Catch John Godber’s audacious new comedy ‘This is the Life’ at East Riding Theatre, Beverley this June
Dave and Sapphire have worked backstage at the Old Forge for years. They’ve never felt the lure of the spotlight; they prefer the dark of the wings. But when they learn that the venue is closing, they are both shocked and angry.
Despite dwindling audience numbers, unfunny stand-ups and a chaotic staff, they love this damp, old, crumbling local theatre.
With money in short supply, they offer to stage their own extraordinary, dramatic adventure, full of the characters they have met and scenes they have witnessed. Might it bring back the punters, or be a further reason to turn the Old Forge into luxury flats?
In his audacious new comedy, Godber interrogates hope, ghosts and the power of performance as seen through the eyes of a cynical backstage duo.
Dave and Sapphire might have preferred to work behind the scenes, but now they’ve chosen to stand centre stage and are beginning to think, maybe, this is the life!
You catch ‘This is The Life’ at East Riding Theatre, Beverley, from the 27th June – 11th July 2026. There will be an access show on Wednesday, 8th July, 14.30pm.
“ ‘This is the Life’ is one of the funniest plays I’ve written in the last twenty years, in my humble opinion. One evening, whilst watching a ‘get out’, the idea came to me to write about the people who work in the dark backstage, the theatrical underdogs. I started to wonder what life would be like if these stalwarts of our theatrical art were to be given a voice, and they became successful. If all the world is a stage, then this is the life that lands right in the middle of it, and I can’t wait to get started!”
- John Godber
Book now:
https://www.eastridingtheatre.
