EVENTS Diary

New Forest Players 

Cinderella

Story by Lee Redwood

Directed by Sarah Haberfield

Venue: Ballard School, Fernhill Lane, New Milton, BH25 5SU

Performances @ 7.00pm 29 – 31 December and 2.00pm 30 December 2022 – 1 January 2023

Tickets: Adults £13, Children £9; Available by calling 01425 542414 or online.

All Saints Dramatic Society; Performances: Friday 6 January – 7.30pm; Saturday 7 January – 2.30pm & 7.30pm; Sunday 8 January – 2.30pm; Tickets: Adults £13, Concessions £11, Child £7, Family Ticket (2 adults & 2 children) £35 (available on evening performances); Available via phone (07548 100770) or online.

All Saints Dramatic Society; Performances: Thursday 12 January – 7.30pm; Friday 13 January – 7.30pm; Saturday 14 January – 2.30pm & 7.30pm; Sunday 15 January – 2.30pm; Tickets: Adults £13, Concessions £11, Child £7, Family Ticket (2 adults & 2 children) £35 (available on evening performances); Available via phone (07548 100770) or online.

Broadstone Pantomime Productions; Performances: Friday @ 7.30pm, Saturday @ 2.30pm & 7.30pm, Sunday @ 2.30pm; Tickets: Family Ticket £22, Adults £8, Children & Senior Citizens £4; Available from Hillier Wilson Estate Agents, Broadstone (01202 693388) or online.

Swanage Drama Company; Tickets: Adults £12, Concessions £11, Children £7; Available: via telephone 0333 666 3366 (fees apply) or online.

Broadstone Pantomime Productions; Performances: Friday @ 7.30pm, Saturday @ 2.30pm & 7.30pm; Tickets: Family Ticket £22, Adults £8, Children & Senior Citizens £4; Available from Hillier Wilson Estate Agents, Broadstone (01202 693388) or online.

Swanage Drama Company; Tickets: Adults £12, Concessions £11, Children £7; Available: via telephone 0333 666 3366 (fees apply) or online.

Chesil Theatre; Tickets: Adult £16, Student/Under 18s £10, Group £14.40 (booking fees apply); Available online.

SOS Presents; Tickets: £10 - £19.50; Available from the Box Office 023 8071 1833 or online.

Bishopstoke Players

Not Very Flash, Gordon!

Planet Earth is under attack from evil overlord, Emperor Ping! Determined to hold our planet’s citizens to ransom by controlling all of Earth’s electricity, it seems as if nothing can save us, not even money-saving-expert Martin Lewis.

Step forward bumbling electrician Gordon ‘Flash’ Bennett, his monosyllabic girlfriend, his man-mad mother and a German Professor!

Our intrepid quartet boldly travel to Planet Pongo in (what else?) a converted Austin Mini van to save the day and keep Earth safe from Ping’s crazy demands.

Along the way they meet a cast of characters including a dodgy pirate, a cat with a habit of telling dreadful jokes, Elvis Presley and many, many more.

Join us for a family-friendly pantomime that is truly out of this world!

Performances are in Durley Memorial Hall from 26 – 28 January 2023 at 7.30pm each evening, with a matinee at 2.30pm on the Saturday. Tickets are £10 (under 18s £8) and are available here (no booking fee), or email boxoffice@bishopstokeplayers.uk, or phone 07871 006551.

As we are proud to have done every year since 1947, proceeds will be donated to the charity, Action for Children.

Highcliffe Charity Players; Performances: Friday 7.30pm; Saturday 11.00am, 2.30pm & 6.00pm; Sunday 2.30pm & 6.00pm (running time 75 mins, no interval); Tickets: Full £13.50, Concessions £12.50; Available online.

Burley Players; Performances: Saturday 28 January 2023 @ 7.30pm; Sunday 29 January 2023 @ 2.00pm; Tickets: Adults £9 - £10, Under 16s £7; Available online.

Lyndhurst Drama & Musical Society; Tickets: Adults £12, Under 16s £8, Family ticket (2 adults, 2 children) £35; Available online.

Lymington Players

The Ghost Train

Written by Arnold Ridley

Directed by Ed Funnell

This February 2023 join The Lymington Players as they strand tired and cold passengers at an isolated train station in a chilling comedy thriller by Arnold Ridley.

Who is the spooky Stationmaster that warns them of supernatural danger? Locked in, with no means of defence or escape, will they pull together to survive melancholy signals and chilling apparitions? As tensions mount, and they try to keep ghosts from getting in, will they make it to the morning? And what is the secret of ‘The Ghost Train’?

The Ghost Train is performing in the Malt Cinema at the Lymington Community Centre from 30 January – 5 February 2023. Tickets are on sale from 18 December 2022, priced £10 for Centre members and £12 for non-members. Available via phone (01590 672337) or online.

Would you be brave enough to survive the night?

Burley Players; Performances: Thursday 2 February 2023 @ 7.30pm; Friday 3 February 2023 @ 7.30pm; Saturday 4 February 2023 @ 2.00pm & 7.30pm; Tickets: Adults £9 - £10, Under 16s £7; Available online.

Lyndhurst Drama & Musical Society; Tickets: Adults £12, Under 16s £8, Family ticket (2 adults, 2 children) £35; Available online.

Studio Youth Theatre; Tickets: Adults £12, Under 16s £8; Available from Salisbury Information Centre, phone 01722 342860 or online.

Bournemouth Little Theatre

The Thrill Of Love

By Amanda Whittington

Directed by Rachael de Courcy Beamish

This is a story of obsession:

A gripping drama about Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain.

