Eastbourne's Devonshire Park Theatre gets ready to reopen

Spokeswoman Sharon Thompson said: “Dubbed affectionately the playhouse in the park, the range of work presented at the theatre includes major touring productions, smaller works from local producers and in-house pantomime, plays and musicals. It opens this autumn with a season which promises a selection of perfect diversions from drama to chilling ghost stories.

“When theatre curtains across the country fell last March, Original Theatre Company were just about to take to the Devonshire Park stage with Alan Bennett’s The Habit of Art, and Eastbourne Theatres are pleased that the curtain will rise with another Original Theatre Company production, The Hound of the Baskevilles from October 26-30.

“A hit in the West End, this ingenious adaptation from Lotte Wakeman combines an exhilarating collision of farce, theatrical invention and wonderfully comic performances to offer a brand-new twist on the greatest Sir Arthur Conan Doyle detective story of all time. Something familiar, with a fresh feel, to reopen an iconic venue!

“A great season of drama follows with Adrian Lukis in Being Mr Wickham, November 4-6. Having starred in the renowned BBC TV adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, Adrian returns to the role of Mr Wickham ready to set the record straight and deliver his own version of some very famous literary events.”

Also coming up: Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s The Smeds and The Smoos, November 15-17, an interplanetary adventure for everyone aged three and up from the people who brought you The Gruffalo on stage; and eerie horror Sleepy Hollow, November 23-27 with Wendi Peters and Bill Ward, where residents spin tall tales of legends and unsightly entities, but who can tell truth from nightmare?

“Devonshire Park’s legendary pantomime completes the season and will be bigger, better and more bonkers than ever! This year Sleeping Beauty will truly be a dream of a pantomime for all the family.”

Panto runs Dec 10-Jan 9.