"Front Room" Presents...................

Anton Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard".

This September will see the first performance by the recently reformed Theatre Company, Front Room. Originally established in 1983, Front Room has decided to reform and their aims are clear: to bring quality theatre into Mansfield and the surrounding area. they argue that more often than not the more serious works of playwrights such as Shakespeare and his predecessors are left to the larger theatre companies based in the cities. Front Room believes that there is a growing audience for such productions and this audience is in, and around towns such as Mansfield.

Front Room has chosen Anton Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" for their return performance. Written in 1904, "The Cherry Orchard" is considered by many to be Chekhov's richest and most profound play, exploring the issues of class, gender and social climbing. When performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company last year, "The Cherry Orchard" quickly became the most popular performance staged. Front Room will present "The Cherry Orchard" as intended by playwright, sassy, vibrant and with large doses of comedy.

The play is set in the nursery and grounds of Madame Ranevskayas ancestral estate in the Provinces of Russia, c,1903. After a long absence she returns home to her family estate with her daughter. On her return she is reminded that the estate will be sold to clear debts unless her family can raise sufficient funds. A sometime peasant who has now become a wealthy neighbour offers to lend 50,000 rubles to cover the debts and save the estate - if he is permitted to divide the land into lots of summer homes. This will involve the cutting down of the estates famous cherry orchard. As the play unfolds several other plans to save the estate arise, but the auction moves ever closer......