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Past Productions
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The Ladykillers - November 2019
A black comedy
by Graham Linehan

The Ladykillers is a classic black comedy; a sweet little old lady, alone in her house, is pitted against a gang of criminal misfits who will stop at nothing.....
Posing as amateur musicians, Professor Marcus and his gang rent rooms in the lopsided house of sweet but strict Mrs Wilberforce.
The villains plot to involve her, unwittingly, in Marcus' brilliantly conceived heist job. The police are left stumped but Mrs Wilberforce becomes wise to their ruse and Marcus concludes that there is only one way to keep the old lady quiet.
With only her parrot, General Gordon, to help her, Mrs Wilberforce is alone with five desperate men.
But who will be forced to face the music?


Are You Being Served - April 2019
A comedy
by Jeremy Lloyd & David Croft


After the motley crew of the Grace Brothers department store prepare for the sale of German goods Grace Brothers' requires renovation. To compensate for time off work, Young Mr Grace sends the staff of the Men's and Women's Department on a two-week holiday to the fictional Spanish resort town of Costa Plonka.  The wife of Captain Peacock won't be joining them, and Mrs Slocombe sees an opportunity to seduce him. She is as oblivious as ever to the fact that Captain Peacock has his eye – or rather both eyes – on Miss Brahms, the attractive young Women’s-wear junior. Miss Brahms has known of his plans all along, and deflects each advance with ease.  The staff find, to their chagrin, that because of a booking mix-up their hotel has no rooms available, and they are forced to sleep in tents. The single public bathroom only has a lock on the outside, and that the local custom is to sing a song while you are using it to let others know of its occupation. This causes a problem for Mr Grainger, who after a local meal states, "Many more dinners like that, and I shall have to learn a longer song!" Dinnertime proves to be very eventful, as many of the staff take the opportunity to pass naughty notes to each other. Few of the notes reach their intended recipient. Chaos ensues when Mrs Slocombe receives a note, presuming it to be from Captain Peacock, when really it was from Mr Lucas to Miss Brahms.  Mr Humphries is popular with the girls – and the men. He receives the advances of Conchita, a señorita working at the hotel. She frequents Mr Humphries' tent at night, with the hopes that he will "make her happy".  The holidaymakers then find themselves in the middle of a revolution and are confined to their hotel during the uprising.

Blackadder Goes Forth - Nov 2018
A comedy
by Richard Curtis & Ben Elton


It is 1917, and lunatic General Sir Anthony Cecil Hogmanay Melchett is leading the British troops at the front lines against the Germans, while everyone waits for Field Marshall Haig's big push. There are various emotions throughout the camp about it. For Captain Kevin Darling, Melchett's bull-dog-like right-hand man, it makes no difference, as it appears he will be safe and sound with the general when the big push occurs. For Lieutenant George Colhurst Saint Barleigh, he is overly excited at thrashing the Germans. For Private S. (probably for Sod-Off) Baldrick, it's a terrifying experience he is not looking forward to. For Captain Edmund Blackadder, however, it's something he's too cowardly too face. Self-centered, arrogant, and sarcastic, Blackadder is always constantly searching for a way out of this silly war, and will try various, often crazy, variations on escape, all of which will take a turn he never expected. Sharing a dugout with George and Baldrick, his main obstacle for escape is Darling, who will ensure everyone is present for the big push.
A Bunch of Amateurs - April 2018
A comedy
by Ian Hislop & Nick Newman

Keen to boost his flagging career, fading Hollywood action hero Jefferson Steele arrives in England to play King Lear in Stratford – only to find that this is not the birthplace of the Bard, but a sleepy Suffolk village and instead of Sir Kenneth Branagh and Dame Judi Dench, the cast are a bunch of amateurs trying to save their theatre from developers. Jefferson’s monstrous ego, vanity and insecurity are tested to the limit by the enthusiastic am-dram thespians. As acting worlds collide and Jefferson’s career implodes, he discovers some truths about himself – along with his inner Lear!

a_bunch_of_amateurs_noda_report.pdf
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The Chalk Garden - Oct 2017
A drama / mystery
​by Enid Bagnold
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A woman applies as a governess to a household of position in the country in England. She is interviewed by her employer, an old, over-powering, once-beautiful ex-hostess of London society. She is engaged (without references) to look after the granddaughter, whose mother has married again, and who leads her grandmother by the nose and exploits her caprices and her leaning towards Freudian explanations.
The grandmother gardens - feverishly and ignorantly - as an escape from old age. The man-servant is a classless, ageless man, unhappy with life but with a "passion for the Right." He in turn is exploited by the grandmother and the granddaughter. Over the premises, unseen and chained by a stroke upstairs, there broods the evil influence and faded grandeur of the butler who has known all the magnificence of his employer's life in London.
The Applicant - the "governess' - has done a life-sentence for murder and has only recently come out of prison. This fact swells like a mushroom cloud all through the play, and the cloud develops flames within it when the judge who once sentenced her comes to lunch.

