BOUNCERS (REMIX)

1 – 11 MAY, 2024

By John Godber

Main House

Director: Lorna Middleton

“The play’s longevity must partly be explained by the fact that each staging seems less like the production of a play than the re-enactment of some primal ritual. Although the music and some of the references have been updated…..Bouncers survives because the urge to drink, fight and reproduce is never likely to go out of fashion. There is always a rush for tickets, or as in the words of the men in black, you're not getting in.” The Guardian

Originally premiered in 1977, Bouncers, the Remix version, was updated by John Godber in 1991 portraying as much a social commentary as it is an incredibly well written, hilarious comedy It’s Friday night, it’s club night at ‘Mr. Cinders’ – a northern nightclub -

and four brutish bouncers are on the door. The bouncers are both themselves and everyone they meet during a night out at the club.

In this up-dated version we meet giggly girls, lads on the make, pogo-ing punks, and a smooth talking DJ, all set against the tatty, glitzy glamour, flashing lights and pulsating beat of the local night club.

Of the multiple award winning plays by Godber, this is his most performed work, the one that made the National Theatre’s list of the top 100 plays of 20 th century and is now a school set text.

This non-professional production is presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International on behalf of Josef Weinberger Ltd. www.mtishows.co.uk | www.josef-weinberger.com

THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR by Nikolai Gogol

In a new adaptation by Nick Le Mesurier

5 – 15 JUNE 2024

MAIN HOUSE

Director: Matthew Salisbury

       

The corrupt officials of a small Russian town, headed by the equally suspect Mayor, react with despair to the news that an incognito Government Inspector will soon be arriving in their town to investigate them. They panic and there is a flurry of activity to cover up their considerable misdeeds, interrupted by the news that a suspicious person has arrived two weeks previously from Saint Petersburg and is staying at the local inn. Is this the dreaded Inspector?

The Government Inspector is a satirical play, originally published in 1836 by the Russian and Ukrainian dramatist and novelist Nikolai Gogol, here in a newly realised adaptation by playwright Nick Le Mesurier.

Based upon an anecdote allegedly recounted to Gogol by Pushkin, the play is a comedy of errors, satirizing human greed, stupidity, and the extensive political corruption of Imperial Russia. Imaginative and with beautifully realised characters and sparkling dialogue, this is a new version not to be missed.

LOVESONG

WED 10 – SAT 20 JULY, 2024

Main House

By Abi Morgan

Directed by Craig Shelton

Two couples share the stage as past and present melt into one. Abi Morgan’s powerful love story moves us through 40 years of the marriage of Maggie and Billy, alongside their younger selves, just embarking on married life.

This is a tale of togetherness, where the optimism of youth becomes the wisdom of experience. Love is a leap of faith.

Originally staged by the theatre company Frantic Assembly, it is a compelling piece of physical theatre and it will be staged with that original intent. It is deeply moving without being in the least sentimental, achingly sad without being morbid.

Performed by kind permission of Abi Morgan and Catherine King of 42M&P Ltd.

ARTS INSIGHT YOUTH THEATRE

27 – 31 JULY

Main House

‘You don’t have a CLUE…DO you?!’

An original Murder Mystery Farce.

By Laura Berridge

Director: Laura Berridge

In the sleepy village of Long Piddleton resides a colourful community of residents, who have all been invited to Clueworthy Manor; the grand home of Colonel Dijon-Moutarde and his MUCH younger wife Miss Ruby Starlet (she insisted on keeping her maiden name) to celebrate their one-year anniversary of marriage.  As the night progresses, a series of unfortunate and deadly events occur.  Will Chief Inspector Colourblind and Sergeant Spectrum be able to untangle the mystery and find the culprit, location, and murder weapon...?  

It’s anybody’s guess.

MOSQUITOES

18 – 28 September 2024

MAIN HOUSE

By Lucy Kirkwood

Directed by Viki Betts

“Sparring sisters collide in science stormer. A spellbinding account of sibling strife in this wonderfully ambitious play set during the Higgs boson breakthrough” Michael Billington, Guardian

Premiered at the National Theatre in 2017, this highly acclaimed play, written by the audaciously talented Lucy Kirkwood, is set in 2008 during a momentous time in scientific discovery. It deals with the large subjects of order and chaos, but also what happens to

domestic order when chaos descends.

Alice is a scientist. She lives in Geneva. As the Large Hadron Collider starts up in 2008, she is embarking on the most exciting work of her life, searching for the Higgs Boson particle. Jenny is her sister. She lives in Luton. She spends a lot of time Googling.

When tragedy throws them together, the collision threatens them all with chaos.

Lucy Kirkwood has established herself as a leading playwright of our time.

This wildly ambitious play is a brilliantly funny and occasionally brutal exploration of the workings of the universe and the connection to own lives. Compelling theatre.

This non-professional production is presented in association with Nick Hern Books.