The Haunting of Exham Priory

~ Chris B. ~ 3 Comments

exham-priory

The play that I have written will be starting a national tour in the autumn with the Rumpus Theatre Company. Opening night will be at The Hawth Theatre in Crawley on 4th October 2016.

‘The Haunting of Exham Priory’ is a Gothic Horror based on the classic short story ‘The Rats in the Walls’ by early 20th century horror writer HP Lovecraft.
For those not familiar with the story, set in the 1920s, it’s the tale of Mr Delapore, an American business man who returns to England to restore his long abandoned family home, Exham Priory. With the aid of his friend Captain Norrys he attempts to uncover why the Priory is hated and feared by the locals, what caused his ancestors to abandon the house 300 years ago and just what it is in the walls that so unsettles his cats…

So if you’re a fan of Lovecraft or just feel like a night of spine-tingling horror at your local theatre then take a look at the tour venues and dates below.

The map below shows all the venues on the ‘The Haunting of Exham Priory’ national tour. The dates of each performance are listed below the map. Click on the theatre name to book tickets for that performance or click on the town name for directions to the venue.

Tuesday 4th Oct – The Hawth, Crawley

Thursday 6th Oct – Trinity Theatre, Tunbridge Wells

Friday 7th Oct – The Rose Theatre, Kidderminster

Monday 17th Oct – The Civic Theatre, Rotherham

Tuesday 18th Oct – The Granary Theatre, Well-next-the-Sea

Wednesday 19th Oct – Guildhall Theatre, Derby

Thursday 20th Oct – Town Hall Theatre, Hartlepool

Sunday 23rd Oct – Greenwich Theatre, London

Monday 24th Oct – The Customs House, South Shields

Tuesday 25th Oct – Middlesbrough Theatre, Middlesbrough

Wednesday 26th Oct – The Old Town Hall Theatre, Hemel Hempstead

Thursday 27th Oct – Radlett Centre, Radlett

Friday 28th Oct – Quay Theatre, Sudbury

Saturday 29th Oct – The Pomegranate Theatre, Chesterfield

Saturday 5th Nov – Sarah Thorne Theatre Club, Broadstairs

What If…

~ Chris B. ~ Leave a comment

Benedict Cumberbatch voiced the great wyrm Smaug and Martin Freeman played Bilbo Baggins. But what if Sherlock had been a giant dragon and Watson had been a plucky Hobbit…?

***

As Bilbo arrived at 221b Baker Street he heard a dreadful commotion coming from the upstairs flat. Cautiously climbing the stairs, sword in hand, he found Mrs Hudson stood on the landing with a tray of tea.
“Oh Bilbo,” said Mrs Hudson, the relief evident in her voice, “I’m so glad you’re here, I’m not going in there when he’s like that!”

“Like what?” asked Bilbo as the commotion continued.

“A bloody great Dragon!” wailed Mrs Hudson.

“Don’t worry,” sighed Bilbo, sheathing his sword and taking the tea tray from her, “I’ll take it to him.”

“Oh bless you dear,” said Mrs Hudson gratefully as she hurried back down the stairs.

Bilbo took a deep breath, slipped on his magic ring and slid quietly into 221b. Everything was chaos inside. Papers from Smaug’s latest case where strewn all over his massive pile of gold and priceless gems were scattered left and right and the great dragon paced restlessly.

Silently Bilbo crept nearer, still wearing his ring. Smaug stopped pacing and looked at him.

“Bilbo, I can hear you breathing. Stop breathing, it’s very annoying and I’m trying to think,” the great dragon said irritably.