Stagedore Theatre: Daytrippers

Co-workers, one prudish and one confident, learn a little more than they ought about themselves and their colleagues, during a wonderfully funny outing to the seaside.

Set on a beach, Day Trippers is part of the 'Deckchairs' collection of shorts plays and is a funny, light and touching vignette of female friendship; a snapshot of a day in the lives of two old friends whose long and close friendship is sorely tested!

Age 10+

About the company

Following on from six highly successful years running Appledore-based, Total Theatre School, local actors Sara Pruce and Carol Carey felt the time was right, to move on and fulfil their long-held ambition to start a local, professional, theatre company.

Stagedore Theatre Company was formed following the pandemic, to create regional theatre employing actors and directors based in the Southwest. Sara says, “Carol and I recognise that there are many professionally trained performers who live in the region, so we decided to create performance opportunities closer to home, whilst building local audiences for our productions. That way professional, live theatre can be more accessible, with a lower carbon footprint!” Theatrefest is a fantastic opportunity to get our name out there and be a part of an exciting, varied and innovative programme.

Stagedore enjoyed sell-out success with their first project Death of a Well-Spoken Gentleman, a murder-mystery which they performed in Appledore in November 2021and again in 2022 at St Anne's, Barnstaple; S.P.A.C.E by Bev Clark followed at Theatrefest June 2022 and Side by Side by Sondheim at The Plough, Torrington in September 2022.

Day Trippers could be said to have the new 3F film rating! 1) Written by a woman, Jean McConnell, 2) directed by a woman, Rosamund Smith and 3) performed by 2 women, Sara & Carol!

Review by Laurie Tarling 23/06/2023

Stagedore Theatre Company’s ‘Day Trippers’ by Jean McConnell – Gallery@QT

A play written, directed and performed by women – what’s not to love?? Actors Sara Pruce and Carol Carey and director Rosamund Smith are all local professional creatives with a wealth of performing experience between them. This show is an absolute joy. The characters of Doris and Beryl are instantly recognisable and there is something delicious about watching two female colleagues who can’t quite work out if they want to be friends or if actually they can’t stand each other!! There are strong overtones of Victoria Wood in both the writing and the performances – how wonderful to watch something that is just really, really funny. The audience enjoyment and gleeful recognition of some very well-observed moments of visual comedy was palpable.

Go and see this – or, as Doris might say, ‘Oh go on, loosen up and live a little – have a bit of fun’.