These films will generally be shown on second Fridays at 20:00.  They are marked in RED in the list below.  You can buy a membership (phone 01531-634138) for the spring/summer season of five films for just £12 (seating guaranteed).  Alternatively, tickets may be purchased at the door (subject to availability, or they may be reserved - tel: 633760 or 633345) for the normal admission charge.

Our 2010 film season continues with:

Wednesday 17th March at 10:30   (NB. 3rd Wednesday)
• The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009)     [12A] - 107mins

The Time Traveler's Wife is an American film based on Audrey Niffenegger's 2003 novel of the same name.  It is directed by Robert Schwentke and stars Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams.

A Chicago librarian (Eric Bana) has a genetic disorder that causes him to time-travel randomly.  Though he often disappears from her life for long periods of time, he tries to build a romantic relationship with Clare Abshire, an artist (Rachel McAdams).

Henry, the librarian, meets his future wife Clare when she is only six years old.  Chronologically, however, he meets her for the first time when Clare is an adult but Henry is only twenty-eight.  At that point Clare has known Henry all of her adult life.  Because the time jumps are random and leave Henry with no money or clothing, he becomes skilled at crime.  The police build a profile on him, but they are never able to hold him for long.

Friday 19th March at 20:00   (NB. 3rd Friday)
• Wait Until Dark (1967)     [12] - 108mins

Susy Hendrix (Audrey Hepburn) is learning to cope with her blindness (which resulted from a recent accident), aided by her slightly unreliable young neighbour Gloria (Julie Herrod).  Her life is changed as she is terrorised by a group of criminals who believe she has hidden a doll used by them to smuggle heroin into the country.  The climax of the film, a violent physical confrontation between Susy and the violent, psychotic Roat (Alan Arkin) in her dark kitchen, is one of the most memorable and frightening scenes in screen history.  Outstanding performances from Hepburn, and from Arkin - in perhaps his best role.  Directed by Terence Young.

Friday 2nd April at 20:00
• The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)     [12A] - 122mins

In the present day, immortal 1000-year-old Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) leads a travelling theatre troupe that offers audience members a chance to go beyond reality through a magical mirror in his possession.  Members of the troupe include a sleight of hand expert, Anton (Andrew Garfield), a dwarf, Percy (Verne Troyer) and a mysterious outsider named Tony (Heath Ledger, in his final film before his untimely death).  Parnassus had been able to guide the imagination of others through a deal with the Devil (Tom Waits), who now comes to collect on the arrangement, targeting the doctor's daughter (Lily Cole).  Ledger's death one-third of the way through filming caused production to be suspended temporarily.  His role was recast with Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell portraying transformations of Tony as he travels through a dream world.

Friday 9th April at 20:00
• Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday (1953)     [U] - 114mins (in French, with subtitles)

M. Hulot, like many others, has decided to spend his summer holiday at the French seaside.  Quite often with a pipe in his mouth, Hulot is a pretty quiet fellow, but that still doesn't stop him from getting into a lot of trouble.  Although he does get along with many of the other hotel guests - such as the Englishwoman who is amazed at the effectiveness of his unique tennis style, or the beautiful Martine - most, unfortunately, must deal with the bad outcomes of his unintentionally bumbling, albeit good-natured, actions.  For the most part, Hulot is unaware of the problems he is causing.

A clever and thoughtful film, directed by Jacques Tati, that simply shows how funny the average day can be.  A masterpiece of gentle slapstick.

Wednesday 14th April at 10:30
• Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)     [PG] - 87mins

Fantastic Mr. Fox is a stop-motion animated film based on the Roald Dahl children's novel of the same name.

While raiding a chicken farm, Mr. Fox (George Clooney) and his wife Felicity (Meryl Streep) trigger a fox trap and become caged.  Felicity reveals to Fox that she is pregnant and pleads with him to find a safer job should they escape.  So when they do, he becomes a newspaper columnist.

Not happy with living in a hole, he moves his family into a very luxurious tree, but this has a few drawbacks.  For one, it overlooks the farms of some of the most diabolical farmers in the entire world.

He’s only satisfied for a short time before he begins plotting to raid the farms in one last big heist, initially aided by his friend Kylie (a spacey opossum played by Wallace Wolodarsky), and Kristofferson (Mr. Fox’s gifted nephew).  Of course this upsets the farmers...  Not only that, it disrupts his happy home life.  He’s lying to his wife about the heist, and his son Ash (voiced by Jason Schwartzman) feels inferior to Kristofferson, especially when Mr. Fox enlists him into the heist scheme.  All of this snowballs into a mass of complications that encapsulates the entire animal community....