A divorcee with a young child to care for, Ruth works hard in the kind of nightclubs where there’s more than just a drink on offer. Then she meets the wealthy, womanising David, a racing driver with whom she falls head over heels with the myth of great, romantic love.

Why does their relationship end in murder?

Why does she plead not guilty but offer no defence?

Why does she show no remorse?

And who is she trying to protect?

The Thrill Of Love explores the enigma of Ruth Ellis: a woman whose short but explosive life still resonates.

Amanda Whittington is one of the UK's favourite and most performed modern dramatists. Her writing in this play accurately reflects the warmth, bitchiness and complexities of female friendship at a time when, even if women knew the rules of the game, they often still end up the losers in a man's world.

Tickets: £12 (Concessions £9, Members £6) (booking fee applies); Available online.

Centrestage Productions Youth Theatre (CPYT); Tickets: Full price £15 - £17, Concessions £14 - £16 (Concecssions Over 60s, Under 16s, Student, NHS Staff, Armed Forces); Available via box office 023 8065 2333 or online.

Waterside Musical Society

Puss In Boots: A Pantomime

Boxing Day is traditionally a day when people go to watch Pantos. You will have to wait until February to see Waterside Musical Society’s, but it will be worth the wait as they have not one but two Pantomime Dames.

They will be played by Antony Morrison and Mike Pavitt. Both have been with Waterside Musical Society for a number of shows before, including Oliver!, Return To The Forbidden Planet, The Sound Of Music and Spamalot, where they were in a number of scenes together.

Come along to see "There ain't nothing like a Dame"!

Tickets: Adults £15, Children £10 (booking fees apply); Available online.

Poulner Players; Tickets: Adults £12, Under 16s £10; Available online.

Arts University Bournemouth (AUB); Tickets: Full price £12, Concessions £3; Available online.

Broadstone Players; Tickets: £8.50; Available by emailing honsec@broadstoneplayers.co.uk or phoning 01202 678449. Tickets will also be on sale at Broadstone News on The Broadway.

Wimborne Drama Productions

Bedroom Farce

Written by Alan Ayckbourn

Directed by Michelle Barter and Suzanne Viney

One of the 20th century's classic comedy of manners comes to the Tivoli Theatre in February when Wimborne Drama Productions will perform Bedroom Farce by Alan Ayckbourn.

Funny, gripping and acutely observed, Alan Ayckbourn’s play lifts the lid on the secrets of marriage. Over the course of one hilarious night, an outrageously selfish couple parade their problems around the bedrooms of three other couples, exposing the cracks in other people’s marriages as well as their own.

Directed by Michelle Barter and Suzanne Viney, the play stars Richard Scotson and Rosie Nye as Trevor and Susannah, Tim Fearon and Judy Garrett as Ernest and Delia, James Renwick and Bethan Morris as Malcolm and Kate, and Colin Pile and Julie Sissons as Nick and Jan.

Wimborne Drama Productions have chosen to revive the play which marked their first ever production at the then recently re-opened Tivoli Theatre in 1994.

Bedroom Farce will be performed at the Tivoli Theatre from 23 – 25 February, with evening performances at 7.30pm (tickets £16) and a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm (tickets £14). Book via the Tivoli Box Office on 01202 885566 or online (booking fees may apply).

Arts University Bournemouth (AUB); Tickets: Full price £12, Concessions £3; Available online.

Maskers Theatre Company; Tickets: £12; Available via phone 0333 666 3366 (booking fee applies to phone bookings) or online.

Ferndown Phoenix Musical Theatre; Tickets: £8; Available online and on the door.

Swanage Musical Theatre Company; Tickets: Adults £16, Concessions £15, Child £10; Available from Box Office 0333 666 3366 or online. Booking fees apply.

Poole & Parkstone Productions (P&P Productions)

A Touch Of Danger

A Thriller by Francis Durbridge

Directed by Deanna Langford

Max Telligan, a popular novelist, has returned to his London apartment from a business trip to Munich to find his evening newspaper containing a report of his violent death. He subsequently is greeted by a parade of mysterious visitors triggering a chain of mysterious events, with twists and turns from start to finish...

Performed by The P&P Players, and directed by Deanna Langford, don't miss this classic Francis Durbridge tale of murderous happenings where nobody quite knows who is who and whom to trust.

Tickets: Adults £12, Seniors £10; Available from Box Office (0161 832 111 or 0844 888 9991) or online.

Bournemouth Music Competitions Festival

Comedy And Cakes

Comedy and Cakes – an afternoon of comic songs and a slap-up tea!

Tickets: £15 to include cream tea and cakes; Available via email (bmthfestival@gmail.com) – or tickets can be purchased on the door.

Studio Theatre; Tickets: Full £12, Under 16s £8, Family (2 adults, 2 children) £35; Available from Salisbury Information Centre Tel 01722 342860 or online.

Bournemouth and Boscombe Light Opera Company (BBLOC); Tickets: £19.50 - £29.50; Available via Box Office (0300 500 0595) or online.

Ringwood Musical & Dramatic Society presents

Thank You For The Music

Tickets: £15; Tickets available online or in person at Greyfriars Box Office.

Bournemouth Little Theatre

Dial M For Murder

By Frederick Knott

Directed by Don Cherrett

Can you ever get away with murder?

Well, maybe Tony Wendice, charismatic and manipulative, a former tennis pro who has given it all up for his wealthy wife, Sheila, can!

When he discovers she has been unfaithful, his mind turns to revenge and the pursuit of the 'perfect' crime.

But things do not go according to plan...

