Now, after a slight break of 18 months, they have dusted off their scripts, dredged their mental archives for the lines, and will be performing their spring production, A Night with Tony Layton, by arrangement with Stagescripts Ltd, next week, from May 17 to 21 in the Brotfabrik.

The Bonn Players were emphatic that these two plays be presented this spring, having been robbed of the chance to perform them in 2020 by the Covid lockdown, and they can’t wait to share them with their audience.

The audience will be treated to two, one-act plays from Tony Layton. The night kicks-off with Sharks in the Custard, which deals with cleaning ladies from the Municipal Art Gallery. They enjoy their work, as not only does it provide them with an escape from the mundane reality of their lives outside the marble halls, but they have grown to love and appreciate the objects in their care, although certain aspects of avant-garde art do worry them. Rumours of government cutbacks threaten to upset their cosy regime. However, in the face of adversity, they come up with a novel solution that not only secures their futures and helps to save the gallery, but also ensures that their lives will never be quite the same again.

Kathleen Schroers is directing Tracy Tollmann, Gina Kelly, Devon Putnam, John Kluempers, Christopher Nott-Held, Peter Ferrow, and Shiny Sreekumar in this amusing play, and, let’s face it – doesn’t everybody need a good laugh in these challenging times? Kathleen’s job has been made a little easier this time around however, as she no longer has to take the strict social distancing requirements into consideration when blocking the scenes, and the actors are allowed to rehearse and perform without masks, which makes projecting their voices much easier.

The second, one-act play is entitled Lucy In The Sky, which Tony Layton wrote in the 1990s, but reflects issues still very much current in today’s society. This moving, and sensitively written play depicts one night in a women’s inner-city hostel for the homeless. With warmth, humour, understanding and support for each other, three vulnerable women tell their stories, explaining why they have become marginalized in society, and posing questions concerning the complexity of homelessness, the abuse of women, guilt, sorrow and loss. Tina Sauer directs Sue Ferrow, Chris Weber, Gina Kelly, and Shiny Sreekumar in this thought-provoking insight into the lives of these women. This play would have been very challenging to perform with the full social distancing, so Tina Sauer, the director, is excited to be able to present it with the close(er) proximity it was written for.

It is rare to have plays that offer women lead roles and these two plays do just that, with the main roles played by women in the first play and the second comprising purely of women. “Men interested in acting are in short supply,” said Tracy Tollmann, the Chair of the Bonn Players and one of the actors in Sharks in the Custard, “so it’s fantastic that we have these two plays with so many excellent female roles to offer our female members!”

Following on from No Exit by Jean Paul-Sartre, the first play to be staged by The Bonn Players during the pandemic in November of last year, Tracy said: “With an increase in seating and a reduction in restrictions, This play sees us getting back to where we were pre-pandemic after more than two years.” She added: “We look forward to welcoming our loyal audience members back to the Brotfabrik, being on the stage again, and of course the income from ticket sales will not go amiss after such a long financial drought!”

The Bonn Player’s Committee have opted to view the Covid pandemic as a challenge and an opportunity, taking the view that the show must go on, not losing momentum and, always observing Covid-19 restrictions, they have continued to do what they all love; namely, acting and preparing great productions come what may. At the end of the day, the members are involved at the Bonn Players due to their love of all things theatre, with the actual performing just one aspect of why they are a part of The Bonn Players community. And by the way: „New members, especially men are always welcome: Whether you are a budding actor, set-designer, sound technician, costume designer, prompt, or just want to have fun in an English-speaking environment.“ Anyone interested can contact The Bonn Players for more information at info@bonnplayers.de.

While the Covid threat has diminished, The Bonn Player’s would like to reassure their audience members that they are still taking every measure to ensure their safety, as we all learn to live with this virus, while still living our lives to the extent possible. They are working closely with their partners, The Brotfabrik, in this respect, and are stringently adhering to a Covid plan, which is available on the Brotfabrik website.