Play Previews - Sussex Express - Thursday 7 June 2018

Theatre dreams growing in Selsey! Gillian Plowman has got a little feeling that The Pavilion in Selsey might just become one of those cult theatres that people travel miles to visit. In the meantime, Gillian is certainly doing her bit to make it happen. For the fourth year in a row, she is the playwright behind Tonight At The Pavilion… After success with plays looking at World War One, Charlie Chaplin and Laurel & Hardy, this year she is offering a double bill of one act-play, running from July 29-August 3 at The Pavilion, Selsey: “The Ox And The Ass” and “Spindrift”– A Seaside Ghost Story”. The Ox and the Ass is a heart-searching story about a father and his son. Jeremy Forr-Favell, well-educated and from a privileged background, has embraced life as a cat burglar, spending time behind bars as a result. Now, leaving prison once again, and suffering from the results of a fall, he is given houseroom by his maths teacher son, Henry, who will let his father stay as long as he goes straight. But can their rocky relationship survive the arrival of a stolen Picasso painting? In Spindrift, Beth hopes that two quiet summer months in the quaint little house by the sea will help her recover from the emotional turmoil of her life. But she is plagued by the locals – Daphne who lives on the beach; Nadine, the holiday letting agent; Charlie, the bean grower; and … a ghost. A storm rages outside as Beth discovers that the house holds secrets. If she reveals them, will she be left in peace or does she risk destroying their lives? Ultimately Gillian hopes the plays’ success will hasten the day the venue becomes a sought-after theatre. “These are effectively new plays especially for the Pavilion theatre and especially for Selsey and hopefully they will attract people from elsewhere who will come across the A27 and come down to see us. I do think this could well become one of those cult places that people are happy to travel some distance to come to see…”