Gosforth's Fete by Alan Ayckbourn

&

The Zoo Story by Edward Albee

The Pickled Walnut Theatre Company, Church Aston, Shropshire

March 2005

Synopsis:

Gosforth's Fete: Publican Gosforth's running the village gala, but there's bad personal news from stalwart Milly Carter over the public-address system. Pink-legged Cubmaster Stewart Stokes discovers alcohol and Councillor Mrs Pearce gets severely dishevelled. And that's before the rain. Gosforth's Fete starts as drama, develops into well-choreographed chaos as everything goes wrong and climaxes a full-blown farce.

The Zoo Story: The Zoo Story is a confrontation between middle-class America and the outcasts of society. Set in Central Park, New York, Peter, an average American, is confronted by Jerry, a lonely man from the wrong side of the park. Jerry tries to teach Peter the realities of life that Peter has tried to ignore. He tries to teach Peter the nature of human existence and relationships. Through a serious of failed conversations and misinterpretations of the act of love, Jerry begins his experiment to see if the middle class Americas are animals after all.

The Production Team:

Directors - John Knight & Peter Scott
Assistant Director (Gosforth's Fete) - Sandy Davis
Stage Manager - Godfrey Spurr
Assistant Stage Manager- Nina Garmson
Prompt (Gosforth's Fete) - Betty Pritchard
Prompt (Zoo Story) - Carole Wainwright
Costumes & Properties - June Pazio
Stage Carpenter - Bob Martin
Sound & Lighting - Rob Davis, Sandy Davis & John Knight
Front Of House - Billie Knight, Carol Scott, Iris Waite, Paul Evans, Elaine Evans

The Cast:

Gosforth's Fete:

Milly Carter - Fay Richards
Mrs Pearce - Lynn Cawley
Gordon Gosforth - Michaeljohn Butcher
John Braithwaite - Alex Ash
Stuart Stokes - Andy Reed

The Zoo Story:

Peter - Michaeljohn Butcher
Gerry - Peter Scott