2018-2019 SEASON
Betrayal
Lysistrata - The Sex Strike
No Exit (Huis Clos)
The Real Inspector Hound
The Importance of Being Earnest
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Lysistrata - The Sex Strike
No Exit (Huis Clos)
The Real Inspector Hound
The Importance of Being Earnest
A Midsummer Night's Dream
tHE MERCHANT OF VENICE
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By William Shakespeare
Abbey Gardens, Bury St Edmunds 31 July to 4 August 2018 Director - Tim Lodge Evening performances start 6.30 pm Matinee starts 1.30 pm “The quality of mercy is not strain’d, it droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath:” |
Group discounts available by arrangement. Call 01359 259361
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Antonio, the merchant of Venice, agrees to lend money to his friend Bassanio so that he can impress the hugely wealthy, and very beautiful, Portia. But Antonio’s wealth is all in ships at sea so until they return he in turn has to borrow from the money lender, Shylock. Shylock’s terms are harsh, not least because Antonio has been particularly nasty to him in the past; if Antonio fails to return the money in 3 months he must forfeit a pound of his own flesh! Nevertheless, Antonio agrees to the terms of the loan, such is his fondness for Bassanio. When news arrives that all of Antonio’s ships have been lost at sea, Shylock sees his opportunity for revenge and insists on his day in court…
Of course, that’s too simple a plot for Shakespeare and things have to be made a little more complicated. For example, any suiter of Portia must first choose which of 3 caskets contains her picture. Get it wrong and you’re history so Bassanio has another problem to overcome right there. Remember, all that glisters is not gold… Meanwhile, Shylock’s daughter Jessica runs away to marry Bassanio’s friend Lorenzo, much to Shylock’s disgust. Portia’s maid, Nerissa, falls for another one of the lads, Gratiano. And what’s happening with those rings?
Hugely entertaining drama performed in authentic Elizabethan costume with music, dance and comedy. Best enjoyed with family, friends and a glass of something ... Bring a picnic and enjoy classic Shakespeare in beautiful surroundings.
Wheelchair users, please note that we have relocated to the area below the Rose Garden which has easy access and is closer to the toilets!
Of course, that’s too simple a plot for Shakespeare and things have to be made a little more complicated. For example, any suiter of Portia must first choose which of 3 caskets contains her picture. Get it wrong and you’re history so Bassanio has another problem to overcome right there. Remember, all that glisters is not gold… Meanwhile, Shylock’s daughter Jessica runs away to marry Bassanio’s friend Lorenzo, much to Shylock’s disgust. Portia’s maid, Nerissa, falls for another one of the lads, Gratiano. And what’s happening with those rings?
Hugely entertaining drama performed in authentic Elizabethan costume with music, dance and comedy. Best enjoyed with family, friends and a glass of something ... Bring a picnic and enjoy classic Shakespeare in beautiful surroundings.
Wheelchair users, please note that we have relocated to the area below the Rose Garden which has easy access and is closer to the toilets!
Betrayal
By Harold Pinter
Unitarian Meeting House, Churchgate, Bury St Edmunds
27, 28 and 29 September 2018
Director - John Levantis
Two couples are friends : but two start a secret affair; or they believe it is a secret.
The play is not so much about adultery or sex, rather the politics of betrayal and what it inflicts on all involved. The past is pieced together with a combination of curiosity and regret.
Pinter’s narrative method takes “what's next?” out of the audience' mind and replaces it with the rather deeper “how?” and “why?”. Why did love pass? How did these people cope with the lies, the evasions, the sudden dangers, the panic, and the contradictory feelings behind their own deftly engineered masks?
This is a masterfully written piece of theatre, spare and yet totally absorbing!
Unitarian Meeting House, Churchgate, Bury St Edmunds
27, 28 and 29 September 2018
Director - John Levantis
Two couples are friends : but two start a secret affair; or they believe it is a secret.
The play is not so much about adultery or sex, rather the politics of betrayal and what it inflicts on all involved. The past is pieced together with a combination of curiosity and regret.
Pinter’s narrative method takes “what's next?” out of the audience' mind and replaces it with the rather deeper “how?” and “why?”. Why did love pass? How did these people cope with the lies, the evasions, the sudden dangers, the panic, and the contradictory feelings behind their own deftly engineered masks?
This is a masterfully written piece of theatre, spare and yet totally absorbing!
Lysistrata; The sex strike
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After Aristophanes, by Germaine Greer and Phil Wilmott
Unitarian Meeting House, Churchgate, Bury St Edmunds 8, 9 and 10 November 2018 Director - Tim Lodge Cast variable, 8M, 11F. We will hopefully cast as many who wish to be in this play, provided they are prepared to commit to the production, as we expect of all our actors of course. We shall also be charging audience on the basis of 'how much do you think it was worth', so on their exit rather than in advance. An interesting approach that we haven't tried before but which would suit this hilarious and very entertaining play. Read an extract from the script here... Cast list and production notes here... |
No Exit (Huis clos)
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By John Paul Sartre, translated by Gayle Wade
Unitarian Meeting House, Churchgate, Bury St Edmunds 7, 8, 9 March 2019 Director - Tim Lodge Cast 2F, 1M, 1M or F No Exit (French: Huis Clos), was written in 1944 by the famous existentialist philosopher. The original title is the French equivalent of the legal term in camera, referring to a private discussion behind closed doors. The play is a depiction of the afterlife in which three deceased characters are punished by being locked together for all eternity. It is the source of Sartre's especially famous quotation "L'enfer, c'est les autres" or "Hell is other people". A powerful and thought-provoking piece of theatre. |