About the Book
It's 1979, rubbish is on the streets of Bristol, and it's tricky being Fiz. She's thirteen, she's got no money, her sister's pregnant and her mum thinks she's a waste of space...
Rick remembers what it's like to be a teenager. So he thinks it won't take much to get a bunch of kids to help him build a playground out of junk.
He's wrong. It takes everything he's got. But when it's finished, it's going to be something. It's going to be everything...
Jack Thorne's honest and witty Junkyard, with music by Stephen Warbeck, premiered in 2017 in a co-production between Headlong, Bristol Old Vic, Rose Theatre Kingston and Theatr Clwyd, and directed by Jeremy Herrin.
'A touching tale… an engagingly ramshackle musical'
— The Times
'A rallying cry for the celebration of imagination, and the value of that above all. It is warm and funny, and I can imagine it could be inspiring to young people who need to be reminded that their voice matters'
— Exeunt Magazine
'This is not your usual West End musical fare. The songs here flow in and out of the dialogue effortlessly and add subtle depth and warmth to the characters'
— The Reviews Hub
'A joyful musical for school misfits... left me smiling throughout as it celebrates the right of children and young people to turn their individual lives into an adventure through physical and imaginative play'
— Guardian
'Highly entertaining... [has an] anarchic, playful free-form spirit... Thorne's script is genuinely funny and poignant while composer Stephen Warbeck's score has its pulse on the ska revival of the late '70s populated by those such as Bad Manners and Suggs. It also feels, in its mixing of everyday dialogue to music, akin to the understated beauty of London Road'
— WhatsOnStage
'A heartfelt new musical... energetic and fun... like Jacqueline Wilson meets Skins'
— The Stage
About the Author :
Jack Thorne is a playwright and BAFTA-winning screenwriter.
His plays for the stage include: When Winston Went to War with the Wireless (Donmar Warehouse, 2023); The Motive and the Cue (National Theatre and West End, 2023; Evening Standard Award for Best Play; Critics' Circle Award for Best New Play); After Life, an adaptation of a film by Hirokazu Kore-eda (National Theatre, 2021); the end of history... (Royal Court, London, 2019); an adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol (Old Vic, London, 2017); an adaptation of Büchner's Woyzeck (Old Vic, London, 2017); Junkyard (Headlong, Bristol Old Vic, Rose Theatre Kingston & Theatr Clwyd, 2017); Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Palace Theatre, London, 2016); The Solid Life of Sugar Water (Graeae and Theatre Royal Plymouth, 2015); Hope (Royal Court, London, 2015); adaptations of Let the Right One In (National Theatre of Scotland at Dundee Rep, the Royal Court and the Apollo Theatre, London, 2013/14) and Stuart: A Life Backwards (Underbelly, Edinburgh and tour, 2013); Mydidae (Soho, 2012; Trafalgar Studios, 2013); an adaptation of Friedrich Dürrenmatt's The Physicists (Donmar Warehouse, 2012); Bunny (Underbelly, Edinburgh, 2010; Soho, 2011); 2nd May 1997 (Bush, 2009); When You Cure Me (Bush, 2005; Radio 3's Drama on Three, 2006); Fanny and Faggot (Pleasance, Edinburgh, 2004 and 2007; Finborough, 2007; English Theatre of Bruges, 2007; Trafalgar Studios, 2007); and Stacy (Tron, 2006; Arcola, 2007; Trafalgar Studios, 2007).
His television work includes Adolescence (with Stephen Graham), His Dark Materials, Then Barbara Met Alan (with Genevieve Barr), The Eddy, Help, The Accident, Kiri, National Treasure and This is England '86/'88/'90.
His films include The Swimmers (with Sally El Hosaini), Enola Holmes, Radioactive, The Aeronauts and Wonder.
He was the recipient of the Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award for Outstanding Contribution to Writing in 2022, and was elected the Guild's President in 2025.
Author photo by Antonio Olmos
Review :
'A touching tale… an engagingly ramshackle musical'
'A rallying cry for the celebration of imagination, and the value of that above all. It is warm and funny, and I can imagine it could be inspiring to young people who need to be reminded that their voice matters'
'This is not your usual West End musical fare. The songs here flow in and out of the dialogue effortlessly and add subtle depth and warmth to the characters'
'A joyful musical for school misfits... left me smiling throughout as it celebrates the right of children and young people to turn their individual lives into an adventure through physical and imaginative play'
'Highly entertaining... [has an] anarchic, playful free-form spirit... Thorne's script is genuinely funny and poignant while composer Stephen Warbeck's score has its pulse on the ska revival of the late '70s populated by those such as Bad Manners and Suggs. It also feels, in its mixing of everyday dialogue to music, akin to the understated beauty of London Road'
'A heartfelt new musical... energetic and fun... like Jacqueline Wilson meets Skins'
