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January 2010 - It Could Be Any One Of Us - Alan Ayckbourn. Directed by Sandra Gilbert
"A thunderstorm. A windswept country house. A family of failures - a detective who has never solved a case; a writer, an artist and a composer whose work has never been aired publicly; a dysfunctional teenager - wrangling over a bequest...
... all the prime ingredients for a murder-mystery thriller in the traditional mould. But this thriller is by Alan Ayckbourn and has within it a number of surprises..."
"A Real Puzzler To The End... be prepared to be left scratching your head until the last minute, we were guessing who was behind all the mysterious goings on at the Chalke household from the interval, and despite thinking we were being incredibly clever we were still miles off the truth!"
Swindon Advertiser
January 2010
Cast: | Backstage: | ||
Mortimer Chalke | Eric Partington | Stage Manager | Nigel Margetts |
Jocelyn Polegate | Sally Lewis | Lighting | Will Thomas & Alan Wrixon |
Brinton Chalke | Colin Wilkins | Sound | Martin Lawrence |
Amy Polegate | Melanie Roberts | Prompt | Daphne Breakspear |
Norris Honeywell | Dennis Breakspear | Props | Stephanie Trinci & Nicky Ashdown |
Wendy Windwood | Emma Palmer | Advance Booking | Pauline Eldridge |
Publicity | Margaret Price | ||
Front of House | Margaret Price |
Music "Prime Numbers" Composed and played by John Davies.
April 2010 - Third Week in August - Peter Gordon. Directed by Daphne Breakspear
When Sue decides to take a ‘get away from everybody’ caravan holiday, little does she realise that she’s booked into the caravan site from hell! She is soon taken under the wing of expert but inadequate caravanner Neville….when he is not engaged in battle with his wife or coping with his recently divorced sister-in-law.
Matters become complicated with the arrival of the enthusiastic Tony and his reluctant girlfriend and Neville decides that a communal barbecue is the order of the day, or is it...
...if you have ever been near a caravan site you will recognise them all!
"One Liners Had Us Rolling In The Aisles"
"This is a rollicking couple of hours of entertainment - The audience laughed their socks off!"
Swindon Advertiser
April 2010
Cast: | Backstage: | ||
Tony | Tony Asprey | Stage Manager | Sandra Gilbert |
Jenny (Tony's Girlfriend) | Sarah Greenwood | Lighting | Alan Wrixon |
Sue | Clare Brown | Sound | Will Thomas |
Neville | Nigel Margetts | Prompt | Sally Lovejoy |
Mary (Neville's Wife) | Marlene Poole | Props | Emma Palmer & Melanie Roberts |
Liz (Mary's Sister) | Anne E Després | Publicity | Margaret Price |
Advance Booking | Pauline Eldridge | ||
Production Co-ordinator | Dennis Breakspear | ||
Assistant Co-ordinator | Roger Trayhurn | ||
Front of House | Members & Friends |
September 2010 - Cranford - adapted from the novels of Elizabeth Gaskell by Martyn Coleman.
Directed by Sandra Gilbert
If you have read the novels of Elizabeth Gaskell or seen the BBC television adaptation then you know all about the “ladies of Cranford” and their love of gossip! This stage adaptation included some favourite characters, Miss Matty Jenkyns, Miss Pole, Mrs Jamieson and Lady Glenmire along with some new friends, all wrestling with the trials and tribulations of "polite society"; breaking in a new maid, dealing with a band of robbers or coping with financial disaster.
"The Ladies of Cranford came to the Arts Centre in a splendid production directed by Sandra Gilbert where once again the Phoenix Players showed just why they are one of the premier theatre companies in this town."
Swindon Advertiser
September 2010
Cast: | Backstage: | ||
Mrs Gaskell | Sandra Gilbert | Stage Manager | Nigel Margetts |
Miss Matty Jenkyns | Sally Lovejoy | Lighting | Alan Wrixon & Will Thomas |
Martha | Emma Palmer | Sound | Martin Lawrence |
Miss Mary Smith | Joanne Parry | Props | Nicky Ashdown, Clare Brown & Melanie Roberts |
Miss Pole | Marlene Poole | Prompt | Colin Wilkins |
Miss Betty Barker | Anne E Després | Advance booking | Pauline Eldridge |
Mrs Forrester | Daphne Breakspear | Publicity | Margaret Price |
Mrs Jamison | Margaret Price | Front of House | Roger Trayhurn |
Mr Hoggins | Dennis Breakspear | ||
Lady Glenmire | Jean Belt | ||
Jem Hearn | Nicholas Gratton |
January 2011 - London Suite - Neil Simon. Directed by Sally Lovejoy
In London Suite, America’s favourite playwright crosses the Atlantic for this quartet of plays, all set in suite 402 of a classic London hotel. There is something for everyone here as we run the gamut of emotions – desperation, revenge, tenderness, abiding love and farce all shot through with that signature Neil Simon humour and cracking one liners. Spend an evening laughing with the Phoenix Players and forget the dark days of January.
“Quartet of Sparkling Talent – The Phoenix Players provided sparkling entertainment in Neil Simon’s quartet of one-act plays. This great night out maintained this groups well deserved reputation for excellence”
Swindon Advertiser
January 2011
Cast: | Backstage: | ||
Settling Accounts: | Stage Manager | Sandra Gilbert | |
Brian | Mark Harris | Assistant Stage Manager | Nigel Margetts |
Billy | Nicholas Gratton | Lighting & Sound | Alan Wrixon & Will Thomas |
Going Home: | Props | Ann E. Després & Clare Brown | |
Lauren | Mel Roberts | Prompt | Stephanie Trinci |
Mrs Semple | Nicky Ashdown | Advance Booking | Pauline Eldridge |
Diana & Sidney: | Publicity | Margaret Price & Clare Brown | |
Diana | Margaret Price | Front of House | Eric Partington |
Grace | Wendy Skane | ||
Sidney | Colin Wilkins | ||
Man on the Floor: | |||
Mark | Nicholas Gratton | ||
Annie | Joanna Parry | ||
Mrs Sitgood | Marlene Poole | ||
Bellman | Mark Harris | ||
Dr. McMerlin | Roger Trayhurn |
With the recorded voices of Stephanie Trinci & Denis Reynolds
May 2011 - Rough Crossing - Tom Stoppard. Directed by Daphne Breakspear
Click here for the "Rough Crossing" Showography.
