Serjeant Musgrave’s Dance
by John Arden
Directed by Lisa Thomas
Performances: Wednesday 18th January to Saturday 21st January 2006, Prompt Corner
The Serjeant and three of his men arrive in a northern mining town with a sinister cargo. Deserters from a late-Victorian colonial war, they pose as recruiters, while the townspeople believe they will be strike-breakers. But Serjeant Musgrave has a much darker purpose, to make the town face the terrifying reality of war, and implicate them in the bloodshed...
First performed in 1959 at the Royal Court Theatre, John Arden's "un-historical parable" still has much to say about the reality of war and what it does to the men who fight it. Written in a richly poetic style, the play is a classic piece of political theatre with a great range of characters and a truly gut-wrenching twist in the penultimate scene.
Cast (in order of appearance)
Private Sparky - Paul Gibbons
Private Hurst - Simon Holland
Private Attercliffe - John Thompson
Bargee - Chris Burke
Serjeant Musgrave - Chris Bennett
Parson - Christopher Vian-Smith
Mrs Hitchcock - Emma Hillman
Annie - Angela Barnes
Mayor - Bob Callender
Constable - Nick Mansley
Slow collier - David Lomas
Pugnacious collier - Chaz Doyle
Walsh - David McDonald
Crew
Lighting design - Mike Elliott
Set design - Simon Holland
Stage manager/props - Graham Clements
Lighting operator/prompt - Anna York
Lisa Thomas Director
| 
