Original new musical tells story of forgotten Yorkshire genius
26 November 2019
An original new musical which tells the forgotten story of a Yorkshire genius is preparing for a 2020 Northern tour, after a decade in the making.
No Horizon is inspired by the life of Nicholas Saunderson, a blind scientist and mathematician from Barnsley who overcame impossible odds to become a Cambridge Professor and friend of royalty. Saunderson is often described as an 18th century Stephen Hawking.
The musical ran at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2016 to critical acclaim and has now been adapted for a 2020 Northern tour by Right Hand Theatre. The show has been described by Elaine Paige OBE as, “one to watch out for.”
No Horizon will open at The Civic in Barnsley on 19 March to 21 March 2020, before touring to venues across the North.
The musical was first written in 2003 by Andy Platt, a former headmaster from Penistone who rediscovered Saunderson’s remarkable journey after it was forgotten by history.
The lead role of Saunderson is played by Adam Martyn from Doncaster, who is partially sighted. Adam trained professionally as an actor at Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA).
Saunderson was born in 1682 at Thurlstone near Barnsley and at the age of one was blinded by smallpox. In an era before Braille, it is thought he taught himself to read by running his fingers over the gravestones in a local churchyard.
He learned Latin and Greek and became Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge, a post also held by Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Babbage and Stephen Hawking.
In his day he spent time with kings and queens and had a reputation which spread across Europe. Remarkably, his field of expertise was not in mathematical equations, but in lecturing about optics.
It is thought that Saunderson may have been the earliest discoverer of Bayes’ theorem, a mathematical formula for determining conditional probability. Saunderson was elected a fellow of the Royal Society.
Andy Platt, writer and producer of No Horizon, said: “Saunderson’s achievement as the Stephen Hawking of his day was phenomenal. I wanted No Horizon to entertain and move the audience at the same time as restoring Saunderson to his rightful place as a national icon. The tour is the culmination of a 15-year dream.”
Helen Reid, producer at Right Hand Theatre, said: “I’m so excited we’ve managed to pull off and organise a Northern tour. It’s only taken over a decade to do it! We couldn’t have done it without the support of our fan base at the Edinburgh Fringe and locally in Penistone and the surrounding areas, to help bring the show to a wider audience.
“We look forward to seeing our old fans and new fans alike at any of the Northern venues. The support we’ve had so far from the public and celebrities has been immensely rewarding for Andy and the producers. We thank them all.”
The 2020 tour of No Horizon will open at The Civic, Barnsley on 19 March to 21 March 2020, before heading to the Halifax Viaduct Theatre from 26 to 28 March; Leeds City Varieties on 31 March and 1 April; Cast, Doncaster from 2 to 4 April; Harrogate Theatre on 7 and 8 April; York Theatre Royal on 9 and 11 April, and Millgate Arts Centre in Delph, Saddleworth, on 15 April.
The 2020 Northern tour of No Horizon is funded by Arts Council England and Foyle Foundation, co-commissioned by Cast, Doncaster and The Civic, Barnsley, and supported by Sheffield Royal Society for the Blind (SRSB).
Tickets for No Horizon are available to purchase directly with the venues. Details and further announcements will be made on the No Horizon Twitter and Instagram pages @NoHorizonUK and on Facebook @NoHorizonTheMusical.
Notes to Editors
About No Horizon
No Horizon is the new must-see musical. Inspired by the astonishing true story of Nicholas Saunderson, No Horizon is uplifting and inspiring. Cruelly forgotten by history, Saunderson sought to make the impossible possible.
“One to watch out for” - Elaine Paige on BBC Radio 2
“Could emulate the success of Blood Brothers” – Former UK Publishers of ABBA
"A pleasure to be among the first to see an epic story of succeeding against the odds" - Edinburgh Reporter
For more information visit https://www.nohorizonthemusical.com/
Social media:
Twitter @NoHorizonUK
Instagram @NoHorizonUK
Facebook @NoHorizonTheMusical
This press release was prepared by Capital B Media, a public relations and media training agency based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. For more information, please visit www.capitalbmedia.co.uk.
