by Jean Anouilh, translated by Lewis Galantière
directed by Gregan Davis
An ancient Greek tragedy about the clash of civil disobedience
with a ruler’s demands for loyalty
RADS present Jean Anouilh's play Antigone - a tragedy inspired by Greek mythology and the play of the same name by Sophocles from the fifth century B.C. The play was first published in 1943, during the period when the Nazis occupied France. The character of Antigone took on the role of the French Resistance and Creon took on the role of the Vichy Government, symbolising the power struggle present in France at the time - the parallels to the French Resistance and the Nazi occupation are clear. In an allegorical way, the play is openly critical about collaboration with the Nazis.
Just as in the myth and original play, the action follows the battle for Thebes in which both of Antigone's brothers have been killed. Creon, now king, has decreed that while Antigone's brother Eteocles should be given the usual respectful burial, Polynices must be left as carrion for scavengers. Antigone chooses to attempt to bury Polynices, and is brought before Creon as a prisoner. Creon attempts to overlook the offence, perhaps because Antigone is engaged to his son Haemon, but Antigone refuses to be denied the responsibility for her actions.
Thu 20th to Sat 22nd March 2025
Thu 24th to Sat 26th July and
Wed 30th July to Sat 2nd August 2025
by Terry Pratchett, adapted for the stage by Stephen Briggs
directed by Charles Lambert
‘That’s the trouble about the good guys and the bad guys! They’re all guys!’
It began as a sudden strange fancy… Polly Perks had to become a boy in a hurry. Cutting off her hair and wearing trousers was easy. Learning to fart and belch in public and walk like an ape took more time…
And now she’s enlisted in the army, and is searching for her lost brother. But there’s a war on and whatever anyone says, their side’s coming off worse. Polly and her fellow recruits are suddenly in the thick of it, without any training, and the enemy is hunting them.
All they have on their side is the most artful sergeant in the army, a vampire with a lust for coffee and a readiness to fight dirty. And as they take the war to the heart of the enemy, they have to use all the resources of… the Monstrous Regiment.
Adapted from the Discworld novel by Pratchett’s long-time collaborator Stephen Briggs, RADS invite you to ride along on the tide of his outlandish invention…
by Mark Evans
directed by Scott Fenney
The story Charles Dickens might have written after drinking too much gin…
Follow half-orphan Pip's extraordinary exploits with sisters Pippa and Poppy and best friend Harry Biscuit, as they attempt to escape the calculating clutches of the dastardly Mr Gently Benevolent, defeat the hideous Hardthrasher siblings, and deflect disaster at every turn! Will evil be vanquished by virtue? Can love triumph over hate?
Mark Evans' stage play Bleak Expectations is a hilarious, chaotic caper, featuring dastardly villains, preposterous names, pulse-quickening romances, heart-rending death scenes, and definitely, probably, hopefully a happy ending.
Based on the award-winning BBC Radio 4 series, the play opened at The Watermill Theatre, Newbury, in 2022. It transferred to the Criterion Theatre in London's West End in 2023, where it featured a medley of many well-known actors and comedians.
A gloriously daft Dickensian romp which will have the audience joyfully transported and begging for more!
Wed 5th to Sat 8th November 2025