Hull Truck: The story of how one of the north's best theatres began from a bohemian terraced house with feral cats and phonebox as the bookings hotline

In 1972 “you could sign on and the chances of getting a job were nil”, they shared a house with feral cats, and relied on a phone box outside to serve as an office and calls for bookings.

As the rock band Grateful Dead put it, Mike said it had been “a long strange trip” - but Hull Truck is still the city’s “cultural heartbeat” 50 years on.

Mike, who went on to become artistic director at The Bush in London, said the plaque was the “most bizarre thing imaginable” as people usually had to be dead before they got one, adding: “I’m glad to see it”.

Sitting outside 71 Coltman Street on a dreary March day, Mike recalled that they'd all been "completely broke".

"We started the theatre company on nothing whatsoever.

"We didn't have a van and where I'm sitting now was a phone box - you didn't get many bookings unless you happened to be passing by. I was 23 and the average age was just over 19.

"We were young people, from youth theatres and the idea was to make plays about people you didn't see in plays.

"We wanted to write about kids on the dole in Goole."

Playwright Richard Bean (The Duke 2020, National Theatre Live: One Man, Two Guvnors, 2011) has written a play, 71 Coltman Street, to kick the anniversary year off.

Mike said when Richard was around 14 he came to all the shows, and he’d wanted to write about the early days “because we to a degree inspired him to become a playwright.”

From Coltman Street, the company moved to a former church on Spring Street, and then in 1982 a significant new character emerged - John Godber.

The Godber era brought with it success stories like Up N Under, Bouncers, Teechers - which was fortunate - wrote The Yorkshire Post's theatre critic Nick Ahad "given that when he became artistic director in 1984, beating Danny Boyle to the role, the company was financially in a serious hole".

In 2006, work began on a £15m new building on Ferensway, opening in 2009.

Mr Bradwell said: “It became a different company when John Godber took it over, and (current artistic director) Mark (Babych) is a different phase.

"It is like a kite tied down to the same things, entertainment, giving people a good night out and being provocative and a nuisance and telling truth to power.”

The blue plaque adds to a street which already has three others, thanks to the enthusiasm of the local residents association.

Other names honoured include Lillian Bilocca, who campaigned for the safety of the trawlermen after the 1968 Triple Trawler Tragedy.

Helen Ball, the owner of number 71, said it had come as a "complete surprise", but added: "It's nice to own a house that's part of local history."

Mr Babych said: “This is a very proud moment for us in the history of our company – it’s wonderful to celebrate the vision and determination of our founders who 50 years ago laid the foundations for a theatre company who flouted conventions and had the courage and determination to follow their own path – thank you Mike and all the artists who dared to follow the dream."

71 Coltman Street runs until Saturday 12 March. (Shows have been cancelled this week due to cases of Covid-19 in the cast)