By Primrose Wood by Robert Meadows
08/01/26
About the play
Two interlinked plays that are set in Primrose Wood, a place threatened with development and protected by elemental forces: the spirits of the past and that of human protest.
The first act, Primrose, focuses on an encounter between Primrose, a mysterious inhabitant of the local forest, and Michael, a local solicitor in his fifties, who visits the
wood on the day when his wife, a children story writer, has moved out of the marital home. It combines a love story with a more macabre mystery.
The second act, a partner piece, is a satirical look at what happens when a local MP, Shiv Grant, responsible for regional development, tries to take on Gabriel Weaver, a
protestor with strong local roots.
The play has a cast of three. They play different roles in each of the two plays. The first act has a running time of 55 minutes and the second is 45 minutes.
Casting Information
Michael Stoneham/Gabriel Oak (Both in their fifties)
In the first act, Primrose, the actor will play Michael, a troubled and diffident solicitor in his fifties, reflecting on the consequences of a late flowering romance.
In Gabriel’s Oak, he plays the eponymous Gabriel, a truculent protestor who has cemented himself to the roots of a tree, a protest at plans to destroy ancient woodland.
Connie Wainwright/Shiv Grant MP (Both in late forties/early fifties)
In Primrose, the actor plays Connie, a witty free-thinking woman whose relationship with Michael has unforeseen circumstances.
As Shiv, in Gabriel’s Oak, she is a blundering and ambitious Metropolitan politician trying to steamroll a development despite local protests.
Primrose/Gemma (Both in their twenties)
Primrose is an enigmatic figure who occupies the wood. A very significant role, it involves singing – in Gaelic - and choreographed movement.
In the second play, the contrasting role of Gemma, a political assistant to MP Shiv Grant, is a very different role: modern and Machiavellian
Reading of the play for those interested;
TUESDAY 6 JANUARY 2026 at 7.30 pm at Chester Little Theatre
Please contact Robert Meadows for further information and a copy of the script before the reading
Contact details
Email: [email protected]
AUDITION THURSDAY 8 JANUARY 2026 at 7.00 pm Chester Little Theatre