There's a real appetite for Ayckbourn in Alsager

MARION Smith and Austin Stickley make their directing debuts for Alsager Community Theatre next month in plays by Alan Ayckbourn.

ACT is staging Mother Figure and Between Mouthfuls from Ayckbourn's collection Confusions, alongside The Browning Version by Terence Rattigan.

In Mother Figure a woman has spent so long in the company of her three small children that she has lost the ability to relate to other adults.

This results in unexpected and comic consequences when the neighbours call round.

In Between Mouthfuls two couples who are dining out in a restaurant begin to reveal their insecurities and anxieties.

"ACT hasn't performed an Ayckbourn for many years, and I am really enjoying working with the cast to bring Between Mouthfuls, a little gem of a play, to life," said spokesman Austin Stickley.

The Browning Version is the gripping story of a failed public school master, who is broken physically and emotionally and betrayed by his frustrated and unhappy wife.

"After its early success the play has been somewhat neglected in recent years," said its director Terry Shutt.

"I feel very strongly that the time is right for a revival.

"Directing rehearsals has confirmed my view of Rattigan as an extremely skilled craftsman capable of creating a very poignant tale of human frailty."

The three plays involve a cast of 12, and are being staged at Alsager Civic Centre from Thursday, April 14, to Saturday, April 16, at 7.45pm.

Tickets for the production are available from Alsager Information Centre or by ringing 01270 874985.