About the play
“terrific comedy packed with killer comic dialogue… plenty of twists and turns” Whatsonstage
Keen to boost his flagging career, fading Hollywood action hero Jefferson Steele arrives in England to play King Lear in Stratford – only to find that this is not the birthplace of the Bard, but a sleepy Suffolk village. And instead of Kenneth Branagh and Dame Judi Dench, the cast are a bunch of amateurs trying to save their theatre from developers. Jefferson’s monstrous ego, vanity and insecurity are tested to the limit by the enthusiastic am-dram thespians. As acting worlds collide and Jefferson’s career implodes, he discovers some truths about himself – along with his inner Lear!
At the beginning of the script, Nick Newman writes in his notes – “A Bunch of Amateurs is a love letter to amateur dramatics”.
Cast
Dorothy Nettle
Nigel Dewbury
Mary Plunkett
Dennis Dobbins
Jefferson Steele
Lauren Bell
Jessica Steele