Moving wartime tale comes to Horsham stage

When the Second World War air raids threaten their safety in the city, Carrie Willow and her brother Nick are evacuated to a small village in the Welsh countryside.

Billeted with the kind but timid Auntie Lou and her miserly brother Mr Evans, the children quickly learn that this is a place unlike any they have ever known and begin to discover the joys and terrors the countryside possesses.

From the whispering woods of Druid’s Grove to the harvest fields, the children get to know and love their new world and the characters that inhabit it; the aging, glamorous Mrs Gotobed, Mr Johnny, who speaks a language all of his own, and Hepzibah Green, the mysterious housekeeper with her tales of magic and wonder and a terrifying curse…

The ensemble cast includes John Griffiths (Entertaining Mr Sloane – Curve; Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – national tour; The Sound of Music – Palladium), Nova Skipp (Aspects of Love – Prince of Wales and tour; Phantom of the Opera – Her Majesty’s) and Amanda Reed (The History Boys – The National; When we Are Married - Garrick).

Director Tim Astley says: “As a company we set out to tell classic stories, and the period of World War Two is full of them. We wanted to do something that hadn’t been done on stage a lot and this adaptation, having only been previously performed once on tour, seemed the perfect fit.

“It’s a story that has held strong for over forty years and we hope that in bringing it to life we will contribute to its continued popularity for another forty.”

Tim explains why they chose to launch their national tour in Guildford: “While I grew up in Bristol, Guildford is the place that really launched my career in theatre. After completing my training at Guildford School of Acting, I remained in Guildford and founded Apollo Theatre Company as a way to create work for myself and my fellow graduates.

“Over the past three years we have been embraced by Guildford theatregoers and have enjoyed staging successful productions at Guildford Book Festival, Guildford Fringe Festival and Guildford performance venues such as the Mill Studio at the Yvonne Arnaud.

“In recent years we have established ourselves as a national touring theatre company, producing and touring Blue Remembered Hills in 2012, and Our Town, as well as our original production, Keep the Home Fires Burning, last year. It’s incredibly exciting to see the company grow, as year on year our tour schedules incorporate visits to more towns and larger venues.

“Guildford is a fantastic theatrical town and has been the perfect base from which to grow a company such as ours and it feels apt to be opening our latest touring production of Carrie’s War in Guildford, before we travel the country on our national tour.”