Current
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Time of My Life by Alan Ayckbourn,
directed by Karen Rogers.
Production dates: 26th, 27th and 28th October 2023
Can we ever know when we are having the time of our life, or can it only
be judged retrospectively? Ayckbourn’s funny and poignant play charts
the decline of a successful family business founded and nurtured by
Gerry and Laura Stratton. To celebrate Laura's birthday, Gerry has
organised an intimate family dinner at their favourite restaurant. At
first, all seems well. Glyn, their eldest son, has patched up his
marriage with Stephanie; younger son Adam has a new girlfriend and is
deeply in love. But all is not as it seems. The action shifts backwards
and forwards in time, to reveal skeletons from the past and a spectre of
the future.
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A Murder is Announced by Agatha
Christie, adapted for the stage by Leslie Darbon, directed by Christian
Mortimer.
Production dates: 11th, 12th and 13th January 2024
“A murder is announced and will take place on Friday, October the
thirteenth, at Little Paddocks – at six-thirty p.m.” So states an
advertisement placed in the local paper at Chipping Cleghorn. Miss
Letitia Blacklock, owner of Little Paddocks, her lodgers and curious
neighbours gather at the appointed time, wondering if it’s all just a
silly joke. Then, the lights go out and a gun is fired. The arrival of
Inspector Craddock signals the start of a murder investigation. Craddock
is joined by amateur sleuth Miss Marple and together they must unravel a
complex series of relationships and events to solve the mystery of the
killer. This vintage Christie whodunnit will keep you guessing until the
end. |
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Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller,
directed by Jean Cooper.
Production dates: 21st, 22nd and 23rd March 2024
Death of a Salesman is widely regarded as Miller's tragic masterpiece
and one of the greatest plays of the twentieth century. Ageing
travelling salesman Willy Loman is haunted and driven by empty dreams of
prosperity and success, which leads to the shattering of his family and
of their idol. The play's moral and political message is powerfully
portrayed in this moving human drama both of a man trying to make his
way in the world and of the flaws we all share. The play is justly
celebrated as one of the most famous dramatisations of the failure of
the ‘American Dream’.
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The Roundabout by J B Priestley,
directed by Cathy Naylor.
Production dates: 6th, 7th and 8th June 2024
The Kettlewells are a dysfunctional family. The father, Richard, is a
charming old Etonian whose business ventures are failing. Over the
course of one weekend, his daughter Pamela, whom he hardly knows,
returns from Russia, a passionate communist; his ex-wife and mistress
both unexpectedly arrive; and his butler has a big win at the races. The
Roundabout is delightful comedy by JB Priestley. It is a funny,
touching, highly perceptive look at an England in the 1930s, when it
seemed, just possibly, as if the social order might be changing. |
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