THEATRE PROGRAMME

In 1990 Arthur discovered a locked chest in an attic filled with letters between his mother, Edith and a soldier, Geoffrey, fighting in the tunnels along the Western Front. Edith and Geoffrey spent only four days together before Geoffrey went to war in 1916. Despite this, their letters are full of light & life. They tease and joke with each other, writing about shows, books & music they have enjoyed. It is impossible not to be moved by this real-life love story.

Glow was founded by Gloria and Francis Lowe, who together merge traditional storytelling with digital media and animation to create performances they hope will offer audiences a new and exciting experience.

The Wakes holiday tradition was well established at the time when Stanley Houghton wrote Hindle Wakes, first performed in 1912. Mills and factories would close at the same time and workers would take themselves off to the seaside. When such a trip goes wrong its impact on young Fanny Hawthorne is far-reaching and appears to threaten the reputations of all those around her.

This beautifully structured play takes place within exactly 24 hours and explores ideas about morality, justice and social class with compelling freshness.

Murder by Gaslight is a ghoulish audience with two of the most infamous poisoners in British history - William Palmer and Harvey Crippen. We invite you to encounter these murderous men of medicine, as the diabolical doctors regale you with their case histories and invite you to judge for yourselves whether they were in fact, guilty as charged!

Acclaimed actor Jonathan Goodwin plays Palmer and Crippen, in a play written by himself and co-directed by Goodwin and Gary Archer.

GreeneMatthews present six of the best loved tales, recreating a medieval travelling theatre. The three man cast use drama, storytelling and song to paint a sumptuous picture of life in the Middle Ages, packed with colourful characters, strange situations and laughs-a-plenty.

Although Chaucer wrote this over 600 years ago, it still feels contemporary, fresh and vital, and wholly accessible to modern audiences.

An evening of zero gravity, retrospection and perspective that celebrates the 50th anniversary of the lunar landings in July 1969. The stories, the truth and the myths behind what is arguably human-kind's greatest achievement, Mariana Barbera and Gordon Meredith present their radio play live with sound effects. Contains strong language.

“Had a great night full of laughter! “                            “Loved it - clever and daft!”

Great plays are always produced from great stories and/or great characters, and what a character Florence Foster Jenkins was. Her eventual and final appearance was at a sell-out concert at the Carnegie Hall, New York, where she sang in 1944 to a packed house of 3,000 people. But regrettably the eccentric socialite could not really sing and was dubbed the 'worst opera singer in the world'.

A film version in 2016 with Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant, was immensely successful. This lunatically funny stage version will make you very happy.

This Living Hand re-imagines conversations and events in the life of John Keats in the last years of his short life. Join the poet and his great friend, Charles Brown - not to mention an unfeasibly clever barmaid - as they confront the turbulence of life from 1818 to 1820. Keats and Brown, walking to Scotland, visited The King’s Arms in Burton in Kendal in July 1818, where our story begins.

Using Elizabeth's own letters, speeches and writings, solo performer Rebecca Vaughan explores the Queen's struggle to reconcile the desires of womanhood with the duties of sovereignty. Who was the woman beneath the crown? Traitor, bastard, heretic or prisoner: call her what you like. The rest is history.

This performance, directed by Guy Masterson, transports you back to the 1600's with superb acting and brilliant content, that will haunt you. If you missed this in May 2012 be sure not to do so this time!

Fringe review: ***** ' a night to remember.'