Local lovers of drama and performing arts will soon no longer need to travel beyond Sandbach for a night at the theatre, as a new festival promises to bring several productions to the town centre.
The organisers of the Cheshire and Sandbach Theatre Festival — or Cast Festival — have published a programme of plays to be staged in November, performed and produced by those based in and around the local area.
The festival is a partnership between Manchester-based Wonderhouse Theatre Company and Sandbach’s Carney Academy Performing Arts School.
Festival creative director David Gregan-Jones, who is based in Sandbach and runs Carney Academy in partnership with the academy’s founder, Ruth Carney — a celebrated theatre and television director and fellow Sandbach resident — said: “I grew up in Cheshire and was living in Sandbach when I began my own journey to become an actor.
“My family would routinely have to drive me to other towns and cities for training, but also to experience a night at the theatre. “I know there’s a huge local appetite for more culture and entertainment, and I also work with some exceptional, upcoming local talent with great promise.
“I am very proud to be bringing Cast Festival and some of the most respected plays in the industry to my hometown, for everyone in Cheshire.”
Performances of three headline productions will run between Saturday 22 and Saturday 29 November. The festival will also launch a CastOff initiative — a commitment to supporting emerging artists across all areas of the live performance industries, including writers, directors, producers, actors, choreographers, singers, musicians, designers, technicians and more. The initiative includes a search for new playwriting, with shortlisted scripts to be read, workshopped and staged in the spring.
Ms Carney said: “We want to make Sandbach a place people go to for theatre and culture, for everyone in our local area.
“Cast Festival brings industry-standard talent and production into dialogue with emerging local creativity, including those who might have experienced barriers to taking their performing arts careers further.”
Programme
“Constellations”, by Nick Payne. A quantum physicist and a beekeeper meet at a barbecue. They hit it off — or perhaps they don’t. They fall in love — or maybe they walk away. In a universe where every choice creates infinite possibilities, their story unfolds in countless ways.
First performed at the Royal Court Theatre in 2012 before transferring to the West End and Broadway, “Constellations” won the “Evening Standard” award for Best Play and has since captivated audiences worldwide.
It is performed on 22 and 30 November at 7.30pm, and on 29 November at 2.45pm, in the Gothic Theatre Space, Sandbach School, Crewe Road (CW11 3NS).
“The Crucible”, by Arthur Miller. Arthur Miller’s iconic masterpiece of fear, hysteria and betrayal is brought to the stage by a young cast aged 16–18. Specially abridged for teenage performers, this version captures the intensity and timeless relevance of Miller’s drama — distilled, urgent and electrifying. Many of the performers are preparing for entry into world-class drama schools across the UK.
This will be performed on 22 and 23 November at 3pm, also in the Gothic Theatre Space.
“The Wasp”, by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm. Heather and Carla haven’t seen each other since school. Their lives have taken very different paths — and yet, here they are in a café having tea and making awkward conversation.
That is, until Heather presents Carla with a bag containing a significant amount of cash and an unexpected proposition. This thriller asks how far beyond the playground we carry our childhood experiences, and to what lengths some people are willing to go to come to terms with them.
It will be performed on 23 and 29 November at 7pm, and on 30 November at 2.30pm, again at the Gothic Theatre Space.
Tickets are available from £11, with festival passes for all three shows priced at £30.
To purchase tickets or for more information — including details of the CastOff writing initiative — visit castfest.co.uk or follow @castfestuk on Instagram.
The event is supported by Sandbach Town Council through a community event grant.
