Pyramid & Parr Hall to Present 21,000 MILES OF RAIL

A new theatre show called 21,000 Miles of Rail is inviting rail users to think about how they interact with others on the daily commute.

In an age where ticket fares are rising and stations are busier than ever, Hannah Butterfield has made a show for the commuters of the country that unpacks the rules of talking on trains and tests the possibilities of chance encounters with strangers.

21,000 Miles of Rail brings live music, heart-warming true train stories and even a little bit of laughter to its audiences.

You can't find your ticket, someone's sat in your seat and the train guard has just announced a 45-minute delay - sound familiar?

Like thousands of others Hannah has been on a lot of these train journeys, but this isn't a show about one person, one story or one, one-way ticket.

It's a season pass taking you on a number of routes, through a variety of stations, following a number of people making their way... somewhere.
Somewhere between a musical, a theatre show and A Brief Encounter, 21,000 Miles of Rail is about telling true stories and confronting the realities of the morning commute with the magic which surrounds travel by rail.

Hannah said: "This show was born out of a slightly unusual experiment: I spent a 'working day' observing people passing through Leeds city railway station. I was witness to all sorts of behaviours, coincidences, challenges and acts of kindness.

"21,000 Miles of Rail is about the possibility of making connections with the people you haven't met yet. It's about communication, or lack of in some cases, and finding hope in the most unexpected places."

Hannah Butterfield is rapidly becoming a celebrated young artist and her work has been championed by Sheffield Theatres and West Yorkshire Playhouse, and shown at international festivals around the world.

This show was developed through her time last year as a BBC Performing Arts Fund Fellow when she spent one year with the critically-acclaimed theatre company Third Angel.

Pyramid & Parr Hall are two of the North West's leading arts and entertainment venues for music, comedy, dance, drama and much more. The venues have played host to big name acts including John Bishop, The Stone Roses, Billy Ocean, Jools Holland and Peter Kay to name a few.

Parr Hall is a listed building and has been a long standing feature of Warrington's cultural scene since its opening in 1895. It is a medium sized concert venue with 1000 seats. Pyramid opened in 2002, with support from Arts Council England and the National Lottery, as an arts centre focusing on smaller performances and community events. It offers a range of spaces to hire for events, weddings and conferences.

The venues are run by Culture Warrington which is a charitable trust that was established in May 2012 to also manage Warrington Museum & Art Gallery and cultural events across the town including Warrington Festival and Warrington Contemporary Arts Festival.

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