Stephen Joseph Theatre to Host Gala Reading of New Work by Alan Ayckbourn

Newly announced for the Stephen Joseph Theatre's 60th anniversary year is a gala reading of a new work by Alan Ayckbourn.

The Divide is a four-part satire of the sexes, written for more than thirty voices. An exclusive semi-staged reading in September will support the commissioning and production of new work at the theatre. It features the cast of Ayckbourn's Confusions and Hero's Welcome which are being staged by the theatre this summer, plus special guest appearances.

Not so long ago, let it not be forgotten, as decreed by The Preacher, Men and Women lived apart on separate sides of the Divide in segregated isolation. The celebrated novelist Soween Clay-Flin recalls this period in our recent history with dramatised readings based on documents of the period, including her own personal diary as a young girl who lived through it and survived to tell the tale.

Alan Ayckbourn said: "The Divide is something of an experiment. It's a deliberate attempt to jump away from anything familiar to me. It's a dialogue based upon two diaries; one of a boy and one of a girl growing up in a weird world."

The gala reading takes place at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough on Sunday 27 September from 3pm to 9.30pm and will include two intervals and a supper break.

Tickets, priced from £15 to £60 (£60 includes supper), go on general sale at 10am on Thursday 2 July and will be available from the SJT box office on 01723 370541 and online at www.sjt.uk.com.