A major international star of stage and screen joins the Westacre Theatre cast when Dylan Thomas’ classic Under Milk Wood is intriguingly transformed into Under Lockdown in Milk Wood. Helping to reunite some of the original Welsh village characters during the pandemic will be a very special cameo appearance by Welsh actor Sir Jonathan Pryce CBE.
The award winning star was Thomas Cromwell in Wolf Hall, the High Sparrow in Game of Thrones, Prince Philip in the final two series of The Crown, and as Pope Francis in The Two Popes alongside Anthony Hopkins.
Modern, clever technology will bring Jonathan Pryce to the stage of your local community theatre. To discover his role in this brand new story, you will need to be part of the audience for one of three performances on 5th and 6th November.
Image courtesy of Kristen Brady
Thrilled at Jonathan Pryce’s appearance, Leah Spencer wrote and directed this play to commemorate her dear late friend Lesley Mardle who starred in countless stage productions at Westacre. Meaningfully, these included a much-acclaimed version of Under Milk Wood.
The money raised through ticket sales will support the invaluable work of Target Ovarian Cancer. So while you enjoy an original piece of dramatic work composed by a local author, you will also be helping a very worthwhile charity.
You can book your seats at www.westacretheatre.com or by calling 01760 755800.
For many years Westacre Theatre has painstakingly earned itself an enviable reputation of celebrating Christmas with its own specially written plays.
Building on that hard-earned tradition, one of Shakespeare’s best-loved comedies has just sustained a seismic seasonal shift from the original story, with resident dramatist Andy Naylor directing his own free-ranging adaptation of A Midwinter Night’s Dream.
This year’s delightfully absorbing show retains many of the Bard’s beautifully descriptive passages. Some simplification of the story-line, however, really has enabled it to become completely appropriate as a festive treat for the whole family who will undoubtedly enjoy it on a variety of levels.
Servants from the ‘big house’ are planning to perform a Christmas play composed by the Duchess’ daughter. So they meet secretly at night in the Westacre woods to rehearse before presenting it to the Duchess herself.
Westacre Theatre welcomes everyone to see Robin Hood and his mischievous merry men on stage with their mirth and music. Tickets are available for the two evening performances on Thursday 2 December and Friday 3 December at 7:30pm. Marion joins our gallant outlaws and they desperately need your festive support in their fight for what is right. You can book online at www.westacretheatre.com or by phoning 01760 755800.
But out of sight behind the scenes there is another hidden Christmas story unfolding. Using the miracles of modern technology, Westacre Theatre is saving the day for local children to meet Robin Hood.
The three Primary Academies – Castle Acre, Narborough and Sporle - forming the Church of England Nar Valley Federation around the Theatre were coming on a special treat to see for themselves if Robin Hood can rescue Sherwood Forest. With such a fun-filled stage show, it would have been a wonderfully enjoyable and educational afternoon out for all the young people.
Who are these Lucky Sods? In the next Westacre Theatre production it is Morris and Jean, a Northern couple who had nothing on Friday and a million pounds on Saturday, thanks to the Lottery. Married for 23 years and bound by the routine in their lives, they are neither overly happy nor terribly unhappy with their lot.
Lives will certainly be changed; but will it be for better or for worse? Is it really their dream come true? Jean is ready to adjust to the high life while for Morris the world is a confusing place. As the past catches up with them, their lives risk coming apart as the cracks in their marriage widen.
Does the money change relations with their relations? As both try to find personal fulfilment, can the fortune buy the happiness they crave for? Will the new-found wealth solve their problems or perhaps even add to them?
Attracting audiences old and new, there’s something for everyone in the new Autumn season at Westacre Theatre.
The new Drive-In Cinema which proved so popular in the Spring returns for a further run of four exciting movies. Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey kick off their Dirty Dancing shoes on September 24, and Tom Cruise stars in Top Gun on September 30.
Perennial favourite Mamma Mia hits the screen on October 8 with Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth accompanied by the singalong music of Abba. In contrast, the run ends on October 30 with the 1999 film of The Blair Witch Project when three students disappear in the forest with only their footage left behind.
Westacre Theatre’s newly refurbished Studio comes with brand new comfy seating, all ready to welcome back film-goers to mainstream cinema on Wednesday afternoons. You can book your own favourite seats every time with free off-road parking and level access throughout. Optional lunches can be pre-booked for each of the films.
Howzat! A strong batting line-up is fielded by the Westacre Theatre Company for their second summer production on the new outdoor stage.
‘Outside Edge – the Veteran’s Match’ is set around the real exploits of the cricket pavilion where you will certainly be bowled over by this action-packed comedy. But playing cricket is always about much more than willow hitting leather.
The gentle humour becomes acerbic and we see worryingly recognisable characters evolving before our eyes. Their personal relationships are exactly like the ones you come across in your everyday life. Amusingly, Captain Roger finds his team is being caught out in more ways than in the sporting sense.
Playwright Richard Harris won well-deserved awards for this play from the Writers’ Guild and Evening Standard. Just prior to the pandemic, another of his work ‘The Maintenance Man’ met with sensational on-stage success at Westacre.