The play, set in the 1950s, was made into a famous 1954 film (of the same name) directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

Tickets: Adults £12, Concessions Seniors and students £9, Members £6; Available online.

New Forest Players 

One Day I'll Fly Away

Written by Janet Shaw

Directed by Len Reid

One young woman, one old lady. Their lives were poles apart but fate took a hand and threw them together. The only problem being they were more alike than anyone could begin to imagine. Both had battled adversities beyond comprehension.

When Kylie starts community service at the respite home she is thrown into the path of Nora, an embittered and hardened woman, who has spent her whole life teaching others and avoiding relationships of any kind.

Nora lost her husband and only child in a boating accident many years ago and Kylie is the victim of an alcoholic and drug-addled mother. Nora and Kylie start off their relationship with mutual comic sarcasm and dislike, but as the story unfolds it becomes clear that although in different ways, they are both walking down the same path self-destruction.

Tickets: £13; Available via phone (01425 542414) or online.

Ferndown Drama

A Comedy Triple Bill

The evening will consist of three comedy plays:

Last Tango In Little Grimley by David Tristram

Joining The Club by David Tristram

A Jolly Sinister Jape by Elliot Strange

Tickets: £11; Available from Box Office (01202 894858) or online.

Southampton Musical Society; Tickets: Full price £17.50, Concessions £15; Available from Box Office 023 8065 2333 or online.

All Saints Dramatic Society; Tickets: £10; Available via phone 07548 100 770 or online.

Maskers Theatre Company; Tickets: £12; Available via phone 0333 666 3366 (booking fee applies to phone bookings) or online.

Milton Musical Society; Tickets: Wednesday evening & Saturday matinee - Full £17, Concessions £16; Thursday, Friday & Saturday evening - Full £18, Concessions £17; Available from Box Office 01202 499199 or online.

Lyndhurst Drama & Musical Society; Tickets: £12; Available online.

Revive Theatre

Dial M For Murder

Written by Frederick Knott

Directed by Richard Batt

Dial M For Murder – A murder mystery like no other

Charismatic and scheming ex-Tennis Pro Tony Wendice wants to get his hands on his wealthy wife Margot’s inheritance; after stumbling on her affair with the young Mark Halliday, his mind turns to revenge and he comes up with a daring plan.

But as with all risky endeavours, things can go awry, and Tony’s carefully orchestrated strategy goes terribly wrong.

Now as Tony becomes more entangled in the web of his own making, he has only one thing on his mind… how to get away with the perfect crime?

Made famous by the 1954 classic Hitchcock film, the iconic Dial M For Murder is an intense, and darkly gripping thriller; it is a masterclass in suspense, full of spine-chilling twists and turns, that will keep you guessing till the very end.

Tickets: Full £16, Concessions £14; Available from Box Office 0333 666 3366 (for tickets, fees apply) or online.

Lymington Players

Confusions

Written by Alan Ayckbourn

Directed by Pauline Combes

Alan Ayckbourn wrote five one act plays of which Lymington Players are performing the first four.

Mother Figure is about a mother (Lucy) totally absorbed in bringing up her children, so much so that everyone is treated as a child.

In Drinking Companions, we see Harry (Lucy’s husband) chatting up two girls in a bar; is he lonely or lecherous?

Between Mouthfuls stars the waitress who moves between two tables, and we hear what she hears when the couples talk, then argue, then fall out.

Gosforth Fete is about a typical village trying to raise money to build a new village hall. Everything goes wrong that can go wrong, starting with the inadvertent disclosure to everyone that Millie is pregnant – and not with her Scout master fiancé, but the local landlord, Gosforth.

Please note this performance may contain some themes which may cause offence and flashing lights.

Tickets:  Full price £12, LCA Members £10; Available via phone (01590 672337), in person at reception or online.

Revive Theatre

Dial M For Murder

Written by Frederick Knott

Directed by Richard Batt

Dial M For Murder – A murder mystery like no other

Charismatic and scheming ex-Tennis Pro Tony Wendice wants to get his hands on his wealthy wife Margot’s inheritance; after stumbling on her affair with the young Mark Halliday, his mind turns to revenge and he comes up with a daring plan.

But as with all risky endeavours, things can go awry, and Tony’s carefully orchestrated strategy goes terribly wrong.

Now as Tony becomes more entangled in the web of his own making, he has only one thing on his mind… how to get away with the perfect crime?

Made famous by the 1954 classic Hitchcock film, the iconic Dial M For Murder is an intense, and darkly gripping thriller; it is a masterclass in suspense, full of spine-chilling twists and turns, that will keep you guessing till the very end.

Tickets: Full £16, Concessions £14; Available from Box Office 01202 885566 or online.

Broadstone Players; Tickets: Full Price £10; Available via phone 01202 678449, email or from Broadstone News on The Broadway in Broadstone.

Spot On Productions; Tickets: Full price £15 - £17, Concessions £14 -£16; Available from Box Office 023 8065 2333 or online.

Castle Players; Tickets: £10; Available via phone 01202 912351 or online.

Bishopstoke Players; Tickets: Full price £15, Under 18s £11; Ticket prices include a Ploughman's Supper - vegan and gluten-free options available on night; Tickets available online.

Wimborne Drama Productions

Pressure

Written by David Haig

Directed by Richard Neal

An intense real-life thriller centred around the most important weather forecast in the history of warfare.

June 1944. One man’s decision is about to change the course of history. Everything is in place for the biggest invasion ever known in Europe – D-Day.

One last crucial question remains: will the weather be right on the day?

