Totally Stoked Theatre presents BENT by Martin Sherman at the Stoke Pub & Pizzeria between Friday 7 and Sunday 9 November. The very talented local cast and crew of Totally Stoked will be performing their first ever production and this touching play will have you laughing and crying in equal measure.
BENT was written by Martin Sherman and was first performed in London in 1979, starring legendary British actor Ian McKellan. It has since then been produced all over the world including a Broadway show starring Richard Gere and has even been adapted onto the big screen in 1997 featuring Clive Owen, Mick Jagger, Jude Law and again, Ian Mckellan. This production however, will be directed by Mike Willoughby and performed in the spacious function room of The Stoke at 7.30pm on each of the three evenings.
BENT follows the life of a young gay man named Max, living in Berlin just before the beginning of World War II. The play follows his care-free and hedonistic life with his boyfriend Rudy, from the excesses of life in the gay clubs and bars to suddenly being on the run from the Gestapo. Despite all odds he meets a man in a concentration camp who teaches him how to love and ultimately be proud of what he is and in a short space of time, Max grows from a selfish, fun-loving hustler into someone who is capable of love and heroism in the face of true horror.
Totally Stoked was thought up by four people – Mike Willoughby, Tony Carpenter, Sarah Blacker and Kirsty Lane, who met and became friends through working with local amateur group The Pranksters. The Pranksters have been established since 1977 and they perform regularly throughout the year at venues such as The Electric Theatre and at the Castle Grounds. Totally Stoked came about as the four friends decided that they would like to try out doing shows that were slightly more ‘fringe’ and they wanted to use much smaller casts in order to bet more flexible and not have to commit to huge rehearsal periods.
The Stoke is well renowned for its live music, quizzes, art projects and now they have their very own theatre group! The pub has strong ties already with The Pranksters and is always looking at ways to expand its artistic credentials, so it seemed the perfect place for Totally Stoked to use as a base for this new project. The company have plans to put on a new play every couple of months at The Stoke and already have the next one in the works- so watch this space!
Tickets for BENT cost £10 per person in advance and can be purchased HERE.
Warning: This production contains Nudity, Swearing and Gunfire and is strictly for ages 18+