Growing up in Ashton-under-Lyne shaped multidisciplinary actor Ian Curran’s creative spirit

Author, playwright and actor Ian Curran is all set to come to Mossley with his new play ‘Oh What a Night’ in the new year, which is currently on a 60-day UK theatre tour. The musical based on the journey of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons will be staged at the George Lawton Hall, Ashton-under-Lyne.

Featuring songs such as Sherry, Let’s Hang On, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, and many more, the play promises to transport the audience back to the magical period of 1960s rock n’ roll.

“I’ve managed to cram as many songs as possible chronologically in the 2 hours duration as they were created. They’re told from the original band members' perspectives. So there are four main characters on stage, each playing the part of the original band members' characters. I’ve kept some informative narrative between scenes but not too much that people get bored,” Ian said.

Ian describes ‘Oh What a Night’ as a super fun show that celebrates fantastic music, in which he plays the part of Tommy DeVito.

Ian grew up in Ashton-Under-Lyne, loving stories from a young age. He attended The Hulme Grammar School and later studied English Literature and Drama at The University of Sheffield. These early days played a big part in shaping Ian into the storyteller and performer he is today.

“I went to Canon Burrows Church of England Primary School in Ashton-under-Lyne. The teachers there were passionate about encouraging children to be creative outside of the classroom. I remember many teachers played the flute, piano or guitar, and they would give their time either during lunch breaks or after school to teach the children musical instruments. Having that kind of exposure was a wonderfully eye-opening experience as a young boy, and I think that kickstarted my career as a musician and a performer,” he said. 

Ian's first children’s picture book - ‘The Owl That Could Only Twit’ has also been released recently. He explained that kids' imaginations are incredible, inspiring him to try something new.

“The lyrics for ‘Sleeping Beauty - The Musical’, a two-hour production based on the fairy tale written in rhyme, and I loved working on that. And so, it almost came as a natural progression to continue writing a children's rhyming book,” he pointed out.

‘The Owl That Could Only Twit’ is aimed at children three to seven years old, but the author thinks children between 18 months and about eight years old are enjoying the book.

*Listen to more of this engaging conversion on the Tameside Radio podcast, where Ian shares a glimpse of his creative journeys, life as a doting new dad, inspirations behind writing a children’s book for the first time, and much more.

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