A Winchester theatre are auditioning for a new play at the end of February.

Chesil Theatre’s May production will be Ladies in Retirement by Edward Percy and Reginald Denham and has open auditions on February 27 and 28 with an informal reading on February 25, all at 7.45pm.

This is a period piece, set in 1885 and based on a true event. In a remote farmhouse close to the marshy, fog-bound Thames estuary, lives Leonora Fiske, a successful former chorus girl now of independent means and her companion Ellen Creed, from a genteel background but fallen on hard times.

Ellen is responsible for protecting her two vulnerable and child-like sisters who have a simple understanding of the world. Leonora agrees to their spending a holiday at her home but things soon go downhill under the pressure of their visit.

Added to this, a relative turns up out of the blue determined to benefit from Ellen’s benefactor. The situation becomes strained, calling for decisive and dangerous solutions. Ladies in Retirement is an excellent example of its genre.

Malcolm Brown, director of Ladies in Retirement said: “This play benefits from an intriguing plot and well-defined characters. There are challenging parts for six women with playing ages between 20 and 60 with one male role as the crafty, persuasive young nephew. The tension builds throughout the action to a startling conclusion.”

Newcomers are welcome at the reading and auditions. Full details are available on www.chesiltheatre.org.uk.

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