Bench Theatre Company

Havant, Hampshire

Next Production : Skylight (David Hare)

Next production to audition : The Cripple of Inishmaan (Martin MacDonagh)

Learn More About The Bench

The Bench is an amateur company that has been running for over thirty years.  We are committed to producing a wide range of quality drama both modern and classical to the highest possible standards.

We try to offer our audiences as wide as possible a range of drama, some pure entertainment, some challenging, all to a demanding standard. 

As a charity we are free from having top concentrate solely on profit, and so can chose to produce plays which we believe are interesting or challenging or just deserve to be seen.

More about us is on the Bench Theatre website

Upcoming Productions Skylight

Skylight by David Hare, April 21st to 23rd and 26th to 30th

Kyra is a young teacher working and living in one of London‘s less attractive districts. Tom‘s wife has recently died of cancer: he is a wealthy entrepreneur and Kyra‘s former lover. On a cold winter night Tom‘s teenage son, Edward, calls on the young teacher to beg her to be reconciled with his father.

Tom himself arrives, wishing to expiate his guilt and renew his lust. Kyra complies, sort of, until the debate soars and the insults fly in a way that makes you wish your own kitchen-table tiffs were half as brutal, half as civilised. David Hare‘s passionate play is sharp andsatisfying, an impassioned head-on collision of values and confused desires.

Coming Up ...

July 2005 : The Cripple of Inishmaan by Martin MacDonagh - The Bench has a love of Irish plays and this touching comic piece should be as sucessful as last year‘s "The Wier".

October 2005 : Supernova returns for a third time! A whole week of new work by local writers, with submissions invited now (until May 1st) from anyone living in Hampshire or W. Sussex with a story to tell.

Join In Meetings

The Bench meets on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month, apart from when a production is running on these dates or during August.

We meet at Havant Arts Centre from 7:30pm and start promptly at 8.  All newcomers are welcome!

If you decide to become a full member there is a fee of £30 per year.  You can also be a "Back Bench" member, see all productions for free and come along to club nights, for a reduced charge.

Alternatively if you come and see any Bench production the front of house team will be happy to talk, and if you wait in the bar after the show the cast will turn up pretty soon!