About: Plough On Sunday
Plough On Sunday productions began life in 2016 as the Preston Young Actors company. Founded by actor and director Rick Bithell, the company consisted predominantly of students of Runshaw College in Leyland, Lancashire. Brought together with a desire to bring a new source of theatre to as many people as they could, they were faced with a lack of affordable, local venues in which to do so. Instead the PYA shaped their ethos to deliver productions to new audiences in alternative and unusual locations.
In the summer 2016, the PYA were offered the space of St Mary’s church in the local town of Penwortham, just outside of Preston. With flexible seating, acoustic arches and underground heating,the 18th Century church offered the young company a flexible and relaxed environment in which to meet, rehearse and perform: something which it continues to do so to this day.
In 2019 the PYA underwent a change of image (and name) in order to lose the limitations associated with a ‘young company’ and instead became Plough On Sunday. Taken from a line in that year’s production of Arthur Miller’s classic The Crucible, the name Plough On Sunday lends itself to the notion of doing something against the grain or when no-one else will.
From the nave of a church in Penwortham, a cinema hall in Clitheroe and a restaurant basement in the city centre of Manchester, Plough On Sunday’s ambition to bring theatre to new audiences and in exciting spaces across the North West continues to grow year after year.
Since their debut production of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, the size and ambition of the company has grown with each annual production; filmed trailers, live music and stag combat all year after year to increase the value of each production.
P.OS company members have gone on to attend and graduate from drama schools across the UK including; Rose Bruford, Royal Welsh, LAMDA, Trinity Laban, LIPA and ALRA North.
About: Rick Bithell
Rick was born and bred in the North West. He grew up in Cheshire and origionally studied for a business degree at Lancaster University, graduating in 2009. After moving to Manchester to pursue a career in theatre marketing, it wasn’t long before he was back working in the arts industry gaining experience as the marketing assistant at the Queer Up North Arts festival and then as an intern at The Royal Exchange Theatre. In 2011 Rick was awarded a place among the first intake of students onto the MA Professional Acting course at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts North in Wigan and graduated in 2012.
Since graduating Rick worked across the industry in theatres such as Contact Theatre and The Royal Exchange in Manchester and on TV including Coronation St, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks.
In 2014 Rick co-founded troublehouse theatre along with fellow graduate Heather Carroll: a company grown out of the aim of supporting freelancers and practitioners across the North. To date troublehouse has produced four site specific shows including a collaboration with the Octagon theatre, Bolton and in 2019 received their first Arts Council grant for a joint bid together with Plough On Sunday. In 2022 troublehouse theatre were invited by the Oldham Coliseum to become an associate artist.
Rick has worked as an acting tutor and director for the Playhouse theatre in Leeds, The Dukes theatre in Lancaster and The Lowry Arts Centre in Salford Quays. He has also taught as a guest lecturer at Staffordshire University and Altrincham Arts College.
