THE Esk Valley Theatre is approaching its 11th season of producing professional theatre at Glaisdale, near Whitby, in the heart of the North York Moors, and this year theatregoers have the chance to see a remarkable play by writer Ben Brown.

Sometime in 1993 when Ben was just 23, he was sitting in the Bodleian Law Library in Oxford going through his tutor’s reading list when he opened the journal Law and Philosophy and came across an obituary of a philosopher who’d committed suicide. Ben said: “What intrigued me was that he claimed not to be depressed (and wasn’t terminally ill), but had simply decided that it was a good time to go and would make a good end to the story of his life, going out on a high rather than declining. He was 49 years old. I wondered what might have happened if things had not gone as smoothly as he’d planned…”

Ben pitched the idea to the legendary West End producer Michael Codron, who specified that the play should be “delectably funny, astringent and, yes, commercial too”. And so All Things Considered was born…

Michael Codron sent it to Alan Ayckbourn, who gave it its first production in Scarborough, and it was then rapidly produced in London, Paris, Sydney and (for a four-month run) Germany.

Esk Valley Theatre director Mark Stratton says: “I was lucky enough to see the first production at Scarborough in 1996 and it is a play that has stayed at the forefront of my mind for many years. It was beautifully acted and directed and had so much to say in a funny and thought-provoking way.”

Producer Sheila Carter adds: “It gives us great pleasure that we are able to bring this work to our audiences and the actors joining us this year are Bill Champion, Rachel Barry, Tom Bevan, David Chafer, Alison Darling and Clara Perez. All are new to EVT, but all come with a wealth of professional experience behind them. Heading the cast is Bill Champion who is playing the central role of David Freeman and will be familiar to those who frequent the Stephen Joseph Theatre. Bill has created many roles for Alan Ayckbourn and has appeared on stage in London and New York. He has also worked on TV series in the UK and US.”

* Performances: Thursday, August 6 to Saturday, August 29 at 7.30pm Monday to Saturday; matinees at 2.30pm – Saturdays 8th and15th, Thursdays 13th, 20th and 27th, Tuesdays 18th and 25th.

Tickets: £13.00 (£11.50 concessions). Groups: one free ticket for every ten booked. Box Office: 01947-897587 or eskvalleytheatre.co.uk

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