Hollywood and Am-Dram collide in Wivelsfield's latest production

Jefferson Steel, a has-been Hollywood actor, is convinced by his agent to accept a role playing King Lear at Stratford in the hopes of revitalising his career. When he gets to England he realises he is not in the beautful and famous surroundings of the Bard's birthplace acting with the Royal Shakespeare Company, but in fact he is in a totally different Stratford in Suffolk, acting with a bunch of amateurs in a run-down barn. As you would expect this results in jealously, tantrums, complications and scandal, and many laughs along the way.

The performances are from May 15-18 at the Village Hall, Wivelsfield Green. Doors open 7pm and curtain up is 7.30pm. Tickets are £12 and are available at ticketsource.co.uk/wlt or by ringing the box office on 0333 666 3366.

Members of the cast for the spring production are Dale Brown, Alan Carter, Maggie Carter, Susie D’arcy, Laurence Leng, James McKinnie and Rebecca Sayers-Brown.

Director Lesley Corbett said: "We are lucky enough to have a very strong field of actors in the cast, who are working hard … and laughing hard during rehearsals. Our amazing support teams are also giving it their all, especially the props team who are valiantly finding 4 pages of props … I’ve never seen a play that needed so much ‘stuff’. Watch out for the ping-pong balls!"

2024 is a special year for Wivelsfield Little Theatre, as they are celebrating their Diamond Anniversary, marking 60 years since their first production in December 1964 when they put on a sketch, Freckles, a one-act comedy entitled A Civil Marriage and a detective story called Death in Four Flats. The evening, held in the Reading Room, a small hall, had its restrictions, but Wivelsfield continued putting on plays until they moved to the Village Hall when it opened in 1982. Nowadays they put on two main productions annually as well as various other performances, and welcome new members whatever their age, experience or interest.