Chinamen

by Michael Frayn. Directed by Martyn Jolly

Stephen and Jo have invited to dinner, amongst others, their old friend Bee with her new boyfriend Alex. To their horror, they discover that they’ve also invited Bee’s abandoned husband Barney. Stephen and Jo fight, in vain, to keep them all apart.

This one-act play was Frayn’s inspiration behind his full-length mega-success Noises Off.

A Gaggle of Saints

by Neil Labute. Directed by Janie Barnes

In this piece, taken from Bash, a collection of darkly brilliant one-act plays, a young Mormon couple separately recount the violent events of an anniversary weekend in New York City.

After Liverpool

by James Saunders. Directed by Lynsey Seddon

Set today, this modern drama explores the reality of impossible relationships through a banter that is familiar to us all. Through a variety of scenes involving three mismatched couples, we watch them rise and fall, but will they bring themselves to leave?

The dialogue is both funny and thought-provoking, which will strike a chord with us all.