Behind the Scenes Archives – Wokingham Theatre

Romantic Comedy in conversation with Director Mel Hampshire

Bernard Slade’s Romantic Comedy opens at Wokingham Theatre in a few weeks. We’ve sat down with director Mel Hampshire to hear what audiences can expect from the penultimate show of the 2025/26 season at Wokingham Theatre First of all, without giving too much away, tell us what Romantic Comedy is about? It starts off in 1965 in a New York townhouse, the home of acclaimed playwright Jason Carmichael. He has recently fallen out with his writing partner and is about to get married, when Phoebe Craddock enters his life and there is an instant attraction between them. Despite the c

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? In conversation with Director Sophie Earle-Thorpe

Edward Albee’s modern classic, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is coming to Wokingham Theatre for the first time this Spring. Set in one night, in one living room, in the 1960s, the play tells the story of a college professor George, and his wife, Martha, who have just returned home drunk from a party. They are joined for a nightcap by newlyweds Nick and Honey; he, the opportunistic new college professor and she, his seemingly naive new bride. Drinks flow. Inhibitions melt. And secrets are revealed. We’ve sat down with director Sophie Earle-Thorpe to hear what audiences have in sto

The Watsons in Conversation: Director’s Q&A with Hedda Bird

As the final preparations are underway for our March production, we sit down with Director Hedda Bird to hear what we can expect from Laura Wade’s comedy, based on Jane Austen’s unfinished novel The Watsons. First of all, without giving too much away, tell us what The Watsons is about? It starts clearly as an adaptation of Jane Austen’s unfinished novel – The Watsons. The play explores the same themes that Austen continually examined – the imperative to marry for love as well as financial security, and young women’s desire to be seen and heard, within the context of the period.&nbs

In conversation with Frankenstein Director Indigo Hogg

Wokingham Youth Theatre’s modern retelling of Mary Shelley’s classic gothic horror Frankenstein comes to Wokingham Theatre on Thursday 19 February. Ahead of this play coming to life on our stage, we sat down with Director Indigo Hogg to hear what audiences have in store. Frankenstein has always been a story about creation, ownership, belonging, and consequence. In Rona Munro’s bold feminist adaptation of this gothic classic, these questions are reframed through the woman who first imagined the monster. By placing Mary Shelley at the centre of the action, this version questions not

Lovesong in conversation: Director’s Q&A with Sophie Pierce

The first production of 2026 for Wokingham Theatre is Abi Morgan’s Lovesong, a beautiful, modern drama about one couple’s 40 year marriage, told by both their younger and older selves. The play was originally staged by renowned UK physical theatre company, Frantic Assembly, and now is being brought to life on the WT stage by Director Sophie Pierce. We sat down with her to hear what audiences can expect from the first play of the new year. First of all, without giving too much away, what is the play about? Well, put simply, the play is about life and love. It is about one couple’s marriage, in

The Winslow Boy: Director’s Q&A with Jenny Brown

Terence Rattigan’s The Winslow Boy opens at Wokingham Theatre in October, based on the true story of a famous Edwardian court case involving a 13-year-old boy wrongfully accused of theft. We sat down with Director Jenny Brown to hear how she has found her first production at WT, why she believes in living and breathing every project she takes on, and what she sees as the universal themes contained within this beloved play. Without giving away the whole plot, tell us about The Winslow Boy. The Winslow Boy is about a middle-class family with a son at military college, who has been accused

Much Ado: Directors Q&A with Alan Long

A VE Day retelling of Shakespeare’s most famous romantic comedy will be rounding off the June 2024/25 season at Wokingham Theatre. We sat down with Director Alan Long to hear what audiences can expect from our production of Much Ado About Nothing. Without giving too much away for those who aren’t familiar, can you tell us a bit about the story? In many ways, it’s one of the original rom coms, featuring all the classic rom com tropes. People fall in love, there is a problem, people fall out of love, there is a genius solution and all is well. It’s your basic rom com structure! But in this case

How to get involved backstage at WT

The creative opportunities for getting involved with a Wokingham Theatre production extend far beyond acting, with the technical teams backstage providing the beating heart of theatre life. As we approach our 2025-26 season, our Technical Director Gary Rees, wants to lift the curtain on backstage opportunities, and take some of the fear out of people who may wish to learn a new technical skill, but are nervous about what it might entail. We sat down with him to hear what opportunities there are for getting involved with technical theatre and how to sign up, whatever your level of experie

Love From a Stranger – Director Q&A with Thomas Atkinson-Joy

Originally written in the 1930s, Agatha Christie’s Love from a Stranger is a remarkably contemporary thriller brought up to date to 2025. We’ve sat down with director Thomas Atkinson-Joy to hear what audiences have in store for our June production. Without spoilers, can you tell us a little bit about the play? Without spoilers? Tricky! The show follows Sophie, a young woman who has been stuck in both a fairly loveless long-distance relationship and a dead-end office job that she feels utterly trapped by. When she and her housemate win the lottery, finally she has a chance to escape and

Home I’m Darling – Q&A with Jerry Radburn

Laura Wade’s comedy / drama Home, I’m Darling, is coming to Wokingham Theatre. We sat down with director Jerry Radburn to hear what audiences have in store from our latest production. Without giving too much away (because we know there is a BIG twist in the story) what is the play about? Well that’s the trouble, it’s hard to say much without giving away the big twist, which we realise at the end of the first scene. But the story is examining the roles of women and domestic life in the 1950s, but the author looks at it through a modern day, contemporary lens. I think many of our audience