French's Acting Editions – serie

Specially commissioned to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Southwark Playhouse, Samuel Adamson's new version of A Doll's House brings zest to this classic play. Thus, the story of Nora, the delicate and over-protected wife of Torvald Helmer, who bravely walks away from her confined marriage in a quest for freedom and self-enlightenment, remains poignant and real for modern-day audiences. Naively, Nora has secretly borrowed money for her husband by forging her father's signature. Krogstad, her creditor, has discovered her fraud and threatens to expose her in order to ruin Torvald. When Torvald finally finds out, Nora is appalled that he would protect his own reputation rather than support her.

Adapted for the stage by Paul Allen from Mark Herman's film, Brassed Off was first seen at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre and subsequently at the Olivier at the National Theatre, London. Grimley Colliery is set to close as the accountants say there's more money in it shut than open, even after redundancy payments. It means 1200 job losses, a dying town and the loss of its brass band. But under the leadership of Danny, coughing with coal-dusted lungs, the band is somehow transformed into British champions with local lass Gloria whipping up the money needed to get them to the Albert Hall.

Three Sisters, set in a rural backwater of Russia at the end of the nineteenth century, is a play about dreams, hope, work and love. The sisters of the title dream of returning to Moscow, where their lives, they are certain, will be happier; in the meantime, the eldest and youngest, Olga and Irina, seek solace in work and the middle sister, Masha, married to the local schoolmaster, embarks on a hopeless but passionate affair with Vershinin, commander of the local army battery. Years pass, and their brother Andrei's wife, Natasha, slowly but inexorably ousts Olga and Irina from their family home as well as draining all life and hope from Andrei himself. At the end, rootless and loveless, the sisters face a bleak future with only one certainty: we cannot understand life, we must just endure it. Christopher Hampton's version of Chekhov's classic tragicomedy captures both the light, comic naturalism of its dialogue and the poetic melancholy of its atmosphere, a firm sense of the play's period balancing perfectly with a very modern clarity and economy of expression.It premi red at the Playhouse Theatre in 2003 with Kristin Scott-Thomas, Robert Bathurst, James Fleet and Eric Sykes among a distinguished cast.

Spring 1903. Russia, And the cherry orchard is up for sale. Lyuboy Ranevskaya ran away to Paris five years ago after her only son drowned. Coming back to her beloved childhood home, she's faced with a mound of debts and an impossible decision - lose the family estate or carve up the land for summer holiday cottages. Lopakhin, the wealthy son of a former serf on the estate, sees a money-spinning opportunity and urges her to consider his scheme. But to Lyubov, the magnificent cherry orchard means everything. Written in 1904, The Cherry Orchard was Chekhov's last great comedy of life. This new version by Samuel Adamson was first produced by Oxford Stage Company on a UK tour and at London's Riverside Studios, with Geraldine James as Lyubov and Trevor Fox as Lopakhin.

This sophisticated, witty take on an extra-marital affair was joint runner-up in the National Drama Festival Association's George Taylor Memorial Award. Caroline is married to dependable Robert, has two children and works in an employment agency. When attractive Tony Brunetti comes for an interview, she is immediately attracted by his flirtatious charm. So begins the slippery slope into an affair which becomes more passionate and dangerous as it progresses. Clandestine meetings in hotel rooms and deceit piled upon deceit, jeopardise both their marriages as they go through the seven stages of an affair before they do "the decent thing" and call a halt - but not without regrets on both sides.

It is 1934. Winsome Manor is in financial difficulties and, with a heavy heart, the widowed Lady Winsome needs to fire long-standing servants Joe the gardener and James the chauffeur. However, unbeknown to Lady Winsome, James has been using the estate's Rolls Royce for a taxi business and Joe has been profiting from the garden produce. As the play unfolds, the two desperately attempt to prevent Lady Winsome from discovering their illicit dealings and from selling the Manor. But Lady Winsome is not so naive and with a final twist-in-the-tail this amusing one act play comes to a surprising conclusion.

Eliza Metcalf's one dream was to be a violinist, but her family's poverty robbed her of the chance; when her son was old enough to learn she transferred her ambition to him. But the boy didn't want to be different from his peers, didn't want to be seen as a snob...Eliza's House opens with the son returning home after a long absence; Eliza herself is in hospital and he has come to collect his violin in order to sell it. But he has not reckoned on meeting the eleven year-old girl who has befriended his mother, nor on the flood of memories this encounter produces in him and which we see enacted by his younger self. The clash of parents and children; the pull of the past; the force of memory; the bittersweet nature of love: are all themes of this delicate and moving drama, winner of the Arts Council Children's Award for 2001. Running time: approximately one hour.

Bill and Bob are forklift drivers whose joky badinage disguises turbulence in their home lives. Bill and his wife Jane are mourning the cot death of their baby daughter, Jane turning more and more to alcohol to find release. Bob's wife Mo is becoming restless as, their children having left home, she now wants a life of her own - a change of attitude Bob refuses to understand. Grief, sexism, personal fulfilment and marital discord are themes of this powerful drama which is often funny and which reflects its subject in its salty, outspoken dialogue. Running time: approximately one hour.

Recently widowed, Anna is visited by her three middle-aged children who have decided that the family house must be sold and Anna move either to a residential home or sheltered housing. In fact, anywhere so long as it's not with any of them. However, their veneer of filial concern doesn't fool Anna who has other ideas. Far from suffering from the dementia her children imagine she is starting, Anna has organized her own future in Florida that doesn't include any of her selfish offspring, although it does encompass the new man in her life.

