Mighty Atoms (NHB Modern Plays)

Ex-boxer Taylor Flint wants to put the past behind her. Yet back on the Hull estate where she grew up, she is drawn into running a boxercise class. For Lauren, Jazz, Aneta and Grace, boxercise soon becomes more than a way to lose weight and have a laugh. Life is tough and throwing the punches helps them to face their challenges. The class meet in The Six Bells, which landlady Nora runs as her own community hub. When the pub is threatened with closure, the women refuse to throw in the towel. They commit to an unlicensed Fight Night to raise cash and rally the locals. Yet as the countdown begins, it's Taylor who finds herself on the ropes. Inspired by Hull's original Mighty Atom, Barbara Buttrick, Amanda Whittington's play Mighty Atoms premiered at Hull Truck Theatre in 2017, as part of Hull UK City of Culture.

Amanda Whittington is one of the most widely performed playwrights in the UK. Her plays include Be My Baby (Soho Theatre, 1998), Satin 'n' Steel (Nottingham Playhouse, 2005), Ladies' Day (Hull Truck, 2005) and its sequel Ladies Down Under (Hull Truck, 2007), The Thrill of Love (New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme, 2013) and Kiss Me Quickstep (New Vic Theatre, 2016). She has adapted Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, My Judy Garland Life and Tipping the Velvet for the stage. She writes regularly for BBC Radio 4, contributing to the Woman's Hour serial and Afternoon Play slots. Her stage plays have also become a popular choice for amateur, community and school productions across the country.