Cast: | Backstage: | ||
Dvornichek | Mark Harris | Stage Manager | Sandra Gilbert |
Turai | Nicholas Gratton | Lighting & Sound | Alan Wrixon & Will Thomas |
Adam | Martin Lawrence | Props | Stephanie Trinci & Melanie Roberts |
Gal | Tony Asprey | Prompt | Margaret Price |
Natasha | Sarah Greenwood | Accompanist | John Davies |
Ivor | Colin Wilkins | Advance booking | Pauline Eldridge |
Publicity | Margaret Price & Clare Brown | ||
Front of House | Dennis Breakspear | ||
Production Co-ordinator | Roger Trayhurn |
September 2011 - A Letter from The General - Maurice McLoughlin. Directed by Sandra Gilbert, Assistant Director Emma Palmer.
Set in the common room of a mission station in a Far Eastern Country in the year 1950. Revolution has swept over this country and is now lapping around the walls of a mission station which specialises in caring for orphaned children. The children have been taken away on the orders of the General, that they may not be contaminated by a capitalist religion; only the Sisters are left and one peasant family who live in a hut at the Mission gates. Any day the revolution may swamp the nuns and they may be escorted from the country; but it is more likely that the General will order them to be liquidated. Matters are complicated by the arrival of Father Schiller, who has been wrecked by torture and Reverend Mother agrees to hide him. Internal tensions add to the complexities of the situation and lead to its dramatic resolution.
"Job well done by top cast"... "The Phoenix Players again produced a play that held the audience in the palm of their hands. You could have heard a pin drop in the audience while the characters engaged us all and drew us into the plot. A Job well done."
Swindon Advertiser
September 2011
Cast: | Backstage: | ||
Sister Henry | Joanna Parry | Stage Manager | Nigel Margetts |
Sister Lucy | Clare Brown | Assistant Stage Manager | Sam Dobson |
Sister Bridget | Melanie Roberts | Lighting | Alan Wrixon & Will Thomas |
Reverend Mother | Marlene Poole | Props | Sally Lovejoy |
Sister Magdalen | Daphne Breakspear | Prompt | Emma Palmer |
Arthur Stilton, the British Consul | Chris Coleman | Advance Booking | Pauline Eldridge |
Ruth Stilton, his wife | Nicky Ashdown | Publicity | Clare Brown |
Captain Lee | Nicholas Gratton | Front of House | Roger Trayhurn |
Father Schiller | Dennis Breakspear |
January 2012 - Swindon Advertiser: Phoenix Players Apologise for first ever show delay:
A performance of The Reluctant Debutante by The Phoenix Players due to take place at the end of the month has been postponed.
The group, which had never cancelled or postponed a performance since it started in 1954, apologised to its patrons for the change and said they would be in touch with people who had already bought tickets in the next few days.
The Phoenix Players secretary, Daphne Breakspear, said "It is with much regret that due to unforeseen circumstances The Phoenix Players have had to postpone the performance of The Reluctant Debutante".
"If you have already booked seats, The Phoenix Players will be in touch within the next few days. We had no alternative but to cancel".
The performance was due to take place from January 25-28 and Ms Breakspear said they have not set a new date.
The Phoenix Players started in 1954 as The Circle Poetry Players.
It is now one of the leading drama groups in the town, having presented over 200 productions.
Copyright 2001-2012 Newsquest Media Group.
April 2012 - Come Blow Your Horn - Neil Simon. Directed by Sally Lovejoy
Click here for the "Come Blow Your Horn" Showography and Press Reviews.
Set in an apartment in New York City which belongs to Alan, the elder son of a family that has a well established and long standing wax fruit business. Alan is very much the dedicated bachelor, ladies man and man about town, although deep down has a soft spot for Connie, just one of his ladies, is suddenly joined in his apartment by his shy and retiring younger brother Buddy who has left the family home in his quest to become a playwright.
Over time Buddy turns from shy and retiring to emulate his brother helped more than a little by the flirtatious Peggy. Mrs Baker, the caring but typical mother becomes very much involved in the various goings on and the father, Mr Baker adds his two Cents worth with the a piece of classic advice to Buddy, "Plays can close, Television you turn off, wax fruit lies in a bowl until you are a hundred".
Cast: | Backstage: | ||
Alan Baker | Nicholas Gratton | Stage Manager | Nigel Margetts |
Peggy Evans | Millie Ashdown | Lighting | Alan Wrixon & Will Thomas |
Buddy Baker | Jacob Moore | Props | Marlene Poole |
Mr Baker | Dennis Breakspeare | Prompt | Margaret Price |
Connie Drayton | Emma Palmer | Advance booking | Pauline Eldridge |
Mrs Baker | Sandra Gilbert | Publicity | Clare Brown |
A Visitor | Daphne Breakspeare | Front of House | Roger Trayhurn |
September 2012 - Dead Guilty - Richard Harris. Directed by Sandra Gilbert
Click here for the "Dead Guilty" Showography,
Press Previews and Review.
Dead Guilty, a tense psychological drama follows the ensuing events of a car crash in which John Haddrell dies of a heart attack leaving the woman travelling with him, his lover Julia Darrow with severe leg injuries and in a depressed state.