noda_report_for_the_chalk_garden.pdf
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The Break Away - April 2017
A comedy
​by Jack Williams
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This fast-paced comedy is set in 1988. Ronnie runs a guest house in a village near Plymouth, with lazy stepsister, Heather. She drops a bombshell that a hotel inspector is due any minute.
Two different couples arrive, who both sign in with alias names. The hotel inspector turns up undercover as a guest and then an undercover police inspector arrives looking for a couple, who have kidnapped a dog from a famous actor. The policeman suspects that they are staying there.
It becomes apparent that both couples have smuggled a dog in. Chaos ensues for Ronnie and Heather, as they now have, two dogs, two inspectors and two very odd and suspicious couples. 





the_break_away_noda_report.pdf
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The Reunion - October 2016
A comedy
​by Peter Gordon
​

The reunion is brought together in the back room of a pub set in the present day.

Nigel has arranged the get-together and he is optimistic of a good turnout. Whilst the numbers disappoint him, he soon has his hands full when his three friends arrive with their partners. Prejudices and resentment that have simmered for the last twenty-five years gradually unfold as the evening wears on. 
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Blithe Spirit - April 2016
by
Noel coward

To get the background for a new book, author Charles and his second wife Ruth light-heartedly arrange for local mystic Madam Arcati to give a séance. The unfortunate result is that Charles' first wife, Elvira, returns from beyond the grave to make his life something of a misery. Ruth, too, gets increasingly irritated with her supernatural rival, but Madam Arcati is at her wit's end as to how to sort things out.









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Don't Get Your Vicars in a Twist - October 2015
by
​Ann Gawthorpe and Lesley Brown 

​It is set in 1993, the first year that women priests were ordained. The vicarage is empty whilst waiting for a new vicar to take up residence so the Churchwarden, George, takes the opportunity to make some money by renting it out for a murder mystery weekend. However, Bishop Herbert, determined to have the first parish with a female vicar, has appointed Caroline Timberlake. Fortunately, Caroline decides to attend a college reunion so George’s plans can go ahead. But events take a turn for the worse when Bishop Herbert decides to visit his new vicar. Actors, guests and church dignitaries create total confusion as George tries to salvage the weekend – and get paid!

Swan Song - April 2015
by
Norman Robbins


Long retired from the operatic stage, the famous soprano, Tryphosa Swan, is still a force to be reckoned with.
Impulsive, imperious, and incredibly rich, she has only one regret in life.  Abandoned as a baby, she has never known who her real mother was.  An unexpected clue prompts her to confide in her only close friend, Marianne, who advises her to let sleeping dogs lie.  But Tryphosa has never taken advice and hires a genealogist with unexpected results.  
Her uneasy relationship with her two daughters deteriorates, and when, in an act of pique, she decides to change her will yet again, the grim spectre of Death appears.  And the killing doesn't stop.
A gripping thriller by the author of Prescription for Murder, Practice to Deceive, the Tomb trilogy, and The Borzoletti Monstrance, Swan Song shows Norman Robbins at the top of his fiendish form.

  

Accidents & Guarding Angels - October 2014

a dark comedy by Jack Williams

“Accidents and Guarding Angels” is a dark comedy set in a funeral directors “Reeper Funeral Services” run by George Reeper and his daughter Vera. They haven’t had an easy life since George’s first wife died in a car accident but they’ve now found happiness with their respective partners, Fenella and Charlie. 

Unfortunately things are not running smoothly again due to mishaps with the deceased, a boggled apprentice, an accidental decorator, a customer who’s left her decaying husband in the car outside and a very nervous police officer.








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Stepping Out - April 2014


​Can you learn to tap dance? Well you can now! A varied group of ladies from all sorts of backgrounds come together with one man in a dance school to learn how to tap dance, Will they make to the level required to perform at a public engagement? Well it is a production that you have to see to find out the answer. Funny, sad and totally exciting. 


