“Garry Lyons gives voice to Knottingley locals in this fierce indictment of how the government has failed our once-thriving industrial communities…”
— Catherine Love in The Guardian
“…a moving, and often very funny, verbatim play musing on what really happens when a community loses its industrial heartbeat…”
— North West End UK
BLOW DOWN (2021-23)
Researched during the pandemic, this recent project is a verbatim piece with percussion and music, marking the closure of Ferrybridge Power Station near Garry’s home in Yorkshire and the phased demolition of its iconic cooling towers. The play was given an online public reading from Theatre Royal Wakefield in 2021, and the premiere production directed by Tess Seddon opened to packed houses at Leeds Playhouse in February, 2023. It went on to tour northern theatres and community venues to rapturous responses. The play caught a mood among audiences thirsty for an authentic story that related to the experience of living in post-industrial Britain in the 2020s.
Photos: Robling Photography
Short documentary on the BLOW DOWN production and tour. Video by Madaan Media
Blow Down was the subject of a 15 minute feature on BBC Radio 4’s flagship arts programme, Front Row. It included an interview with Garry by presenter Tom Sutcliffe. You can hear the programme here:
Research and Development: online reading (2021)
Garry collected around 25 hours of recorded material from people who lived and worked in or around the power station for Blow Down. Because of covid restrictions, the interviews had to be via Zoom. He whittled down the transcripts into a script of 100 minutes. This was given an online reading in July, 2021 from Theatre Royal Wakefield to a paying public as well as invited collaborators, friends and guests. Their feedback informed subsequent drafts. The pictures below are screenshots from the recorded script-in-hand performance together with documentary images used in Rajnish Madaan’s film.
Production photos: Madaan Media. Aerial photo: Yan Lawrence
Chapel FM: Love the Words
Blow Down was the focus of a radio programme on verbatim theatre broadcast by Chapel FM as part of Leeds Lit Fest 2023. Garry is in conversation with presenter Peter Spafford (pictured left) and guests in front of a live studio audience. You can hear the programme here:
Other quotes about Blow Down
“…takes us into an interesting world…a really well constructed piece that certainly explores that world with respect and sensitivity…”
James Brining, Artistic Director, Leeds Playhouse
“…an engaging, funny and poignant play… the characters spring off the page…Garry has given a community that felt forgotten their voice.”
Katie Town, Executive Director, Theatre Royal Wakefield
“…the conviction of the writing and the excellence of all five actors make for a consistently enjoyable and thought-provoking piece…”
The Reviews Hub
“For anyone who is interested in what life is really like in some of our small and medium size post-industrial towns this play is a must…theatre at its best, relevant, meaningful but also entertaining.”
History and Heritage Yorkshire
“A very relatable story of a community’s perseverance, resilience and humour faced with the loss of industry, jobs and community facilities…”
Helen Green, Head of Performance, Sunderland Culture
“…incredible stories of community and aching loss, mixed with humour and resilience…”
Maureen Lennon, playwright