Problematically, there are two opposing forecasts. American celebrity weatherman Colonel Krick predicts sunshine, while Scot Dr James Stagg, Chief Meteorological Officer for the Allied Forces, forecasts a storm. As the world watches and waits, General Eisenhower, Allied Supreme Commander, must decide which of these bitter antagonists to trust. The decision will not only seal the fates of thousands of men, but could win or lose the entire war.

An extraordinary and little-known true story, David Haig’s play thrillingly explores the responsibilities of leadership, the challenges of prophecy and the personal toll of taking a stand.

This amateur production of Pressure is presented by arrangement with Nick Hern Books.

“Funny, tense and deeply affecting” Daily Telegraph

Pressure will be performed at the Tivoli Theatre from 18 – 20 May, with evening performances at 7.30pm (tickets £16) and a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm (tickets £14). Book via the Tivoli Box Office on 01202 885566 or online (booking fees may apply).

Studio Theatre Salisbury 

A Doll's House

Written by Henrik Ibsen

A New Adaptation byBryony Lavery

Bryony Lavery's modern adaptation of Ibsen's revolutionary classic still resonates today. London 2023: in the shadow of recent lockdowns, the need to present a ‘perfect’ life through social media hides private struggles. Marriage and motherhood, blackmail and betrayal, truth and lies – Nora's domestic life unravels and a door famously slams.

Tickets: Full price £12, Under 16s £8; Available from Box Office 01722 342860 or online.

Redlynch Players

The Titfield Thunderbolt

Written by Philip Goulding

An updated message from Redlynch Players:

“OUR PRODUCTION OF THE TITFIELD THUNDERBOLT IS NOW SOLD OUT!

We have been overwhelmed with the level of support we have received from our supporters. A huge thank you to you all!

Please do continue to follow us on social media for information regarding any return tickets that may become available.

If you would like to be added to our mailing list for future productions, please drop us an email at info@redlynchplayers.co.uk.

Thank you so much for your encouragement and we cannot wait to perform The Titfield Thunderbolt!”

All Aboard for The Titfield Thunderbolt!

Redlynch Players are proud to announce that they will be performing The Titfield Thunderbolt by Philip Goulding as their spring 2023 production. This fun packed play is based on the classic Ealing comedy of the same name by T E B Clarke.

The Titfield to Mallingford line is losing money and British Rail have announced its imminent closure. In desperation, the villagers, led by Lady Edna Chesterford and vicar, Sam Weech, decide to take charge and run it themselves – with a train resurrected from a local museum! As well as convincing the railway authorities that they are competent to work the line, they have to face problems from local chancer Vernon Crump, who is set on providing a competitive bus service.

Redlynch Players will be performing at Redlynch Village Hall from Wednesday 24 May to Saturday 27 May 2023 (7:30pm each evening).

Poole & Parkstone Productions [P&P Productions]; Tickets: From £20.25; Available from Box Office (01202 280000) or online.

BMT Productions; Performances: 7:30 pm each evening; Relaxed Performance: Thursday 1 June @ 2:00 pm; Matinee: Friday 2 & Saturday 3 June @ 2:00 pm; Tickets: Full price £20, Concessions £18; Available from Box Office 01202 499199 or online.

Arts University Bournemouth [AUB]; Tickets: Full price £12, concessions £3; Available online.

Milford on Sea Community Centre

Absurd Person Singular

Written by Alan Ayckbourn

Directed by Wendy Mason

Surely one of the best, if not the best, piece of comedy theatre from the prolific pen of Alan Ayckbourn.

Taking place in the 1970s over three Christmas Eves, the action involves three very different couples in three very different kitchens, eventuating in hilarious chaos and near calamity. One not to miss!

Tickets: £15; Available from Box Office 01590 644861 or online.

Bournemouth Little Theatre

Neville's Island

By Tim Firth

Directed by Barbara Evans

This is a black comedy about four out-of-condition, middle managers on a team building initiative in the Lake District, who succeed in being the first people ever to get shipwrecked on Derwentwater.  Bound in by fog, menaced by wildlife and cut off from the world, this perfunctory middle-class exercise turns into a carnival of recrimination, French cricket and sausages.

A successful film was made of the play, starring Timothy Spall and Martin Clunes.

Neville’s Island is being staged at Bournemouth Little Theatre from 6 – 10 June 2023 at 7:45pm each evening.

Tickets: Full price £12, Concessions (Seniors and students) £9, Members £6; Available online.

Encore Theatre Productions; Tickets: £15; Available from Box Office 01425 619983 or online.

Poole & Parkstone Productions (P&P Productions); Tickets: £10; Available online.

Bournemouth Little Theatre 

(Studio Production)

An Intervention

Written by Mike Bartlett

Directed by Caroline Burr

This is a touching, funny, yet sad play with a cast of two, about what happens when you begin to hate your best friend.

One friend went on the anti-war protest, shouted their lungs out, then got horrendously and staggeringly drunk.

The other stayed at home, watched TV for a bit and thought about the future.

The play is being staged at Bournemouth Little Theatre as a STUDIO Production from Tuesday 27 – Friday 30 June 2023 at 7:45pm each evening.

Tickets: Full price £10, Concessions – Seniors and students £8, Members £5. Available online: bournemouthlittletheatre.co.uk.

SOS Presents; Tickets: from £10.00 - £22.50; Available from Box Office 023 8071 1811 or online.

Studio Theatre Salisbury 

Steele Magnolias

Written by Robert Harling

Directed by Anthony von Roretz

Truvy runs a beauty parlour in Louisiana where a group of women gather to gossip, discuss Shelby’s upcoming wedding and each other. Robert Harling’s much-loved play became an award-winning film and won an Oscar nomination for Julia Roberts’ Shelby. The stellar cast included Shirley MacLaine and Dolly Parton. Anthony von Roretz directs our own stellar cast of Studio women, some familiar and some new faces. Be prepared to laugh a lot but bring a hankie.

