Black Bright Theatre Company is based in Sheffield and produces original, dark, female-led writing.
Originally meeting at Sheffield University Theatre Company, company co-founders Madeleine Farnhill; Artistic Director/Writer; and Helen Denning; Producer/Company Manager; had a desire to create story-driven theatre with complex female characters at the forefront, offering an authentic and unique representation of under-represented regions in theatre.
We came together during the March 2020 lockdown to discuss producing a play that Farnhill was writing, the result of which was The Hunger. Following a sold-out debut run in June 2021, Black Bright Theatre Company was founded in August 2021. The Hunger then embarked on a tour around northern England in April 2022. Most recently, in 2023, the production garnered critical acclaim during its full run at the prestigious
Assembly Studios as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Why ‘Black Bright’?
Black Bright is a Yorkshire phrase meaning filthy or very dirty (Maddie’s mum often uses it to describe their family dog after a walk). We felt the griminess evoked by this expression, and the fact that Maddie is a Yorkshire lass, lent ‘Black Bright’ as an ideal name for our company and the work we produce.
What does Black Bright create?
We make stories that tap into folk horror, post-apocalypticism, psychological horror and the female experience with a distinct, naturalistic grit.
Both co-founders have seen stage work which solely posits female characters as victims or plot devices for the male leads, rather than existing in their own right. To counter this, we want to champion female voices in theatre making and offer complex and thoughtful representations of women to female actors of varying ages.
Black Bright Theatre. 