September 2025

Racing Demon - a modern drama by David Hare set in the English ecclesiastical world in 1990 following the turmoils of the Church of England hierarchy, some issues from which are still reverberating today

Separate Tables - two one-act plays by Terence Rattigan follow the social nuances of relationships in a seaside boarding house, both playlets making us think about our assumptions of right and wrong

Hobson's Choice - by Harold Brighouse set in Lancashire, filmed in 1954 starring John Mills, the play is based on an older legend about where the term came from, with a story woven around curmudgeonly bootmaker Hobson and his refusal to allow his 3 daughters to wed

January 2026

A Chorus of Disapproval by Alan Ayckbourn is set in Scarborough around the rehearsals of an am dram production of The Beggar's Opera, interwoven with the actors' actions and relationships. Amusing but also poignant.

Pygmalion - the original play by Bernard Shaw which was later made into the musical My Fair Lady. We probably won't include the songs from the musical, although "Get me to the Church on time" is very tempting!

Cold Comfort Farm - from the novel by Stella Gibbons, a successful TV version starred Kate Beckensale and Eileen Atkins. It's set on an isolated family farm in the 1930's where a strong-minded young woman comes to live with her very very odd extended family.

The Night of the Iguana - by Tennessee Williams, set in the 1940s on the steamy veranda of a hotel on the west coast of Mexico, this was first staged in New York in 1961 and filmed in 1964 starring Richard Burton as the alcoholic defrocked Irish priest, Ava Gardener as the sultry widowed hotel owner and Deborah Kerr as the unobtainable New England spinster artist.

Star Quality - by Noel Coward, his tribute to his great friend Gertrude Lawrence, whom he'd known since they were both young wannabees touring the English repping theatre, this was first a short story in 1951, turned into a play by Noel and later developed by Christopher Luscombe. The protagonist arrives in theatre-land as a young naive author and meets the full range of luvvies, cast & crew including the demanding, bullying, manipulative leading lady!

One O'Clock from the House - by Frank Vickery, written in 1984. A social comedy, slightly dark, about a discordant suburban family - 4 daughters, their spouses, kids & cousins - trying to sort out their lives in the aftermath of their father's death. All the characters have their unique foibles, some less lovable than others.

The Importance of Being Ernest - by Oscar Wilde. Starring the Handbag. And a happy ending for 3 couples.

September 2026

See How They Run by Philip King - a murder mystery cum farce from 1946 with all the cast you would expect from that era : a vicar, his wife an ex actress, the Bishop, a German PoW, the maid et al. NOT the same as the recent film by the same name.

Nell Gwynn by Jessica Swale - a very modern take on the true cinderella-type story of the orange seller turned actress (who lived 1650-1687) and the Very Merry Monarch King Charles II.

The Shell Seekers from the novel by Rosamunde Pilcher, a family with a big artistic secret.

She Stoops to Conquor by Oliver Goldsmith - a comedy of manners written in 1771 which has remained a stalwart of the London theatre scene ever since.