Abigail’s Party

2023 Winner of the prestigious RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award, Jack Bradfield breathes new life into this classic Mike Leigh favourite.

Welcome to Mike Leigh’s cult-classic comedy, and prepare to see it like never before. This is the party to end all parties, and you’re all invited. RSVP.

Beverly, the queen of suburbia, is hosting a cocktail party. Next door, 15-year-old Abigail is throwing a party of her own. No one can stop talking about Abigail’s Party. No one can stop thinking about Abigail’s Party. Something must be done about Abigail’s Party.

Laura Rogers (The Ocean at the End of the Lane, West End) will play self-appointed queen of suburbia, Beverly, who is hosting a cocktail party for her new neighbours. Leander Deeny (Wuthering Heights, China Plate) will play Beverly’s husband Laurence, with Chaya Gupta (The Government Inspector, Marylebone Theatre) and Joe Blakemore (The Hunt for Raoul Moat, ITV) as their working-class neighbours Angela and Tony, and Amy Rockson (Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, Shondaland & Netflix) as next door neighbour Susan, mother of the eponymous Abigail.

An ETT, Northern Stage, Rose Theatre, and Colchester Mercury Theatre Co-Production

Supported by a grant from The Royal Theatrical Support Trust

Audio Described Performance

Sat 26th Oct (2:30pm)

Pre-show Artists Insight

Wednesday, 23 October at 6pm, in theSpace

This session will be facilitated by ETT

The session is FREE for anyone attending the evening performance of Abigail’s Party.

If you are attending another performance, you are welcome. Please book via the Box Office 01253 290190 (Tickets are limited.)

Chris Campbell: Chris read English and French at St Edmund Hall, Oxford. He was the Editorial Director of Oberon Books from 2019 to 2020. He was previously Literary Manager of the Royal Court Theatre and, before that, for six years, he was Deputy Literary Manager of the National Theatre. He is currently the Creative Associate at ETT. He has translated plays by Philippe Minyana, David Lescot, Rémi de Vos, Adeline Picault, Magali Mougel, Launcelot Hamelin, Frédéric Blanchette, Catherine-Anne Toupin and Fabrice Roger-Lacan for The National, The Gate, The Almeida, The Donmar, The Traverse and The Young Vic among others. In 2017, Oberon Books published a collection of his contemporary French translations. Recent productions include Right Now (Traverse/Bush/Ustinov) and Suzy Storck (The Gate).

As an actor Chris has worked at theatres including The National, The Royal Court, The Traverse, The West Yorkshire Playhouse, The Birmingham Rep, The Gate and English Touring Theatre. Directors have included Howard Davies, Sir Richard Eyre, Sir Peter Hall, Richard Wilson, William Gaskill, Erica Whyman, Stephen Daldry, Ian Brown and Annie Castledine. Most recently, he appeared alongside Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady.

Richard Twyman: Richard Twyman took up the role of Artistic Director of ETT in November 2016. He was previously Associate Director (International) at the Royal Court Theatre, where he worked with playwrights across the world to develop their plays. Prior to this, he spent five years at the RSC working on fourteen productions, including the hugely acclaimed Histories Cycle for which he directed Henry IV Pt II, which were honoured with three Olivier Awards, the Evening Standard Editor’s Choice Award and named by The Guardian’s Michael Billington as his production of the decade 2000-2010. Twyman has directed at the Royal Court Theatre, Bush Theatre, Old Vic Tunnels, Theatre Royal Bath and worked alongside Peter Hall on his 80th anniversary production of Twelfth Night at the National Theatre. For the Royal Court Theatre, Twyman has directed You for Me for You by Mia Chung, Torn by Nat Martello-White, Harrogate by Al Smith and The Djinns of Eidgah by Abhishek Majumdar. His other credits include Ditch by Beth Steel, which opened the Old Vic Tunnels; Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Christopher Hampton at Theatre Cocoon, Tokyo/Osaka; Deliver Us by Anna Leader at Théâtres De La Ville Luxembourg; Give Me Your Hand (New York), nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Experience in 2012. For ETT, he has directed Martin Crimp’s Dealing with Clair at the Orange Tree Theatre and the critically acclaimed production of Othello, which toured the UK and internationally from 2017-2019. In 2013 he was appointed Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres by the French government.

If you love Drama, see what else we have coming to Blackpool Grand Theatre this season HERE