Hit & Run return to Capitol with Kes

Kes is based on the novel “A Kestrel for a Knave” by Barry Hines, which was made into the film Kes, by Ken Loach. Set against the backdrop of a 1960s mining town, Kes tells the story of fifteen year old Billy Casper and the one thing that gives his life meaning, a kestrel called Kes.

The production allows you to step into the shoes of Billy (played by Calum McDonald). His home life is bad and school life is worse. His brother Jud (Will Hackett) is a bully and his mother (Alyson Coulson) has a different man at the door every day. Billy is pushed around at school and always gets the blame. All in all, Billy is not a happy boy.

Then one day everything changes. Billy’s world explodes and for the first time happiness swoops into his life in the shape of a kestrel. Kes becomes Billy’s friend, his best friend, his only friend. Kes is the story of one boy’s heart, how it came to beat and how it came to break.

Barry Hines said about the play: “Kes is about education, not falconry. It is a story about a boy, not a bird. I think that’s why the novel translates so effectively to the stage. You don’t have to see the kestrel to appreciate Billy Casper’s troubles.  His problems are concerned with family and school. The kestrel is a symbol of Billy’s potential.”

The cast includes regular HIT & RUN faces and some new; John Barnett, Alyson Coulson, Tim Fifield, Terry Foster, Will Hackett, Jon Hope, Marissa Ticehurst, Elaine Williams and pupils: Amy Carr, Harry Cowan, Lewis Denyer, Katherine Hastings, Calum McDonald, James Parrett-Jung, Mark Stevenson, Stella Wright and Amy Zimmerman

Tickets can be booked on line at www.thecapitolhorsham.com or through the Box Office on 01403 750220. Performances are at 7.30pm with a matinee also on the Saturday at 2.30pm.