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SINCE 1931
PLAY READINGS
Play readings are held regularly at Manor Gardens and are great opportunities for members, and those interested in membership, to relax in friendly company and read through a play that we are thinking of producing in the future or simply want to read!
There is no compulsion to read any of the parts, if you just want to listen, but it is a fun chance to read and enjoy parts that you wouldn't be able to audition for, because of age, gender or other reasons!
HECUBA
by Euripides
Hecuba is set in the aftermath of the Trojan War when the captive Trojan women are on the brink of being divvied up among the Greek leaders. Ex-Queen of Troy, Hecuba, has lost her husband, her sons and grandson, and her city, and now the Greeks want to sacrifice her youngest daughter. She discovers her youngest son (who was sent away to be safe) has been betrayed by the ones who were supposed to look after him. Helpless and vengeful, she seeks out an unlikely ally to help her get revenge in the only ways she can, with nothing else to lose.
Tuesday 22nd September at 7.30pm
At: Manor Gardens
BRASSED OFF
by Paul Allen
Grimley Colliery is set to close as the accountants say there’s more money in it shut than open, even after redundancy payments. This would mean 1,200 recently unemployed people, a dying town and the loss of its brass band. But under the leadership of Danny, coughing with coal-dusted lungs, the band is somehow transformed into British champions, with local lass Gloria whipping up the money needed to get them to the Albert Hall. This celebratory and defiant show is adapted from the 1996 film of the same name and tells the story of a fictional coal town left standing with heartbreak, humour and a brassy ensemble.
Friday 9th October at 7.30pm
At: Manor Gardens
NELL GWYNN
by Jessica Swale
London, 1660. King Charles II has exploded onto the scene with a love of all things loud, extravagant and sexy. And at Drury Lane, a young Nell Gwynn is causing stirrings amongst the theatregoers. Nell Gwynn charts the rise of an unlikely heroine, from her roots in Coal Yard Alley to her success as Britain’s most celebrated actress, and her hard-won place in the heart of the King. But at a time when women are second-class citizens, can her charm and spirit protect her from the dangers of the Court?
Tuesday 17th November at 7.30pm
At: Manor Gardens
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST
by Oscar Wilde
This is our Christmas get together with seasonable refreshments!
Tuesday 15h December at 7.30pm
At: Manor Gardens
THINGS I KNOW TO BE TRUE
by Andrew Bovell
"Things I know to be True" is a moving and poignant play that explores familial love in some of its many guises by digging through the lives and relationships of 6 members of the suburban Price family. It is a touchingly honest portrayal of defining moments within families. What happens when love turns to grief? How are traditional values reconciled with the new hopes and socially accepted norms of new generations?
Tuesday 8th September at 7.30pm
At: Manor Gardens
by Dale Wasserman
This stage adaptation of Ken Kesey’s celebrated novel explores the brutality of life in a mental institution with humour, candour and unforgettable characters. After being convicted of a petty crime, a charming,rebellious rogue named McMurphy contrives to serve his short sentence in an airy mental institution rather than in a prison. This, he soon learns, was a mistake. He immediately clashes with the authoritarian head nurse, Nurse Ratched. Despite Ratched’s strict reign, McMurphy quickly takes over the yard, leading others out of introversion, staging a revolt so that they can see the World Series on television, and arranging a rollicking midnight party with liquor and women. But McMurphy’s brash insubordination will have its consequences.
Tuesday 11th August at 7.30pm
At: Manor Gardens
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST
by Richard Harris
“Stepping Out” is a warm and very funny play about the lives, laughs and loves of a group of women (and one man) attending a weekly tap-dance class in a dingy North London church hall. There is ex-professional dancer Mavis, who runs the class; cheerfully overweight Sylvia; Andy, a plain do-gooder with no confidence; snobby but well-meaning Vera; timid Dorothy who works in Social Security; Maxine, attractive, sharp and very shrewd; fat, plain Lynne; Rose, just here for a good time, and Geoffrey, the lone male. As the play progresses, the class’s dancing improves to such an extent that by the climax, a grand charity show performance, they have been transformed into triumphant tappers, worthy of any chorus line.
Tuesday 21st July at 7.30pm
At: Manor Gardens
STEPPING OUT
A MONSTER CALLS
by Patrick Ness
Adapted for stage from the bestselling novel by Patrick Ness, this play tells the stunning story of love, loss and courage anew. Conor has the same dream every night, ever since his mother first fell ill, ever since she started the treatments that don’ quite seem to be working. But tonight is different. Tonight,
when he wakes, there’s a visitor at his window. It’s ancient, elemental, a force of nature. And it wants the
most dangerous thing of all from Conor. It wants the truth.
Friday 12th June at 7.30pm
At: Manor Gardens
ENGAGED
by W S Gilbert
Run by Rachel who says:
"Engaged" is a vintage comedy by W S Gilbert. Best known for the comic operas he produced in collaboration with Arthur Sullivan, W S Gilbert also wrote many plays of which "Engaged" is his best known. First produced in 1877 it was hugely successful at the time, playing to packed houses. But it had its critics, with some condemning it as "heartless".
Tuesday 12th May at 7.30pm
At: Manor Gardens