Tributes paid to city's 'maverick' theatre founder

Mike Bradwell founded Hull Truck Theatre in 1971 using a squat on Coltman Street as its base

Playwright John Godber has led tributes to "formidable force" Mike Bradwell, a theatre director and actor, who has died at the age of 77.

Bradwell founded the Hull Truck Theatre company in a squat in Coltman Street in 1971. It went on to earn national acclaim.

His death on Monday morning was confirmed by the theatre.

Godber, who served as artistic director of Hull Truck from 1983 until 2010, described his predecessor as a "maverick and a disruptor" who would be "sorely missed".

Godber said: "Mike was central to me coming to Hull and, in that sense, changed my life. He invited me to apply and run Truck after he left and that was a significant turning point.

"He was a genuinely nice guy and very funny. One of the things that he said to me was make a nuisance of yourself, which I think is a great thing for theatre companies to pin their philosophy to.

"He'll be sadly missed."

Bradwell, standing on the right next to the van, devised, directed and acted in Hull Truck Theatre's early productions

Bradwell was born in Scunthorpe in 1948 and trained as an actor at the East 15 Acting School in east London.

In 1971, Bradwell placed an advert in Time Out magazine which read, "Half-formed theatre company seeks other half" as he looked to link up with other aspiring artists.

The result was Hull Truck Theatre and, over the following 11 years, Bradwell and the company toured the UK performing children's shows, plays and experimental theatre.

In a joint statement, Mark Babych and Janthi Mills-Ward, chief executives of Hull Truck Theatre, described Bradwell as "passionate, funny and brave" and said his "uncompromising artistry revolutionised British theatre by putting the stories and voices of real people centre stage".

They added: "His legacy is felt across our industry and nowhere more so than here in Hull."

Between 1996 and 2007, Bradwell served as the artistic director of the Bush Theatre in Shepherd's Bush, London.

In a statement, released on social media, the Bush Theatre said it was "deeply saddened" by Bradwell's passing and said he had left an "indelible mark" on the venue.

Bradwell was also an award-winning writer. His book on alternative theatre, The Reluctant Escapologist, won the Society for Theatre Research's Theatre Book Prize in 2010.

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