The Prologue!

Maverick started life with the success of Nick Hennegan's one person adaptation of Shakespeare's Henry V, Henry V - Lion of England, at the Edinburgh Festival in 1992.

The democracy of the fringe inspired Hennegan to look at his own art-starved council estate roots and after a few nights in the pubs and curry-houses of Birmingham, Maverick Theatre was born, initially driven by Robb Williams and Nick, the team behind Lion of England.  The ambition was to strive to ensure that current and subsequent non-theatre attenders should be tempted to, as early Maverick advertisements said...

    "...forget the telly for one night and, for about the same cost as hiring a film, come down the pub and see where films and TV started.  Come and see a play.  No re-takes, no cameras, just live action right in front of you.  A Pint, a fag, a pie and a play.  A great night out! Or your money back!"

The productions were initially modern classics.  New works would follow.

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A History Of The Maverick Theatre Company

 1994

 The Maverick Theatre Company was officially launched at The Billesley pub in Kings Heath in January by The Lord Mayor of Birmingham.

            The first productions were Educating Rita and Trench Kiss, a little-known play by Arthur Smith. Educating Rita then toured the West Midlands, as did Henry V - Lion of England, the first play written by Nick Hennegan, Maverick’s Artistic Director. Then, in May, Sir Derek Jacobi played the voice of the ghost in Hennegan’s Hamlet - Horatio’s Tale at the MAC.

            During the summer, Ansells gave Maverick a disused store room at the rear of the Billesley as a performance space (now the site of a Wacky Warehouse). It was christened by a three-week run of An Evening With Gary Lineker  which went on to a week at The Elms in Aldridge, then a week at Manchester’s Thameside Hippodrome, where it made £18,000, and a week in Swindon where it lost £19,000!

             Later in the year, local actor Glenn Bayes directed his first play, Frankie and Johnny. He was to direct many more for Maverick and others before moving to London.

1995
 
1995 started with rave reviews and good audiences for a new comedy/whodunit Death At The Done Inn by local writer Tom Nolan. Road by Jim Cartwright followed. It was Glenn Bayes’ second production and hailed as a radical interpretation as the audience were moved around the whole pub, including the car park!

            For seven weeks through the summer, Maverick, together with Almost Perfect Productions, put on Henry V - Lion of England at the Waterside Studio in Stratford-upon-Avon. Senior RSC actor Julian Glover became a fan!

            Back at the Billesley, the first Maverick Youth Workshop was run for a week by the leader of the Alexandra Theatre Youth Company.

            In December, Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell was produced in the Billesley Public Bar (now part of the dining area). Former BRMB presenter and rock tour manager, John Slater, was asked to help out for a day and has been managing Maverick productions ever since.

1996
 

Shows at the Billesley were: Strippers, which sold out for a week; Sexual Perversity In Chicago, sponsored by The Royal Al-Faisel restaurant and CBC; Play It Again Sam, which was part of the Jazz Festival, and Teechers.
 
            In March Henry V - Lion of England opened at the Old Rep Theatre for three weeks, starring Michael Shaw who had performed it in Stratford.

            The second Maverick Youth Workshop was the last activity in the theatre space at the Billesley before it became the Wacky Warehouse. Instead of bowing to adversity, Nick Hennegan and John Slater meet and perversely decide to produce more than ever at The Billesley, with a show every two months. It worked! Within the next year, audiences had more than doubled.

1997

 Superbly acted, Two by Jim Cartwright left audiences emotionally drained with its mix of humour and pathos. Shirley Valentine starred Manchester’s Sue Warhurst who has since appeared in a string of major TV series. Same Time Next Year was directed by Larry Rew, squeezing the production in between directing in Germany and New Zealand.

            Up’N’Under  and Up’N’Under 2  saw largely the same cast for both, brilliantly directed by Julia Smith. Most nights sold out. John James Associates sponsored Up’N’Under 2.

            In between the Up’N’Unders was A Ghost Of A chance, a new play by Maverick’s Nick Hennegan which won a prestigious Guinness Pub Theatre award, judged by the National Theatre. It starred Paul Henry, forever to be known for his iconic role as Benny, in the original Crossroads, and 13 year old Justyn Luke Towler, fresh from Tommy in the West End. John Slater was the voice of the ghost and the show was directed by former Birmingham Rep Artistic Director, John Adams. It sold out all five nights in the 200-capacity main Function Room.