Tickets at £12, 16s and under £8 (please note age guidance 12 plus) are available from Salisbury Information Centre (Tel: 01722 342860) or online.

Chesil Theatre 

Treasure Island

An OPEN AIR Production

Freely Adapted by Phil Willmott

Based on the Novel by Robert Louis Stevenson

Directed by Sarah Hawkins

Treasure Island is coming to Winchester. The open air production by the award-winning Chesil Theatre will be performed in the lovely grounds of Winchester College.

The well-known story by Robert Louis Stevenson has been adapted by Phil Wilmott. Jim Hawkins, Long John Silver and Ben Gunn are here, of course, but alongside them are powerful women, mischievous rats and magical mer-folk – all accompanied by full-throated song and imaginative puppetry.

Tuesday 11 July is full for the Gala Evening but the show runs from Wednesday July 12 to Saturday 15 July at 7.30pm with a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm. Tickets: Full Price £16 - £18, Students / Under 18s £10, Family tickets £46 - £48 (see Chesil Theatre website for details); Available via phone 0333 666 3366 or online.

For more details see www.chesilthreatre.org.uk.

Maskers Theatre Company; Grounds open for picnics at 6:00 pm (1:00 pm for Saturday matinee); Tickets: Adult Flex £18, Adult Advance £16, Students £14, Child 7 - 16 years old £13; Available online.

Double Act drama group

Murder Walk By The Castle

The year is 1330 and a young Edward III rules England but under the ‘protection’ of his mother, Isabella, and her lover, Mortimer. His father, Edward II, was unpopular and, after an uprising led by his estranged wife, had been deposed from the throne and kept imprisoned at various castles before apparently being murdered in an extremely unpleasant way at Berkley Castle. But then a rumour started that the old king was still held prisoner at Corfe Castle and his brother Edmund dispatched a Friar to Corfe to investigate. What did he find out?

Was it all political subterfuge?  Was Edward II still alive or was it his ghost?

All will be revealed along with many other surprises at Corfe Castle on Wednesdays 19 & 26 July and 2, 9 & 16 August 2023 at 7.00pm.

Yes, it’s back! And even better! The highly acclaimed Double Act Murder Mystery Walks are back this summer.

The starting point is in the North Castle Field, opposite the Castle View National Trust car park, just north of the Corfe Castle ruins on the A351. Double Act drama group have permission for their customers to use this car park for the evening.

What could be more atmospheric for a murder mystery than a twilight walk in the shadow of the ruins of the great castle? However, the walk will involve steep rough paths and long grass, and although they will finish before dark for safety reasons, anyone taking part does so at their own risk. Due to the popularity of the past walks and a necessity to restrict numbers for safety, it is strongly recommended that early bookings be made by purchasing tickets online.

Tickets are just £5 a head (under 5s free).

An experience not to be missed!

Ringwood Musical & Dramatic Society (RMDS); Tickets: £15; Available online.

Double Act drama group

Murder Walk By The Castle

The year is 1330 and a young Edward III rules England but under the ‘protection’ of his mother, Isabella, and her lover, Mortimer. His father, Edward II, was unpopular and, after an uprising led by his estranged wife, had been deposed from the throne and kept imprisoned at various castles before apparently being murdered in an extremely unpleasant way at Berkley Castle. But then a rumour started that the old king was still held prisoner at Corfe Castle and his brother Edmund dispatched a Friar to Corfe to investigate. What did he find out?

Was it all political subterfuge?  Was Edward II still alive or was it his ghost?

All will be revealed along with many other surprises at Corfe Castle on Wednesdays 19 & 26 July and 2, 9 & 16 August 2023 at 7.00pm.

Yes, it’s back! And even better! The highly acclaimed Double Act Murder Mystery Walks are back this summer.

The starting point is in the North Castle Field, opposite the Castle View National Trust car park, just north of the Corfe Castle ruins on the A351. Double Act drama group have permission for their customers to use this car park for the evening.

What could be more atmospheric for a murder mystery than a twilight walk in the shadow of the ruins of the great castle? However, the walk will involve steep rough paths and long grass, and although they will finish before dark for safety reasons, anyone taking part does so at their own risk. Due to the popularity of the past walks and a necessity to restrict numbers for safety, it is strongly recommended that early bookings be made by purchasing tickets online.

Tickets are just £5 a head (under 5s free).

An experience not to be missed!

Highcliffe Charity Players; Tickets: £15; Available online; Bring your own drinks and nibbles for interval supper - all proceeds to local charities.

Brownsea Open Air Theatre (BOAT); Tickets available online. Full details of performance dates (with contingency dates in case of bad weather), return boat travel and prices available on BOAT's website.

New Forest Players 

Calendar Girls

Written by Tim Firth

Based on Film by Juliette Towhidi and Tim Firth

Directed by Lyn Lockyer

When Annie’s husband John dies of leukaemia, she and best friend Chris resolve to raise money for a new settee in the local hospital waiting room. They manage to persuade four fellow WI members to pose nude with them for an ‘alternative’ calendar, with a little help from hospital porter and amateur photographer Lawrence. The news of the women’s charitable venture spreads like wildfire, and hordes of press soon descend on the small village of Knapeley in the Yorkshire Dales. The calendar is a success, but Chris and Annie’s friendship is put to the test under the strain of their new-found fame.

