Ladies' Day

L-R: Siobhan Healey (Linda), Emma Marshall (Shelly), Director Bev Avis-Dakin, Nicky Main (Jan), Lilian McGrath (Pearl). Photo courtesy of Rugby Theatre.

Ladies' Day, Rugby Theatre from 16-23 September.

Preview by Rosie Fuller.

Rugby Theatre is heading for the races with this feel-good comedy!

We are all in for a treat with this exuberant comedy about four factory women who land a day at the races. Work, love and life are one long slog for Jan, Shelley, Pearl and Linda, who work in a fish-packing factory in Hull. But when Royal Ascot relocates to York, hairnets make way for fascinators as the friends hit the races for an unforgettable day out.

“Ladies' Day is a feel-good play with excellent acting, lots of laughs, good music, great hats… and fish!” says the show’s director Bev Avis-Dakin. “The characters are so real, each with their own faults and qualities, and it's been a pleasure working with my cast to bring them to life. Their stories are funny but poignant, and I'm sure audiences will relate to them and cheer them on.”

The fish-filleting foursome enjoy a drink, a flirt and a flutter, but secrets are spilt with the champagne, and friendships are tested to the limit. Yet as the day unfolds and tempers fray, the women’s fortunes could change if their luck continues… and they hold their nerve.

Ladies' Day at Rugby Theatre.

Ladies' Day was written by Amanda Whittington, and it will be the second play that Rugby Theatre has performed by the Nottingham dramatist this year.

“I was looking for a show that celebrates women's friendships and the huge role they play not only in the lives of the characters, but in our own lives,” continues Bev, who is directing her first show at Rugby Theatre having graduated from the theatre’s prestigious director’s course in 2019.

“I knew Amanda Whittington’s excellent writing from The Thrill of Love, which was presented earlier this year at Rugby Theatre, so I was sure it would be well written. I read the script and fell in love with it!”

Rugby Theatre will be offering special ‘race day cocktails’ in the theatre bar in celebration of the play, and dressing for the races is encouraged – but please remove big hats while watching the show!

Ladies’ Day runs from 16-23 September. Tickets are available from the Rugby Theatre box office on 01788 541234, or www.rugbytheatre.co.uk.