Playhouse Creatures

Playhouse Creatures runs at The Stables Theatre from Thursday 19 to Sunday 22 November, with five performances over the four nights. It's written by April De Angelis and directed by Liz Mattey.

The play is a comedy about the first actresses legally allowed to perform on the English stage. It takes place in Restoration London, inside a theatre run by an actor-manager and visited by kings and commoners alike, and puts the infamous Nell Gwynn and her contemporaries centre stage. The story draws on the intrigues, bawdiness, struggles and laughter of that world, and the production is described as a love letter to the renegades and trailblazers who were the first women to step out in front of a professional audience. It runs about two hours and ten minutes including the interval, and carries an age guidance of 16+ for partial nudity, strong language and reference to abortion.

The Stables Theatre and Arts Centre is a volunteer-led venue in the heart of Hastings Old Town that's been entertaining audiences since 1959. It puts on around ten amateur productions a year, with a mission to create an inclusive and welcoming community that encourages creative excellence and celebrates the shared experience of live entertainment. Wheelchair-user and carer seats are available only through the Box Office, and the auditorium has an infra-red listening system.

There are five shows in total: 19:30 on Thursday 19, Friday 20 and Saturday 21 November, and a double on Sunday 22 at 14:30 and 19:30. Tickets are £15 for adults, £12 for under-18s and £12 for members.