Chesil Theatre Winchester will be back on stage in the autumn with Mindgame by the master of mystery and suspense Anthony Horowitz, famous for the television series Foyle’s War and Alex Rider novels involving the teenage MI6 agent. Open auditions for the three challenging roles will be held on 4th and 5th July 2021, with an informal reading on Friday 2nd July to which all are welcome. Special Covid-compliant arrangements will apply. Please email welcome@chesiltheatre.org.uk.

Full of suspense from the start, Mindgame finds Mark Styler, a writer of “true crime” stories, arriving at Fairfields experimental hospital for the criminally insane, with the hope of interviewing serial killer Easterman for a new book. There he meets Dr Farquar, the new hospital director. However, things don’t seem to be quite right.
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Ros Liddiard also directed the mystery thriller Sleuth at the Chesil Theatre and says: “Mindgame like Sleuth will keep the audience on its toes with twists and turns in the plot before reaching the final startling conclusion. Nothing is what it seems!”

Mindgame runs from 4th to 11th September 2021. In the meantime Chesil Theatre presents Shakespeare’s  A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the gardens of Wolvesey Palace from 13th to 17th July 2021. Full information from www.chesiltheatre.org.uk.

​Heather Bradford directing All Our Lives by Christina Pye

​Heather’s involvement with the Chesil Theatre encompasses acting, singing and directing. She appeared in Juno and the Paycock by Sean O’Casey, The Venetian Twins  by Carlo Goldoni, and directed Joanna Murray-Smith’s Honour.

​She performs traditional and contemporary folk song at venues and festivals across the UK specialising in folk operas which dramatise the lives of ordinary people in nineteenth century working communities. Heather is delighted to have been selected as a TakeTen Director and particularly pleased to be bringing finalist Christina Pye’s two-hander All Our Lives to the Chesil Theatre’s stage.

The theme set for entries in the 2021 Chesil Theatre New Writing Festival was The Road Not Taken. Over 400 writers from all over the country submitted 10-minute plays, most taking a metaphorical approach on how choices and events can alter a life. However, Ian Fraser, one of the ten winners, went even so far as to name the road – the M56. This motorway plays a key factor in the drama he submitted – A Grande Day Out.

Ian, who has lived in Winchester for 30 years, is a biology teacher. Studying science at university was one of the choices he made when deciding which path to follow in life. “I wanted to be an artist and novelist,” said Ian. “My father pointed out that employment in those worlds was hard to come by – and of course he was right. I chose biology because it gave opportunities to draw and I discovered a love of teaching the subject.”

In his free time, Ian paints, sketches, designs stage sets and writes. He describes himself as “a globe-trotting adventurer” travelling to remote parts of the world either alone or leading groups from the school’s Expedition Society.

Ian took a Creative Writing course run by the Adult and Higher Education Division (AHED) at Peter Symonds College. He focused on travel writing initially, with the aim of submitting magazine articles. He also attended a Winchester Writer’s Festival Weekend at the University of Winchester with Conference Director and local writer Barbara Large MBE. “We had to write the synopsis of a novel and the opening chapter, for assessment. I received such positive feedback, both at the weekend and meeting Barbara afterwards. It really encouraged me to keep writing.”

Ian’s entry for the 2018 Chesil Theatre new writing competition, based on the theme Hidden Worlds, was long-listed and he is delighted to have been declared a winner this time. A Grande Day Out, along with the nine other winners, will receive a full production at the theatre over the weekend of 2nd and 3rd October 2021.

“I found that the ten-minute rule imposed a discipline and structure to my writing,” explained Ian. “To establish a back story, characters, relationships and intrigue the audience within that limit was a stimulating challenge.”

Ian completed four full drafts – with minor changes between each one – before he was happy with his entry. The cast and director have now been chosen and he is looking forward to seeing how his play is interpreted.

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For further information please contact:
Lisbeth Rake/Flavia Bateson
Chesil Theatre Marketing Team
07855 253452
flavia.bateson@starspray.org

About Chesil Theatre
Chesil Theatre (Winchester Dramatic Society) is based in the heart of Winchester, presenting six main productions a year, ranging from comedy to classics. Chesil Theatre also runs drama workshops and readings, plus two lively youth theatre groups as well as offering stagecraft and technical training. The Company has been performing for over 150 years.

Since 1966 Chesil Theatre has been the Society’s permanent home - a former 12th century church in Chesil Street, Winchester. This medieval building provides an intimate 75-seat studio-style theatre and versatile performance space.

About the judges for TakeTen

• Kate Spencer, stage and television actor, currently playing Grace Vickers in Coronation Street.
• George Richmond-Scott, West End director and voice coach, presently teaching at ALRA and RADA Business.
• Rosanne Collinson, Head of Drama, Peter Symonds College, Winchester
• Simon Plumridge, core member of Winchester’s professional touring company Platform 4
• Cecily O’Neill, author, Artistic Director of 2Time Theatre and a previous judge for Chesil Theatre writing festivals.

Zoe Stanford directing A Desert Place by Rosemary Evans
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While Zoe has acted with Chesil before, this is her first directing stint for the theatre and she is excited to be involved with TakeTen and the wonderful plays it has produced. As a former secondary school English teacher, she is thrilled with the opportunity to have some fun with Shakespeare in A Desert Place and to get to tackle the pandemic in a fun way.'

Sarah Hawkins directing Tremble by Rob Johnston

​As an ex-English teacher, Sarah has been involved with numerous dramatic projects, the big ones being seven open-air Shakespeare productions at Peter Symonds College, Winchester. Since 2007 she’s been a director at Chesil Theatre and occasionally on stage. This summer sees Sarah tackling A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She’s looking forward to the completely different challenge of Tremble, with its nuanced subtlety balanced by high tension.

​Jim Glaister directing Tunnel by Cate Sweeney

Jim has been a member of Chesil Theatre since 2008 and has previously directed for Take Ten’s predecessor, 10 x 10, on four occasions. As well as acting at the theatre, Jim writes songs and plays drums with local band Hornblower Down. A Drama, Film and Television graduate, he occasionally makes short films, under the banner of Burning Barn Films, and was responsible for all of Chesil Theatre’s promotional videos between 2015 and 2019.

Characters from Gilbert and Sullivan and Shakespeare came together to launch the Theatre in the Garden festival. They met in the beautiful gardens of Wolvesey Palace, Winchester, where A Midsummer Night’s Dream, presented by the Chesil Theatre, and Winchester Musicals and Operatic Society’s (WMOS) The Pirates of Penzance will be performed in July.

​Sarah Hawkins, the director of the much-loved Shakespeare comedy, is working with an experienced cast of Chesil regulars and talented newcomers plus a delightful young band of fairy folk. They will create a magical forest, with squabbling lovers, feuding fairies, tricks and reconciliations and a spoof ‘am dram’ performance guaranteed to bring lots of laughter.

Sarah invites audiences to bring their picnics and prepare for an evening of mayhem, magic and merriment. The play will be performed July 13 – 17.

WMOS swing aboard on July 20 until 24 with The Pirates of Penzance, the first show performed by the Society 1913. The 2021 version will give the classic G&S tale a twist by being set at the seaside in 1957. Audiences will hear all the old favourites, but with nods to the 1950s with hints of Doris Day, Elvis and Cliff in the arrangements. Director Suzanne Hall promises a rollicking outdoor adventure with pirates, picnics, policemen and sand between your toes.

In line with Covid restrictions all rehearsals are taking place via Zoom or out of doors. Tickets for both productions are now available online for MSND, and at wmos.org.uk for 'Pirates'. Audience numbers will be limited to ensure the safety of everyone.