2015 productions

6 November 2015

Forgotten Voices

Malcolm McKay
Adapted from Forgotten Voices of the Great War
by Max Arthur

A rehearsed reading based on the oral testimonies of First World War veterans, collected by the Sound Archive of the Imperial War Museum.

FORGOTTEN VOICES is set in the art gallery of the Imperial War Museum, in the late 1950’s and tells the story of five survivors – four men and one woman – whose memories provide a vivid and moving first-hand account of the Great War.




15–17 October 2015

Blithe Spirit

By Noël Coward

Novelist Charles Condomine invites eccentric medium, Madame Arcati, to hold a séance at his house as research for his new book. Both Charles and his wife Ruth have been married before, but their previous partners are dead.

When the séance begins Madame Arcati goes into a trance, shrieks and then faints. A woman's voice is heard in the room - it is Elvira, Charles first wife. Charles denies that anything happened, but when Madame Arcati recovers she is certain that she did summon a spirit. When Elvira materialises, unseen by anyone but Charles. Ruth thinks that Charles must have gone mad, and goes to bed in a temper, leaving him alone with Elvira.

With two wives to keep happy, Charles soon finds his life turned upside down. Can Madame Arcati make things right and return Elvira to where she came from, or will she just make things worse?

10–11 July 2015

Old Time Music Hall

To celebrate The Progress Estate’s Centenary

Lay-dees and Gen-tlemen – Delight in the traditional entertainment of the music hall era.

To celebrate the Progress Estate's 100th birthday we staged an an "Old Time Music Hall" with acts from a bygone age to fascinate the eyes and songs to soothe the ears.

Acts included, large chorus numbers, mime acts, comedians, magic and melodrama. This was a fun night for all involved and we celebrated in style and helped raise a toast to the next 100 years.



4–6 June 2015

The Maintenance Man

By Richard Harris

A bitter sweet and perceptive look at the collapse of a marriage and the development and decay of an affair.

Bob and Chris's marriage has already sunk to the level of constant bickering and recriminations when Bob meets Diana, and it is not long before he has transferred his affections (and his box of tools) to her house. For Bob is a do it yourself enthusiast, a compulsive handyman with a longing to be needed.

Even after he is divorced from Chris he constantly returns to his former home, until Diana begins to resent having to face competition for his time, from both his children and his Black and Decker. Bob's relationship with Diana, is heading down the same path to domestic disaster.

21–24 January 2015

Jack and the Beanstalk

By Bob Heather

When Granny Bean and her grandson Jack are threatened with eviction from their cottage by the dastardly Squire Harry Coe, they decide to sell their faithful old cow Daisy. But on the way to market Jack meets an old woman who offers to buy Daisy and give her a good home the only problem is she doesn't have any money only a bag of "magic" beans.

When Jack returns home and shows his Granny what he has in return for Daisy she throws the beans into the garden followed by poor old Jack. When they awake in the morning the cottage is dwarfed by a massive beanstalk that goes up into the clouds. Where will