Jack and the Beanstalk - January 2014

A pantomime by Jeanette Simmons

This pantomime, adapted from the original story by Jeanette Simmons, describes the events of a poor family which have the brokers in to remove their belongings. They decide to sell their cow to make some money in the hope of buying her back later but the villain buying the cow gives Jack, Dame Dolly's son, a bag of beans instead of gold. Dame Dolly throws the beans away in disgust but they begin to grow. One plant grows so tall that it reaches into the clouds to the castle of a giant. Jack climbs the beanstalk, steals the giant's gold and then climbs down to the bottom. The giant tries to follow but when climbing down, Jack cuts down the beanstalk and the giant meets a sticky end. Guess what? Everyone lives happily ever after.

A Man for All Seasons - October 2013

A drama by Robert Bolt

This production charts the life of Sir Thomas more during the years when Henry VIII wished to divorce Catherine of Aragon and Marry Anne Boleyn. Divorce was not permitted for Catholics and so Henry determined that he would introduce a new act in parliament, the Act of Succession, to enable him to be head of the church in England and thus not have to follow the Catholic law. This, of course, did cost Henry a great deal of money, some would consider a bribe, but also cost Sir Thomas More his life as he was unable to agree with Henry that he could sever the connection with Rome as he felt that marriage was subject to a spiritual supremacy and it was not within the rights of Kings to alter that.

Dad's Army - April 2013
A comedy by Croft & Perry

Three of television's funniest episodes adapted for the stage. Firstly, The Deadly Attachment where the Home guard are given the responsibility to look after some German prisoners of war with hilarious consequences. Secondly, The Godiva Affair where the Home Guard and the Town Clerk are separately arranging their contributions to a local pageant. Morris Dancing and near naked ladies compete, culminating in an hilarious finale. Thirdly, Mum's Army where the Home Guard attempt to recruit women into the Guard. Throughout the performances there are musical interludes performed by members of the 'Women's Land Army'. As a short finale piece The Floral Dance, originally written for a Command Performance provides a fitting finish to a great evening's entertainment.

Dick Whittington - January 2013
A pantomime by Roy Preston

Following the traditional story, Dick travels to London to make his fortune. He meets a friendly cat called Tommy and ends up working for an old lady shopkeeper (Dame Fitzwarren) who has a lazy assistant (Idle Jack) and a beautiful daughter (Alice). He falls in love with the daughter but finds himself accused of stealing the shop's takings by the King and Queen Rat who are attempting to take over all of London. Once proved innocent, Dick sets sail to foreign climes with a motley crew plus the Dame, Idle Jack and Tommy the cat to seek out goods to sell in the shop. The ship is wrecked and on the foreign shores they are about to be executed by the Sultana when Tommy saves the day by killing all of the rats. They return to London and all live happily ever after.

The Birds, The Bees & Therapy - October 2012
A farce by Jack Williams

Steve Kingsellar, works as a group therapist. His personal life is rather complicated, as he’s fallen in love, with Emma, who's married. His friends drag him out for the evening, he meets Samantha, and becomes somewhat intimate with her. Steve wakes up the next morning, with little memory of the night before, and he must get to work as he has a new group of patients to meet. Steve’s trouble-free life unravels at a rapid rate of knots, when Samantha reappears, to declare her true feelings for him. Adding to the confusion, his cantankerous dad turns up, whilst Steve tries to fend off his flirty OAP neighbour, Roberta. All the characters become entangled in the chaotic events that follow.

Enter A Free Man - April 2012
A play by Tom Stoppard

George Riley is an inventor who firmly believes that one day he will become a success and make a lot of money from his inventions. However, in spite of his confidence, he usually overlooks one vital aspect of his inventions.
A sad but funny expedition into one man's life.

Cinderella - January 2012
A pantomime by Roy Preston

A traditional pantomime with two dames - the Ugly Sisters - a charming prince and a beautiful young baron's daughter plus, of course, a full supporting cast. All combine to make a comic fantasy show with all of the traditional jokes - recycled of course.

It Was a Dark and Stormy Night - October 2011
A spoof horror mystery by Tim Kelly

Murder and Mayhem strike when a storm forces strangers to take shelter in the haunted Olde Wayside Inn. Who is that skeleton in the wheelchair and why is it wearing a bridal veil?

My Blessed Uncle - April 2011
A Farce by Bob Lockyer

Cecil and Joan Gregg have their hands full running ‘Moorland Gate’ Country Club under the watchful eye of the Club President, Sir Hector Shunter. On the day of the Hunt Ball with guests arriving and fancy dress costumes to organize, their plans are thrown into turmoil with the unexpected arrival of Cecil’s long lost American uncle, Brigadier Theodore Hyams.  Mayhem ensues.

