Wharf Theatre

Friday 5th to Saturday 13th March at 7.30 pm

By Enid Bagnold, Directed by Merrily Powell

View more publicity photos in the Photo Gallery

The Chalk Garden concerns a dysfunctional, upper middle-class family.  Mrs St Maugham, a lonely, ageing socialite is having as little success in raising Laurel, her wild, emotionally damaged granddaughter with a penchant for pyromania, as she is in making her unresponsive garden blossom.  Tensions build with the prospect of Mrs St Maugham's estranged daughter returning to reclaim Laurel.  A willing but inexperienced manservant attempts to keep the house and its inmates on an even keel. Over this hovers the unseen presence of Pinkbell, the retired butler who still attempts to rule the roost from his sick bed. Meanwhile, Miss Madrigal, a woman with a mysterious past and a talent for gardening is hired as a companion for Laurel.  As she begins to tame both the eponymous garden and the wayward granddaughter, a calm begins to settle over the hoisehold until the arrival of an unexpected luncheon guest with a knowledge of Miss Madrigal's past.

 "A hauntingly beautiful, dark comedy." Evening Post

"Extravagently eloquent and irresistably vivid". The Times

Tickets £7 and £8.  Booking from 8th February

To all members and supporters of the Wharf Theatre:

The Theatre is run entirely by volunteers and, if you don't fancy acting on stage, there are always lots of opportunities for you to help out with vital and rewarding responsibilities off the stage, both behind the scenes and in the Front of House.  Each performance requires normally around eleven volunteers to help run the box office, bar and refreshments, manage the stage, props and actors, run the lighting and sound effects required and carry out the essential duties of perfomance licencee.  In addition, there are numerous opportunites to help design, build and decorate sets, as well as to compose publicity material help with the distribution and management of publicity material (including the content of this website). 

If you enjoy theatre but do not want to appear on stage, why not double your enjoyment by joining one of our off-stage teams to help provide critical supporting skills that the Theatre needs.  Training is provided for these responsibilities, and you will not only meet similarly enthusiastic people but also become a valuable part of the Theatre family.

You do not need to be a member to come and have a look and to try out these tasks, although if you wish to pursue technical and back-stage work for productions you will ultimately require membership.  To find out more, please e-mail the Chairman or any of the Management team via the Contacts page.

Management Posts available soon:

The following posts are becoming available for Members in the near future:

Administrator

If you are interested in finding out more about these posts, please call or e-mail the Chairman on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  

...we need your help!

As we continue to expand our website, we need more and more information and pictures to help build up a great resource for everyone. If you have any information about, or pictures from, previous Wharf Productions, please send them to us! Email them to the webmaster: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . We'd also love to have any items of historical interest about the theatre.

Also, why not become a registered user of the Wharf Theatre Website. Stay up to date with exciting developments about the theatre's website and show your support for the theatre (please note that this facility is still being customised). But of course, why not become a full member? Contact Us for more information.