New play Pot Licker comes to Weymouth College as part of South West tour

A new play exploring the more challenging side of school life will tour eight venues around the South West this month, including The Bay Theatre at Weymouth College.

Dorchester Arts, in association with Lighthouse Poole, will present the premiere of Pot Licker, a new play written and directed by writer/director Ed Viney.

The production will premiere on March 12th and 13th March at Lighthouse Poole, and will then tour to venues across Dorset and the South West, including The Bay Theatre on March 18^th.

The story revolves around three teachers who discover a bag of drugs in school lost property. They should report this straight away but, as the school faces imminent closure, is there another way to deal with the bag?

Theatre director and playwright Ed Viney has drawn upon his own experiences of teaching in schools in Bristol to create Pot Licker. He’s keen to see theatre that reflects upon all the glories and horrors of school life.

“I wanted to write a play that’s similar to a heist movie – you don’t get that much in theatre”, says Ed.

“Our experience of school is so formative to the rest of our life, it’s brilliant for drama. This promises to be a super-charged, highly entertaining evening.

“I really hope it can lead to more small-scale professional theatre touring in the way that stand-up comedy and music does across the South West”.

Mark Tattersall, Artistic Director at Dorchester Arts, commented: “We are delighted to be producing this tour having first seen Pot licker as part of a new scriptwriting initiative at Lighthouse Poole.

“With my background in music, working with indie bands like Oasis and Suede and seeing them grow them from small clubs to stadiums, I feel it’s vital to give the same support to grassroots theatre and help contribute to the thriving performance scene in the South West”.

Dorchester Arts and Lighthouse Poole are committed to supporting and expanding professional theatre across the South West, providing opportunities for local audiences to experience high-quality productions and for regional artists to flourish.

Tickets for Pot Licker at The Bay Theatre at Weymouth College are now available here: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/thebaytheatre

You can find details of other Bay Theatre events here: https://www.weymouth.ac.uk/commercial-outlets/the-bay-theatre/