The counsel of therapist Anne Bennett or the help and support of a chirpy handyman in the form of Barry do little to recover Julia's state of mind. However; when John's wife turns up seeking a form of closure, and apparently unaware of her husband's indiscretion, Julia forges a new and unlikely friendship.
Events however take a sinister turn when items in Julia's home begin disappearing and appearing without explanation, giving Julia reason to suspect those close to her. A first meeting of Margaret with Julia develops into an intriguing and powerful thriller.
Richard Harris, the author of "Dead Guilty" is perhaps better known for other of his plays including "Stepping Out" and "Outside Edge". So with "Dead Guilty" Mr Harris has moved into a completely different genre, the psychological thriller.
"Dead Guilty" was first performed under the title "Murder Once Done" at the Haymarket Theatre, Basingstoke in 1994. Subsequently it was presented by Bill Kenwright at the Theatre Royal Windsor and then the Thorndike Theatre, Leatherhead. The first performance in the West End was at the Apollo Theatre in July 1995 with Jenny Seagrove playing Julia and Hayley Mills playing Margaret.
Cast: | Backstage: | ||
Julia | Joanna Parry | Stage Manager | Nigel Margetts |
Margaret | Marlene Poole | Assistant Stage Manager | Steven King |
Ann | Sally Lovejoy | Lighting | Alan Wrixon & Will Thomas |
Barry | Colin Wilkins | Sound | Martin Lawrence |
Prompt | Melanie Roberts | ||
Props | Emma Palmer & Nicky Ashdown | ||
Advance Booking | Pauline Eldridge | ||
Publicity | Emma Palmer | ||
Poster Artwork | Imogen Skane-Lawrence | ||
Front of House | Roger Trayhurn |
January 2013 - Queen Elizabeth Slept Here - Talbot Rothwell. Directed by Daphne Breakspear B.E.M.
Based on an earlier play, 'George Washington Slept Here' by Moss Hart and George Kaufman, Talbot Rothwell's comedy 'Queens Elizabeth Slept Here' was first presented at the Strand Theatre, London in 1969 starring Michael Dennison, Dulcie Gray and Kenneth Connor.
Where Elizabeth slept is a tumbledown country cottage that Norah Fuller has just bought. Her husband, Michael is less than enthusiastic about it, particularly when he discovers that there are no modern conveniences, not even running water. To add to their problems they have a less than helpful handyman, unexpected visitors, a problem neighbour, some farmyard friends and a tiresome and annoying young nephew.
How Norah and Michael deal with their uncomfortable acquisition and eventually turn it into a place fit to live in makes a delightful and hilarious play.
Talbot Rothwell had an unorthodox entry into show business when a POW in Germany during World War 11. Together with Peter Butterworth he began to write comedy sketches, partly to relieve the boredom and partly to cover the noise of his fellow prisoners' tunnel digging!
After the war he continued with his writing, providing scripts for 'The Crazy Gang', Arthur Askey, Ted Ray and Terry Thomas and eventually scripting some of the 'Carry On' films. His famous line spoken by Kenneth Williams, 'Infamy, Infamy, they've all got it in for me' has been voted the greatest film comedy one-liner of all time.
In 1977 he was awarded the OBE for his services to comedy and died in 1981 aged 64.
Cast: | Backstage: | ||
Mr. Kimber | Mark Harris | Stage Manager | Sandra Gilbert |
Norah Fuller | Nicky Ashdown | Assistant Stage Manager | Nigel Margetts |
Michael Fuller | Nicholas Gratton | Lighting | Alan Wrixon & Will Thomas |
Madge Fuller | Nikki Sly | Sound | Martin Lawrence |
Steve Hadlett | Steven King | Stage Crew | Colin Wilkins & Max Sly |
Katie | Ann E. Deprés | Prompt | Margaret Price |
Mrs Douglas | Jean Belt | Props | Marlene Poole & Ann E. Després |
Clayton Shaw | Kevin O'Grady | Advance Booking | Pauline Eldridge |
Rita Leslie | Stephanie Trinci | Publicity | Emma Palmer |
Hester | Melanie Roberts | Front of House | Roger Trayhurn |
Raymond | Ethan Hughes | ||
Colonel Prescott | Michael Sly | ||
Uncle Stanley | Dennis Breakspear |
April 2013 - Marking Time - Michael Snelgrove. Directed by Emma Palmer
In a tiny, tatty room in a residential teachers' centre, Team B are up to their eyebrows in A Level English Literature marking.
Elsewhere in the building, the dreaded Team A are coping far better with their marking band guidelines, matrix grids and marked pilot samples and managing to spend plenty of time in the bar.
Team B, led by the far-from-perfect Howard, lurch from disaster to disaster. Howard is lacking in confidence and team support, the pendant Oliver has lost his marked sample on the Isle of Wight ferry; Pat, who wants to bring her affair with Howard to a head, is in an enormous state of emotional tension;
Ian, who teaches Comparative Literature, hasn't read half the books being discussed so isn't much help as he should be, and the cool and efficient Judith seems just a bit too friendly with the rival Team A for Howard's comfort....Doors slam, tempers are lost and personalities crumble as the situation becomes even more chaotic.
Hilarious, observant and fast-moving, Marking Time is another winner from the author of Bums on Seats, Urban Cycles and others.
Cast: | Backstage: | ||
Howard | Mike Sly | Stage Manager | Nigel Margetts |
Pat | Steph Trinci | Lighting | Alan Wrixon & Will Thomas |
Judith | Nicky Ashdown | Props | Sally Lovejoy |
Oliver | Eric Partington | Prompt | Nikki Sly |
Ian | Steve King | Advance booking | Pauline Eldridge & Daphne Breakspear |
Publicity | Margaret Price | ||
Front of House | Dennis Breakspear |
September 2013 - Nobody's Perfect - Simon Williams. Directed by Sally Lovejoy
Click here for the "Nobody's Perfect" Showography,
Press Previews and Review.
