By popular demand Theatre Royal in Windsor are proud to present the return of the Windsor Repertory Season this summer with three shows in just three weeks, from the 24th July to 10th August. The Windsor Repertory Festival celebrates a model of theatre-making that has recently been debated in the press and online, as actors and directors discuss the value of “Rep” in nurturing tomorrow’s stars.
Windsor has a proud tradition of making its own theatre shows, dating back to a time when shows were performed for only six weeks of the year during the school holidays to avoid a ‘corruptive and seductive influence’ on the boys from Eton. In 1815 a permanent theatre was built on the current site, and despite two centuries of trials and tribulations including financial threats, fires and wars, Theatre Royal Windsor still presents the best shows from the UK and beyond.
Made for Windsor follows a tradition dating back 80 years, when the Windsor Repertory Company was formed by John Counsell in March 1938. Bringing together a creative team of directors, designers, technicians and performers to make a season of productions challenges and tests the team’s talents, creativity, resourcefulness and stamina. All of the great theatrical icons of the last half-century cut their teeth in this way of working, and the methodology bears testament to the amazing rounded and versatile artists that it has produced.
Theatre Royal invite you to come and sample their locally-sourced theatrical menu for this season of three specially chosen titles, all Made for Windsor by a dedicated team.
The Made for Windsor Season includes 3 shows:
Dangerous Corner by J B Priestley
Wed 24 – Sat 27 July, Wed-Sat 8 pm, Thurs 2.30pm, Sat 4.45pm
At their stylish country retreat, Freda and Robert Caplan host a dinner party for their colleagues and friends. Young, beautiful and successful they have the world at their feet. Then a cigarette box and an ill-considered remark spark off a relentless series of revelations and other, more dangerous, secrets are painfully exposed. As the truth spills out about the suicide of Robert's clever, reckless brother the group's perfect lives begin to crumble.
From the author of An Inspector Calls, Dangerous Corner was J B Priestley’s first play enjoying worldwide success after its premiere in 1932.
Wife Begins at Forty by Ry Cooney, Earl Barret and Arne Sultan
Tues 30 July – Sat 4 August, Tues - Sat 8 pm, Thurs 2.30pm (Audio Described Performance), Sat 4.45pm
George, believing he has a happy marriage, is shattered to be told by Linda, his wife of 18 years that she is going to leave him. With advice from their son, his father, and Roger from next door, George takes drastic steps to rejuvenate his marriage with hilarious consequences.
Wife Begins at Forty premiered in the West End in 1985 and is a delightful mixture of comedy and pathos. A 1988 TV adaptation starred Liza Goddard and Ray Cooney.
The King's Speech by David Seidler
Tues 6 – Sat 10 August, Tues – Sat 8 pm, Thu 2.30pm, Sat 4.45pm
David Seidler's original play brings the audience face to face with Bertie, Duke of York, as he is thrust onto the world stage as King George VI following his brother’s abdication. With the Nazi threat looming and civil unrest at home, royal secrets explode around Bertie as he struggles to find his voice as King.
Based on the 2010 Academy Award-winning film of the same name, The Kings Speech toured the UK and premiered in London’s West End in 2012 and now comes to Windsor for the first time.