Enchanted April by Matthew Barber – 27th, 28th, and 29th November) 
Be sure to keep your diaries free this November for “Enchanted April”—but don’t let the promise of an Italian escape fool you!

The story begins in London, where dreams of sun-drenched holidays seem far out of reach. As four women embark on a retreat that promises laughter, friendship, and the possibility of magic, you’ll discover that their adventure is anything but straightforward. With men entering the mix, the plot takes unexpected turns.

Come along to see how it all unfolds! 

NB new time of 7.30pm (Doors Open 7:00pm) at the Riddell Hall, Deans Lane, Walton-on-the-Hill

A comedy in 2 acts by Peter Quilter

It is the 1950s and this charming comedy introduces the Nightingales, members of a theatrical family who perform more at home than they do on the stage. Jack is a cabaret star, as in love with his piano as he is with his silk dressing gowns. His parents, Charlie and Beatrice, are old Music Hall stars, full of hilarious tales of life on the road. Maggie performs with Jack in the evenings and regularly visits his house to rehearse, drink tea, and tell the sorry tale of her latest romantic disaster. If only she and Jack realized that their true love was right in front of them. The sudden arrival of Charlie and Beatrice, asking to stay with Jack for a few days, throws his and Maggie’s lives into chaos. They promise to be gone by Christmas, but this provides little comfort given that it is only January 7th!
Jack’s housekeeper Geraldine copes masterfully with the ensuing disruption, but then Beatrice unexpectedly disappears. It seems that this was not a simple visit, but an opportunity for her to leave Charlie and run off to another liaison in France. The question is, will anyone find their true love? Are there such things as happy endings? And what do performers do once the spotlight goes out? This is a very funny, touching showbusiness comedy, bursting with one-liners and lovable characters.

Finally, after being cancelled twice, we will be premiering this fantastic play, written and directed by our very own Pip Rolls.

Performances are 8pm on 23rd, 24th and 25th November at The Riddell Hall, Deans Lane, Walton-on-the-Hill, KT20 7UL
Doors open 7:30pm

THE PLAY

Molly’s Calling is a comedy about a bunch of oddities who take on the world and knock some sense into it.  From the outset, things are not quite what they seem.  Quiet, unassuming ladies turn out to be anything but.  They have a mission, or ‘calling’ to help the downtrodden and it leads them into some of the murkiest and most sophisticated activities on the planet.

Molly and Pauline are aided by their thespian pal Lionel, who has a penchant for shortbread fingers and a conviction that a return to medieval law would cure us of many of our woes.  Then there’s Molly’s destitute brother Donald from darkest Africa, who’s only happy when big game hunting, and there’s also a foreign care-worker whose grasp of English is amusingly quirky.

But don’t pass them off as cranks.  Their machinations are remarkably successful in managing to keep the Russian menace at bay and promising to bring back the Good Old Days, when fair play ruled.

Molly’s Calling is set in 2019, when there were a lot of things about Britain that seemed to be going wrong.  The UN had recently published a damning report, stating that a fifth of the population was living in poverty and that the government was making things worse.  Since then, the number of people going to food banks has doubled and our system of government has gone from being an admired beacon of good sense to one of incompetence and intolerance.

Don’t despair, the play presents these issues with humour and a possible way out of the current predicament.  The solution may seem bizarre but it points to the fact that, sensible people banding together, can make a change for the better.

Intrigued?  Why not come along and see it for yourself.

THE DIRECTOR AND PLAYWRIGHT

This is the fifth production that Pip has written and directed for The Gage, following on from two nights of Snapshots from History in the last year, Waiting for the Train in 2017 and The Junipére Affair, a musical, in 2002, for which he also wrote the music and lyrics.  He has performed locally with Leatherhead Operatic and in many productions with The Gage, The Heath Players, and at The Open-air Theatre at Polesden Lacey, where he is Chairman.   He has also designed and built sets for all three companies.  He sees writing, directing and building sets as easier options than trying to remember lines as an actor.  In his youth he worked as a professional actor on the London West End stage and in films, television and radio, as well as back-stage in a number of London Theatres.

From April 2023 the Gage will have a vacancy for the role of Honorary Secretary on the committee.
This important job has been slimmed down considerably, with areas of work being assigned to others in order to spread the load, and we hope that this will make it an attractive proposition for a new member of the team.
The key aspects of the job will be setting agendas for committee meetings (currently held about monthly via Zoom), using the previous meeting’s agenda as a template and adding any new items notified since then; then writing up the meeting minutes promptly, with action points for various people marked throughout. The post-holder would do the same for the Gage AGM, held in March, from 2024 onwards.
Draft agendas and minutes are sent to the committee chair for approval before being circulated to the committee and sub-committee by the secretary. The present post-holder would forward previous documents by email as a support.
So we are seeking someone with a good grasp of administration, able to write and communicate clearly and precisely, and who is competent on a computer to make well-organised files and folders as part of the Gage’s record and archive system.
If you are interested in becoming part of a vibrant and friendly group in the Tadworth and Walton community, please contact us by email at  friends@thegageplayers.co.uk

As long as everything continues as it has, we are aiming to bring you Molly’s Calling in November 2021, postponed from April 2020.

New dates will be 25th, 26th and 27th November 2021