"Nobody's Perfect" is a fast moving and witty comedy that centres around the life of shy, staid, divorced statistician Leonard Loftus, working from home and suffering jibes from his teenage daughter Dee Dee and rascally father Gus.
Leonard writes a novel under the pseudonym of "Myrtle Banbury" and enters it in a competition run by a feminist publishing house. His book wins and Harriet, the editor, insists on meeting Myrtle, leaving Leonard no choice but to assume Myrtle's identity.
Things get really complicated when Leonard falls in love with Harriet but the truly funny final sequence sees everything resolved with help from those two very unlikely Cupids, Dee Dee and Gus.
It is a wonderfully funny and well written play that made for an entertaining evening.
Cast: | Backstage: | ||
Leonard | Mike Sly | Stage Manager | Sandra Gilbert |
Harriet | Nikki Sly | Assistant Stage Manager | Nigel Margetts |
Dee | Melanie Roberts | Lighting | Alan Wrixon & Will Thomas |
Gus | Eric Partington | Sound | Martin Lawrence |
Props | Nicky Ashdown & Annie Sly | ||
Prompt | Emma Palmer | ||
Advance booking | Pauline Eldridge & Daphne Breakspear | ||
Publicity | Emma Palmer | ||
Front of House | Dennis Breakspear |
January 2014 - Lend Me A Tenor - Ken Ludwig. Directed by Colin Wilkins
Click here for the"Lend Me A Tenor" Showography and Press Review.
Lend Me a Tenor, a very funny comedy set in an Hotel Suite in Cleveland, Ohio, USA in 1934., written by Ken Ludwig who also wrote Over The Moon a very successful production for the Phoenix Players in January 2008.
Henry Saunders, general manager of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company is anxiously waiting to welcome Tito Merelli, a world famous opera tenor, known as "Il Stupendo". Merelli is arriving to Cleveland to sing the lead role in a single performance of Verdi's Otello, the biggest event in Cleveland Opera's history. A sell-out audience and members of the Cleveland Opera Guild are all expecting a great night.
Saunders harried assistant Max is charged with seeing to Merelli's every need and with getting Merelli to the opera house in ample time for his performance. Maggie Saunders, Henry's daughter and Max's sometime girlfriend is a huge fan of Merelli and confesses to Max that she is somewhat romantically attracted to Merelli.
Due to his love of food, and other things, Merelli arrives late at the Hotel with his hot-tempered Italian wife, Marie who nags him to take his pills. When Tito learns that Max is an aspiring opera singer, Tito gives him an impromptu singing lesson. In return Max does his duty and fixes Tito a calming drink ahead of his performance and when mixed with the pills, that is when the chaos starts.
The cast includes Diana, a full on sexy seductress who is also a 'star' singer with the Cleveland Opera Guild, Julia, the outlandish and self-important Chairwoman of the Cleveland Opera Guild and a Bellhop who creates havoc throughout the play. This is a truly madcap comedy that has more than a touch of farce about it.
Cast: | Backstage: | ||
Saunders | Nicholas Gratton | Stage Manager | Sandra Gilbert |
Max | Martin Whiteley | Prompt | Sally Lovejoy |
Maggie | Emma Palmer | Props | Marlene Poole & Emily Roberts |
Tito | Courtenay Merchant | Lighting | Alan Wrixon & Will Thomas |
Maria | Steph Trinci | Sound | Martin Lawrence |
Bellhop | Mark Harris | Costumes | Sandra Gilbert |
Diana | Nicky Ashdown | Front of House | Dennis Breakspear |
Julia | Margaret Price |
May 2014 - What Is Susan's Secret - Michael and Susan Parker. Directed by Eric Partington.
Click here for the "What Is Susan's Secret" Showography.
The Cider Mill Inn is a rather old, rustic and run-down country Inn owned by a charming elderly couple, Michael and, yes, Susan Edwards. At first sight, Michael and Susan appear to be bordering on senility but watch out; for their charm covers their subtle ability to con their unsuspecting guests by advertising attractive, special discounts to various useful trades-people.
Over a number of weekends their guests - plumbers, tile layers, carpenters and electricians - end up doing work they never expected to do having unwittingly signed a work contract at check-in and the story unfolds from there.
A large cast, young and old, will take you through this delightful farce that is sure to become a firm favourite with British audiences. But what is Susan's secret? It's for you to work out or, indeed, find out!
Cast: | Backstage: | ||
Susan | Marlene Poole | Stage Manager | Nigel Margetts |
Michael | Dennis Breakspear | Lighting & Sound | Alan Wrixon & Will Thomas |
Jean | Stephanie Trinci | Prompt | Daphne Breakspear |
Larry | Colin Wilkins | Props | Emma Palmer, Anne E. Després & Pamela Kingsford |
Jenny | Emily Roberts | Advance Booking | Pauline Eldridge |
Bobby | Steven King | Publicity | Emma Palmer |
Bill | Courtenay Merchant | Front of House | Roger Trayhurn |
Penny | Nicky Ashdown | ||
Jeffrey | Martin Lawrence | ||
Julie | Carol Jeffcut | ||
Kelly | Clare Brown | ||
Paul | Alex Pitcher | ||
Murray | Chris Coleman | ||
Bertha | Jean Belt |
September 2014 - Oh What A Lovely War! - Directed by Daphne Breakspear.
Click here for the Oh! What A Lovely War Showography and
Swindon Advertiser review.
Oh What a Lovely War is a satire on World War 1 and on war in general.
