WHAT'S ON at WHITE BEAR THEATRE
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Chateau Farci
a French farce by David Shirreff
4th - 15th March 2025
Directed by Kenneth Michaels
Imagine a crumbling chateau in rural France. Alice, the owner, and her partner Jake, an old soldier, moved in twenty years ago. The couple’s relationship has broken down, but Jake refuses to move out. He is holed up in a corner of the chateau known as his bunker.
A local Gendarme, Jacqueline the maid, various offspring and Pongo the dog contribute to the confusion.
The plot is part farce, part tragedy, part whodunit. Come and enjoy the fun.
Theatre Divas Present
STAND UP VIC!
Written and Performed by Vic Holt
9th - 10th March 2025
A crazy mix of macabre comedy and stories of intrigue!
Join Vic as she takes you on a journey of her experiences, good and bad, from growing up in Cyprus, coming out, working as a child psychiatrist, and living the dream (or is it a nightmare?).
A fabulous evening of zany, light-hearted humour, not to be missed.
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND:
The Last Days of Liz Truss?
Written by Greg Wilkinson
18th - 29th March 2025
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND FOLLOWING A SOLD-OUT RUN!
Join Liz, in her last morning at number 10, on a tragic-comic exploration of the tensions in politics: between ambition and ability, vision and reality, going short and playing it long. Can a fighter ever quit?
The Psychiatrist
World premiere Production
8th - 26th April 2025
After working as a psychiatrist and physician for 40 years, Julian Bird started acting in his sixties. The Psychiatrist is a two-hander, in which Bird takes the title role. It is based on real events and portrays a psychiatrist’s struggle with poor resources, whilst trying to achieve a better life for his patients. Troubling events and losses in the psychiatrist’s personal life lead him to seek help from a psychotherapist while he continues his work. In alternating scenes, he is shown as a patient and as a therapist.
Following his career in psychiatry, Julian Bird trained as an actor at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. His TV credits include East Enders and The Tudors for the BBC. He received critical acclaim for his role as Sigmund Freud in Freud’s Last Session at the King’s Head in 2022.
Julian Bird said: “From my own experience I am well aware that at times of stress the mental health of psychiatrists can be a critical factor in the treatment of their patients. Audiences will get a realistic feel for the tensions, frustrations and dangers of working with inadequate resources and a fascinating insight into the mental health problems of a psychiatrist.”
The Psychiatrist is directed by Kenneth Michaels, returning to the White Bear after directing The Dedication in October 2024, and produced by Alistair Brown. Further casting is to be announced.
Theatre Reviva! Presents
Were you anyone before Dad's Army?
Written by Nicolas Ridley
29th April - 3rd May 2025
Today the actor Arnold Ridley is best remembered as the much-loved Dad’s Army character, Private Godfrey, but the part of Godfrey came towards the end of a long theatrical career and a truly remarkable life.
Having survived the horrors of the First World War and a stuttering start to his theatrical career, he began writing plays, one of which, The Ghost Train, enjoyed immense success. Many more successful West End plays followed alongside an involvement in the movie-making business which resulted in his financial ruin.
Evacuated from France in 1940, he was invalided out of the British Army for a second time, and then began his struggle to find a place in the new theatrical landscape. There followed many anxious years until the miracle of Dad’s Army restored his faith in himself and at last provided him with a modest measure of renewed celebrity and security.
A well-drawn character can easily seem so complete that it’s difficult to distinguish the fictional character from the actor. Were You Anyone Before Dad’s Army? draws back the curtain and provides a touching, life-affirming account of one man’s unwavering courage and resilience: a true hero although he himself would certainly have disclaimed the label!
We are very proud to announce that LONDON PUB THEATRES MAGAZINE is now an OFFIE AWARD WINNING publication
A ONEOFF Special Award (February 2024) has been awarded to London Pub Theatres Magazine and Editor Heather Jeffery for providing a vital forum for highlighting the excellent work that happens in rooms in pubs, with sensitive editing, and an acute sense of the importance of tiny fringe venues to the health and development of British Theatre
London pub theatres magazine is published in Rickmansworth by London Pub Theatres Magazine Ltd ISSN 2977-6724