THE HEIRESS, by Ruth and Augustus Goetz (based on the novel Washington Square by Henry James)
Director: Vicki Smith
3 – 19 May
The journey from innocence to experience is a painful one for Catherine Sloper. Her dead mother was brilliant and beautiful; by comparison Catherine seems colourless and years of her father's thinly veiled contempt have accentuated her lack of confidence. She is thus easy prey for a fortune-hunter like Morris Townsend, and responds with joy and complete trust to his advances. Even Dr. Sloper's threat to disinherit her does not deter her from agreeing to an elopement, but when Morris hears that her hand will not be accompanied by her fortune, he deserts her. Two years later Dr. Sloper is dead and Catherine is very wealthy. Morris returns and once again woos her. Bitterness and disillusionment have hardened Catherine and she coldly achieves her revenge.
Characters: 3 men (20s—60s)
6 women (20s—60s)
LIFE AND BETH by Alan Ayckbourn
Director: Martin Gibbs
29 June- 14 July
Will recently widowed Beth make it through her first Christmas alone? Even the cat has walked out. The family rally round but her alcoholic sister-in-law, accident-prone son and his truculent girlfriend make it hard for her to maintain her welcoming smile.
Add in the local lovesick vicar and a further unexpected and totally uninvited guest and Beth is in for a Christmas she will never forget in this comedy of the supernatural.
Characters: 3 men (30s—60s)
3 women (30s—50s)
PRELUDE TO A KISS by Craig Lucas
Director: Tim Long
7 -22 September
Immediately after a young couple named Peter and Rita have exchanged wedding vows, an unknown elderly man asks to kiss the bride. As he does, Rita's soul and the old man's magically exchange bodies.
Neither Peter nor the wedding guests grasp what has happened. Peter leaves the wedding with a woman he believes is Rita. During their honeymoon, he comes to realize that Rita's body is no longer inhabited by Rita's true personality. He must find the old man and keep his love for Rita alive.
Characters: 7 men (20s—70s)
3 women (20s—50s)
Extras plus some doubling
MOONLIGHT AND MAGNOLIAS by Ron Hutchinson
Director: Gaetano Santo
9 – 24 November
1939 Hollywood is abuzz. Legendary producer David O. Selznick has shut down production of his new epic, Gone with the Wind, a film adaptation of Margaret Mitchell's novel. The screenplay, you see, just doesn't work. So what's an all-powerful movie mogul to do? While fending off the film's stars, gossip columnists and his own father-in-law, Selznick sends a car for famed screenwriter Ben Hecht and pulls formidable director Victor Fleming from the set of The Wizard of Oz. Summoning both to his office, he locks the doors, closes the shades, and on a diet of bananas and peanuts, the three men labour over five days to fashion a screenplay that will become the blue-print for one of the most successful and beloved films of all time.
Characters: 3 men (30s—50s)
1 woman (age open)