Yorkshire 1895
A Kept Man is a bold new musical play by acclaimed West End writer and theatre artist Matthew Bugg.
Set in the shadow of the infamous Oscar Wilde trials, A Kept Man asks a vital question: whose history is remembered, and whose lives are forgotten?
This is not another retelling of Wilde's downfall, but a new story altogether—one that brings into focus the working-class men whose lives became entangled in the scandal before being quietly erased from history.
Rooted in the wild landscapes of the Pennines, the production pulses with the spirit of the North. An original score fuses the grandeur of 19th-century classical music with pagan folk traditions and bold electronic beats and synths, creating a musical language that feels both hauntingly timeless and strikingly modern.
A Kept Man reveals the beauty, resilience and humanity of lives shaped by prejudice, class and silence. Where others have painted portraits of the famous, A Kept Man turns its gaze towards those left beyond the frame
PAST ACHIEVEMENTS
Our last major production, Miss Nightingale, began life in the small-scale studio at The Lowry in 2011.
Following the success of that initial production, we developed Miss Nightingale into a full-scale touring production in 2013. The show toured for 14 weeks across mid-scale and large-scale venues, including Sheffield Lyceum, Nottingham Theatre Royal and Windsor Theatre Royal.
The first tour was such a success that we toured the production again in 2014. Demand continued to grow, leading to two further tours in 2015 and 2016.
In 2017, Miss Nightingale moved to London for an eight-week run at The Vaults. The London production proved equally successful and, in 2018, transferred to The Hippodrome in the West End for a further eight weeks.
We received no Arts Council England (ACE) funding to create or produce Miss Nightingale. The various tours benefited from valuable in-kind support from The Lowry, The New Wolsey Theatre, CAST and Bury Theatre Royal, but we received no seed funding or external investment. The production was built through determination, resourcefulness and Northern, working-class grit.
Alongside the success of Miss Nightingale, our Artistic Director, Matthew Bugg, has an extensive track record across the UK theatre industry. He has worked on seven other West End productions, as composer, writer, musical director, sound designer and performer. He has also worked on dozens of No.1 tours and hundreds of regional productions.
REVIEWS OF OUR LAST SHOW
"Brilliantly well written with a hilarious script and brilliant songs"
***** WEST END WILMA
"Bursting with passion - a showcase of enormous talent"
***** MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW
Quirky wit and innuendo lie above a tale of love and loss"
***** LAST MINUTE THEATRE
"A wonderfully crafted production - not to be missed"
***** REMOTE GOAT
"A well-told and captivating love story"
**** WHATSONSTAGE
"Deeply touching and raucously funny"
***** THE NEW CURRENT
"Clever, thoughtful and entertaining"
***** JEWISH CHRONICLE
TOUR BOOKING:
We are currently taking tour bookings for Autumn 2027 and Spring 2028
The production has been specifically conceived as a mid-scale show, but is able to scale up to large venues over 1,000 seats.
We are ideally looking for full weeks, but will consider split weeks if we can make dates and travel times work.
We are looking for guarantees, but will consider box office splits for full weeks.
The production will work in both proscenium and thrust configurations.