“To be loved to madness--such was her great desire. Love was to her the one cordial which could drive away the eating loneliness of her days. And she seemed to long for the abstraction called passionate love more than for any particular lover.”
SPRING 2026 - A NEW ADAPTATION BY ADRIAN PREATER
THE RETURN OF THE NATIVE
Adrian Preater
Artistic Director
Adrian formed Hotbuckle in 2006 with his wife, Gemma Aston. He has since written, adapted and directed all of Hotbuckle's shows to date as well as performing in them. Adrian trained at Bretton Hall and the Central School of Speech and Drama before appearing in such films as 'Gosford Park', 'Love Actually', Branagh's 'Magic Flute' and 'Enigma'. Adrian has worked with many and varied theatre companies including Major Road, Oddsocks, London Bubble, Boxclever and Richmond's Orange Tree.
Executive Director
Gemma Aston
Gemma graduated from Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1995 and co-founded Hotbuckle with Adrian in 2006. Since then, Gemma’s career has taken many interesting twists and turns, culminating in a wealth of experience in Teaching, Arts Administration, Fundraising, Hospitality and Events. She is currently a Specialist Coach for Guildhall Ignite and Charity Manager for Climbing Out as well as a jobbing actor when opportunities arise.
Joanna Purslow
Jo joined Hotbuckle in 2017 and has performed in all productions since then.
Other work includes; Helena in All’s Well That Ends Well, Beatrice in A View from the Bridge, Kate in She Stoops to Conquer, Judith Bliss in Hay Fever, Katherina in The Taming of the Shrew, Mistress Ford in The Merry Wives of Windsor and May in Accrington Pals – all for Shropshire Drama Company. Annemarie Lobbenberg in Silhouette for Love Lee Productions. Shakespeare’s Will at Hamlet’s Elsinore Castle, International Shakespeare 400 Conference April 2016, followed by a full UK premiere.
Her other one-woman show Ursula Queen of the Jungle, transferred from Edinburgh to the remote Naga communities of North East India.
Production Manager
Fiona Leaning
Associate Director
Fiona joined Hotbuckle in 2009. After training at Middlesex University and studying acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Fi worked with the RSC, then with The Wooster Group in New York as an Associate, touring with them throughout the US and internationally .
Nichola Wolley
Nichola's recent credits include Becky in 'In Her Strength' (Stage - Leicester Curve and Y Theatre), Diane in 'Nativity Uncut', various roles in 'Fables from the Great North Wood' (Short Film and Stage for Septimus Theatre) and Mary Mallon in Smithsonian Channel's 'Searching For Secrets'.
Nichola trained at Drama Studio London. She sings with the all-female choir 'City Academy Songbirds' and is one of the current voices of the History HIT podcast series 'Ancients', part of the History Channel.
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This is her first time performing for Hotbuckle Productions and she's super excited to be touring with such a wonderful company around the UK and Ireland.
MaryAnna Kelly
Born in Houston, Texas, MaryAnna is a 2023 BA graduate of Drama Studio London who began her training at Identity School of Acting. She is a singer, dancer, and pianist who frequently works in musical, classical, and educational theatre in the UK and US.
Favourite stage credits include: Lady of the Lake in Spamalot, Kristine in A Chorus Line, Miranda in The Tempest, and Kitty in Pride and Prejudice.
Keep an eye out for her in Sister Boniface this year.
Callum Anderson
‘Pride & Prejudice’ will be Callum’s third tour with Hotbuckle. Last year, he played the role of Pip in our production of ‘Great Expectations’.
Since graduating from The Guildford School of Acting, Callum has appeared as a guest character on Coronation Street and earlier this year, he played the role of Jim in ‘Ramona Tells Jim’ at The Lion & Unicorn Theatre in London. Other stage credits include ‘Cosmonauts Last Message’ (PATS Studio Theatre), ‘Oedipus and Antigone’ (Bellairs Theatre) and ‘Table’, (Rex Doyle Studio Theatre).
Callum is delighted to be joining Hotbuckle again for our Spring and Summer tour.
