Show History

History

Inspiration

Captain Stirrick was created by the National Youth Music Theatre, one of the leading creators of shows for young performers, based on the ballads of nineteenth-century London streets, by Richard Brett, as well as stories of torment and deception.

Productions

Captain Stirrick, with music by Richard Brett and book by Jeremy James Taylor and David Scott, premiered at the George Square Theatre in 1980 as a part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It was then revived in 1982, 1984 and 1989 in numerous productions around the UK, including the Cottesloe at The National Theatre and the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, and has gone on to be a favorite of educational theatres around the United States.

Trivia

• Captain Stirrick was the reason for a name change for the – then – Children's Music Theatre Company, where it premiered. After a performance raised concerns about the play's dark subject matter, the company became the National Youth Music Theatre, a name it retains to the present day.