Be among the first to experience Gentleman Jack, a new work supported by the RPS Drummond Lockyer Fund for Dance.

Gentleman Jack is a major new ballet from Northern Ballet, based on the life of Anne Lister (1791-1840), the Yorkshire diarist, landowner and businesswoman, who inspired the hugely popular and critically acclaimed BBC/HBO series of the same title. Funding from the RPS Drummond Lockyer Fund for Dance is supporting collaboration between choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa  and composer Peter Salem to create a new score. This will be performed live across the UK from March-September 2026.

Gentleman Jack opens Saturday 7 March 2026, 7.30pm at Leeds Grand Theatre, with following performances in Leeds, Sheffield, Nottingham, London, Norwich, Salford, and Bradford. You can get involved and see behind the scenes at Leeds Grand Theatre on 12 March with an over 55s workshop, and 'Gentleman Jack Revealed' with Pippa Moore MBE.

A powerful Yorkshire woman, it was only after her death when her secret diaries were decoded that a truly exceptional life was uncovered. Described by some as the "first modern lesbian", Anne lived, dressed and loved as she desired, not as 19th century society expected her to. With her words dancing across the page, she vividly chronicled her adventures, heartbreaks and triumphs. Anne Lister, or Gentleman Jack as she became known, lived at Halifax’s Shibden Hall. She made her mark as she refused to live like society expected her – dressing how she wanted, running her business how she chose and, if the rumours were true, scandalising 19th century sensibilities through her romances with women. After her death, when her diaries were decoded, the rumours were proved correct. Anne’s love affairs with society women were uncovered as well as insights into her business know-how and determination to make Shibden Hall a great country estate. Now often called ‘the first modern lesbian’, her diaries, landownership, travels and business ventures have captivated audiences around the world.

Gentleman Jack is a co-production with Finnish National Ballet and will also be performed in Helsinki in 2028.

The RPS Drummond Lockyer Fund for Dance was established in 2007 in memory of the writer, broadcaster and lifelong dance aficionado Sir John Drummond CBE, by John’s long term partner Bob Lockyer OBE, himself a major force in British dance for decades, who sadly died in 2022. In the years since, it has supported a range of collaborations between composers and choreographers, as detailed here on our website.

Click below to find out more and to book for the performances.