THE RIVER AND THE BELL

The River and the Bell is a community play, showing at the Boxford Recreation Ground, RG20 8DD.

There will be a BBQ & bar on site, but picnics are also welcome! Gates open at 12.30/ 5.30. Children under 11 go free. 

Strong communities are built on a shared sense of history, of place and belonging, and this new play by acclaimed author Geraldine McCaughrean for the Boxford Masques, our vibrant community theatre company, is all about belonging.

It’s a dark and windy night. There’s a village pub near closing time (for the last time). A mysterious young stranger arrives, soaked to the skin, asking for a job. The curious regulars gather to tell tales of their past, to sing their songs, strum their strings, dance their jigs. We hear about train robbers (who actually steal a train), a legendary underground river, a white witch and wizard, a lost mermaid, a rebellious Wesleyan preacher, a civil war battle and the reputed death of a former King Charles, - and we glimpse a family divided, - a family and their daughter who have forgotten for a brief time who they really are, but who find a way to reunite. - This is the Boxford Masques 2023, a classic story about our shared experiences, loves, losses and crucial laughter, and about our hope for the future. The River and The Bell is a modern English parable full of music, high comedy, song and dance, it’s community theatre, it’s what belonging to a place is all about.

Find out more about The Boxford Masques.