The Questors Judi Dench Playhouse Reopens with Tennessee Williams Classic


Cat on a Hot Tin Roof to be performed under its new roof

Rehearsing for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Rehearsing for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Perhaps fittingly, the first play to be performed at The Questors Judi Dench Playhouse is to be Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

A crowdfunding campaigned enabled a new roof for the building which was installed over the summer and the audience and actors can now have total confidence that they will be safe and dry.

The Pulitzer-Prize winning southern drama by Tennessee Williams, one of America’s most celebrated playwrights opens on 4 November

The play follows a Mississippi family in America's deep south as they finally untangle the web of deceit they've created for themselves.

In celebration of Big Daddy's birthday, married couple Brick and Maggie reunite with their extended family. But when faced with the shattering truths of their marriage, how will they protect their family from falling apart? Sexual tensions, lies, and betrayals boil to the surface in this searing drama.

This production is directed by Roger Beaumont who began his professional acting career in 1970 at The Royal Court and has worked professionally as an actor, writer and director in Theatre, Film, Radio and TV. He ran the UK’s first Reminiscence Theatre Project for 3 years in Exeter and has written plays for BBC Radio 4. For 3 years he was an Associate Director for Pentabus Theatre Company. He has directed 14 productions for The Questors, including its 90th Anniversary Production of 1984 and The Children.

The Questors Artistic Director, Alex Marker said, “It’s great to be able to reopen our playhouse auditorium after our summer roof refurbishment works with the Tennessee Williams classic, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. We last staged one of his plays 18 years ago, so the time felt right to revisit one of the classic heavyweights of American drama.”

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof runs for 8 performances from 4 - 12 November, daily at 7.45pm (excl. Sundays and Mondays with 2.30pm performance on Sundays.

Tickets are £14 or £7 for members and £10 for members’ guests. Students and under 16s pay £7 and other concessions are £12 with the tickets for the two final shows costing £18.

Coming Up at The Questors

False Accounts
By Lance Steen & Anthony Nielsen
1 November - 5 November 22 in the Studio

The worst travesty of justice in the history of Britain humorously exposed. In 1999 Horizon, a new computer system was installed in Post Offices nationwide. There was only one problem, it was prone to bugs and the designers were aware of this. Soon Postmasters across the UK were experiencing mysterious shortfalls of thousands of pounds that they were liable for.

Book tickets

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
By Tennessee Williams
4 - 12 November | in the Playhouse

Pulitzer Prize-winning drama follows a Mississippi family in America's deep south as they try to untangle the web of deceit they've created for themselves. Sexual tensions, lies, and betrayals boil to the surface in this iconic classic drama from America’s celebrated playwright.

Book tickets

Haunting Julie
By Alan Ayckbourn
18 - 26 November in the Studio

Twelve years after Julia’s death, her father struggles to understand why the musical prodigy took her own life. Was it suicide? Or was someone else with Julia the night she died? Determined to discover the truth, Joe meets with a psychic in the room where she died. But are some questions better left unanswered?

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde
By Robert Louis Stevenson. Adapted by Mark Stratford
1 December - 3 December in the Studio

A solo show based on Robert Louis Stevenson's classic thriller. First published in 1886, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a mystery tale about the inexorable conflict between good and evil.

Book tickets

King Arthur & the Twelfth Knight
By James Rushbrooke
8 - 31 December in the Playhouse

King Arthur, Queen Guinevere and their retinue are coming to Ealing on their quest to find the mystical Twelfth Knight of the Round Table. Convinced it could be her, Lord Drayton’s daughter Esme cleverly swaps identities with a happy-go-lucky kitchen boy. But is she ready to fight against forces of darkness and save Christmas? Oh yes, she is!

Book tickets

The Remarkable Theatrical Adventures of Peregrine Proteus
By Jane Dewey
16 - 31 December in the Studio

Set in 19th-century England, this rip-roaring new play tracks the life of an actor, from birth to stardom - and all the obstacles in between. Along the way, we meet a series of eccentric thespians, from inept performers to dotting romantics. This comic production boasts songs, fast-paced multi-rolling, and a Christmas finale to make history.

Questors hope to have a new roof over the playhouse in time for its centenary celebrations.

To make your donation to the appeal click here.

Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More

This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism.

Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets.

We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more.

However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do.

We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area.

A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site.

One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute.

If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor.

For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site.


October 20, 2022