New show marks WI centenary

Mikron Theatre Company joins forces with the National Federation of Women’s Institutes to produce Raising Agents at Donnington Parish Hall on Thursday, August 6, at 7.30pm.

The play is set around Bunnington WI, a branch that is a bit down-at-heel. Dwindling membership means they can barely afford the hall, let alone a decent speaker.

So when a PR guru becomes a member, the women are glad of new blood - at first

The milk of WI kindness begins to sour when she rebrands them as the Bunnington Bunnies. They are hopping! With stakes higher than a five-tiered cake-stand, a battle ensues for the very soul of Bunnington, perhaps the WI itself.

Taru Sinclair, from Mikron, said: “On the threshold of one century into the next, this tale of hobbyists and lobbyists asks how much we should know our past or how much we should let go of it.

“Above all else, like the WI itself, Raising Agents is a story of friendship.”

The show is the fourth written by Maeve Larkin for Mikron. She was given Maeve access to the federation’s archives to help her uncover the stories and characters in the WI’s rich history.

She said: “I loved extracting the drama from such a rich and energetic history of a movement that just keeps evolving.”

Donnington Parish Hall is in Stockbridge Road, Donnington. Tickets are £12, £10 concessions. To book, telephone 01243 576701.

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