Running Order and Classes Entered
Tuesday 5th May – 7:30 PM
MAOS Theatre Society – Mary, Mary by Bruce Adam
Director: Liz Keens
A comedy one act play set in the home of Mary and Terry, Mother and Son. Confusion reigns when Terry brings a (decidedly inebriated) new women named Mary home to meet his mother – also called Mary.
Runnymede Drama Group – Rock Paper Scissors by Caroline Ross Tajasque
Director: Paul Foster
Peter has travelled to Berlin to find the father he has never met, but the truth he is searching for is not so easy to uncover. His journey takes him from his sedate suburban life to a time and place where freedom and family loyalty was worth dying for. Along the way he learns about his mother and father and has a lesson about the chances we don’t take and the lives we might never live.
Wednesday 6th May – 7:30 PM
Acorn Music Theatre Company ~ The Red Tree & Other Stories (The Performance Is Based On Traditional Folk Tales, Adapted & Written By The Company)
Director: Holly Rosier and Gail Rosier with the cast
Acorn is a charitable trust, the purpose of which is to further the education of young people in the performing arts. Every member of the Company, aged from eight upwards, is valued equally for their contribution to productions and all are actively involved in the creative process.
Sinodun Players ~ Death Knock by Mike Rowbottom
Director: Darrel Poulos
Trainee reporter Penny is being bullied in a 1970s weekly newspaper office. Her male bosses don’t like her and want her gone so they send her on an assignment which they are certain she will fail. But Penny finds an unusual ally.
Alternate Shadows Theatre Group ~ Just Business by Matthew Fray
Director: Richard Harding
Alexander Brand, newly appointed Prime Minister of Great Britain, must navigate not just the treacherous waters of international diplomacy, but the unpredictable tides of his own home life. Facing the ultimate test: a high-stakes meeting with President Bejidan of Bezikstan, who doesn’t speak English, and whose translator seems to know more about rugs than “special relations.” Alexander Brand wonders if there’s a secret manual for prime ministers facing ovulating spouses, cancelled radio shows and difficult chancellors. If only diplomacy was that simple. While the world may watch his every move, only at home does he truly become the star of a sitcom nobody asked for.
Thursday 7th May – 7:30 PM
Queen Anne’s School ~ In Juliet’s Garden by Judy Elliot McDonald
Director: Natalie Scott
Queen Anne’s School is thrilled to be making its debut at the Henley Drama Festival this year. Our talented cast presents In Juliet’s Garden—a vibrant and thought-provoking exploration of some of Shakespeare’s most beloved female characters. Blending wit, poignancy, and fresh perspective, the production invites audiences to step into a world where iconic voices are reimagined and brought into conversation with one another. With a playful ensemble and a deep love for storytelling, this promises to be a captivating performance that celebrates both the enduring brilliance of Shakespeare and the creativity of the next generation of performers.
North Oxford Youth Theatre ~ The Changing Room by Chris Bush
Director: Janine Shuter.
Brightlight Theatre ~ The Aviary by Jamie Lakritz
Director: Judy Price
In the cul-de-sac of The Aviary, the bird-people residents are trapped in the branches of the parapara tree – a bird-catcher tree, whose sweet feeds and sticky sap bind its captives. Over the course of a single day, a peacock preens for invisible followers, a messenger bird trades in gossip, an ostrich drowns in a flood she refuses to acknowledge, and a timid parrot edges toward the cage door. A choral verse-play in the tradition of Under Milk Wood, The Aviary is a dark comedy about performance, paralysis, and the trap that sings us to sleep.
Friday 8th May – 7:30 PM
MAOS Theatre Society ~ What’s for Pudding by David Tristram
Director: Melanie Brown
A one act comedy set in the home of Jack and Mary. Mary and Jack’s dull Saturday evening is interrupted by the arrival of Maureen, Ted and Denise. The occasion rapidly dissolves into a drunken gathering.
Twyford Drama ~ Traitor at the Beeches by Kathy Reid
Director: Kathy Reid
Twyford Drama are presenting the first act of ‘Traitor at The Beeches’, a comedy drama that follows a group of mature, eccentric Second World War veterans on the hunt for the traitor within their midst.The play is set in Beeches Manor residential home in the year 2001 where the residents find their comfortable, routine life under threat. Pearl, a glamourous new resident from Los Angeles, sweeps in leaving residents and staff in shock and awe. At the same time as the bombshell of Pearl, shattering news arrives of wartime treachery that threatens their deep-rooted bonds. Belligerent Colonel, wheeler dealer Walker, mystical Cassandra and no-nonsense Iris need to utilise their long-held skills to unravel the mystery of the traitor’s identity as well as dealing with two new troublesome housekeepers.
‘Traitor at the Beeches’ by Twyford Drama group member Kathy Reid is a follow-up to the group’s successful Spring 2023 production of ‘Fight Them for The Beeches’.
Henley Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society ~ The Tussington Paradox – A Political Satire by Julie Huntington
Director: Julie Huntington
When newly appointed Prime Minister Tussington tries to take Britain by the scruff of the neck with radical reforms, she finds herself up against the finest brains in Westminster, and in the firing line of the merciless press. This play takes aim at the peculiar fragility of political life, immortalising a lettuce as the unlikely benchmark of leadership endurance. With a cast of sardonic civil servants and a finale fit for the Tesco’s finest vegetable aisle, it briskly serves a blend of absurdity and British wit, hopefully leaving audiences laughing – and perhaps pondering – whether their leaders can indeed outlast the salad.
Saturday 9th May – 7:00 PM
Bishopstoke Players ~ The Waiting Room by Adrian Barrett
Director: Adrian Barrett
Welcome to Hell!!! – well The Waiting Room, as some recently deceased attempt to come to terms with their recent demise.
Henley Players ~ I Can’t Remember Anything by Arthur Miller
Director: Darrel Poulos