2021/22 Season
THE CURIOUS SAVAGE
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The Curious Savage
By John Patrick Unitarian Meeting House, Churchgate, Bury St Edmunds Dates 11, 12 and 13 November 2021 Director - Gwen Owen Ethel Savage is an elderly woman whose husband recently died, leaving her millions of dollars. Her family put her into a nursing home, filled with people who have been affected by what life has thrown at them. Her relatives are hoping to get their hands on their stepmother’s wealth, but they greatly underestimate the strength of love and care she receives from the other residents. The play calls into question conventional definitions of sanity, as the kindness and loyalty of the psychiatric patients is contrasted with the avarice and vanity of ‘respectable’ public figures. The outcome provides a moving insight into the true nature of everyone involved, and an idea what their lives would have been had fate not intervened. Paintings by local artist Donna Wisdom will be available for sale at performances, with proceeds going to the Alzheimer’s Association.
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A DOLL'S HOUSE
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A Doll's House
By Henrik Ibesn Unitarian Meeting House, Churchgate, Bury St Edmunds Dates 31 March to 2 April Director - TBA The slamming of the front door at the end of A Doll's House shatters the romantic masquerade of the Helmers' marriage. In their stultifying and infantilised relationship, Nora and Torvald have deceived themselves and each other both consciously and subconsciously, until Nora finally acknowledges her need for individual freedom. Ibsen's 1879 play shocked its first audiences with its radical insights into the social roles of husband and wife. His portrayal of the caged 'songbird', his flawed heroine, Nora, remains one of the most striking dramatic depictions of late-nineteenth century woman. But the issues addressed are no less relevant today. The play highlights the damaging effects of certain gendered behaviour patterns, a major theme of this great play and one of the most widely performed in the world. Come and enjoy this masterpiece of modern theatre! |
A BUNCH OF AMATEURS
Tickets on sale soon from the Theatre Royal...
From just £10.50... |
By Ian Hislop & Nick Newman
Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds Dates 22 to 28 May 2022 Director - Chris Lines Shakespeare meets Hollywood, and let’s just say they don’t see eye to (Private) eye in this brilliant comedy by Nick Newman and Ian Hislop. In the sleepy Suffolk village of Stratford St John, the local am-dram group is in a desperate situation. They need to raise funds to save their little theatre (actually a barn…) so they hit on the idea of asking a well-known actor to play King Lear. That’s bound to raise the money needed! Hollywood action hero Jefferson Steel agrees to take on the role as a way of reviving his flagging career, believing, of course, that he will be playing with the Royal Shakespeare Company at the other Stratford (on Avon!) Enjoy the mayhem that ensues when Hollywood arrogance butts heads with the village’s own ‘star’ player and see how the women of the company react to having a real-life, womanising action hero in their midst. A love letter to amateur dramatics, as the authors describe it. PLus you get to see all the best bits of King Lear in just 10 minutes! “And thus the whirligig of time brings in his revenges.” |
THE TEMPEST
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By William Shakespeare
Abbey Gardens, Bury St Edmunds Dates 19 to 23 July 2022 Director - Tim Lodge Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Lacus suspendisse faucibus interdum posuere lorem ipsum dolor. Tempus quam pellentesque nec nam aliquam sem et tortor. Quis blandit turpis cursus in hac habitasse. Ut eu sem integer vitae justo eget magna |
SWIVE
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By Ella Hickson
Unitarian Meeting House, Churchgate, Bury St Edmunds Dates: 6 to 8 October 2022 Director - Chris Lines Elizabeth I is the only unmarried woman to have ever ruled England. And she reigned for forty-four years. Mastermind. Seductress. Survivor. Created by award-winning writer Ella Hickson and director Natalie Abrahami, Swive [Elizabeth] shines a light on the ways and means by which women in power negotiate patriarchal pressure in order to get their way. It premiered in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare's Globe, London, in December 2019. |
EDITH IN THE DARK
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By Philip Meeks
Unitarian Meeting House, Churchgate, Bury St Edmunds Dates 10 to 12 November 2022 Director - Maggie Kinnear-King Celebrated children’s author Edith Nesbit (The Railway Children, Five Children & It) retreats to her attic writing room during one of her husband’s tiresome parties with her housekeeper and an unexpected, handsome party guest. |