Directed by David Darby

Produced by Christine Jackson

Synopsis
Set in the industrial North-West in the 1930's at the height of the Depression, Love on the Dole centres on Sally Hardcastle, a young woman whose entire family is buffeted by the cruel winds of recession.
Her two suitors, a mill worker and a bookie, represent a stark choice between heartfelt idealism and harsh pragmatism. The bookie offers a way out not just for her but security for her whole family. She loves the mill worker. But when you are on the dole, is love enough?
Using gritty realism and an abundance of humour Love on the Dole explores, through the moving story of the individuals concerned, a community driven to the 'edge of desperation by the squalor of their lives. This century, there can have been few plays written which have had such an immediate impact on the British public as Love on the Dole.
The play opened at the Manchester Repertory Theatre in February 1934. By the end of 1935 it had been seen by more than 1 million people throughout the North. In towns where there was no theatre, it was performed in local cinemas ­sometimes twice-nightly.
However, it was still considered too "dangerous" for the West End. Finally, the Manchester companies pooled their resources to hire the Garrick Theatre in London. Wendy Hiller was cast as Sally, and Love on the Dole went on to become a classic play of international repute.