw
John Henshaw is a British actor, best-known for his roles as Ken the landlord in Early Doors, Wilf Bradshaw in Born and Bred and PC Roy Bramwell in The Cops. He is often associated with playing "hard men"...
, Israel Oyelumade, Paul Anderson
Paul Anderson
- Politics and public figures :* Paul Anderson , member of the Minnesota House of Representatives* Paul H. Anderson , U.S. judge* Paul Francis Anderson , U.S...
and Cornelius Macarthy opened at The Lowry
The Lowry
The Lowry is a theatre and gallery complex situated on Pier 8 at Salford Quays, in Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is named after the early-20th century painter, L. S. Lowry, known for his paintings of industrial scenes in North West England...
, Salford, UK on 12 September 2007, before moving to the Liverpool Empire Theatre
Liverpool Empire Theatre
Liverpool Empire Theatre is located on the corner of Lime Street and London Road in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. The theatre is the second to be built on the site, and was opened in 1925. It has the largest two-tier auditorium in Britain and can seat 2,350 people...
from 25 September 2007.