Dirk, a former American movie star turned US Senator, is held hostage at gunpoint by English journalist Jay in a seedy hotel room somewhere in England. Is she an obsessive fan, an activist with a grudge, or something more sinister? Gradually Jay reveals her purpose and offers Dirk a deal which will guarantee both their places in history. But an unexpected twist will force Jay's hand...A gripping, intelligent drama with a running time of thirty minutes.

Lacking in self-esteem? Overwhelmed by the issues facing you? Then enrol in Camp Confidence. That's what Maria (terrified of birds), Blanche (agoraphobic), Donna (single mum on probation) and Cherry (an obsessive cleaner) have done. Led by the skilled but harassed Julia and her uncertain assistant Fiona, the four learn a great deal about each other and themselves and emerge happier and more secure. This is a gentle, warm-hearted comedy with seven excellent roles for women.

Royston Chatsworth is commissioned to film a sanitized documentary contrasting old-style mental health care with the improvement 1990s care-in-the-community has brought. Showing him around the derelict ward of a former mental hospital is nurse-turned-caretaker, Janet. Determined to show the reality of care-in-the-community, Janet introduces Milly, an old baglady and former inmate who returns to the empty hospital as it's the only shelter she has. But as Royston experiences a flashback into his own life, he makes a life-changing decision. This dynamic one-act drama for a mixed cast makes an ideal festival choice.

Dora is a seaside landlady with special healing skills. Her friend, George is a small time personal manager. Danny, one of his clients, is a brilliant young snooker player with a big future ahead of him. But, Danny has a lot of pain in his past, which, George believes threatens his career, and so, he introduces him to Dora. The play premiered at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, in 2005.

It is the long-awaited annual Christmas prize draw for the Shelf Union Social Club. In a locked committee room, with everything in place for a fair draw, the Chairman, the Treasurer and the Organizer await the beleaguered Mr Pessel, a non-committee guest witness, to pick a winning ticket. A witty, humorous moral entanglement begins when Mr Pessel draws a ticket belonging to Mr Brooker, one of the richest men in the area and not a ticket belonging to someone more worthy of winning the first-prize hamper.

Jill has served time for killing her husband who abused her. Making a new start as a window cleaner, she disturbs Daryl, who is in the process of stealing from an expensive apartment. Panicking, Daryl holds Jill captive but she gets him taking about his life of crime and the wife who left him, taking with her his much-adored young daughter. In turn, Jill relates her tragic history and it gradually becomes apparent they have much in common. A final twist throws them together in an unlikely partnership with hope for the future. This is a compassionate and insightful play from the author of "Me and My Friend".

In this one-woman play, middle-aged Angela attempts to find a new life when husband Max leaves for a younger woman. Using a blend of comedy and pathos, Geraldine Aron recounts Angela's journey back to happiness...

It is 1999. Hannah is sixteen. She loves karaoke and her bloke Bullfrog; she hates her home town of Margate and the Kosovan asylum-seekers who have come to live there. Hanna is also sixteen. She loves karaoke, loves Margate - and is one of the asylum-seekers. Slowly and unexpectedly, the two become friends, Hannah being forced to face up to her prejudices. This play for two young women addresses important issues through comedy, personal drama and the uniting power of music.

In a West End synagogue, three septuagenarians, Sophie, Hetty and Magda meet every Tuesday to play the card game Kaluki. Loretta, a youthful forty-seven year-old, keeps the score. But all this is about to change when their synagogue is to be sold to a strip club owner. These intrepid ladies decide to take direct action and barricade themselves in their fated synagogue. Can they succeed or will their constant bickering put paid to their plan?

Joyce has the thankless task of organizing the teas for the Floral Art Club. Thankless, because Mrs Cowper-Jones can only criticize others' efforts. And, true to form, Mrs Cowper-Jones arrives in full fault-finding flow, complete with large floral arrangement and the hapless Beryl in tow. But today has more in store for Mrs Cowper-Jones than she could possibly imagine - lucky for her, and her audience, that she once met Constance Spry!

Women are serving community punishment orders and are growing the vegetables for soup kitchens on an allotment. Marcie is convicted of dangerous driving; Norah, a serial shoplifter, hasn't recovered from the death of her daughter thirty years ago; Belle is convicted of blackmailing her boss and Lorna, an actress, is convicted of criminal damage to a theatre. It is the first morning for Daisy, the new probation officer, and she is brimming with new ideas for the women's rehabilitation. However, the tables are cleverly turned when a traumatic event in Daisy's past catches up with her, putting her on a par with the others.

Teresa oversees a women's charity, smugly imagining that she dispenses invaluable advice to any with the temerity to walk through the door. So when dowdy, middle-aged Melanie turns up to volunteer, Teresa soon puts her straight. The arrival of patronizing Mrs Castle-Kettle, daughter of the charity's founder, ruffles even more feathers. And then along comes Angie, a quiet woman with a big secret...

Every morning, George Jackson, a bank-clerk from Peckham, believes that two million pounds will miraculously arrive in the post and when it doesn't he is miserable. Harry, George's son, sends a message to a mysterious website - unicornhelp@elysianfields.com, requesting happiness for his dad. He summons the help of a troublesome magical Unicorn, who wishes to be useful not just beautiful, and his keeper, Stanley. However, George is only interested in wealth and the Unicorn has to teach him some valuable lessons before peace is restored to the Jackson house.