Take a look at the exciting shows to follow in our current season.
A Streetcar Named Desire
by Tennessee Williams
Directed by Julie Cumbo
Monday 17th July – Saturday 22nd July 2017
The play focuses on the visit of the fragile Blanche Du Bois to her sister Stella in New Orleans. This is the first time that Blanche has met Stella’s husband, Stanley
Kowalski, and she finds much that shocks her, including the news that Stella is pregnant. During the summer, Blanche meets Stanley’s friend Mitch in whom she sees
someone who might save her from her current problems.
It is 1947 and in this post-war city of the Deep South, the jazz, the booze and the sultry summer heat all
contribute to the tensions of this powerful drama, often regarded as one of the greatest of the twentieth century.
Mugged
by Andrew Payne
Taking Breath
By Sarah Daniels
Directed by Nick Foster & Jane Foster
Tuesday 5th – Saturday 9th September
The Youth Theatre present two one-act plays, linked by themes of friendship and bravery. ‘Mugged’ follows the public and private response to a tragic event, while ‘Taking Breath’ involves an element of fantasy. In both plays, friends (and enemies) struggle with youthful moral dilemmas, face up to their fears, and learn what it takes to tell the truth. “Sometimes in life, the most courageous thing is to keep breathing.”
Splendour
by Abi Morgan
Directed by Kate Thurlow
Monday 23rd – 28th October
Behind an opulent and jovial façade a cauldron brimming with resentment, violence and betrayal is bubbling away. How long before the toxic content bubbles over and destroys everything in its path? Four women, slowly drinking their way into dread, fear and truth await the arrival of a man who is to rescue them from their fate. But will he ever arrive? Based on the last days of the Romanian dictator Ceausescu, Splendour shines a light on the aftermath of decades of tyranny and enforced alliances.
The Scary Secrets of Septimus Sloane
by Peter van Manen
Directed by Siobhan James & Peter van Manen
Wednesday 3rd – Sunday 7th January
Wednesday 10th – Saturday 13th January
Septimus Sloane is getting married for the second time and his seven daughters don’t like it one little bit. They risk being denied their fair share of the family fortune. Darius Du Bad, archrival to Septimus, is intent on stealing the secret formula of the youth serum “Dorian”, invented and sold by Sloane Pharmaceuticals. He also has his eye on Daisy, the sweetest daughter of Septimus Sloane. Come for an evening of secrets, live music, dance and dastardly deeds. Excitement and intrigue for the whole family.
Rules for Living
by Sam Holcroft
Directed by Grace Hopkins
Monday 26th Feb – Saturday 3rd March
Rules for Living is a hilarious Ayckbourn-style black comedy by the award winning Sam Holcroft. Edith gathers her family for a traditional Christmas lunch; however, Christmas is often a cue for self-revelatory crisis. When coping strategies are exposed for all to see; accusations will fly, relationships will fall apart and the rules take over. Even Edith, who’s been preparing the lunch since last January, becomes caught up in the chaos!
The Ash Girl
by Timberlake Wertenbaker
Directed by Ian Brown
Monday 9th – Saturday 14th April
When an invitation to The Ball arrives at the Ash girl’s house, from Prince Amir, she can’t bring herself to believe that she, like her sisters, can go. With her mother dead and her father away, she must learn to igght the monsters that have slithered and insinuated their way into her heart and mind. In this wondrous and inventive retelling of the Cinderella story, Timberlake Wertenbaker explores the beauty and terror inherent in growing up.
The Diary of Anne Frank
dramatised By Frances Goodrich & Albert Hackett
Directed by Rick Thomsett & Sharon Laws
Monday 21st – Saturday 26th May
While Anne’s diary continues to be a source of inspiration and an historical treasure, this play gives us even more. Anne is still the central iggure, but we are able to view the other characters and see them come to life as well. The relationships, family differences, and emotional rollercoasters they face let us become a part of history that the diary doesn’t offer. As an audience, we’re treated to a three-dimensional view not just of Anne Frank, but of her world and the people with whom she shared it.
Time of My Life
By Alan Ayckbourn
Directed by Eve Manghani
Monday 9th – Saturday 14th July
When Ayckbourn gives a play a ‘jolly’ title and it opens with all the characters having a happy time—in this case all sitting round a table in an Italian restaurant, chatting and laughing, you can be sure disaster lies no further than a brandy glass away. Secrets are revealed as scenes spin backwards and forwards in time. Ayckbourn’s 44th play is a black comedy that swings from humour to pathos on a grand scale as we learn that the ‘Time of My Life’ is the time you were happiest but didn’t know it.
Priority booking opens early for members and supporters and we encourage you to book early to avoid disappointment. To find out more about priority booking click here.
