Bedroom Farce May 27, 2010

Darlinghurst Theatre Company & Stella Green Productions present
BEDROOM FARCE
By Alan Ayckbourn

What happens when the world’s worst couple turns up to the best party of the year? Starring Jeanie Drynan & John Turnbull
Megan Alston, Celia Bickmore-Hutt, Adam Cleland, Richard Cornally,
Mitch Firth, Lizzie Mitchell
Darlinghurst Theatre
May 27 – June 27

A night of celebration quickly turns into a night of conflict, when philandering guests are let loose in a party of warring couples. Alan Ayckbourn’s comedy Bedroom Farce follows the trials and tribulations of four couples and opens at Darlinghurst Theatre on May 27.

Bedroom Farce reveals the intricacies and intimacies of four separate relationships in three separate bedrooms over the course of one night. This volatile mix coupled with Alan Ayckbourn’s clever use of time and space ensures for a drama-filled affair.

Malcolm and Kate are looking forward to toasting their new house with all their friends. The only problem is the guest list. Kate's invited Trevor and Susannah, a couple whose volatile relationship seems to thrive on constant public fighting. To make matters worse, Trevor's ex-girlfriend Jan is invited too. Needless to say, drama ensues and with the in-laws involved things get a little hairy.

“Alan Ayckbourn is one of the most beloved and prolific playwrights of the twentieth century” said Actor/ Producer Megan Alston. “Stella Green Productions reinterprets the most unfashionable of theatre genres, the 1970s British sex comedy by overhauling it with contemporary sensibilities and methodologies. This Bedroom Farce will be living naughties neurosis infusing a brilliant script onto the present day”.

Formed in 2007, by actor/producer Megan Alston and director Byron Kaye, Stella Green Productions is an ensemble of actors based in Sydney and the company has produced numerous theatre productions including Friday Night Drinks and Angry Young Women in Low Rise Jeans with High Class Issues. Stella Green Productions has struck a chord with young audiences in particular, producing one sell-out show after another. In 2008 it produced the highly successful Angry Young Women in Low Rise Jeans with High Class Issues at the Old Fitzroy Theatre. It toured two plays to the Adelaide Fringe Festival, both selected as highlights of the Fringe and in 2010 the company toured two shows to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Stella Green Productions and its artists strive to produce theatre of the highest quality that attracts, entertains and resonates with audiences.

“Stella Green Productions has steadily earned a reputation as one of Sydney’s most productive and ambitious independent theatre companies and after numerous sell out seasons in Sydney, the company recently returned from a critically acclaimed season at Melbourne International Comedy Festival” said Megan Alston.

Actor and Producer, Megan Alston has produced all of Stella Green Productions’ hit shows including return and extended seasons. Alston is a graduate of the Ensemble Studios, has studied Arts Management at the University of Melbourne and she is a lawyer.

Best known for her role as Betty Heslop in the film, Muriel’s Wedding, Jeanie Drynan brings her talent and penchant for comedy to Bedroom Farce. AFI award winner, Jeanie Drynan’s extensive theatre credits include A Voyage Round My Father, Boeing-Boeing, Hedda Gabler, Men Should Weep, Same Time, Men Should Weep, Gulls, Makkassar Reef and The Importance of Being Earnest to name a few. In Bedroom Farce, Drynan plays the scene stealing role of Delia, a mother whose anniversary dinner is ruined by her rogue son, Trevor and his disastrous love life. Delia’s terminally aloof husband Ernest is played by John Turnbull, whose theatre credits are extensive and include a number of Sydney Theatre and Bell Shakespeare productions.

The fresh, young and funny members of the ensemble made up of Megan Alston, Celia Bickmore-Hutt, Adam Cleland, Richard Cornally, Mitch Firth and Lizzie Mitchell have previously collaborated with each other on Stella Green Productions projects some of which include the highly successful runs of Angry Young Women, Tom and Nicole and Russell and Friends.

“I’m thrilled to be working with such a wonderful cast under the direction of Byron Kaye and feel honoured to work alongside Jeanie Drynan and John Turnbull. The ensemble has worked together previously and I think our familiarity and comfort with each other adds strength to our overall performance” said Megan Alston.

Director Byron Kaye
Starring Jeanie Drynan & John Turnbull
With Megan Alston, Celia Bickmore-Hutt, Adam Cleland, Richard Cornally, Mitch Firth, Lizzie Mitchell
Set Designer Tom Bannerman
BEDROOM FARCE
Tickets on Sale Now
May 27 – June 27

DARLINGHURST THEATRE, 19 Greenknowe Street, Potts Point
DATES: May 27 – June 27
Previews May 27 - 30 Opening Night June 1 Season May 27 – June 27
TIMES: Tues – Sat at 8pm; Sun at 5pm; Matinees: Sat 19 & 26 June at 2pm
TICKET PRICES: Previews $27, Adult $37, Conc $32, Senior $30
BOOKINGS: Darlinghurst Theatre Box Office on 02 8356 9987 OR www.darlinghursttheatre.com