The story is told using facts and statistics together with reminiscences and songs of the time including many well-loved and well-known songs. Some of the songs in the show have very familiar tunes but different words, as sung by the soldiers!
With scenes of humour and of sadness, a large cast sing, act and dance / move their way through this remarkable show, which has become a classic of modern theatre.
The Phoenix Players present this production as their tribute to all those who fought and died in this terrible conflict
Cast: | Backstage: | ||
Nicky Ashdown | Dennis Breakspear | Musicians: | Keyboard - John Davies. Percussion - Keith Tyler. |
Jean Belt | Chris Coleman | Stage Manager: | Sarah Wrixon |
Ann Déspres | Daniel Covey | Technical Team: | John Macgregor, Nick Weaver, Alan Wrixon & Will Thomas |
Sandra Gilbert | Mark Harris | Costumes: | Sandra Gilbert, Margaret Price, Jean Margetts, Nigel Margetts & Pat Dunne |
Emma Hartup | Steven King | Props: | Sally Lovejoy, Marlene Poole, Stephanie Trinci & Christine Wrixon |
Stella Hopkins | Martin Lawrence | Front of House Mgr: | Eric Partington |
Marlene Poole | Nigel Margetts | Advance booking: | Pauline Eldridge |
Margaret Price | Bob Maskell | Publicity: | Emma Hartup |
Emma Skane-Lawrence | Matt Oswin | ||
Annabel Sly | Alex Pitcher | ||
Nikki Sly | Michael Sly | ||
Stephanie Trinci | Maxwell Sly | ||
Jacqueline Theobald | Colin Wilkins |
January 2015 - Entertaining Angels - Richard Everett. Directed by Sandra Gilbert.
Click here for the Entertaining Angels Showography.
Click here for the Swindon Advertiser Website Review of Entertaining Angels
"I've made four thousand six hundred medium-sized quiches and personally baked two tons of short crust pastry.....and for what?"
As a clergy wife, Grace has spent a lifetime on her best behaviour. Now, following the death of her husband Bardolph, she is totally free from the restraints of being a Vicar's wife and so starts to belie her name by behaving disgracefully and enjoying being a bit of a grumpy old woman who feels she can do and say exactly what she feels.
However, the return of her eccentric missionary sister Ruth, together with some disturbing revelations force Grace to confront her husband Bardolph's ghost regarding the truth of their marriage. Meanwhile, Sarah, the new female Vicar reveals some very un-clergy-like credentials of her own to Grace's therapist daughter Jo.
Sharp-edged comedy and probing wit, ask whether God can be trusted to do anything right at all. "Or is the whole thing a divine exercise in trial and error?"
"Entertaining Angels" was first produced at the Theatre Royal Bath, in September 2009 with Penelope Keith, Benjamin Whitlow and Polly Adams in the cast.
Cast: | Backstage: | ||
Grace | Marlene Poole | Stage Manager | Nigel Margetts |
Ruth | Sally Lovejoy | Prompt | Sharon Cooney |
Bardolph | Colin Wilkins | Props | Anne Depres, Jean Belt |
Jo | Nicky Ashdown | Sound | Martin Lawrence |
Sarah | Emma Hartup | Lighting | Alan Wrixon & Will Thomas |
Front Of House Manager | Dennis Breakspear | ||
Box Office | Pauline Eldridge & Daphne Breakspear | ||
Publicity | Emma Hartup |
April 2015 - Enchanted April - Matthew Barber. Directed by Sally Lovejoy.
Click here for the Enchanted April Showography
Click here for the Swindon Advertiser Website Review of Enchanted April
Click here to view the printed Swindon Advertiser Review of Enchanted April (Word Doc)
Charmed by a beguiling advertisement and tired of a rainy London winter on top of their domestic problems, Lottie persuades Rose to get away from it all - and their husbands - by renting San Salvatore, a villa in Italy, for the month of April. They reluctantly recruit two other ladies to share both the cost and experience.
At San Salvatore, the sunshine and wisteria weave their magic, attitudes change, visitors arrive and new friendships, laughter, love and happiness return to change all their lives.
Set in the 1920s, this is a delightful, funny and heart-warming play.
Cast: | Backstage: | ||
Lotty Wilton | Emily Roberts | Stage Manager | Sandra Gilbert |
Mellersh Wilton | Steven King | Prompt | Margaret Price |
Rose Arnott | Clare Brown | Props | Anne Despres, Nigel Margetts & Stephanie Trinci |
Frederick Arnott | Courtenay Merchant | Sound | Martin Lawrence |
Caroline Bramble | Emma Hartup | Lighting | Alan Wrixon, Will Thomas |
Antony Wilding | Nicholas Gratton | Box Office & Mailing list | Daphne Breakspear |
Mrs Graves | Jean Belt | Front of House manager | Dennis Breakspear |
Costanza | Sharon Cooney | Ticket sales | Pauline Eldridge |
Set design team | Sally Lovejoy, Nigel Margetts, Colin Wilkins & Dennis Breakspear |
September 2015 - Curtain Call - Bettine Manktelow. Directed by Emma Hartup.
Click here for the Curtain Call Showography
Click here for the Swindon Advertiser Website Review of Curtain Call
This play takes place in the General Manager's office of a theatre called the Thirlow Playhouse and is an amusing and chaotic day in the life of Alec Partridge, general Manager of the theatre.
The Director of an amateur production of Oklahoma! demands real horses to be in the show; an Arts Council agent arrives to assess the theatre's eligibility for a grant....
This fascinating look behind the scenes in a Theatre manager's office makes what is described as a "rollocking comedy"!
