Harborough Theatre hopes to reopen in the autumn - here's the programme if it does

It must be stressed that the line-up is totally dependent on Government regulations allowing the plays to go ahead
Harborough Theatre hopes to reopen in the autumn.Harborough Theatre hopes to reopen in the autumn.
Harborough Theatre hopes to reopen in the autumn.

New dramas could be unfolding at Harborough Theatre by the autumn after the popular venue was forced to close by the Covid-19 emergency.

John Foreman, chairman of Market Harborough Drama Society, said they are hoping to return to centre stage later this year if they get the Government go-ahead.

“We are currently working on the hope that we will be able to restart in September/October.

“And if that is the case we plan to extend our usual seven-play season (which finishes in July) to the end of January,” John told the Harborough Mail.

“We’d then run a mini-season of four plays from February to July 2021 before getting back to normal from September 2021.”

He said the three plays set to have been performed in April, May and July 2020 have been postponed as follows:

Skylight by David Hare - w/c September 29th

A Bunch of Amateurs by Newman and Hislop - w/c November 9th

Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare - w/c January 18th, 2021

All 2019-20 Season tickets will be valid for the revised dates at the Church Square theatre, he said.

“However, it must be stressed that this information is totally dependent on Government regulations allowing the plays to go ahead,” stressed John.

From February 2021 – July 2021 the programme will be as follows:

w/c 21st February - Animal Farm by George Orwell (adapted Ian Wooldridge)

w/c 19th April - The Murder of My Aunt by Peter Eyre

w/c 24th May - Pressure by David Haig

w/c 5th July - Blue Stockings by Jessica Swale

“Off stage, we hope to be able to re-start Parsnips Youth Theatre classes and other non-performance activities from September,” said John.

He said they are also keen to help local charities or similar organisations hit financially by the lockdown.

“We will make the theatre lounge available for coffee mornings or similar events on Saturday mornings for six months after we are allowed to reopen, free of charge,” added John.

He urged anyone who would like to take up their offer should contact Maxine Kempster by email at [email protected]

“She will contact the organiser as and when we can be certain of dates,” said John.