programme for
september 2002 to march 2003

Please note:

Please check performance times with the box office before booking your tickets.

Sat 21st - Sat 28th Sep 2002

A play about about growing up — and not growing up. The year is 1983 and Fiona, now an independent woman in her thirties, has made the journey back to the rocky eastern coast of Scotland with her mother, Morag. To her surprise, her childhood friend and one-time sexual mentor, Vari — now married with children — has also been invited. Though thick as thieves as teenagers, the two women have made significantly different lives for themselves... Raw, hilarious and unsentimental, MacDonald's play is one of the very few to boast a scene set entirely underwater!

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Sat 12th - Sat 19th Oct 2002

A story of domestic abuse. Sarah is an ordinary, middle-class, professional woman - and the victim of an abusive relationship. w@rn is the story of Sarah's experience, following her over a period of five years as she attempts to cope with her increasingly dangerous situation; portraying the impact it has on her children and exploring how it feels for Sarah to be trapped in what should be a place of safety, her own home.

w@rn was devised and first performed at the NVT in 2000 and returns by popular demand. w@rn has developed into a powerful and valued addition to training events and conferences, giving professionals a glimpse of domestic abuse through the eyes of those they are called in to help.

For more information see www.helennelder.com.

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Sat 2nd - Sat 9th Nov 2002

1901, and with Russia in the grip of social revolution the Prozorov sisters and their hapless brother dream empty dreams of Moscow as their lives crumble about them.

Written at a time when theatre itself was undergoing fundamental change, Chekhov's plays have long been known for their sadness and emotional depth. Three sisters has all of this but is also sharply satirical and downright funny. Laugh while you weep; what more could you ask for?

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Sat 16th - Sat 30th Nov 2002

It's Cougar's birthday party, but the gorgeous present he yearns to unwrap is destined for someone else. Sweetspot (NVT's resident professional company) storms back with Ridley's sexy and uncompromising tale about faded glories, thwarted desires and the struggle to get time on our side. Dark, comic, erotic; a must-see.

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Tue 3rd - Fri 6th Dec 2002

A rollicking and rumbustious retelling of Chaucer by Michael Bogdanov and Phil Woods, is directed by Gerald Sexton, who has produced many excellent shows at Varndean and on the Brighton Fringe and elsewhere. "Bags of laughs, bucketloads of fun, that's what this show is about", says Gerald. "This version of Chaucer really brings out the fact that it's a tale-telling competition set in a pub. Our intention is to ensure a really jolly good evening for everyone".

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Sat 18th - Sat 25th Jan 2003

The play is set in a State Hospital. Leroy Hamilton (the eponymous 'last yankee') and John Frick are visiting their wives, who are both receiving treatment for depression. As the visit progresses we meet Patricia Hamilton and Karen Frick and gradually a clear picture begins to emerge of how they fell ill in the first place, and what their chances of recovery are likely to be.

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Sat 8th - Sat 15th Feb 2003

Making Noise Quietly is a subtly moving trilogy of short plays by Robert Holman. His wonderfully naturalistic language reveals a world that we all recognise: a world where war touches everyone in some way. The play is made up of three twenty-five minute duologues, the last of which is punctuated by the movement and noises of a mute 10 year old boy.

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Sat 8th - Sat 22nd Mar 2003

Contrary to what the Victorians would have us believe, Shakespeare wrote this play (1605) at a time of intense political, social and religious upheaval. The world view was changing from a feudal one in which people were defined by their status within an ancient and rigid order — Duncan, to one in which they were defined by what they could achieve — Macbeth.

Rather than embarking opon the well-worn search for an historical time-set within which to place a familiar rendition of the play, this production reflects the chaotic feel of the times in which it was written — a time in which people dared to affect change through the intensity of their own beliefs and energies, a time of action.

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