Bench Theatre is an award-winning amateur theatre group based at The Spring Arts & Heritage Centre, Havant, UK.
For tickets to any Bench show at The Spring, call the box office on (023) 9247 2700
Our February 2024 production is The Father written by Florian Zeller
Andre is a man facing persecution from all sides, and he refuses to take it any longer. First some girl steals his favorite watch. Then his daughter Anne tries to take his flat away -- the beautiful flat he’s had for over thirty years. His daughter Elise, the one he actually loves, never comes to visit. And to top it off, strangers keep entering Andre’s flat, telling him that they are his friends and family, telling him that he doesn’t live in his flat anymore. However aged he may be, Andre knows that he is a powerful man, a man of authority, and he will find some way to assert it. After all, he still has all his faculties…. Doesn’t he?
In a darkly humorous and deeply poignant translation by Christopher Hampton, Florian Zeller’s The Father is a tragi-comic mystery, emotionally intense look at the world through the eyes of a man experiencing dementia. The play was considered as 'the most acclaimed new play of the last decade' and won the Moliere Award for Best Play in 2014. The play has subsequently been made into an award-winning film starring Anthony Hopkins.
Performances:
Wednesday 7th February until Saturday 10th February 2024 7:30pm
Saturday 10th February Matinee at 2:30pm
Ticket Prices
£13.00, concessions £11.00
Wednesday 7th February. Buy one get one half price (on cheapest ticket)
Bench members and Friends: Free
Our April 2024 production will be Abigail's Party by Mike Leigh
Let’s travel back to the 1970s and a time of cheese and pineapple on sticks, paisley prints, and Dennis Rousseau. This evening, suburban socialite Beverly and her husband Laurence are hosting a drinks party, despite Laurence arriving home late from work. They have invited their new neighbors, married couple Tony and Angela, along with their recently divorced, next door neighbor Susan, who has been banished from her home as her teenage daughter Abigail is throwing her first party. As the drinks flow, tensions rise.
The play was written as a television play for the BBC in 1977 and famously starred Alison Steadman in the main role. Originally developed through lengthy improvisations, Abigail’s Party is a biting satire of British middle-class aspirations in the 1970s.
Performances:
Thursday 18th April until Saturday 20th April 2024 7:30pm
Wednesday 24th April until Saturday 27th April 2024 7:30pm
Saturday 20th or 27th April Matinee at 2:30pm
Ticket Prices
£13.00, concessions £11.00
Thursday 18th April. Buy one get one half price (on cheapest ticket)
Bench members and Friends: Free
Our 2023 November production was Love Bites written by Mark Wakeman
Come one, come all, for an adventure at the theatre, as Bench offers you two nights of new work from award-winning playwright Mark Wakeman in a series of one-act plays.
Love Bites is a celebration of love in all its forms, how we try to escape it, pursue it and hold on to it. We can promise you love and laughter, loss and sadness, romance and hope… all in the same evening!
The characters show us how love shapes their lives in a wide range of scenarios and situations - at work, with family, on special occasions and apparently mundane ordinary life - and invite us to share in their triumphs and reflections.
A night of uplifting bite-sized plays about life in all its joy, mundanity and chaos; guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
Why not check out our promotional video on YouTube, Trailer for LOVE BITES, November 2023
Our 2023 September production was Duets written by Peter Quilter
Four pairs of characters; Four crucial moments
Jonathan and Wendy are on a blind date and hoping to get it right this time even though they've never got it right before; Barrie is not really interested in women but Janet sees that as no reason to stop trying; Shelley and Bobby have decided to holiday in Spain to finalise their divorce whilst drowning in cocktails; Angela is marrying for the third time to the dismay of her brother Toby and amidst a barrage of bad omens and a dress resembling a parachute.
Duets is a hilarious tribute to the strength and madness of the human heart.
Upcoming Dates:
Dec 7th | Club Night |
Dec 21st | Club Night |
Jan 4th | July Play Selection |
Jan 11th | Bench Costume Sale |
Jan 14th | April Play Auditions |
Jan 16th | April Play Auditions |
Jan 18th | July Play Selection |
Feb 1st | Club Night |
Feb 4th-11th | 'The Father' |
Mar 7th | Club Night |
Apr 4th | Club Night |
Apr 14th-28th | 'Abigail's Party' |
Next Club Nights:
Our next clubnight is on Thursday 7th December, topic to be announced.
Club nights start at 7:45pm in the Harrison Room at the Spring Arts Centre (this is the room up the stairs from the foyer). These are opportunities for Bench Members to meet up either on a particular topic or just as a social. Members, Friends of the Bench and prospective members are welcome.
Play Selection for July 2024:
Play selection meetings for the July 2024 slot will take place at 7.45pm on the Thursday 4th January (Discussion) and Thursday 18th January (Vote). So if you have a play in mind that you want the Bench to perform then get in touch now with the Artistic Panel to register your interest and discuss with them how to build your pitch. Artistic Panel contact details are in the Members section.
Bench Costume Sale:
At 7.30pm on Thursday 11th January there will be a sale of costumes from the Bench wardrobe to raise funds for the company. Details can be found on the Spring Web-site who are advertising this event. The Bench Committee are looking for volunteers on the 9th to 11th January to help sort out the costumes ready for sale.
Next Auditions:
Our next auditions will be for our April production, Abigail's Party. These are to take place at 2:30pm on Sunday 14th January and at 7:30pm on Tuesday 16th January at the Spring. More information will be available on our Facebook page at Bench Theatre nearer the time.
Totton 2024:
Following the completion of our November show, Love Bites, talk is turning to what plays to take to the Totton Festival of Drama One-Act Play Competition in Spring 2024. The Bench has been particularly successful with Mark Wakeman penned plays in previous years. Watch this space for more details.
Bench YouTube Channel:
The Bench Theatre has now set up a YouTube Channel from which you can stream our trailers and other videos, check it out at Bench Theatre YouTube Channel.
Bench Miscellaneous
Havant Borough Council run the Havant Borough Community Lottery which supports good causes locally. Bench Theatre has been accepted as one of those good causes.
This is a small lottery with the emphasis very much on community and supporting good causes. That is where you come in! We would like to invite you, your friends, family, neighbours and work colleagues to take part, have some fun and support Bench Theatre.
Please visit Havant Borough Community Lottery website. Click on buy tickets, then on 'Support a specific cause'. Search for Bench Theatre then follow the instructions.
Bench Theatre will be very grateful for your support in this exciting new venture!
Members are gently reminded that membership cards must be offered at The Spring box office when claiming free member ticket(s). These tickets are for the named member only and are not transferable to family and/or friends.
Interested? Why not follow us on Instagram or become a fan of Bench on Facebook? You can also subscribe to our email newsletter by sending a message to
info-subscribe@benchtheatre.org.uk
© Bench Theatre 2011, registered charity 291935