1998
 
The first show of 1998 was Educating Rita, back at The Billesley to celebrate Maverick’s fourth birthday. Half way through its two-week run it had completely sold out. For the last five shows it transferred to the main Function Room (twice the size!) and still sold out!

            In February, Maverick hosted workshops with RADA, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Several local people who attended have since been offered places at RADA.

            In March, Glenn Bayes came back from London to direct The Killing Of Sister George.

            PALS by Nick Hennegan and the cast was an enormous hit for three weeks in May. It was greeted by laughter, tears and standing ovations. Amazingly, for a new play, the last two weeks completely sold out, as word spread!

            Throughout August, the Maverick team were in Edinburgh at the Festival’s most prestigious venue, The Assembly Rooms, with the original cast and director of A Ghost of A Chance. To raise money for the Edinburgh visit, Maverick had taken to the main stage of Birmingham Rep for one night in June with Henry V - Lion of England performed by its author and its composer. It nearly filled the Rep on a Monday night!

            Henry  was also invited to Kentucky and rehearsed readings of an expanded production were run for producers in New York.

            The year ended with Maverick’s first youth production Our Day Out directed by Dani Parr.

1999

 
We saw in the new year with the Dani Parr directed Elsie & Norm’s Macbeth and Dani returned in March to direct Beautiful Thing, the first of Maverick’s first back-to-back run of plays.

            The plays ran for six weeks continuing with a co-production, with The Mousepeople, of The Wild Party which saw the Birmingham Post arts editor using the word ‘genius’ for the first time in 25 years. The run concluded with a return of PALS which had been so successful last year.

            In May Nick Hennegan returned to directing with Bouncers which was immediately snapped up for the Ross-on -Wye international festival and given Critics Choice status in The Guardian.

            In August, Jon Morris, who acted in PALS, Bouncers and Up’n’Under, returned as the director of Shakers. It was announced that this was to be the last show at The Billesley - Maverick’s home for over five years.

2001

A spell at Birmingham's Library Theatre followed with productions including Shirley Valentine, with actor Rebecca Raybone, PALS, the first People's Collective production of Henry V (the full cast version.  There were over 40 people involved!) and Maverick's first pantomime, Cinderella, by Stephen Bessant.

2007.

May sees Mavericks first Company Administrator, Deborah Mooney, chosen from a large number of applications, including one from the USA!

In September, Maverick changes its legal status from unicorporated association to a Company Limited by Guarantee.

In the same month, Henry V - Lion of England by Nick Hennegan, the play that gave birth to Maverick in 1992, begins the company's first UK tour, with actor Ed Morris.

2008

January. The Henry V - Lion of England tour continues with a gala performance at the mac, Birmingham, once more in the presence of the Lord Mayor of Birmingham.

March.  The Henry tour finishes and thoughts turn to the future!

June - Longtime Maverick actor and former Head of the mac Youth Theatre Ed Morris establishes the Maverick Youth Academy in Kings Heath, Birmingham with Maverick Admin Deborah Mooney.  She marries and becomes a Scattergood!

September - Nick Hennegan takes a year out after winning a place at Birkbeck College, University of London, to study an MA in Creative Producing for Theatre & Live Performance.

2009.

January.   Plans are laid for Maverick's first national tour of Hancock's Finest Hour by Colin Bennett later in the year.

Nick Hennegan establishes the imaginatively named Nicholas Hennegan Limited as a commercial theatrical and event production company to compliment Mavericks not-for-profit work.

February.  It is decided to tour Maverick's hit comedy drama PALS in Spring 2010.

May - Maverick Academy plans its first Summer School

June -  the Youth Academy is taken over by Claire Jones.  Claire spent 2 weeks work experience with Maverick while still at school in 1998.  Nick Hennegan is delighted to welcome her back!

July.  Nick Hennegan plans a series of workshops for Creative Producers.  The first date is in Birmingham, at the Rep! The second date at the beautiful and historic Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London.

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You can check our some past production photo's HERE.