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The Southbury Child
Raffish, urbane and frequently drunk, Reverend David Highland has kept a grip on his remote coastal parish through a combination of disordered charm and high-handed determination.
When his faith impels him to take a hard line with a bereaved parishioner, he finds himself dangerously isolated from public opinion. As his own family begins to fracture, David must face a future that threatens to extinguish not only his position in the town, but everything he stands for.
A darkly comic drama exploring family and community, the savage divisions of contemporary society, and the rituals that punctuate our lives. It was co-produced by Chichester Festival Theatre and the Bridge Theatre, London, in 2022, starring Alex Jennings and directed by Nicholas Hytner.
Reviews of the Play
"This painfully funny play... is the best West Country drama I’ve seen since ‘Jerusalem’. But it will divide people - triggering them along the fault lines which split the seaside parish it describes, where mildewed institutions and trad public service values are spliced with offense culture, zero-hours poverty, and a loss of meaningful purpose and employment in both middle and working-class life" Caroline McGinn, Time Out
"an interesting, funny, emotional play about a battle between tradition and modernity." Paul Lewis, Theatre Reviews
"His new comedy [about] an affable vicar whose principles put him at odds with the world, is 'An Enemy of the People' with hints of 'The Winslow Boy'." Ryan Gilbey, The Guardian
In line with our EDI policy, we undertake an EDI impact assessment of all our artistic programming. This play has no central diversity message. For the purposes of the story narrative, the part of Naomi must be played by an actor of global majority background. On the character notes, there are indications where specific playing gender identifications are called for and there are also recommendations of approximate playing ages. Otherwise there can be flexibility around casting with regard to ethnicity, age and disability.
Anniversary Celebrations 2021
February 2021-February 2022 was the 60th anniversary of the Criterion Theatre opening. Why not check out the wonderful interviews conducted so far with members reflecting on their favourite memories and stories about the Criterion over the last 60 years in our Criterion Memories project.