A Word from Our Sponsor

A Word from Our Sponsor is a 1995 musical by Alan Ayckbourn and John Pattison.[1] It was the final Ayckbourn play to be premièred at the Stephen Joseph Theatre's old Westwood site. It is about a vicar, who is tempted by the devil (Valda/Valder) offering a sponsorship deal for dubious return favours. This play was one of Ayckbourn's less successful works.

A Word from Our Sponsor
Written byAlan Ayckbourn
CharactersHarry
Janice
Gussie
Francis
Nonie
Rache
Earl
Valda
Valder
Date premiered20 April 1995
Place premieredStephen Joseph Theatre (Westwood site), Scarborough
Original languageEnglish
SubjectTemptation
Official site
Ayckbourn chronology
The Musical Jigsaw Play
(1994)
The Champion of Paribanou
(1996)

Just before the play was transferred to Minerva Theatre, Chichester, the production was interrupted by the death of a member of the cast, Sophie Winter (Gussie), who collapsed the afternoon before the final Scarborough performance and died shortly after.[2][3] A memorial was made to her in the theatre, and a trust in her name was set up to sponsor new plays.

References

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  1. ^ "Scarborough In The Round". 90splays.theatre-in-the-round.co.uk. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  2. ^ Ayckbourn, Alan (20 June 1995). "Sophie Winter Obituary". The Independent. Archived from the original on 4 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  3. ^ Allen, Paul (2014). Grinning At The Edge: A Biography of Alan Ayckbourn. A&C Black. ISBN 9781408117859. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
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