New Forest Players are proud to be supporting Oakhaven Hospice with their production of Calendar Girls and hope that you will consider dropping a few coins (or notes), along with a smile, in their collecting buckets.

Tickets: £13 (NFP Members £8); Available via phone 01425 542414 or online.

Centrestage Productions Youth Theatre [CPYT]; Tickets: Full adult £15 - £17, Concessions £14 - £16 (Over 60s, students, Under 16s, NHS staff and Armed Forces), booking charges may apply; Available from Box Office 023 8065 2333 or online.

Lyndhurst Drama & Musical Society; Tickets: £12.00; Available online.

JT Productions; Tickets: £12 (plus booking fee); Available online.

Double Act drama group

Murder Walk By The Castle

The year is 1330 and a young Edward III rules England but under the ‘protection’ of his mother, Isabella, and her lover, Mortimer. His father, Edward II, was unpopular and, after an uprising led by his estranged wife, had been deposed from the throne and kept imprisoned at various castles before apparently being murdered in an extremely unpleasant way at Berkley Castle. But then a rumour started that the old king was still held prisoner at Corfe Castle and his brother Edmund dispatched a Friar to Corfe to investigate. What did he find out?

Was it all political subterfuge?  Was Edward II still alive or was it his ghost?

All will be revealed along with many other surprises at Corfe Castle on Wednesdays 19 & 26 July and 2, 9 & 16 August 2023 at 7.00pm.

Yes, it’s back! And even better! The highly acclaimed Double Act Murder Mystery Walks are back this summer.

The starting point is in the North Castle Field, opposite the Castle View National Trust car park, just north of the Corfe Castle ruins on the A351. Double Act drama group have permission for their customers to use this car park for the evening.

What could be more atmospheric for a murder mystery than a twilight walk in the shadow of the ruins of the great castle? However, the walk will involve steep rough paths and long grass, and although they will finish before dark for safety reasons, anyone taking part does so at their own risk. Due to the popularity of the past walks and a necessity to restrict numbers for safety, it is strongly recommended that early bookings be made by purchasing tickets online.

Tickets are just £5 a head (under 5s free).

An experience not to be missed!

Double Act drama group

Murder Walk By The Castle

The year is 1330 and a young Edward III rules England but under the ‘protection’ of his mother, Isabella, and her lover, Mortimer. His father, Edward II, was unpopular and, after an uprising led by his estranged wife, had been deposed from the throne and kept imprisoned at various castles before apparently being murdered in an extremely unpleasant way at Berkley Castle. But then a rumour started that the old king was still held prisoner at Corfe Castle and his brother Edmund dispatched a Friar to Corfe to investigate. What did he find out?

Was it all political subterfuge?  Was Edward II still alive or was it his ghost?

All will be revealed along with many other surprises at Corfe Castle on Wednesdays 19 & 26 July and 2, 9 & 16 August 2023 at 7.00pm.

Yes, it’s back! And even better! The highly acclaimed Double Act Murder Mystery Walks are back this summer.

The starting point is in the North Castle Field, opposite the Castle View National Trust car park, just north of the Corfe Castle ruins on the A351. Double Act drama group have permission for their customers to use this car park for the evening.

What could be more atmospheric for a murder mystery than a twilight walk in the shadow of the ruins of the great castle? However, the walk will involve steep rough paths and long grass, and although they will finish before dark for safety reasons, anyone taking part does so at their own risk. Due to the popularity of the past walks and a necessity to restrict numbers for safety, it is strongly recommended that early bookings be made by purchasing tickets online.

Tickets are just £5 a head (under 5s free).

An experience not to be missed!

Double Act drama group

Murder Walk By The Castle

The year is 1330 and a young Edward III rules England but under the ‘protection’ of his mother, Isabella, and her lover, Mortimer. His father, Edward II, was unpopular and, after an uprising led by his estranged wife, had been deposed from the throne and kept imprisoned at various castles before apparently being murdered in an extremely unpleasant way at Berkley Castle. But then a rumour started that the old king was still held prisoner at Corfe Castle and his brother Edmund dispatched a Friar to Corfe to investigate. What did he find out?

Was it all political subterfuge?  Was Edward II still alive or was it his ghost?

All will be revealed along with many other surprises at Corfe Castle on Wednesdays 19 & 26 July and 2, 9 & 16 August 2023 at 7.00pm.

Yes, it’s back! And even better! The highly acclaimed Double Act Murder Mystery Walks are back this summer.

The starting point is in the North Castle Field, opposite the Castle View National Trust car park, just north of the Corfe Castle ruins on the A351. Double Act drama group have permission for their customers to use this car park for the evening.

What could be more atmospheric for a murder mystery than a twilight walk in the shadow of the ruins of the great castle? However, the walk will involve steep rough paths and long grass, and although they will finish before dark for safety reasons, anyone taking part does so at their own risk. Due to the popularity of the past walks and a necessity to restrict numbers for safety, it is strongly recommended that early bookings be made by purchasing tickets online.

Tickets are just £5 a head (under 5s free).

An experience not to be missed!

Broadstone Players; Tickets: Evening £15 (includes supper of fish/sausage/veggie nuggets & chips), Matinee £10 (includes tea and cake); Available via phone (01202 678449), email or from Broadstone News on The Broadway in Broadstone.

Maskers Theatre Company; Tickets: £14; Available from Box Office (0333 666 3366 - booking fee applies to phone bookings) or online.

All Saints Dramatic Society [ASDS]; Tickets: £12; Available from the Box Office (07548 100770) or online.

Broadstone Players; Tickets: £15 (includes supper of fish/sausage/veggie nuggets & chips); Available via phone (01202 678449), email or from Broadstone News on The Broadway in Broadstone.

