Two charity nights celebrating the life of Manchester bomb victim, Martyn Hett, will be held at the Hope Mill Theatre starting on Sunday.
A new play, #BeMoreMartyn, will showcase personal stories from some of his closest friends with the inclusion of a live band fronted by Rob King, a friend of Martyn’s.
A raffle will also be held, including prizes such as a tour of Old Trafford, with all proceeds going to Martyn’s favourite charities, Beacon Counselling, Beechwood Cancer Care Center and Kidscan.
Despite most of the show’s details being kept under wraps, the play’s writer and director, Adam Zane, confirmed to MM that Jennifer Boardman, who played Geena Gregory in Coronation Street, will introduce a section of the show.
The inclusion of clips from Martyn’s YouTube channel, such as the now infamous Audrey Roberts sound, will also add to the event’s Weatherfield theme.
Extremely proud to be hosting #BeMoreMartyn next week! Info: https://t.co/Sr8BOsLcoP @hopetc pic.twitter.com/GD4jClSu8s
— Hope Mill Theatre (@hopemilltheatr1) October 16, 2017
Following the attack in May, shares of Martyn’s videos and stories of his stand-out personality led #BeMoreMartyn to trend worldwide on Twitter.
Adam explained how this inspired him to write the play: “I saw that #BeMoreMartyn was trending and I wanted to know what it meant.
“I had a series of questions that I asked his friends, but they have very unique stories to tell. Funny, wonderful, inspiring stories.
“That’s when I went ‘this is the play’. It’s actually about eight friends who have lost a very close friend and about how one person can come into your life and transform you.”
Adam emphasised the role of the event going forward, saying: “It isn’t a funeral for Martyn, it’s about looking towards the future and learning from him.
“The most important thing is that it’s a celebration.”
Rob King, who sang at Martyn’s funeral and at his vigil, described how his performances and the live band will fit with the play.
Rob said: “It’s going to be intermingled, so with each part there’ll be a song, or a part of a song, that will be representative of that part of the play.
“There’s a lot of pressure to make sure that we do it right and we do it justice.
“It was quite easy in the end,” added the Manchester Pride singer on choosing a final song.
Can’t wait to share this beautiful piece with you all. Whatever you are doing tonight. drink, love, laugh and make the most! #BeMoreMartyn pic.twitter.com/6SgsYX5rIr
— Jennifer Bray (@Jennifer_RoseX) October 16, 2017
“He had actually written a Facebook status asking for someone to dedicate a song to him years ago.”
If you couldn’t get tickets for the event, #BeMoreMartyn is planned to be showcased to a wider audience in May.
To donate a prize to the raffle, email [email protected]
