The deadline for entries is past for our Supernova 9 Festival of New Plays. All submissions are now been reviewed by the Bench Theatre judging panel.

Winning playwrights will be notified by e-mail by Wednesday 18th June. In total we will be aiming to perform eight winning one act plays during our one week production slot in September.

Our April 2025 production will be As You Like It by William Shakespeare.

What better play for spring at The Spring than Shakespeare’s well-loved and accessible comedy 'As You Like It'. Join Rosalind and Celia as they escape from the back-stabbing world of the court and flee to the Forest of Arden. This is a magical and timeless world inhabited by humble shepherds, exiled courtiers, melancholy philosophers, poisonous snakes, a hungry lion – and, of course, Love!

Rosalind disguises herself as a boy, Ganymede, to avoid discovery, and with her loyal cousin Celia, sets off on a challenging expedition into the unknown. In this new world she attracts the admiring eye of Phebe and flirts with Orlando (also fleeing the court and his murderous brother) who doesn’t, of course, recognize her without her frock! As winter’s storms give way to spring, others too find love in a series of lively if unusual romantic encounters.

This will be the second time the Bench has performed this play, the first being the production of As You Like It in 1977.

Performances:

Ticket Prices

£13.00, concessions £11.00

Wednesday 19th February. Buy one get one half price (on cheapest ticket)

Bench members and Friends: Free

Our July 2025 production will be Stepping Out by Richard Harris.

"Stepping Out" is a rollicking comedy about a group of eight ladies (and one man) at a beginners tap-dancing class in a run down church hall. When they learn they are to perform in a local charity showcase, the pressure is on! As they pull together and prepare for the big day, we follow the characters on a heartwarming journey that celebrates friendship, courage, and of course... dancing! Will they be ready in time?

From the writer of other comedies such as "Outside Edge", and the directors of "Dear Jack, Dear Louise" and "A Bunch of Amateurs", join Bench Theatre for this feel-good show that will leave your heart glowing and your feet tapping!

Performances:

Our February 2025 production was The Possibilities by Howard Barker.

An Emperor on the edge of madness; a beautiful assassin; a woman trapped in a dystopian interrogation; a family of weavers sheltering from war; and the guardian of the one remaining library. What do these disparate characters have in common? Each must navigate a treacherous path of survival, while clinging to what humanity they have left. Howard Barker offers us ten short plays, each with their own story to tell.

Our November 2024 production was Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, adapted by Jessica Swale.

Elinor and Marianne Dashwood are left penniless after their wealthy half-brother cheats them of their fortune. They are forced to leave the comforts of Norland Park and relocate to a cold Devonshire cottage. When a devilishly handsome stranger arrives at Barton Cottage with the rain-drenched Marianne in his arms, the Dashwood girls are convinced that their fortunes are changed forever. Whilst the sensible Elinor pines for quiet Edward Ferrars, impulsive Marianne loses herself in the idea of her hero on horseback, and for a girl who feasts on poetry and music, what else is there to do in Devon but dream of rescue?

Jane Austen's subtle and witty novel of secrets and suppression, lies and seduction, brilliantly portrays a world where rigid social convention clashes with the impulses of the heart.