News & Events 2025
LAST TANGO IN WHITBY by MIKE HARDING
DIRECTOR: GILL LAMBOURN for information about this play see
Friday 25th April
WHOSE LIFE IS IT ANYWAY by
Brian Clark
Summary
Claire Harrison has been so severely injured in a car crash that she is totally paralysed. She is bright, sparky, articulate and witty, but only her brain functions normally. She is being kept alive by the miracles of medicine, but wishes to die. This she could achieve by discharging herself from hospital but being wholly helpless has to gain the authorities' consent. The play is very topical given the current debate surrounding assisted dying. It examines the moral and legal aspects of the situation and the reactions of the hospital staff in a very sensitive way. Whilst it is thought provoking and moving at times, Claire's wit and teasing sense of humour provide considerable light relief.
Claire Harrison - Phillippa Riddoch
Nurse Anderson - Gill Lambourn
Mary Jo - Abigail Ockwell
Dr. David Scott - Steve Jupp
Dr. Michael Emerson - Richard Sanderson
John - Andy Marshall
Margaret Hill - Trisha Dack
Mrs. Boyle - Scilla Jutton-Holland
Dr. Paul Jacobs - Alan Copsey
Peter Kershaw - Allan Brown
Dr. Robert Barr - Tony Clark
Eleanor Eden - Tiffin Jones
Judge Wyler - Pat Thompsett
This play will be a Rehearsed Reading, with Bar, at the West Ashling & Funtington District Hall
7.30 for 8pm start
AUDIENCE WELCOME
Friday 23rd May
Hidden Laughter by
Simon Gray
Playreadings normally take place at
St Mary's Church Room, Church Lane
Funtington at 7.30pm
Summary
Here is a hilarious look at the artistic pretensions of the young and the rich that charts a decade in the life of a London family transplanted to an idyllic country setting. A literary agent and his wife buy a Devon cottage where she can write, children will be happy, and they can relax. Into their world walks the local vicar a classically comic character who tends their magnificent garden and their emotional if not spiritual needs as the outside world intrudes with failure and disillusionment.
Summary
The Playboy of the Western World is a three-act play written by Irish playwright John Millington Synge, first performed at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, on 26 January 1907. The work is considered a centerpiece of the Irish Literary Revival movement and influenced numerous other writers of the period, but was initially met with riots and protests in Dublin when it first premiered. It is set in Michael James Flaherty's public house in County Mayo during the early 1900s, and tells the story of Christy Mahon, a young man running away from his farm, claiming he killed his father.
The play is known for its use of the poetic, evocative language of Hiberno-English, heavily influenced by the Irish language, as Synge celebrates the lyrical speech of the Irish. It remains a popular piece of literature in Ireland, and has been adapted for theatre musicals, plays, and films throughout the 20th century.
Friday 13th June
The Playboy of the Western World by J.M.Synge
Autumn Production
Enlightenment by Shelagh Stephenson.
25th – 30th November 2025.
Directed By Alan Copsey
Audition Tuesday 13th May 7.30 West Ashling Village Hall
A play by the renowned playright Shelagh Stephenson, perhaps best known for her play ‘ Memory of Water’, previously performed by FPs. It is a mystery thriller as well as being a powerful study of parental grief and relationships. The play starts with an intriguing situation: Adam, a 20-year-old backpacker, vanished six months previously during a world trip. We watch as his mother, Lia, and stepfather, Nick, agonise over the mystery of his disappearance. Could he have been killed in a bomb explosion in Jakarta, where he was last heard from, or is there a faint hope he is still alive? Then a stranger appears, uncannily like their son!
There is a Cast of Six
Lia (40-50s) a strong central figure , the mother desperately trying to hold onto herself in her search for answers about her missing son.
Nick (40-50s) Lia’s partner, whose cynical retorts provide much of the play’s humour – a humour that teeters on the edge of hopelessness.
Joanna (30-50) ambitious media women who tries to control things but gradually sees this control slipping away
Joyce (middle aged), a medium, who is consulted by Lia, and whom Nick has no time for.
Gordon, (60s-70s) Lia’s father, a retired Labour MP.
Adam. ( 18-30) the mystery young man appears in Act 2. A disturbing and emotive role.
I will soon have copies of the play and if anyone would like to read it in advance please let me know (alan.copsey@btopenworld.com 07711713153 )
Also, do any players know of a young actor who may be interested in the really rewarding and challenging role of Adam? Please get in touch.