Cast: | Backstage: | ||
Alec | Nicholas Gratton | Stage Manager: | Nigel Margetts |
Val | Clare Brown | Lighting: | Alan Wrixon & Will Thomas |
Murphy | Alex Pitcher | Prompt: | Jean Belt |
Ms Murdstone | Sandra Gilbert | Props: | Margaret Price & Marlene Poole |
Dori | Steph Trinci | Box Office: | Daphne Breakspear & Pauline Eldridge |
Lulu | Anne Dupres | Front of House: | Dennis Breakspear |
Clarence | Mark Harris | ||
Rita | Mel Roberts |
January 2016 - Par for the Course - Peter Gordon. Directed by Daphne Breakspear.
Click here for the Par For The Course Showography.
Click here for the Wiltshire Gazette and Herald Review of Par For The Course
Click here for the Swindon Advertiser Website Review of Par For The Course
Captains' Day at the Seven Lakes Golf Club gets off to a bad start when the mens' Captain is indisposed. Club Secretary, Simon, relishes the chance to take over but is soon thwarted by the arrival of Vice Captain, Nick and his girlfriend Tiffany.
The Ladies' Captain Fran and the enthusiastic but hopeless Barry add to the confusion as a series of disasters mount. With the unexpected arrival of Simon's wife Laura, tensions build and things go from bad to worse and the characters soon discover that personal relationships OFF the course are more dangerous than the hazards ON it - love or loathe golf, it will never seem quite the same again!!
Cast: | Backstage: | ||
Barry | Alex Pitcher | Stage Manager | Sandra Gilbert |
Simon | Nicholas Gratton | Prompt | Stephanie Trinci |
Nick | Raman Aggarwal | Props | Margaret Price & Elly Beint |
Tiffany | Annabel Sly | Sound | Martin Lawrence |
Fran | Marlene Poole | Lighting | Will Thomas & Alan Wrixon |
Laura | Nicky Ashdown | Front of House | Dennis Breakspear |
April 2016 - Prescription for Murder - Norman Robbins. Directed by Sally Lovejoy.
Click here for the Prescription For Murder Showography.
Click here for the Prescription For Murder Swindon Advertiser Review.
Norman Robbins is one of amateur theatre's most popular authors and with this mystery thriller he does not disappoint.
In the seemingly quiet town of Bere Knighton, there is never a dull moment for Dr. Richard Forth. Not only does he have a hectic work schedule and an awkward friendship with his ex-girlfriend, but his wife, Barbara, is constantly ill and nobody knows what is wrong with her.
When Eric Dawson, a stranger, claims to have known Richard's second fiancée - a woman Richard claims does not exist - Barbara's health worsens and she isn't the only one. With bad luck spreading almost as quickly as bad news, it seems somebody is out to kill Barbara, and anyone else who gets in their way.
Cast: | Backstage: | ||
Barbara Forth | Emma Hartup | Stage Manager | Sandra Gilbert |
Dr Richard Forth | Colin Wilkins | Prompt | Stephanie Trinci |
Dorothy Livingstone | Clare Brown | Props | Anne Despres & Hatty Garside |
Mary Haigh | Elly Beint | Sound | Martin Lawrence |
Allan Haigh | Mark Harris | Lighting | Will Thomas & Alan Wrixon |
Eric Dawson | Raman Aggarwal | Front of House | Dennis Breakspear |
Julia Moore | Margaret Price |
September 2016 - The Reunion - Peter Gordon. Directed by Daphne Breakspear.
Click here for The Reunion Showography and Review.
"It's good to meet up with old friends"....or perhaps not!
Nigel arranges a reunion in the back room of a pub, optimistic of a good turnout. Whilst the numbers disappoint him, he soon has his hands full when a motley middle-aged threesome turn up, bringing with them assorted wives, girlfriends, prejudices and resentments that have simmered for the last twenty five years.
As the evening unfolds, the men are forced to reassess their old alliances and reflect on their lives, as the women are increasingly struck by the futility of the whole exercise. Comedy and confusion combine in this hilarious but poignant story of 'small people' in a 'big world'.
Cast: | Backstage: | ||
Nigel: | Nicholas Gratton | Stage Manager: | Nigel Margetts |
Mugsy: | Mark Harris | Properties: | Sally Lovejoy & Jean Belt |
Thomo: | Michael Sly | Sound: | Martin Lawrence |
Malcolm: | Colin Wilkins | Prompt: | Elly Beint |
Kay: | Sandra Gilbert | Lighting: | Will Thomas & Alan Wrixon |
Jenny: | Marlene Poole | Front of House: | Dennis Breakspear |
Lorraine: | Annabel Sly | ||
Shirley: | Ann Despres |
January 2017 - Cat's Cradle - Leslie Sands. Directed by Sandra Gilbert.
Click here for The Cat's Cradle Showography.
In a last desperate attempt to resurrect his career in the CID, Inspector Frost (not the David Jason character from the Touch of Frost television series) re-opens the case that ruined him - a kidnap and possible murder he failed to solve some years before.
With a new piece of evidence, he returns to the village in which the disappearance occurred.
Where he was once a welcome guest, he now finds the villagers are no longer interested in reliving the past and in seeing old faces. As it becomes increasingly apparent that he is facing a conspiracy of silence and hostility, he enlists the assistance of an ambitious local journalist to help him with his investigations.
The guilty and terrible secrets of those who have spent years shouldering the burden of the truth are finally resolved in a series of startling relevations.
Cast: | Backstage: | ||
Peggy Fletcher | Emily Roberts | Stage Manager | Nigel Margetts |
Sam | Alex Barrett | Prompt | Clare Brown |
Miss Merton | Jean Belt | Props | Roger Trayhurn & Marlene Poole |
Sarah | Emma Skane-Lawrence | Costume | Margaret Price & Steph Trinci |
Pamela Fulton | Nicky Ashdown | Sound | Martin Lawrence |
Frost | Mark Harris | Lighting | Alan Wrixon & Will Thomas |
Bob Marriott | Christopher King | FOH Managers | Daph & Dennis Breakspear |
Sir Charles Cresswell | Nicholas Gratton |
April 2017 - Ladies of Spirit - Georgina Reid. Directed by Daphne Breakspear.
