George and the Drag Queen

Maddy has a story to tell: a former St. John Ambulance volunteer, she recollects the strange encounter she once witnessed between George, a fellow volunteer, and Usman, a refugee, at a village summer fete.

George and Maddy are a frequent double-act at such events. George – bluff, ex military, a fount of old-school, wise-cracking banter (and St. John Ambulance trivia), now close to retirement, and a self-appointed mentor to Maddy – asthmatic, unlucky in love, but with more than enough wit to outsmart George. They make a sweet, if nerdy, team.

The fete is what you’d expect: outsized veg, primary school art display, scruffiest dog competition, rosettes, cream teas, bunting.  George and Maddy are expecting a quiet day. Except – half an hour before kick-off, a stranger appears in their gazebo. This is Usman – cheerful, gentle, quiet-spoken. Apparently the tent has been allocated to him as a makeshift dressing room. For his ‘Special Performance’. But when the penny drops, the fallout will turn this into a fete like no other…Pipeline Theatre uses comedy, heartbreak, music, a transmogrifying set, pin-sharp dialogue and indelible characters, to show that when caught in the riptide of history, you never know who might just save your life…

” New writing, indelible characters, immersive production values gaining access to the big issues through the back window of ‘unremarkable lives’ ”  – The Upcoming

A touring professional production from Cornwall-based Pipeline Theatre, brought to Leek by Live&Local

Tickets now available at the Foxlowe café (no booking fee) as well as at wegottickets.com – click-through from here