Friday 30th April at 20:00
• Glorious 39 (2009)     [12A] - 129mins

Written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff, Glorious 39 is set between present-day London and the idyllic British countryside in the time before the beginning of the Second World War.  At a time of uncertainty and high tension, the story revolves around the formidable Keyes family, who are keen to uphold and preserve their very traditional way of life.  The eldest sibling Anne is a budding young actress who is in love with Foreign Office official Lawrence, but her seemingly perfect life begins to unravel dramatically when she stumbles upon secret recordings of the anti-appeasement movement.  It stars Romola Garai, Bill Nighy, Julie Christie, Jeremy Northam, Christopher Lee, David Tennant and Jenny Agutter.

Wednesday 12th May at 10:30
• Julie & Julia (2009)     [12A] - 123mins

In 2002, Julie Powell (Amy Adams) is a young writer trapped in a rather unpleasant job at the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation's call centre, where she answers telephone calls from victims of the September 11 attacks, as well as members of the general public calling to complain about the LMDC's controversial plans for rebuilding the World Trade Center.  To enliven her dreary life, she attempts to cook every recipe in the book by Julia Child (Meryl Streep) Mastering the Art of French Cooking (published in 1961), and writes a blog to document her progress.

Woven into her story is the story of Julia Child's time in Paris, in the 1950s.  The plot structure carefully highlights similarities in the challenges encountered by both Julie and Julia.  Both women get much support from their husbands, although at one point Powell's husband is fed up with her excessive devotion to her hobby, and leaves her briefly for a few days.

Eventually, Julie's blog is highlighted in a story published in the New York Times, after which her project finally begins to receive the attention of journalists, literary agents, and publishers.  After Julia's book is initially rejected, it is eventually accepted and published.

Friday 14th May at 20:00
• Somers Town (2008)     [12A] - 71mins

Directed by Shane Meadows: an unlikely friendship between two youths provides a refreshing and passionate insight of life in Britain.  A simple and interesting plot.

Friday 11th June at 20:00
• Kolja (1996)     [12] - 105mins (in Czech, with subtitles)

Directed by Jan Svěrák.  Set in Prague at the end of the Communist era, an impoverished musician and confirmed bachelor enters into a marriage of convenience, only to be left in charge of a 5 year-old boy.  Joyous and funny.

NB. Wednesday 30th June at 20:00
• The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009)     [12A] - 107mins

The Time Traveler's Wife is an American film based on Audrey Niffenegger's 2003 novel of the same name.  It is directed by Robert Schwentke and stars Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams.

A Chicago librarian (Eric Bana) has a genetic disorder that causes him to time-travel randomly.  Though he often disappears from her life for long periods of time, he tries to build a romantic relationship with Clare Abshire, an artist (Rachel McAdams).

Henry, the librarian, meets his future wife Clare when she is only six years old.  Chronologically, however, he meets her for the first time when Clare is an adult but Henry is only twenty-eight.  At that point Clare has known Henry all of her adult life.  Because the time jumps are random and leave Henry with no money or clothing, he becomes skilled at crime.  The police build a profile on him, but they are never able to hold him for long.

The Theatre is situated in Market Street, which runs through the former Cattle Market between Bye Street and New Street, very near the centre of the town of Ledbury, Herefordshire.  The area opposite our frontage is now Ledbury's Community Hospital.

Ledbury is 9 miles from Malvern, about 16 miles from Hereford, Worcester or Gloucester, 50 miles from Bristol or Birmingham, and 5 miles from the M50 junction 2.  Click here to see where we are.

The Theatre has:

• A seating capacity of 128 in 8 raked and staggered rows.
• A flexible front-of-house area that is suitable for social, rehearsal or studio performance uses.
• A small bar.  This is part of the foyer, and both are open half an hour before each performance.
• A balcony overlooking the foyer, which can be used as a Musicians' Gallery.  The spindles for this were turned on a traditional pole lathe from green oak by local craftswoman, Gudren Leitz, who carried out the same task for Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in Southwark, London.
• A stage area that overcomes the height and width restrictions experienced in the old theatre.  This can provide additional seating.
• The disabled facilities and indoor toilets that the old building lacked.  This includes level wheelchair access to the foyer, auditorium, stage and backstage.  There is also a loop for the hard of hearing.
• Dressing rooms and a workshop area.

Click to see a ground floor plan of the building, together with stage dimensions and a list of equipment.  The whole building, or just the Foyer or the Auditorium, is available for hire.  The Auditorium is suitable for concerts, meetings, etc, as well as for theatrical events.  The Foyer is ideal for small wedding receptions, club dinners, etc.

Note the Theatre's Masks of Comedy and Tragedy, mounted above the bar.  These are made from solid copper, and were a leaving present from the theatre in Kitwe, Zambia, to a past member, Meg Fanshawe, when she retired to England.  Meg bequeathed these masks to LADS, but sadly she did not see the completion of the new Theatre.

Youth Theatre   –   for 11 to 18 year-olds, held on Thursdays starting at 17:00 (NB earlier time) in the Theatre. 

New Members are always welcome.  If you would like to join us in any capacity - on or off the stage - please come along or make contact.

Contacts