Alan Ayckbourn’s new comedy drama Roundelay—a collection of five short plays, the order of which is decided on the night by a member of the audience—is to visit Newcastle-under-Lyme’s New Vic Theatre.
Roundelay, written to mark Ayckbourn’s 75th birthday year, is his 78th offering. The five shorts, The Agent, The Judge, The Novelist, The Politician and The Star are intended to be seen in any order.
Ayckbourn said, “The over-riding theme is memory—what we choose to remember and to forget, false memories, personal histories we distort, the pasts we invent, memories that age takes away from us, long-forgotten memories which time restores to us, memories of the same events the details of which no two people ever quite share.
“The plays are all related. Some are sequels to others which turn out to be preludes to others. There are 120 possibilities as to the order in which they can be performed. Each performance will unfold differently in this unique adventure in live theatre. Which order will you see? Nobody knows for certain, least of all us!”
The cast features Russell Dixon who was in Ayckbourn’s Time of My Life at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough and on tour, Nigel Hastings, Krystle Hylton, former EastEnders actress Brooke Kinsella, Alexandra Mathie who was in Ayckbourn’s Neighbourhood Watch at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in 2012, Sophie Roberts whose credits include The Cabinet of Dr Caligari by Sebastian Armesto and Dudley Hinton with simple8 at the Arcola Theatre in 2013, Richard Stacey who was also in Time of My Life at the Stephen Joseph Theatre and Leigh Symonds.
Roundelay is at the New Vic from Tuesday (7 October) until Saturday 25 October.