Click here for The Ladies of Spirit Showography,
Programme & Review.
Gibralta School was funded as a school for young ladies by the two dear old Misses Pye, now deceased.
The long-suffering teachers now have their lives made miserable not only by their pupils but by the present headmistress, Miss Rowe, known universally as 'Hard Rowe'.
Since Gibralta is a private school, they resign themselves to the fact that there is little that they can do about it but they find help coming from a very unexpected quarter indeed.
Cast: | In order of appearance: | Backstage: | |
Sally Burgess | Emily Roberts | Stage Manager | Nigel Margetts |
Jane Cox | Clare Brown | Prompt | Colin Wilkins |
Mrs. Thorpe | Stephanie Trinci | Sound | Martin Lawrence |
May Danvers | Margaret Price | Lighting | Will Thomas & Alan Wrixon |
Miss Maudesley | Jean Belt | Props | Sandra Gilbert & Lee Hitt |
Miss Rowe | Sally Lovejoy | Front of House Manager | Dennis Breakspear |
Mrs Emmett | Elly Beint | ||
Miss Harriet Pye | Marlene Poole | ||
Miss Matilda Pye | Frances Loss |
September 2017 - Recipe for Murder - J. D. Robins. Directed by Sally Lovejoy.
Click here for the Recipe for Murder Showography,
Programme & Review.
David Lawson is not a well man. His sister thinks that Claire, his wife, doesn't take proper care of him and a visiting journalist begins to suspect that Claire may be guilty of more than just negligence. Suspicions deepen as this tightly plotted and fast moving thriller moves to its surprising conclusion.
Cast: | Backstage: | ||
David | Colin Wilkins | Stage Manager | Nigel Margetts |
Beatie | Marlene Poole | Props | Margaret Price & Gill Brain |
Kit | Sally Lovejoy | Prompt | Stephanie Trinci |
Claire | Nicky Ashdown | Sound | Martin Lawrence |
Lighting | Will Thomas & Alan Wrixon | ||
Publicity | Gill Brain | ||
Front of House | Dennis Breakspear |
January 2018 - The Ladykillers - Graham Linehan. Directed by Colin Wilkins.
Click here for The Ladykillers Showography,
Programme & Review.
A classic combination of black comedy and slapstick farce, it is broadly based on the 1955 Ealing comedy film of the same name, but on stage The Ladykillers has a combination of style, warmth and darkness that only live theatre can bring. This is a "must see" for keen theatre-goers.
Cast: | Backstage: | ||
Mrs Wilberforce | Sandra Gilbert | Stage Manager | Nigel Margetts |
Constable MacDonald | Chris Coleman | Lighting | Alan Wrixon & Will Thomas |
Professor Marcus | Nicholas Gratton | Sound | Nicky Ashdown |
Major Courtney | Vern Dunkley | Prompt | Steph Trinci |
Harry Robinson | Martin Lawrence | Props | Gill Brain / Roger Trayhurn |
One Round | Alex Barrett | Costumes | Margaret Price |
Louis Harvey | Mark Harris | Front of House | Dennis Breakspear |
Mrs Tromleyton | Elly Beint | ||
Mrs Wilberforce's guests | Jill Beckhelling, Charlotte Phillips, Gill Brain, Daphne Breakspear, Lilly Dunkley & Margaret Price | ||
The voice & Squawk of General Gordon | Steph Trinci |
April 2018 - The Accrington Pals - Peter Whelan. Directed by Gill Brain.
Click here for The Accrington Pals Showography, Programme & Reviews.
The Phoenix Players produced this play to commemorate the centenary of the end of the 1914-18 Great War
The Accrington Pals is a play about this World War – sad, of course, but also lyrical, funny, romantic, political and philosophical.
At one level it tells the tragic story of how the town of Accrington, Lancashire which raised its own battalion for Kitchener's New Army and lost almost all its young men in the battle of the Somme. But, unlike a lot of war plays, there is also the sense of the working class community of Accrington, of the wives and sweethearts left behind, the naivety of the young men who went off gladly to fight for King and country and the anger of the townspeople driven desperate by rumours and over-optimistic reports by the press and politicians. The play embraces love stories, politics, the class system, the position of women and the stupidity of the war.
The Accrington Pals may initially seem like a play about a time in history played out long ago. Dig deeper and you find many issues which still face us today. We hope you come and see for yourself and commemorate the centenary of a war which shaped the futures of all those alive today.
The Accrington Pals is a play of then and also of now.
Cast: | Backstage: | ||
May | Freya Brain | Stage Manager | Nigel Margetts |
Eva | Clare Brown | Sound | Martin Lawrence |
Tom | Ben Robinson | Lighting | Alan Wrixon & Will Thomas |
Ralph | Colin Jones | Props | Margaret Price & Colin Wilkins |
Sarah | Stephanie Trinci | Costumes | Marlene Poole |
Bertha | Charlotte Phillips | Prompt | Abdul Mohammed & others |
Arthur | Raman Aggarwal | ||
CSM Rivers | Vern Dunkley | ||
Annie | Elly Beint | ||
Reggie | Danny Robins |
September 2018 - Dead Man's Hand - Seymour Matthews. Directed by Dennis Breakpsear.
Click here for the Dead Man's Hand Showography & Review.
Dead Man's Hand is a thriller which at first would seem to be set in the familiar Agatha Christie mould – but is it? Two couples, strangers to each other, arrive at a remote Italian villa each thinking they have rented it for a two week holiday.
