Rocket Theatre was established by its artistic director, Martin Harris in 1995. Based in Manchester and performing in the North of England the company has gained its reputation by producing the best work from London's 'new writing' theatres (The Royal Court, The Bush, The Royal National Theatre) and bringing simple, effective productions to local audiences.

Rocket originally staged its work at The Square Albert pub in central Manchester, where it opened with a season of 5 plays in 1995 followed by a second season of 4 plays in 1996. At that time the company was staging an exciting combination of popular established works alongside completely new plays. Included in the early work was Joe Orton's rarely performed The Ruffian On The Stair, the premiere of That Other Thing On My Mind by Herb Greer and The Real Inspector Hound by Tom Stoppard.

Audience figures began to rise and the company saw an increased interest in its work and its aims - "If you haven't seen Rocket Theatre Company yet, you're missing some of the most innovative theatre in Manchester. Go!" (Manchester Evening News)

Following a highly successful production of Dennis Potter's Blue Remembered Hills at Didsbury Studio Theatre, Manchester, the company formalized an artistic policy, to produce recent plays from London, as well as encouraging local writers by producing new plays from the North.

Rocket won the Manchester Evening News Theatre Award for Fringe in 1998 for its production of Jim Cartwright's I Licked A Slag's Deodorant. The production was repeated and toured in early 1999, with the premiere of Arise by Manchester playwright, Jim Burke.

In 1999 and 2000 Rocket continued to move from strength to strength, with their productions of The Censor by Anthony Neilson, an outdoor production of A Skull in Connemara by Martin McDonagh and Dealer's Choice by Patrick Marber, receiving rave reviews from both the press and audience alike. "It is to be hoped that [Rocket] will soon find additional funding so that productions of this quality can be seen by a wider audience." (The Stage)

This funding was indeed forthcoming and Rocket commissioned and produced Cornered by Jim Burke, which subsequently went on to win ‘Best New Play' at the Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards. The company commissioned Jim to write another play entitled Shamer which was produced in 2003 in Manchester and in the Pleasance Dome at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Rocket then toured their flagship production, I Licked A Slag's Deodorant, with the world premiere of Wedded, also by Jim Cartwright.

For the past couple of years the company has been concentrating on its classes for adults and have produced several showcase productions through this.

Aside from this, Rocket are taking a break from producing and are working on a national theatre project, which will launch in 2007.

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The Staff of Rocket Theatre

Martin Harris (Artistic Director)

Originally from Kent, Martin trained as an actor at Birmingham School of Speech and Drama and decided to move to Manchester to set up Rocket Theatre in 1995. He has directed most of the company’s productions including, Howie The Rookie by Mark O’Rowe, Blue Remembered Hills by Dennis Potter, Dealer's Choice by Patrick Marber and both of their Manchester Evening News Theatre Award winning productions - the premiere of Cornered by Jim Burke and Jim Cartwright’s I Licked A Slag's Deodorant.

Martin has also directed a production of The Snow Queen at Bury Met Arts Centre, Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit for Platform Theatre Company, Rosemary with Ginger by Edward Allan-Baker for Pre-Packed Theatre Company and the premiere of Jim Burke's The Man Who Would be Bing for the Flying Pigs Theatre Company.

He has taken classes at the Northern Actors Centre, workshops at North West Playwrights and directs and teaches at various educational establishments, his most recent project being Terrorism by The Presnyakov Brothers, at Salford University. Click here to read an interview with Martin in which he discuss the beginnings of Rocket Theatre and the production, Shamer.

Ali Dunican (Company Secretary)

Ali is General Manager of The Green Room in Manchester, having worked for Walk the Plank for a number of years, also as General Manager.

Ali is pleased to be associated with Rocket Theatre, where she provides support in fundraising, marketing and strategic planning.

Ali's ambition is to run a themed guest house in County Wicklow, Ireland. In her spare time she watches Eastenders and plays the tin whistle.

Jim Burke (Writer in Residence)

Jim has worked with Rocket on various projects over the last few years. His last work, Shamer, premiered at the Pleasance at the Edinburgh Festival in 2003.

His other work includes, the spoof skinhead musical Suedehead - Man of Stone (Green Room, Manchester), the black comedy, The Man Who Would Be Bing (Flying Pigs Theatre Company) and an adaptation of Moby Dick, which toured nationally in 2000 / 2001. Produced by Walk the Plank & Kaboodle, Moby Dick won the Manchester Evening News Theatre Award for "Best Fringe Production". Together with his play Cornered produced by Rocket Theatre, it also won Jim the MEN award for "Best New Play".

As well as working with Rocket on Cornered, Jim also wrote The Function Rooms for Rocket’s youth theatre and Arise back in 1999.

He has had plays commissioned and broadcast on Radio 4 and is currently writing for the soap, Doctors.

Iain Dennis (Lighting Designer)

Iain has designed lighting for countless productions over the past 15 years. His relationship with Rocket Theatre has been extensive, dating back to its infancy at The Square Albert.

After a move to London, Iain involved himself with many of the larger scale productions in both the West End and on the South Bank, before being lured away from the theatre by a sensible salary and sociable hours.

He now runs his own lighting business in London - www.usedlighting.co.uk - and takes on occassional freelance projects in both lighting design and production management during what he laughingly calls his spare time. 

James Anning (Designer)

James has designed and made costumes and props for: TV - Walking With Beasts (BBC1), The Saturday Show (BBC1) and Ice World (Channel 4). POP TOURS - Kylie, S-Club 7 and Steps. Recent theatre includes: Dido and Aeneus (Holland Park Open Air Theatre), Wagner's Ring Cycle (Longborough Festival Opera) and, of course, various Rocket Theatre productions.

Stupidest job: 10-foot wide octopus, for a film called Crust, about giant marine-life gladiators - look out for it! Grimmest Job: 40 human skulls for A Skull in Connemara.

Work with children and animals includes design for: Wizardora (ITV), Dog and Duck (ITV), Live and Kicking (BBC1), The Experimenter (BBC Schools) and Tales of Aesop (BBC2).