Over the weekend The Mission Theatre in Bath was bustling with theatrical activity as the resident theatre company Next Stage Theatre Company welcomed award-winning playwright Owen Sheers to the venue for the matinee of its critically acclaimed production of Sheers' play Pink Mist.
On Saturday 12th September during Next Stage Theatre Company’s matinee performance of Pink Mist, Owen Sheers watched the play, alongside his family, and then took part in a Q&A on his creative process after the show.
Owen Sheers praised all the cast and creatives involved in Pink Mist for an "outstanding" production - one he said was as good as any he had seen. Interviewed by Danny Johnson MVO and joined by award-winning director Kitty Muffett and the cast, Sheers - possibly best known for his powerful play: The Two Worlds of Charlie F, which also centres on modern day warfare, soldiers and the injuries of war, told the audience the inspiring story of how Pink Mist was conceptualised and created. Based on real-life people and stories Owen was inspired by the famous WWI poets and Welsh ballads to weave a story around 3 friends who enlisted from Bristol for the Afghan war and the wife, girlfriend and mother they left behind. After 45 minutes of fascinating conversation Sheers took questions from the audience and signed their copies of the play, before leaving and promising to keep in touch and visit The Mission Theatre again soon.
During Next Stage's 6 performances of Pink Mist Bath audiences were held spell-bound and at the end of each show there was a standing ovation. Here are just some of the audience's comments:
“Simply one of the best pieces of theatre I’ve seen. Best lighting, best acting, best direction.”
“Powerful words, intelligently performed and directed. Outstanding!”
“I was stunned by the emotional power of the performance in the script and in the actors.”
Over the course of the play’s run Next Stage Theatre Company raised over £400 for the Royal British Legion and the Royal British Veterans Enterprise.
