Trial by Laughter
by Ian Hislop & Newman
Watermill Theatre & UK Tour, from 17 September 2018
General Management and Tour Booking by SFE
‘I ask you, is laughter treason? Surely not!’
Following critical acclaim for The Wipers Times, Ian Hislop and Nick Newman return to The Watermill with the premiere of a new play inspired by extraordinary real-life events.
William Hone, the forgotten hero of free speech, was a bookseller, publisher and satirist. In 1817, he stood trial for ‘impious blasphemy and seditious libel’. The only crime he had committed was to be funny. Worse than that he was funny by parodying religious texts. And worst of all, he was funny about the despotic government and the debauched monarchy.
Along with his great ally, political cartoonist George Cruikshank, Hone sought vindication for his laughable offences and fought for freedom in one of the most remarkable legal cases of its time.
CREATIVES
Director – Caroline Leslie
Designer – Dora Schweitzer
Lighting – Matt Leventhall
Sound – Steve Mayo
TOUR
Watermill Theatre 17 – 27 Oct
Guildford, Yvonne Arnaud 29 Oct – 3 Nov
Ipswich New Wolsey 5 – 10 Nov
Cheltenham Everyman 12 – 17 Nov
Brighton Theatre Royal 19 – 24 Nov
BREAK
Malvern Theatre 21 – 29 Jan
Salford, Lowry 29 Jan – 2 Feb
Chichester Festival Theatre 4 – 9 Feb
Glasgow King’s Theatre 11 – 16 Feb
Richmond Theatre 18 – 23 Feb
Milton Keynes Theatre 25 Feb – 2 March
Eastbourne Devonshire Park Theatre 5 – 9 March