Behind the Scenes Archives – Wokingham Theatre

In Conversation: Pressure at Wokingham Theatre

It is widely regarded as the most important weather-based decision in history, as the Allies struggled to decide on the right day for the invasion of Normandy during the Second World War. The disagreement between British and American teams on the approach to the D-Day Landings is the historical backdrop for Wokingham Theatre’s latest play, David Haig’s Pressure. We caught up with cast member Dave Wood to hear what it’s like trying to bring this incredible series of events to life on our stage. Without giving too much away, what is the play about? It’s the true story of the Allied Forces trying

The Truth – Q&A with Rachel Pearson and Adrian McDougall

We sat down with Director Rachel Pearson and cast member Adrian McDougall to hear what audiences can expect from the first play of the new year.

Q&A with The Dresser director Murray Lindo

We sat down with The Dresser’s director, Murray Lindo to hear what audiences can expect from this gem of theatre.

Q&A with Entertaining Angels Director Margery Jackson

We sat down with Entertaining Angels director Margery Jackson to hear all about the rehearsal process and what’s in store for the first show this year.

Theatre Tour for New & Prospective Members

If you are a new member, or know someone who is thinking of joining, our next ‘Access All Areas’ Theatre Tour will be on Saturday 22nd June 2024 at 2pm. This is an opportunity to have a look round the theatre, meet other members and see what’s going on and what’s coming up. It’s also an ideal opportunity to see what is involved in all the Front Of House, Technical, and Back-Stage roles that we are always looking for volunteers for – maybe there is an area that you would like to be involved with ? For further information contact Rachel Pearson at RachelP@woki

From the Director: Les Liaisons Dangereuses

Christopher Hampton wrote the play Les Liaisons Dangereuses, which he adapted from the epistolary novel by Choderlos de Laclos in the mid 70s. It was eventually produced by the RSC in 1985 at The Other Place, Stratford, and was scheduled for just 22 performance with Alan Rickman in the role of ‘Valmont’. Its surprising commercial success led to a transfer to the West End in 1986, and the following year, he wrote the screen play for the much feted film version ‘Dangerous Liasons’ which came out in 1988. The novel, set in pre-revolutionary France in the 1780’s, is about French Aristocrats

Q&A with ‘A Bunch of Amateurs’ Director Martin Kempton

The start of our 22/23 season is rapidly approaching, and we’re looking forward to kicking off the year with Ian Hislop & Nick Newman’s hilarious comedy, A Bunch of Amateurs! With the show opening in a few weeks, we sat down with director Martin Kempton to find out a little more about the show and what audiences can expect. Hi Martin! Tell us a little bit more about the show came about… what made you choose this particular play? Well the honest answer is I didn’t. I volunteered to be added to the list of possible directors for the new season at WT. I was thrilled to be c

WT is looking for a new Technical Director

After nine years in the role, Ben Kellett is stepping down as WT’s Technical Director. He has made a sizeable and much appreciated contribution to life at WT, and the board wish to express their thanks to him for his tireless work over that time. That means that we now have a vacancy for the role, and we are keen to find a willing volunteer to get involved with all things tech at WT. Ben is keen to stress that he is fully committed to helping whoever steps up to ‘bed in’ over the course of the next year. As for what’s involved, the Technical Director’s main responsibilities include

Assistant Director Heather Maceachern introduces ‘The Father’

Having worked with Wokingham Theatre’s current Artistic Director David Stacey and Claire Lawrence on A Christmas Carol as Assistant Director in 2019, I jumped at the chance to work with David again to bring the tragi-comic mystery of The Father to life this spring. The Father, or Le Père, in the original French version, is one of a trilogy of plays created by the extraordinary mind of playwright Florian Zeller. You may well have seen the recent screen version starring two powerhouses of British acting talent, Olivia Coleman and Sir Anthony Hopkins. Sir Anthony went on to win a highly des

Behind the Scenes on ‘Sweeney Todd: The Shock’n’Roll Show’

No production would go ahead if it were not for the team of people backstage. We talked to a few of that team about the joys and challenges of staging a youth theatre production. How many costumes? Sue Daykin Indigo: “Well there are 19 actors” Sue: “– ok, so manageable.” Indigo: “Yes, but they each play multiple roles and some of those roles have more than one costume.” Sue: “So how many costumes?” Indigo: “…..um, 56.” That was better news than the 96 required for Alice in Wonderland, so off I went. Relatively straightforward, as no animals unlike Alice in Wonderland and The Lion, The Wi