A double bill of two one act plays. Filmed twice by the BBC; perfectly crafted and hilarious and yet disturbing and moving. Running time approx 2 hours with one interval. Seating in the round. CC Amstel Theater
Thu. 26th August 2021 | 20:00 SOLD OUT
Fri. 27th August 2021 | 20:00
Sat. 28th August 2021 | 15:00
Sat. 28th August 2021 | 20:00
Sun. 29th August 2021 | 15:00
Sun. 29th August 2021 | 20:00
A Chip in the Sugar
August 26 - 29th, 2021
by Alan Bennett
Directed by Loveday Smith
QETC director Mark Winstanley plays gay but in the closet Graham. Middle-aged Graham still lives at home with his mam but their mundane lives are threatened when her old-flame appears on the scene. Tragically poignant and wonderfully uplifting, dark comedy abounds in Bennett’s observation of loneliness and unfulfilled sexual desire.
A Chip in the Sugar is one of the original Talking Heads series. Filmed twice by the BBC TV it starred Alan Bennett himself and in 2020 Martin Freeman. It was nominated for no fewer than 11 BAFTA awards.
A Chip in the Sugar is presented as part of the Talking Heads double bill.
This production will play the CC Amstel. By kind permission of United Agents, on behalf of the author.
Bed Among the Lentils
August 26 - 29th, 2021
by Alan Bennett
Directed by Mark Winstanley
Vicar’s wife Susan is an atheist; and an alcoholic. Frustrated in her marriage and oppressed by life in a quiet Yorkshire parish, she turns to a young Indian grocer for solace. To her surprise, solace is not the only thing on offer among the sacks of lentils…
Bed Among the Lentils is one of the original Talking Heads series that first aired on BBC TV and was nominated for no fewer than 11 BAFTA awards. They have had successful runs in the West End and Broadway and are studied for GCSE and A-level English Literature.
Bed among the Lentils is presented as part of the Talking Heads double bill.
This production will play the CC Amstel. By kind permission of United Agents, on behalf of the author.
Cast
A Chip in the Sugar
Graham - Mark Winstanley
Bed Among the Lentils
Susan - Loveday Smith
Creatives
Writer - Alan Bennett
Direction - Loveday Smith & Mark Winstanley
Design & ASM - Alison Bass
Dramaturg - Naáma Hurwitz
Lighting design - John Ricker
Sound design - Loveday Smith
Backstage
Company Manager - Mark Emdin
Customer Service Manager - Gareth Lemon
Ticketing Manager - Omar Escobar
Sound Operation - Vincent Edeh
Lighting Operation - Mabel Woodley
Online Media - Mabel Woodley
Costume Assistant - Anouk van der Zee Penido
Alan Bennett
Bennett's career spans 6 decades, since taking 60s London and New York by storm, writing for and appearing in Beyond the Fringe. Since then he has barely been away from our TV screens and theatres. With a list of credits 'as long as your arm' (Habeas Corpus) he has become a household name with plays like The History Boys, The Madness of George III and films like A Private Function and Lady in the Van, both starring Maggie Smith, to his name. Talking Heads, uniquely, has been filmed not once but twice by the BBC.
Loveday Smith
In a distinguished theatre career Loveday has worked with many great directors, including Sam Mendes (original cast Cabaret at the Donmar Warehouse) and Sir Peter Hall (Lysistrata) both in London's West End. Other West End credits include Helen Seress in Gloomy Sunday, Bob Carlton’s Olivier-winning musical Return To The Forbidden Planet, John Doyle ‘s Sweeney Todd and Mollie Ralston in the 56th year of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap. On screen, Loveday has appeared in Coronation Street, Emmerdale, A&E, Heartbeat, Brookside and Hollyoaks; in the film Madraspattinam, a Tamil love story set at the end of the Raj, she played the evil wife of the Governor of Madras. Currently she can be seen in the recurring role of Diane in the international TV series Hunter Street.
Mark Winstanley
Mark has been acting professionally since 2013 though his training began as a child with Manchester Youth Theatre and LAMDA. In 2020 he was lead voice actor on the Dutch feature film The Forgotten Battle (Slag om de Schelde) and filmed two episodes of a new TV drama for VPRO, The Spectacular as a BBC journalist. A founder of QETC and it's offshoot QE2, in 2019 he appeared in both Scary Bikers and The 39 Steps as well as directing a revival of QETC's hit, modern, gay adaptation of The Importance of Being Earnest. He is also in demand for voiceovers and commercials, including a recurring role as Scottish rogue, Dougie, for Famous Grouse Whisky!
Group Bookings & Socially Distanced Seating Plan
For most shows, a 10% discount is available for bookings of 10 or more tickets.