Aug 2012

A double bill of The Bald Prima Donna, by Eugene Ionesco, translated by Donald Watson, and The Bear, by Anton Chekhov played from Thu 29 – Sat 31 Aug 2012.

The Bald Prima Donna

The Bald Prima Donna is a classic absurdist play. Mr and Mrs Martin are visiting Mr and Mrs Smith at their London home. As they converse, they invite a fire chief and a maid to the discussion. Slowly, the world becomes more and more surreal: the wife begins acting like she just met her husband, the fire chief suddenly mentions a bald prima donna, and, eventually, the discussion disintegrates until it is completely incomprehensible.

Cast

Mr Smith – Simon King
Mrs Smith – Laura Allen
Mr Martin – Chris Cooper
Mrs Martin – Sarah Jones
Mary – Kate Hendry
Fire Chief – Ed Halstead

The Bear

The Bear is a ‘farce in one-act’. Elena is mourning for her husband seven months after his death. Grigory, one of her late husband’s creditors arrives, desperate for the money owed him. Their meeting quickly progresses from polite to explosive, and he eventually professes his love for her.

Cast

Elena Ivanovna Popova – Angela Ingram
Grigory Stephanovitch Smirnov – Stephen Head
Luka – Melody Faulkner

Creatives

Director, The Bald Prima Donna – Thom Faulkner
Director, The Bear – Steve Carey
Technical Director – Marc Peatey
Props – Sarah Jones
Costumes – Eileen & Joyce
Marketing – Chris Cooper