2021/22 Season
Pressure
by David Haig
9 to 18 September 2021
June 1944. Everything is in place for the biggest invasion ever known in Europe – D-Day. But one last crucial factor remains: the weather. American celebrity weatherman Colonel Krick predicts sunshine, while Scotsman Dr James Stagg, Chief Meteorological Officer for the Allied Forces, forecasts a storm. General Eisenhower, Allied Supreme Commander, knows the decision will not only seal the fates of thousands of men, but could win or lose the entire war: so which of these rival experts should he trust? This play has been chosen to commemorate the 75th anniversary of VE Day on 8 May 2020.
The Thrill of Love
by Amanda Whittington
21 to 30 October 2021
A hostess in the West End 'gentlemen’s clubs’, Ruth Ellis works hard, plays hard and dreams of a movie-star life. Yet in 1955, the self-styled ‘blonde bombshell’ is convicted of murder and becomes the last woman to be hanged in Great Britain.
Ruth’s crime is re-examined in the light of the society she lived in and the experiences that led to her shooting her lover. Through the eyes of film noir Detective Inspector Gale – and the haunting voice of Billie Holiday – The Thrill of Love explores the enigma of Ruth Ellis: a woman whose short but explosive life still resonates.
Arsenic and Old Lace
by Joseph Kesselring
2 to 11 December 2021
Originally performed in 1941 and made famous by the film starring Cary Grant as Mortimer Brewster, Arsenic and Old Lace was one of the first and funiest comedies of multiple murders, putting black comedy truly back on the theatrical map. It tells the story of two charming and gentle old ladies who poison their lonely, elderly lodgers in order to save them from the sorrows of this world – however, not everybody shares their views!
Described as an inspired and delightful concoction, combining the charm and ingenuity of an Agatha Christie Whodunit but having a sharper satirical perspective.
Trestle
by Stewart Pringle
20 to 29 January 2022
Harry feels like life is beginning to tick down, his autumn years spent quietly caring for the community he loves. Denise thinks life begins in retirement and she's dancing like she's still at high school.
When their paths cross at the village hall, their understanding of the time they have left changes irrevocably. What do community, growing old, and falling in love really mean? And who gets to decide anyway?
Trestle tenderly but truthfully explores love and ageing, asking how we choose to live in the face of soaring life expecancies. It won the 2017 Papatango New Writing Prize and premiered at Southwark Playhouse, London, in November 2017.
Goodnight Mister Tom
adapted by David Wood from the novel by Michelle Magorian
3 to 12 March 2022
One of the most uplifting stories ever written, Michelle Magorian’s stunning Goodnight Mister Tom is brought gloriously to life in this stage adaption by David Wood – the UK’s ‘National Children’s Dramatist’ (The Times)
Set during the dark and dangerous build-up to the Second World War, Goodnight Mister Tom follows sad young William Beech, who is evacuated to the idyllic English countryside and builds a remarkable and moving friendship with the elderly recluse Tom Oakley. All seems perfect until William is devastatingly summoned by his mother back to London.
Educating Rita
by Willy Russell
14 to 23 April 2022
Frank is a tutor of English in his fifties whose disillusioned outlook on life drives him to drink and bury himself in his books. Enter Rita, a young, forthright hairdresser who is eager to learn. After weeks of cajoling, Rita slowly wins over the very hesitant Frank with her innate insight and refusal to accept no for an answer. Their relationship as teacher and student blossoms, ultimately giving Frank a new sense of self and Rita the knowledge she so craves. The play became a hit film with Michael Caine and Julie Walters.
Table Manners
by Alan Ayckbourn
19 to 28 May 2022
Classic Ayckbourn comedy... As a respite, Annie has booked a weekend away and asked brother Reg and his wife Sarah to come down and look after mother in her absence. However, Annie’s planned break doesn’t happen when it is dicovered that, rather than going away as expected with her neighbour and frequent visitor Tom, she was planning to go with her sister Ruth’s husband Norman.
Over the course of the weekend, and four meals, the couple’s feelings and relationships are challenged.