Hull is about to hear a heartbeat that’s smaller but louder. An 80-seat theatre is rising from a vacant Humber Street space, built by Middle Child Theatre Company in partnership with Wykeland. It will open in Spring next year with Isabelle, a new show by Marc Graham, one of Middle Child’s founding members. As Paul Smith, artistic director and CEO, puts it: „What we need now is the community and local people to really get behind it, support it, get their work on here and we’ll see where it takes us all.” The project is not just a venue; it’s a dare to the city to imagine theatre differently, with work developed in front of live audiences.
The venue’s intimate scale aims to redefine the audience-direct relationship, promising a space where riskier, messier writing can find a home. Smith adds that Middle Child has long wanted a space of its own to build something lasting that benefits everyone in the city. The team is also open to hearing from the community about what they want the space to be, signaling a collaborative future for Hull’s cultural quarter. The theatre will also feature a community library full of plays and textbooks, where people can sign up for a library card and borrow items, ensuring access to the best new writing from around the world. The ambition is clear: become the most influential new writing theatre outside of London.
The 80-seat venue on Humber Street represents a turning point for Hull’s cultural quarter. With Isabelle opening the space, Middle Child hopes to anchor a fresh wave of writing talent and create a home where bold ideas can flourish, outside major metropolitan hubs. The project’s leadership envisions a future where Hull fuels national conversations through intimate, live theatre that challenges convention.
Middle Child has already performed across Hull—from the Welly nightclub to on top of Humber Street car park—proving the group’s commitment to meeting audiences where they are, rain or shine. Building a dedicated home is seen as the natural next step, a plan described by Smith as „building the plane while flying it.” The new space promises a direct, immediate link between artists and audiences, a feature the company believes will enrich both the city and its writers.
Beyond performances, the venue includes a community library stocked with plays and textbooks. People can sign up, obtain a library card, and take out materials, ensuring access to the best new plays from across the world. This initiative aligns with Middle Child’s mission to put emerging writers in the spotlight and develop work in a public, participatory setting.