Shortly after their arrival, another stranger appears seeking help claiming that his car has broken down. Suddenly, strange things begin to happen and everything is not quite what it seems when two of them are found murdered. Who is the murderer and what do those about to be murdered have in common?
The twists and turns that follow will begin to tease the audience until an intriguing final twist unravels the mystery.
Cast: | Backstage: | ||
Jennifer | Nicky Ashdown | Stage Manager | Sandra Gilbert |
Brian | Nicholas Gratton | Prompt | Steph Trinci |
Corrine | Marlene Poole | Lighting | David Jell |
David | Colin Wilkins | Sound | Martin Lawrence |
Franco | Mark Harris | Stage Properties | Margaret Price |
Pamela | Charlotte Phillips | Costumes | Daphne Breakspear |
Front of House | Roger Trayhurn |
January 2019 - House Guest - Francis Durbridge. Directed by Daphne Breakpsear.
Click here for the House Guest Showography & Review.
Francis Durbridge wrote mainly for stage and screen in the crime genre, but is best remembered for his TV scripts with his fictional detective Paul Temple.
The luxury lifestyle of Hollywood actors Robert and Stella Drury is thrown into disarray when Robert returns from Italy to inform Stella that their son, Mike, has been kidnapped and that he had been warned not to involve the Police.
There is no ransom demand and the couple are even more puzzled when the kidnapper arrives at their home. He insists that he does not want money but merely to be their house guest for the next forty eight hours. The couple try to work out why the kidnapper has made such a strange demand but are soon overtaken by even stranger events and visits from people who are not all that they seem. Not so much a 'whodunnit' as 'why'.
Cast: | Backstage: | ||
Vivien Norwood | Sandra Gilbert | Stage Manager | Abdul Mohammed |
Jane Mercer | Margaret Price | Prompt | Steph Trinci |
Stella Drury | Nicky Ashdown | Props | Colin Wilkins |
Robert Drury | Nicholas Gratton | Sound | Martin Lawrence |
Crozier | Roger Trayhurn | Lighting | Will Thomas |
Inspector Burford | Paul Dawkins | Front of House | Dennis Breakspear |
Sergeant Clayton | Mark Harris | ||
Dorothy Medway | Jean Belt |
May 2019 - The Perfect Murder - Hugh Janes. Directed by Sandra Gilbert.
Click here for The Perfect Murder Showography & Review.
Carla Moorland has been murdered and accountant John Hoskins, who has been having an extra-marital affair with her, is certain he knows who did it – himself. John's wife Elizabeth, rather than calling the police is determined to keep John out of prison, even if it means an innocent man will be punished for the crime.
Reviews:
"The Perfect Murder combines the elements of great storytelling with tense courtroom drama to breathtaking effect"
"There are nifty twists, the last one landing like a sledgehammer in the plays final seconds"
"I was drawn into the drama and was gripped right through to its totally unexpected ending!"
"Hugh Janes has showcased what an excellent storyteller Jeffrey Archer is, in his masterful reworking bringing the story to life on the stage"
Cast: | Backstage: | ||
John Hoskins: | Vern Dunkley | Stage Manager: | Steve Keogh |
Elizabeth Hoskins: | Lily Dunkley | Prompt: | Steph Trinci |
D.I. Simmonds: | Mark Harris | Lighting: | David Jell |
Skipper (Sgt. Davies): | Emma Hartup | Sound: | Martin Lawrence |
Maria: | Sue Marrett | Props: | Margaret Price & Roger Trayhurn |
Paul Menzies: | Alex Barrett | Box Office: | Daphne Breakspear |
Alan: | Chris Coleman | Front of House: | Dennis Breakspear |
Sir Humphrey Mountcliff, Council for the Prosecution: | Colin Wilkins | ||
Judge, Mrs. Justice Buchannan: | Sally Lovejoy | ||
Scott QC, Council for the Defence: | Raman Aggarwal | ||
Mrs. Green, Clerk of the Court: | Elly Beint | ||
Dr. Mallins, Home Office Pathologist: | Gill Brain | ||
Clerks to the Barristers: | Charlotte Phillips & Abdul Mohammed | ||
Three Journalists: | Elly Beint, Charlotte Phillips & Abdul Mohammed |
September 2019 - Round and Round the Garden - Alan Ayckbourn. Directed by Daphne Breakspear.
100 not out!
This production was a very special one for Daphne as it was production number 100 that she had directed for the Phoenix Players since joining the company in 1957. The first Phoenix play she directed was The Enchanted in 1965. Daphne says she has no intention of hanging up the director's mantle and is already looking forward to her next production.
Click here for the Round and Round the Garden Showography & Review.
One of Ayckbourn's trilogy The Norman Conquests we are in the garden of an English country house when we encounter Norman, a self-styled lothario who's main intent is to make all the women in his life happy. He attempts to seduce his sister-in-law Annie, charm his brother-in-law's wife Sarah and placate his own wife Ruth - embroiling everyone in the action along the way with both tragic and comic consequences. Norman is finally left disconsolately complaining that nobody loves him. In equal parts wildly comic and touchingly poignant, this wonderful comedy will have you laughing out loud as you recognise the secrets and deceptions that bubble beneath the surface in most family relationships.
Cast: | Backstage: | ||
Norman | Martin Whiteley | Stage Manager | Sandra Gilbert |
Tom | Ben Robinson | Properties | Margaret Price and Colin Wilkins |
Reg | Mark Harris | Prompt | Jean Belt |
Annie | Emma Hartup | Sound | Martin Lawrence |
Sarah | Stephanie Trinci | Lighting | David Jell |
Ruth | Clare Brown | Front of House | Dennis Breakspear |