Hindle Wakes has a Defiant Heroine at Its Heart
The Questors stages provocative northern social drama
The play follows spirited mill worker Fanny Hawthorn
October 8, 2025
Audiences are invited to revisit one of early 20th-century theatre’s most provocative dramas as Hindle Wakes, by Stanley Houghton, opens at The Studio this October. Set in 1912 in the fictional Lancashire town of Hindle, the play follows spirited mill worker Fanny Hawthorn as she challenges societal expectations in the wake of a personal revelation.
During the town’s annual holiday—or “wake”—Fanny claims to have spent the weekend with a friend in Blackpool. But when tragedy strikes, the truth emerges, and she faces pressure from her family and community to conform to traditional moral standards. Rather than submit, Fanny chooses to assert her independence, making a decision that was considered radical for its time.
The production runs from 17 to 25 October, with evening performances at 7:30pm and a matinee on Sunday 19 October at 2:30pm. A captioned performance will be held on Thursday 23 October, and the show carries an age advisory of 10+. The running time is approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes, including an interval.
First staged in 1912, Hindle Wakes was written by Stanley Houghton, a key figure in the Manchester School of dramatists. Houghton’s work often explored social issues, and Hindle Wakes became his most enduring play, notable for its challenge to Victorian morality and its portrayal of a working-class woman exercising sexual and personal autonomy.
The play was controversial upon release, with critics divided over its rejection of the idea that a woman must marry to preserve her reputation. Fanny’s refusal to be “given away with a pound of tea,” as she memorably puts it, marked a turning point in British theatre’s depiction of female agency.
Houghton died young, at just 32, but his legacy lives on through Hindle Wakes, which has been revived regularly and adapted for film and television. The play remains relevant for its themes of gender inequality, class tension, and the right to self-determination.
Tickets are available via The Questors website, with accessible seating and captioning options provided.
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