"Imagine a dysfunctional family living next door to your widowed mother, dealing crack cocaine from their garden shed at a time when your mum needs a heart operation" says Bafta award-winning British playwright, John Godber.

This is the real situation that sparked his bitter-sweet autobiographical play, Our House.

"Before she died, I was able to move my mum out so she could live her remaining years in peace," he continues. "But what if she'd been alone and couldn't deal with it? She was in her 70s, social services couldn't help and the police didn't want to know."

In his tender-hearted play, Godber deals with the ups and downs of life, the breakdown of old-fashioned community spirit, and what we do for love.

Hailed as a champion of the underdog, his lead character is no different.

May is a sharp-tongued, frail-bodied widow, mother and grandmother packing up her Northern council house to head off for a life in the sun.

She's trading in her nightmare neighbours for an apartment in Spain, but moving out is hard work and moving on is even harder.

As the van is loaded with the possessions she has collected over the past 45 years, she remembers the hardships, laughter, sorrow and joy one last time as a tapestry of memories unfolds.

"I wanted to tell May's story backwards because we live our lives backwards," says Godber. "As we go on, we understand more about our past and who we are."

The prolific playwright, who nursed his sick mother for six months before she died, is pleased to be reviving the work closest to his heart seven years after it was written.

Our House was first performed in 2001 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Hull Truck Theatre, of which Godber is artistic director.

Originally staged across two theatre spaces which represented the house and garden, it could not be toured. Now Godber directs an adapted version which will tour the UK to coincide with the opening of the company's new theatre, where the tour will end on June 3.

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