2009: A Year in Monkey

2009 was a very busy year for the Monkeys….

Sarah McDonald Hughes’s brand new play, Maine Road, made the double – with acceptance to Manchester’s 24:7 Theatre Festival 2009 in July and shortlisting for the Alfred Bradley Bursary Award 2009, the most prestigious radio drama prize in the country. It was highly commended in a shortlist of 9 from over 400 applications and won Sarah a year’s mentorship at the BBC. This was her second award nomination, following the children’s play, The Tree, which was shortlisted for Theatre Centre’s Adrienne Benham Award in 2008.

Maine Road received 4 star reviews as it premiered at the 24:7 Theatre Festival. Whatsonstage.com summed it up with 4 stars as… “a gentle and moving play examining the effect of change upon those things from which we derive our identity and sense of community…. Maine Road avoids nostalgia to deliver a bittersweet, moving tale that is highly recommended.”

Monkeywood announced more dates for Maine Road at The Lowry in March 2010 with a further tour still to be announced. Watch this space..

Sarah’s short play Last Orders was accepted by the Royal Exchange to be part of their PUB season. The studio was turned into a functioning traditional English pub in November/December with Monkeywood performing on Thu 3 Dec, alongside ‘pub landlord’ James Quinn, in their favourite positions – at the bar!