One of the UK’s most successful and prolific playwrights, Alan Ayckbourn presents Show and Tell at the New Vic in the year the writer turned 85.
Taking to the New Vic’s stage from 15 to 26 October, and directed by the author, it is a delightfully dark farce lifting the lid on the performances we act out on a daily basis.
Playwright Alan Ayckbourn’s 90th play Show and Tell is a ‘celebration of theatre’ that draws upon his experience of working in the country’s first in-the-round theatre company.
Jack’s planning a big party for his wife’s birthday. He’s pulling out all the stops and has booked a touring theatre company to perform in the main hall of the family home. The only problem is that Jack is getting a bit forgetful in his old age and can’t remember all the details of the booking…
Meanwhile, the Homelight Theatre Company is on its knees. They desperately need a well-paid gig and Jack’s booking is very well paid. But pinning him down on the details has been tricky and something doesn’t feel quite right.
Ayckbourn wrote his first play 65 years ago. The Homelight Theatre Company in Show and Tell draws upon his own experiences of being in the Studio Theatre Company, the first in the country to work professionally in-the-round, based at the Library Theatre in Scarborough and touring to places including Newcastle-under-Lyme, before the Victoria Theatre was created.
Cast
The cast of this special production includes Bill Champion (The Girl Next Door, Season’s Greetings, Stephen Joseph Theatre and tour) as retired MD Jack Bothridge; Paul Kemp (Brassic, Sky One, Ghost Stories, Arts Theatre West End) as his former colleague Ben Wilkes; Frances Marshall (Family Album, Season’s Greetings, Stephen Joseph Theatre and tour) as actor Harriet ‘Harry’ Golding; Richard Stacey (Constant Companions, Joking Apart, Stephen Joseph Theatre and tour) as actor Peter Reeder; and Guildford School of Acting graduate Olivia Woolhouse making her professional debut as actor Steph Tate.
Creative Team
Set and Costume Design Kevin Jenkins | Lighting Design Tigger Johnson | Associate Sound Designer Ernest Acquah | Wardrobe Supervisor Julia Perry-Mook | Casting Director Sarah Hughes CDG
How much are the tickets for Show and Tell?
Tickets are on sale now, priced from £10 to £31.50.
How do I book tickets to watch Show and Tell?
Tickets are now on sale and available from the Box Office, by calling 01782 717962 or visit the New Vic Theatre’s website here.
How long is the show for and what are the timings?
Pitch Perfect will open at the New Vic Theatre on Tuesday, 15 October and will run until Saturday, 26 October 2024 with evening shows at 7.30pm and Matinee at 2.15pm (on 17/19/24/26 October).
Where is New Vic Theatre in Newcastle-Under-Lyme?
New Vic Theatre
Etruria Road
Newcastle-under-Lyme
Staffordshire
ST5 0JG
The theatre has a large car park, with a £2 charge on show days. Only contactless card payment is currently accepted for parking charges.
The theatre café is open 10am to 3pm, Monday to Saturday – then from 5.30pm for pre-show meals.
Booking is required for pre-show meals 5.30pm onwards, via their booking system at this link.
About The New Vic Theatre
Founded in 1962, the New Vic is the producing theatre for Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire. With around eight major productions a year, its varied programme includes contemporary drama, new commissions, adaptations and classics. Recent productions have toured nationally and internationally, and have transferred to London and Manchester. The New Vic has developed extensive and award-winning community involvement. It works regionally, nationally and internationally through its education department and New Vic Borderlines, which aims to change the lives of the most disadvantaged members of the community. The New Vic is funded by Arts Council England, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council and Staffordshire County Council.
About the Stephen Joseph Theatre
Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre has provided world-class accessible theatre for audiences on the Yorkshire coast since 1955.
It’s produced over 700 plays, many of them new – developing new writers and writing was the primary aim of the company’s founder, Stephen Joseph, and it remains one of our core aims.
The SJT was the first professional theatre-in-the round in the UK, and is widely known for presenting the world premieres of most of Alan Ayckbourn’s 90 full-length plays. It also has an extensive community programme.
You may also want to read this:
Review: The Company of Wolves at New Vic Theatre
Review: The Princess and the Pea at New Vic
Review: Charles Dickens’ The Haunting by Hugh Janes at New Vic Theatre
Photo Credit: New Vic Theatre/Tony Bartholomew