BacktoBack Theatre

Bounce

Written by Tom Derrington

Directed by Kitty Cecil-Wright

Jesse is electric! A self-made millionaire, motivational life coach, best feeling author and showman. He travels the world helping tens of thousands of people uncover their true purpose and take control of their destiny. But when a young man living with depression is transformed during one of Jesse’s intense live events, things quickly unravel. Sylvia, his mother, is desperate to find out what happened to her son. Unable to understand, she books herself a ticket, takes a seat in the front row and seeks to uncover the answers she needs.

A play about the force of parental love and the self help circus.

GUIDANCE: Recommended For Age 16+ (Strong language and some upsetting themes.)

Doors open from 6:00 pm for bar and food, performance at 8:00 pm

Tickets: Bounce £14.00, Bounce Concession Ticket £12, Bounce and Meal Deal £25; Available from Box Office (01202 280802) or online.

Bishopstoke Players; Tickets: £12 (Under 18s £8); Available via phone (07871 006551), email or online. Proceeds will be donated to the charity, Action for Children.

Christchurch G&S Society

HMS Pinafore

Director: Sarah Oliver

Musical Director: Ieuan Davies

Enjoy an evening (or afternoon) at a fabulous Art Deco theatre and watch Gilbert and Sullivan's HMS Pinafore performed by a NODA award-winning company in the unique setting of a Royal Naval Submarine!

This is an up-to-date version of the show, full of wonderful, amusing characters but still containing the well-known, well-loved music and songs.

Tickets: Full £19, Concessions £18, Students/Under 16s £6; Available via Box Office (01202 499199) or online.

Chesil Theatre 

The new season at the Chesil Theatre, Winchester, opens with two modern plays to make an evening of contrasting drama.

Five Stories From 15 Heroines 

By Chinonyerem Odimba, Lettie Precious, Bryony Lavery, Charlotte Jones and Samantha Ellis

Directed by Daisy Norwood

Everyone has heard of the swaggering Greek heroes who went on epic voyages, fought valiant battles and overcame fearsome monsters – but what of their wives and lovers left behind? Two thousand years ago, the poet, Ovid, wrote a series of fictional letters called The Heroines, which showed the desires and innermost feelings of these queens, sorcerers, pioneers, poets and politicians.

In 2020, some of these letters were dramatized as 15 monologues. The Chesil will be presenting five of these bite-sized, beautifully written short plays to give voice to the heroines.

Trestle

By Stewart Pringle

Directed by Martin Humphrey

Trestle by Stewart Pringle is the story of two older people. Harry sees these later years as a winding down of his life, while Denise is living them with all the gusto she can. When their paths cross at the village hall, their understanding of the time they have left changes irrevocably. What do community, growing old, and falling in love really mean? And who gets to decide anyway? Trestle won the prestigious Papatango New Writing Prize in 2017, was premiered at the Southwark Playhouse and has been performed by many companies since.

Heroines' director, Daisy Norwood, joined the Chesil in 2022 in contrast to the director of Trestle, Martin Humphrey, who has been a member for 35 years and has been involved with many productions.

Tickets: Adults £16, Student/Under 18s £10, Group £14.40 (booking fees apply); Available online.

Studio Theatre Salisbury 

Last Summer At Bluefish Cove

Written by Jane Chambers

Directed by Philippa Crundwell

Jane Chambers’s groundbreaking play comes to Studio Theatre this October. It's 1980 in Long Island, New York. Across the US, homophobia is rife, and it’s thirty-five years before same-sex marriage will be legalised. Seven friends take refuge at Bluefish Cove – a secret seaside haven – where they can live and love freely. When a straight woman named Eva wanders unknowingly into their midst, romance and drama ensue, and by the end of the summer, everyone’s lives are changed forever.

NB: Strong Language, sexual references, smoking on stage, and themes of terminal illness and cancer. Age guidance 12+ 

Tickets: Full £12; Under 16s £8; SYT Members £5; Available from Salisbury Information Centre, Fish Row, Salisbury (01722 342860) or online.

Bournemouth & Boscombe Light Opera Company [BBLOC]; Tickets: £19.50 - £29.50, Family Tickets available; Available online.

Poole & Parkstone Productions [P&P Productions]

InSpired To Sing - Songs Of The Seventies

(Choir in a Day Workshop)

Following the success of their first two workshops, P&P Choir (part of Poole & Parkstone Productions) are pleased to be hosting another on Saturday 14 October. This year's theme is Songs from the Seventies.

Spend a day singing as part of a massed choir as you workshop and perform some of the greatest hits from The Seventies. From show tunes to chart-topping smash hits, there's sure to be something for every voice. You don't need to be in a choir, or an existing member of P&P, just be keen to sing. No matter if you have lots of experience or just a little, the day will be suitable for all levels.

The workshop will be led and conducted by Jane McDouall, an accomplished singing teacher and performer, and Musical Director of the P&P Singers and their community choir InSpire Daytime Voices.

Cost of the workshop is just £15 per person for the day, with hot drinks included. Family and friends are invited to join P&P at the end of the day for an informal concert to share all you have learnt during the day.

Workshop: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm (Registration opens 9:30 am); £15 per person - register online, via email, or via phone (Jane - 07770 774879).

Performance: from 4:15 pm (Doors open at 4:00 pm); Entrance to this performance is free, with donations to P&P's sponsored charity Ehlers-Danlos Support UK (EDS UK) warmly welcomed.