William Witt
William is joining the Hotbuckle team for our upcoming tour of Thomas Hardy's - The Return of the Native
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William is an actor and writer trained at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (MA Acting). His theatre credits include:
Break the Silence (UK Tour, Collisions Theatre. Faustus: That Damned Woman (Crescent Theatre). Tempest and Lady Windermere's Fan with Aunty Jen Productions.
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In 2024 he created and performed his original one-man show wheel's turnin' but the hamster's dead at Birmingham Conservatoire; the production will play internationally later this year. Most recently, William appeared on tour with Dino Tales: Jurassic Rescue and as Jack in Jack and the Beanstalk at Tamworth Assembly Rooms.
Beth Organ
Beth is back for 2026! Having trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.
Her Theatre credits include: Noser: The Start-Up Musical (Edinburgh Fringe); Julie Blinks (Pleasance Theatre); What We May Be: The Many Faces of Shakespeare’s Women (Awkward Tree); The Widow in the Water Garden (North Country Theatre); Oranges and Elephants (Hackney Empire); Brassed Off (#1 UK Tour, York Theatre Royal/The Touring Consortium).
Film includes: What’s A Nice Girl Like You Doing In A Job Like This?, Unfolded Past and Notes of an Insomniac.
Beth is a company member of Acaprov: The Improvised Acapella Musical.
Sam Elwin
Sam studied at Arts Education Schools London
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Theatre Credits: Macbeth (regional tour), There’s No Place Like (national and international tour), One Last Thing (For Now) (Old Red Lion), Godless Monsters (King’s Head Theatre), and Isabella (Theatre Utopia).
He also works as a musician and composer, as well as a freelance photographer.
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Emily-Rose Hurdiss
Emily-Rose began her training as a member of The National Youth Theatre and went on to train at The Oxford School of Drama and later gained a BA Hons Degree in Acting at Bath Spa University.
Theatre Credits include Laura in The Glass Menagerie, Helena in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Miss Havisham in Great Expectations (both toured the UK and Ireland), and Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice, which, after touring the UK and Ireland, went on to tour in China. She played Cathy in Emily Brontë’s classic Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre for Hotbuckle Productions.
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Emily now works as a Marketing Assistant in a Media company
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Davin Eadie
Davin trained at ALRA
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His credits - TV: Walking the Dead and Five Days (BBC)
His credits - Theatre: John Proctor (The Crucible), Pip (Great Expectations), Don (Market Boy) (Royal and Derngate), Ed (Entertaining Mr Sloane), Nathan (Guys and Dolls), Slim (Cowboy Mouth).
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He also collaborated with a group of local artists in Northamptonshire to create a new play, 60 miles by Road or Rail, which premiered at the Royal and Derngate in 2018. Davin played Mr Rochester in the Spring Tour of Jane Eyre.
Virginia Lee
Virginia trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts.
She appeared as Bathsheba in HotBuckle's "Far from the Madding Crowd" in 2016-2017 and has appeared in HotBuckle's "Potted history of the Industrial Revolution" at Ironbridge Gorge Museums as well as "Cinderfella."
Matthew Rothwell
Matthew studied in York before training in Liverpool.
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His HotBuckle work includes Gabriel Oak in Far from the Madding Crowd and Abraham Darby in HotBuckle's "Potted History of the Industrial Revolution."
Luke Lampard
After studying English Literature at Warwick University.
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Luke trained in acting at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. Luke played Mr Rochester in HotBuckle's 2018 leg of Jane Eyre, as well as appearing in HotBuckle's "Cinderfella" at Ironbridge Gorge Museums
Peter Randall
Pete trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama.
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He joined HotBuckle to perform as Thenardier in Les Misérables, Uriah Heep in David Copperfield, Captain Wentworth in Persuasion, and Mr Knightly in Emma
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Pete left HotBuckle in 2015, to become a drama teacher; however, he's back in 2026 as he kickstarts HotBuckle's newest adventure with HotBuckle Youth. Read more about it by pressing on the button below!
