Westside Players

A Victorian thriller full of psychological twists and turns. The Manningham’s house on Angel Street is not a happy home. Why is Mr. Manningham so severe? Why is Mrs. Manningham so subdued? She fears her sanity is slipping away just as her mother’s did. Meanwhile the gaslights keep dimming without being touched. Is police inspector Rough real or simply a figment of her imagination? Can he unravel the tightly stitched secrets of the house before the lights go out completely?

In one frantic evening, the Markham’s top-floor London flat becomes the site of an attempted affair, a try at a tryst, and  averted adultery.  Mistaken identities and just plain mistakes add to the fun of playing roles from bimbo to best-selling author.

True West
by Sam Shepard
July 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, 31

Desperate to finish writing a film script, Austin is house sitting for his mother. But the solitude is shattered by his brother, Lee, who’s sure he can beat Austin at his own game. While Austin tries his hand at Lee’s occupations–heavy drinking and petty theft–Lee pitches a movie idea to the producer who’d optioned Austin’s script. The brothers’ life-long sibling rivalry escalates into a violent contest for survival and a struggle for identity. The dialogue and action are often as funny as the themes are serious.

FOR MATURE AUDIENCES

On Golden Pond
by Ernest Thompson
October 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30

Ethel and Norman Thayer are returning for their 48th summer at their home on Golden Pond when their daughter and her fiancé leave his son for the summer while they visit Europe. The couple discover the grandchild they never had in the fiancé’s son. It is a summer of learning and experiences as the boy learns about fishing and good books and Norman learns about being a teenager again. In the end Ethel and Norman realize how precious their time is together on Golden Pond.