Ferndown Drama

Out Of Focus

Written by Peter Gordon

Directed by Estelle Hughes

An unfortunate over-booking of the Church Hall results in a gathering of a wonderful mix of local characters, ranging from Evonne, the nervous Vicar's wife, to Leonard, a man intent on delivering a talk on steam locomotives to anyone who will listen!

As rehearsals proceed, alliances are forged and switched as the opening night looms...

Tickets: £12; Available online.

Wimborne Drama Productions

Rehearsal For Murder

Adapted for the Stage by DD Brooke

Directed by Tracey Nicholls

A classic 1980s TV thriller, re-imagined for the stage, is Wimborne Drama Productions’ choice of play for their autumn production at the Tivoli Theatre.

Rehearsal for Murder has been adapted by DD Brooke from the TV play written by the legendary award-winning writing team of Richard Levinson and William Link, whose work includes Murder, She Wrote and Columbo.

Playwright Alex Dennison is left heartbroken when his fiancée and leading lady Monica Welles is found dead from an apparent suicide after the opening night of her stage debut. On the anniversary of that ill-fated night, Alex assembles the same cast and crew in the same theatre, for a reading of his new play. But as the reading begins, it becomes clear that Alex believes that Monica was murdered and he intends to uncover her killer…

Director Tracey Nicholls explains the appeal of the play: “Everyone loves a good murder mystery – nothing too nasty, just a good excuse to take on the role of detective and try to work out ‘whodunnit’.

“Rehearsal For Murder, set in an empty theatre, combines my love for both theatre and the murder mystery genre. It has everything you could want from a good suspense thriller – engaging characters, a brilliant plot with more twists than a country lane, and moments of high tension balanced with nuggets of humour. Best of all, the beautiful Art Deco Tivoli Theatre is itself a star of the show!

“This October let us entertain you with this thoroughly enjoyable cracker of a play.”

The cast are Rob Cording-Cook, Tracie Billington-Beardsley, Rosie Nye, Colin Pile, Michelle Barter, Lindsay McGowan, David Beddard-Banks, James Bourner, Andy Gill, Russ Guillaume, Suzanne Viney, Richard Scotson and Calum Hearne.

Rehearsal for Murder will be performed at the Tivoli Theatre from 19 – 21 October, with evening performances at 7:30pm (tickets £16) and a Saturday matinee at 2:30pm (£14). To book, telephone the Tivoli Box Office on 01202 885566 or book online.

This amateur production is produced by special arrangement with THE DRAMATIC PUBLISHING COMPANY of Woodstock, Illinois, USA.

Poole & Parkstone Players [P&P Players]

One Act Plays

The P&P Players return to The Spire, Poole this October with their popular One Act Plays series.

None The Wiser

A comedy written by Anthony Booth

Directed by Clare I'Anson

A gang of women posing as nuns are operating a successful shoplifting racket. The trouble is that at home in their convent they have to look the part, and when two nuns seeking accommodation appear at the door, they can't turn them away. However, the newcomers aren't what they seem either.

The Right Honourable Lady

A drama written by Francis Beckett

Directed by Lauren Keene

Journalist Flavia has been poached from the BBC by tabloid newspaper, The Daily Trumpet. Her brief – to dig up the dirt on her old friend Nicola Macdonald, now Secretary of State. In the pursuit of investigating more serious corruption in the government, Flavia must first expose sordid secrets which threaten to destroy careers and marriages. To what length will people go to get what they want?

Tickets: £10; Available  online, email, in person at The Spire Office, High Street, Poole or via phone (Clare - 07956 996656).

Maskers Theatre Company; Tickets: £14; Available from Box Office (0333 666 3366 - booking fee applies to phone bookings) or online.

Bournemouth Little Theatre 

The Lying Kind

Written by Anthony Neilson

Directed by Rachael de Courcy Beamish

Two policemen have to tell a distinctly odd, elderly couple some terrible news, but what if it’s too much for them?

An imminent lynching hardly helps in what is (surprisingly!) a hugely entertaining and bizarre black comedy/farce that will have the audience in stitches…

The play is being staged at Bournemouth Little Theatre from 24 – 28 October 2023 at 7:45pm each evening.

Tickets: Full £14, Concessions – Seniors and students £12, Members £8; Available online.

New Forest Players 

Dead Reckoning

Written by Eric Chappell

Directed by Janet Courtice

A renowned artist is caught up in a maze of chilling mind games and deceit. Who is the mysterious Mr Todd and how far is artist Tony Read prepared to go in discovering who killed his adored first wife?

Tickets: £13 (NFP Members £8); Available via phone 01425 542414 or online.

Castle Players; Tickets: £10; Available via phone (01202 912351) or online.

Lyndhurst Drama & Musical Society; Tickets: £12; Available by phone (023 8029 2531) or online.

Ferndown Phoenix Musical Theatre

Cinderella - A Twisted Tale

Cinderella - A Halloween twist!

The story of Cinderella is a beautiful fairytale, but this Halloween, Cinderella has a different story to tell! Magic has fallen into the wrong hands; will Cinderella ever get her Prince?

If good falls for evil it could become quite tragic!

Performances: 26 - 27 October @ 7:30 pm,  Saturday 28 October @ 10:30 am (Relaxed performance *), 2:30 pm & 7:30 pm.

Tickets: Adults £12, Concessions £10, Children £8 (* Relaxed Performance: Adults £10, Concessions £8, Children £6); Available from Box Office (01202) with further information available online.

Castle Players; Tickets: £10; Available via phone (01202 912351) or online.

Chesil Theatre; Tickets: Adults £12, Student/Under 18s £10, Group £14.40 (booking fees apply); Available online.