Director of Hotbuckle Youth
Emily Lockwood
Emily trained at Queen Margaret in Edinburgh
She joined HotBuckle to play Estella in Great Expectations, Fantene in Les Misérables, L'il Emily in David Copperfield, Anne in Persuasion and Emma Woodhouse in Emma.
Clare Harlow
Clare trained at Mountview Acadamy of Theatre Arts.
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Clare joined HotBuckle to perform as Mary in Persuasion and Harriet Smith in Emma
Mimi Edwards
Mimi trained at Mountview Acadamy of Theatre Arts.​
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She joined HotBuckle to play Fanny Robin in Far from the Madding Crowd and Cathy in Wuthering Heights.
Andrew Chevalier
Andrew trained at Drama Studio London and is a member of award-winning theatre company The Faction. ​
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He's been in HotBuckle's adaptations of Les Misérables and David Copperfield.
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His theatre credits include Blood Wedding, Fiesco, Three Sisters Othello, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Mary Stuart.
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Back in 2006, HotBuckle was formed by Adrian Preater and Gemma Aston, and since then, they haven't looked back! The started of with the original production of Adrian's "Get Writing with Rosie" which was an educated play about creative writing. They also toured with a number of other original works, Namely Joshua and Ballad of a Bird.
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Adrian started adapting novels - beginning with Great Expectations. Since then Adrian and his team have toured all over the UK with lots of amazing actors and actresses. ​HotBuckle has gone from strength to strength and after moving from their home in Surrey to a Shropshire base in 2013, they have continued to tour and create quality theatre.
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Adrian said "Our style is distinctive with lightning fast costume changes, humour but above all we strive to make whatever story we are telling as human as possible. Novels that may well have seemed impenetrable before will be unlocked and freed for an audience to enjoy."
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A number of actors have worked for HotBuckle with some joining for a tour and some joining for multiple. Some leave and some stay but some come back. Having left HotBuckle in 2015, He's back after a decade like he never left becoming the Director of HotBuckle Youth. This exciting new chapter for HotBuckle kicks off in 2026. When talking to Pete he said "Hotbuckle Youth will be a youth theatre company that provides theatrical education, practical training, advice and help on getting into drama school, but always with a focus on putting on a show."
2026 marks a special year for HotBuckle as we celebrate 20 years of creating shows and telling our favourite stories and plays to so many people. HotBuckle's purpose has always been "To encourage potential audiences to choose live theatre as a way of entertainment and education to support the arts in the UK and Ireland."​
But don't just take our word for it. Come watch and support us, and see for yourself.
Emotion on the Ocean
​Captain Crossbones and Jolly Roger find themselves 'all at sea' in this nautical adventure. Help them navigate their way through their big feelings and safely back home in their sturdy boat 'Resilience'.
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'Emotion On The Ocean' is a 50 minute 2 handed theatre show aimed at Primary School age children. Centring on the seemingly uncontrollable feelings experienced by two incompetent Pirates, Captain Crossbones and Jolly Roger embarking on a journey of discovery in order to discover ways of coping with some of the "big feelings" they are having. Packed with fun, music and audience participation our two 'would be' heroes meet strange and wonderful characters who teach them different strategies to cope with feelings induced by what life throws at them.
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This fun and lively show is written to encourage children to think about big feelings and emotions. Through humorous and varied characters, the children will be led on a gentle journey where resilience, understanding and solutions can be found in a confusing world. This production is inspired by the recognition of the importance of a wellbeing agenda in our schools. It aims to open up thoughts and discussions about why we have emotions, how we recognise them and how we can work together to develop good mental health.
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The performance will be followed up by supportive materials to use in the classroom and for Parents/Carers at home.
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Age range: Reception to Year 6
Cost: £250 for one performance or £400 for two performances (same school)
Requirements: Just an empty school hall - we bring everything needed.
Set-up time: 30 minutes
Length: 50 minutes
Accompanying material: Free activity pack provided for school and home.
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We are a professional touring community interest theatre company based in Shropshire and tour nationally throughout the year.
Contact Hotbuckle at: adrian@hotbuckle.co.uk | jo@hotbuckle.co.uk
