Take secret to the grave

The Mikron Theatre company will be bringing its play based on the Luddite uprisings to Dewsbury Minster for a one-off free performance on Wednesday October 3 at 1pm.

Can You Keep a Secret? tells the story of the attack by Luddites on Cartwright’s Mill in Liversedge in 1812 and the murder of Huddersfield mill owner William Horsfall the same year.

While the country’s elite enjoy lavish balls, textile mill workers fight for their livelihoods by smashing up the machinery made to replace them.

The play premiered at Oakwell Hall earlier this year and has since been touring the country. It brings to life the very human side of the Luddite uprisings and has received great critical acclaim.

The title is taken from the dying words of a fatally wounded Luddite following the Liversedge attack. When interrogated to name his accomplices, he asks his inquisitor, ‘can you keep a secret?’. The interrogator replies that he can, to which the Luddite replies, ‘well so can I’, and then promptly dies, taking his secret to the grave.

The show lasts about 90 minutes, with a short interval.

No tickets are required and anyone over the age of 12 is welcome to just come along on the day.