What's On

Stroud Short Stories
FAMILY AFFAIR - An evening of stories on the theme of Family written and read by Gloucestershire authors 
Cotswold Playhouse Sunday 3 November at 7.30pm (doors 7.00pm) 
£12
Now in its fourteenth year, Stroud Short Stories 28th event will be will an evening of extraordinary stories about family.
This is the opening event of the 2024 Stroud Book Festival.

As usual, ten stories will be selected - from the hundred or so usually submitted - to be read by their authors, who may be professional writers, skilled amateurs or even complete beginners, but all of whom are from Gloucestershire.

Proclaimed by the Cheltenham Literature Festival as ‘possibly the best short story event in the South West’, SSS’s considerable reputation is based on the unfailingly high quality of the stories read at its events.

Submissions will be judged this time by SSS organiser/editor John Holland, who was recently awarded the Stroud News & Journal Community Award for his Contribution to the Arts and award-winning short story author/novelist Joanna Campbell.

As usual, the demand for tickets will be high. The autumn SSS event always sells out.

More information is on the SSS website - stroudshortstories.blogspot.com
KEY DATES
Sunday 11 August - Open for submissions which are free as always
Sunday 22 September - Submissions close
Friday 4 October- Tickets go on sale from the Cotswold Playhouse website

A revolutionary re-telling of the classic morality tale of Dr Faustus - who sold his immortal soul to the Devil in return for unlimited powers. The central character is re-imagined as a 17th century woman. It takes a painful series of attempts for her to make contact with the Devil. But when she does, she negotiates a price for her soul that not only gives her the services of the demon Mephistopheles but also allows her to fast forward in time. She encounters famous personalities, meets the seven deadly sins, unsettles the Devil with some of her cutting-edge scientific research, and fends off the horsemen of the Apocalypse, before finally landing in the fourth millennium!

Join us on a fast-paced journey through time, packed with action and surprises – and ask yourself what you would do if you had the power to do anything!

Age guidance 12+

An amateur production by arrangement with Nick Hern Books

HMS Pinafore 

by Gilbert and Sullivan
Presented by Forbear! Theatre
Saturday 30th Nov 2.30pm
Saturday 30th Nov 7.30pm
Sunday 1st Dec 7.30pm

In this comic operetta, captain's daughter Josephine and lowly sailor Ralph are in love. Standing between them are her father, her fiancé and the British class system. Can they overcome the odds?

Forbear! Theatre is a small group of professionals founded in 2015, described by Sir Arthur Sullivan Society Magazine as “precise and vivacious”.

£4 off if you book BOTH HMS Pinafore AND The Grand Duke at the same time!

The Grand Duke 

By Gilbert and Sullivan
Presented by Forbear! Theatre
Sunday 1st Dec 2.30pm

A theatrical troupe plot to overthrow the miserly Grand Duke of a Bavarian town amongst in-fighting, love-triangles and an overconsumption of sausage rolls.

See Gilbert and Sullivan's lesser known but hilarious and avant-garde operetta, in a production praised by Mike Leigh for its “unique youthful freshness, sophisticated wit and impressive theatrical and musical professionalism."

£4 off if you book BOTH HMS Pinafore AND The Grand Duke at the same time!

Grace Hawker reinterprets the Garland, Minnelli & Streisand songbooks in this new revue devised by Simon & Suzanne Moss.

Gossipy anecdotes, some funny, some sad, illustrate the lives of three powerhouse women, promising an evening of sensational theatricality. 

Steve Thompson

‘Whipping It Up’ is a biting parliamentary comedy. 

There’s a Conservative government with a tiny majority and the Whips are deploying every trick in the book. They’re bribing and bullying to secure the votes the party needs. And in a world of double-crossing who knows what’s truth and what’s tactic? 
Come along and enjoy this Westminster romp, exposing the macho politicking of our treasured democracy. 
•    Is there a leadership challenge afoot?
•    Why is the vitriolic Chief Whip dressed as Santa?
•    Who’s sending love tokens to the pretty government researcher? 
•    Whatever made the Scouts start pelting MPs with marshmallows?
•    And, ultimately, will the Tory ‘chaps’ suffer the indignity of being outsmarted by a woman? 

Please note: This play contains politicians – and thus a risk of provocative attitudes and plentiful swearing.

The Great Baldini is a magical legend, a relict of the music halls and a theatrical performer of the old school.   Known the world over as ‘The Emperor of Illusion’, ‘The Prince of Prestidigitation’, and ‘The Maharajah of Mystery’, he is a hugely entertaining stage magician.  Baldwin, the magical dog, is his faithful companion.

FAMILY MAGIC SHOW tells the story of their magical partnership, from their first trick to the height of their careers – attempting Houdini’s greatest and deadliest escape. The legendary magician the Great Baldini tells the story of his, and Baldwin the magical dog’s, life from their first tricks to the height of their careers – attempting Houdini’s greatest escape. The show is packed with magic, sweets, puppetry, sweets, water, sweets, eggs, sweets, and escapology. It’s hilariously silly…with sweets...it builds to the ultimate challenge – before your very eyes attempting a spectacular, death-defying piece of escape.

FAMILY MAGIC SHOW is a chance to see two magical superstars at the very pinnacle of their powers. A Joyously silly romp. Guaranteed to have children (and parents) screaming with laughter.

The Great Baldini is an award-winning member of the Magic Circle and the Bristol Stage Magic Champion.

“Incredible” Front Row, BBC Radio 4
“Wonderful, a joy” Pick of the Week, BBC Radio 4
“Charming, engaging, and charismatic. A pleasure.” FringeReview
“A seasoned professional, excellent command of the stage.” Broadway Baby

Alan Bennett

An unruly bunch of bright, funny sixth-form boys in pursuit of sex, sport and a place at university. A maverick English teacher at odds with the young and shrewd supply teacher. A headmaster obsessed with results; a history teacher who thinks he's a fool. 

In Alan Bennett's classic play, staff room rivalry and the anarchy of adolescence provoke insistent questions about history and how you teach it; about education and its purpose.