After debuting at the Swindon Fringe Festival in April to rave reviews, The Door returns for one night only at The Shoebox Theatre.
On June the 26th, 2016, the UK voted to leave the EU. However you chose to vote one thing cannot be denied, the referendum campaign was divisive, society was split down the middle and things will never be the same again.
The Door, the debut stage play from Swindon based writer/director Alex Secker, attempts to capture the mood of the country right night, and hopes to make sense of it. But don’t get bogged down, this isn’t your average political thriller – if you don’t like the politics, then come for the edge of your seat tension, incredible performances and witty script.
When six strangers awaken in a windowless room, with no idea how they got there, tensions are running hight. The only visible means of escape appears to be a large door, which is locked. However, when their unseen captor gives them a choice – “remain in the room or leave through the door” – things begin to spiral out of control. How can they trust what their captor says? How can they trust each other? As each of the strangers attempts to convince the others of their view, a question is raised; can we really work together when we’re already so divided?
Upon it’s debut performance during the Fringe The Door received acclaim from its audience, it was labeled “Amazing!”, “Funny, poignant and clever!” and “socially eye opening!”. It’s because of this incredible response that the cast and crew have decided to bring it back for one night only.
“When I wrote the play I was really just trying to see if I could,” says writer/director Alex Secker, “the country had gone through this huge thing and come out the other side divided and bitter. I wanted to see if I could take that feeling and make something out of it. I never expected it to get the response it got, it just seems crazy! But people really responded to it!”
The show had audiences on the “edge of my seat”, in no small part thanks to the incredible performances on display, the cast feature Laura Coates, Daniella Faircloth, David Higgins, Louise van der Watt, Matthew Mordak and Olly Webb. “After the 12th we’re going to be taking it to Bristol and Bath and hopefully London,” Secker continues, “it just seems silly not to. People kept coming up to me afterwards and telling me, “you’ve got to tour it, you’ve got to take it elsewhere,” and then, when I would tell them it costs a lot of money, they started offering to pay! It’s insane! I guess it just really resonated with people!”
But what does the young director see for the future of the production? “I just really hope people enjoy it. The political aspect was a jumping off point, like Animal Farm or The Thing, it’s not really what it’s about. It’s about people, and I think everyone can relate to that.”
The Door is showing at the Shoebox Theatre, Theatre Square on the 12th May at 7:30pm, you can get tickets from www.shoeboxtheatre.org.uk/whatson, but hurry, they’re selling out fast!
