Lost Cause presents: A Roaring Boy
- Wednesday 4 November
The Courtyard Hereford – 7.45pm – Tickets £15.00 to £19.00 - Thursday 5 November
The Swan Theatre Worcester – 7.45pm – Tickets £15.00 to £18.00 - Friday 6 November
Folly Arts Theatre, Hereford College of Arts – 7.45pm – Tickets £15.00 to £18.00
For advance tickets visit the Lost Cause Theatre website
Herefordshire theatre company Lost Cause is launching its first full-length production with A Roaring Boy, a new play exploring identity, rebellion and self-expression in the world of Shakespeare.
Robert Gough has a problem. He’s the star of Shakespeare’s company, famous for playing women on stage – but his voice is deepening, his body is changing and the role he has built his life around is suddenly becoming much harder to play.
Enter a rebellious pickpocket, a dangerous secret and a world beyond the theatre.
That’s the starting point for A Roaring Boy, the debut production from new Herefordshire theatre company Lost Cause, which is bringing this little-known slice of Shakespearean history to the stage.
Inspired by the historical Robert Gough, the play digs into identity, resistance, courage and self-expression – asking what happens when the person everyone thinks you are no longer fits the person you’re becoming.
Lost Cause was founded by Herefordshire-based director Ant Stones and writer Jack Hughes, who first developed a 20-minute version of A Roaring Boy in 2024. The response was strong enough to convince them to turn it into a full-length production and, in the process, launch their own company.
They’ve also assembled a serious creative team, with designer Carl Davies, sound designer Johnny Edwards and lighting designer/stage manager Cath Cullinane, whose combined credits include the Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre, Birmingham Rep, Pentabus, Sherman Theatre and the Courtyard.
It’s an ambitious start for a company determined to prove that exciting, original theatre can be created in Herefordshire and still have national reach.
A Roaring Boy is supported by Arts Council England, Herefordshire Council and Herefordshire Community Foundation.
Tickets for A Roaring Boy are on sale now.