The new season at the Chesil Theatre in Winchester opens with two modern plays to make an evening of contrasting drama.

Two thousand years ago, the poet Ovid wrote a series of fictional letters called The Heroines, which showed the desires and innermost feelings of queens, sorcerers, pioneers, poets and politicians.

In 2020, some of these letters were dramatised as 15 monologues. The Chesil will be presenting five of these bite-sized short plays to give voice to the heroines.

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The Heroines director, Daisy Norwood, joined the Chesil in 2022 in contrast to the director of Trestle, Martin Humphrey, who has been a member for 35 years and has been involved with many productions. 

Hampshire Chronicle: Trestle rehearsal, photo: Geoff Sharman

Trestle, by Stewart Pringle, is the story of two older people. Harry sees these later years as a winding down of his life, while Denise is living them with all the gusto she can. When their paths cross at the village hall, their understanding of the time they have left changes irrevocably. 

Trestle won the Papatango New Writing Prize in 2017. It premiered at the Southwark Playhouse and has been performed by many companies since. 

The plays open on Saturday September 30 and runs until Saturday October 7. Tickets, from £10, are available through the website chesiltheatre.org.uk.