Our July 2025 production is 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:

Ticket Prices

£14.00, concessions £13.00

Thursday 10th July. Buy one get one half price (on cheapest ticket)

Bench members and Friends: Free

Our September 2025 production will be Supernova9, the Bench Theatre's 9th festival of new short plays.

It is 25 years since Bench Theatre launched an ambitious one-act play competition aimed at promoting playwrights and displaying the fruits of their labours on our stage. Submissions for the 9th iteration are now closed and submissions are being scored by our judging panel. Winning playwrights will be informed by Wednesday 18th June.

Selected plays to be programmed into two sets, Set 1 and Set 2, to be performed three times each over 5 days. Reduced ticket prices to be available if tickets for both sets are booked at the same time. Winning plays to be listed in July.

Performances:

Our April 2025 production was 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.

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.