The Bench Theatre announces the 9th Supernova playwriting competition for short plays, with performances of the winning plays in September 2025. The first Supernova competition was run in 2000 and has been successfully repeated every few years since. This ninth iteration offers local playwrights the chance to have their works performed by one of the best amateur theatre groups on the South Coast.

The deadline for entries is 12.00am on 1st March 2025. The competition rules can be found in the Supernova 9 Terms and Conditions. This includes instructions on how to submit entries.

Our February 2025 production is 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. Come. Be amazed. Be disturbed.

This will be the second Howard Barker play to be performed by the Bench, the first being 13 Objects in 2012.

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

Special discounts for school parties. Call The Spring for details.

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:

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.

Our September 2024 production was Dear Jack, Dear Louise by Ken Ludwig

Award winning playwright Ken Ludwig's "Dear Jack, Dear Louise" is a poignant and engaging love story, filled with comedy and an uplifting sense of hope. Based on Ludwig's parents and the true story of how they fell in love during World War Two via letters, this play follows two strangers slowly falling for one another over a two year period.

Their letters become a conversation, and as we slowly learn more and more about these lovebirds, we begin to understand what an amazing accomplishment their love was. Not only to fall for each other only through the power of words, but also during one of history's and harshest times. It is impossible not to feel deeply involved in Jack and Louise's journey, and on this, the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, we invite you to join Bench Theatre's production of this wonderful show.

A promotional short can be found on Bench Theatre's Facebook page, see Dear Jack, Dear Louise' promo.