The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists

adapted by Neil Gore from the book by Robert Tressell, directed by Louise Townsend.

Neil Gore, presents this SELL OUT one-person version of the classic novel by Robert Tressell featuring projection, political conjuring tricks, live music and song. Meet the famous characters and enjoy the scenes, speeches and songs, featuring the Great Money Trick as its centrepiece.

This enduring and absorbing classic story of a year in the life of a group of Edwardian painters and decorators is brought to life by Neil Gore using his extensive knowledge of the book and the play, having performed it in many versions over forty years.

‘The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists’ follows a group of workers as they renovate ‘The Cave’, a three-storey town house, for Mayor Sweater. It traces their hardships and struggles for survival in a complacent and stagnating Edwardian England. These workers are the ‘philanthropists’ who throw themselves into back-breaking work for poverty wages in order to generate profit for their masters. They are joined by artist Owen, whose spirited attacks on the dishonesty of Capitalism along with his Socialist vision, highlights the exploitation in their workplace but also focuses on the inequality in society as a whole.

Running time/interval – Act 1 40 min  Act 2  30 min   20 min interval 

Age suitability – 11 plus

Ticket Pricing

At Redhills, we want everyone to feel welcome — whatever their financial situation. That’s why most of our events use a flexible pricing system.

For these events, you can choose from three ticket options:

• Open Concession – If money’s tight, choose this rate. No questions asked — we’re just glad you’re here.
• Standard – If you’re able, we encourage you to choose this option. It helps support Redhills and the independent artists and companies we work with.
• Solidarity Price – If you can give a little more, please consider this option. Each Solidarity ticket helps subsidise two Open Concession tickets, opening the doors for more people to enjoy what Redhills has to offer.

Simply pick the ticket that suits your budget and continue to checkout.