Theatre / 18c
Preview: Appetite, Tobacco Factory Theatre
An illustrious cast of actors from Bristol and beyond present this fundraising staged reading of a brand new comedy by Bristol playwright Frances Butt.
Set in 18th century Bristol, this story of women struggling to survive on their own terms in a hostile world stars Sophie Ward (Young Sherlock Holmes), Timothy Bentinck (The Archers’ David Archer), Nickolas Grace, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School graduate Crystal Condie (pictured), Jake McGann and Vincenzo Pellegrino.
How can an unmarried woman get by in 1770? Her options are few. Business is brisk, however, at Bristol’s Hot Well. Merchants stuff their coffers with profits from the infamous ships returning from the Indies. But Lucinda, a lady of the evening – well-educated, well-dressed and well on the wrong side of 40 – is losing her regular merchants and Naval officers to younger competitors.
On the upside, runaway slave Sarah, her sharp-tongued maid, is an excellent cook, and sailors bring exotic ingredients for Lucinda’s table – so shrewd landlady Mrs. Hackett drops by often. But life is about to get even harder for all three of them…
“The original idea for Appetite came to my husband Bill Butt years ago after being shown a small ‘wig room’ on the landing of a handsome Georgian lodging house, not far from site of the original Hot Well House,” explains the play’s author Frances Butt.
“The play is firmly rooted in 1770 and in Bristol, and its characters arose from some extensive research into culinary, sex trade, slavery and naval history – as well as contemporaneous literature and music.
“Appetite is a story of women surviving on their own terms in a hostile world; a tale of courage and friendship. Its themes resonate with both charities supported by this evening’s performance. The play is rooted in history. If only slavery was too.”
Proceeds from the evening will go to local charities Unseen, working with today’s survivors of trafficking and slavery, and One25, helping women escape street sex work and build new lives.
Appetite Sunday, February 1, Tobacco Factory Theatre. For more info and to book tickets, visit www.tobaccofactorytheatres.com/shows/detail/appetite
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