Breakaway Theatre Company returns to The Maltings Arts Theatre with The Actress by Peter Quilter.
Lydia Martin, a renowned leading lady, is starring in Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard. It is the night of her very last performance; she is retiring from the stage and moving to Switzerland with her elderly, rich fiancé.
Most of the play takes place in Lydia’s dressing room, where she is assisted by her long-suffering dresser, Kathryn. There’s rarely a quiet moment, as visitors come and go: Lydia’s daughter Nicole, Charles, her fiancé, Paul, her ex-husband, Harriet, her agent, and Margaret,
the Company Manager. These interactions are funny, sad and even downright brutal!
Anyone involved in “Theatre” may recognise the behaviour of some of the characters, and for the innocent, it provides a humorous peek at what can go on backstage!
Director Lesley Cowland, who also directed Breakaway’s NODA award-winning shows Wildest Dreams (2024) and Ladies Down Under (2025), says: “The Actress is a comedy about how fame and fortune can create a monster. However, is Lydia really that bad?”
This amateur production of The Actress by Peter Quilter is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd. on behalf of Samuel French Ltd. www.concordtheatricals.co.uk