And Evermore Shall Be So - October 2010
A Drama by Norman Robbins

Taking its title from the traditional song"Green Grow the Rushes O" the play explores the events surrounding a murder which took place four years previously and how strangely the song lyrics seem to fit so well with the circumstances. The action focuses on the repercussions that can be felt where there is "something wrong with the village ... a sense of evil about it ..." An author, cousin of the vicar's wife, arrives, having been encouraged to write a book about the murder. Old tensions and suspicions are brought to the surface as not everyone is in favour of raking up the past........

The Diary of Anne Frank - April 2010
A Drama by Frances Goodrich & Albert Hackett

Soon after Hitler came to power, Otto Frank, a German Jew, moved his business to Amsterdam where he thought that his family would be safe. After the start of the war it became evident that this would not be the case and so he started to make preparations to go into hiding. Eventually in 1942 his family moved into an unknown attic above his factory warehouse which he shared with his friends, Mr and Mrs Van Dann and their son Peter. This play is adapted from the diary of Anne Frank his youngest daughter and describes their lives over a period of two years leading up to the time just before the end of the war. Regrettably, just before the war finally ended, the families were discovered and taken to concentration camps where they all died with the exception of Otto Frank himself. Otto Frank himself was consulted over the contents of this play and so it is considered to be an accurate, albeit much condensed, portrayal of what really happened.

Caught in the Net - October 2009
A Comedy by Ray Cooney

The sequel to Run For Your Wife finds our bigamist taxi-driver, John Smith, still keeping both his families (one in Wimbledon and one in Streatham) happy and blissfully unaware of each other. However, his teenage children – one girl and one boy by each wife – have met on the internet and are determined to see each other in person, especially as it transpires that they have so much in common – same surname, taxi-driver dad of the same age, etc! When it dawns on John that they are about to meet, he plunges into a hell-hole of his own making in order to keep them apart. His saviour could be Stanley, his lodger. Stanley is about to go on holiday with his decrepit old father, who turns up thinking he is already at the guest house. The ever-spiralling situation gets increasingly out-of-hand as John busts a gut to juggle with the truth.

'Allo 'Allo - April 2009
​by Croft and Perry

This is a production which still features many of those much loved characters, antics, innuendos and humour that made the television series such a success. 'Allo 'Allo is a seasoned favourite that brings in audiences from far and wide. Now listen very carefully. I shall say this only once!

The action takes place in war-torn France during the German occupation of the Second World War. We follow the adventures of Rene, the hapless cafe owner as he and his wife Edith struggle to keep for themselves a priceless portrait stolen by the Nazis and which is kep in a sausage in their cellar.

Rene is hiding two British airmen and is endeavouring, with the help of the resistance, to repatriate them. However, the communications with London through a wireless disguised as a cockatoo add to the many embarrassments he endures in the company of his patrons.

Matters come to a head with the news that the Fuhrer is to visit the town and the cafe becomes filled with tricksters intending to impersonate Hitler before the event. Rene will need all the wit that he can muster to save his cafe - and his life...!

Prescription for Murder - October 2008
A drama by Norman Robbins

This production was a world premiere.
This thriller is set in the picturesque village of Bere Knighton in Devon. As the curtain rises, a ruthless serial killer has selected a local resident as their new victim and a foolproof plan is set in motion.
The Doctor's new wife battles a mysterious and debilitating illness and village life continues as normal. Then, the arrival of a stranger sets of a relentless cat and mouse game where no-one is safe if they happen to get in the killer's way.

3 for 1 - April 2008
Three One-Act Plays

I Never Knew It Would Be like This - a comedy by
Evelyn Hood.

Doreen finds herself shipwrecked on a tropical desert island with dithering Arthur.  As Doreen tries to concentrate on her knitting knowing that rescue is looming, Arthur is trying to be practical and thinks that he should build a shelter for one ... no two ... no one!!!

Mother Figure - A comedy by Alan Ayckbourn.
Lucy is a full-time mum of three small children. Her husband, Harry, is a businessman who works a lot away from home. The neighbours visit to check that Lucy is all right and end up being treated like children by Lucy. They respond to this treatment by behaving like children themselves.

Still Life - a drama by Noel Coward
The film Brief Encounter was based on the 1930's play. Set in a railway station waiting room, the doomed affair between upper class Laura and Alex becomes apparent. The lower class order of waitresses, station staff and soldiers provides a light relief from the otherwise tragic story.



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