‘The Women’ by Hereford College of Arts Students

Extended Diploma Performing Arts students from the Hereford College of Arts will be performing their final major piece ‘The Women – a show all about men!’ in Hereford this month.

‘The Women’ was originally written in 1936 by Claire Boothe-Luce as a ‘comedy of manners’; a satire based on the lives of privileged socialites of 1930s Manhattan. The play has been adapted for a contemporary audience by the Art College’s Performing Arts lecturer Naomi Dale-Cook; whilst it is still set in the 1940s with a satirical and forthright tone, the adaption has topical links to the populism of current reality TV shows. As with the original, male characters are never seen on stage, but frequently feature as the topics of the lively and animated discussions of ‘The Women’. The play also features Broadway music from prominent American composers of the feature era; Cole Porter, Cy Coleman, Marvin Hamlisch.

Students are also treating their final piece as an opportunity to raise funds for two important Herefordshire charities: the Hereford Food Bank and the Family Holiday Association, with collections set to take place during the performances.

The first showings will take place at the Folly Arts Theatre on 13th June at 1pm and 7pm, as part of the College’s Summer Show public event running from June 10^th – 17^th. The third and final performance will be at the Leftbank Ballroom on 15th June at 8pm. Tickets are available from the box office on 01432 273 359, and cost £5, or £3 for concessions. For more information on the Hereford College of Arts Summer Show, visit the website at www.hca.ac.uk/summershow.