Autumn Season at the E M Forster Theatre
NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE: INTER ALIA
Thursday 4th September at 7.00pm | EM Forster Theatre | Tickets: £16, £14 students Cert 15
Oscar-nominated Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl, Saltburn) is Jessica in the much-anticipated next play from the team behind Prima Facie. Jessica Parks is a smart Crown Court Judge at the top of her career. Behind the robe, she is a karaoke fiend, a loving wife and a supportive parent. When an event threatens to throw her life completely off balance, can she hold her family upright?
Writer Suzie Miller and director Justin Martin reunite following their global phenomenon Prima Facie, with this searing examination of modern motherhood and masculinity.
TONBRIDGE COMEDY NIGHT
Friday 12th September at 7.30pm EM Forster Studio | Tickets: £15 Age: 16+
We welcome three of the best comedians on the circuit, and these monthly nights are always popular. This month we’ll have Toussaint Douglas, Windsor and Mike Gunn with us. Be sure to check our website for future dates.
SCUMMY MUMMIES: HOT MESS
Saturday 20th September at 7.30pm EM Forster Theatre | Tickets: £24 Age 18+
MUMS’ NIGHT OUT! Helen and Ellie are BACK with a brand new comedy show that will have you laughing till you wee. From menopause to mansplaining, teenagers to Tinder, no subject is safe. Featuring brand new songs, sketches, stand-up, and of course, sparkly new catsuits. Bring your mates, bring your mum, bring your partner if they’re feeling brave enough… It’s a big Scummy party!
DRUM
Wednesday 1st October at 7.30pm EM Forster Theatre | Ticket: £17, £15 students Age guidance 14+
Thrown together by lives built far from home, two rising Ghanaian creatives grapple with success and identity.
As the afternoon sun hits BBC Broadcasting House in London, photographer James Barnor meets broadcaster Mike Eghan for the very first time. Thrown together by lives built far from home, the two rising Ghanaian creatives must manoeuvre through their perception of identity, success, assimilation and home.
This joyful and poignant fiction fuses storytelling, music and dance with archival material to capture a unique snapshot of London in the swinging sixties.
A SQUASH AND A SQUEEZE
Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th October EM Forster Theatre | Tickets: £16, Family Ticket £60 (4 tickets) Recommended ages: 3-8
Step into the magical world of A Squash and a Squeeze for this heartwarming and hilarious adventure, live on stage for the first time!
Once upon a time, a little old lady lived all by herself in her cosy cottage, but she wasn’t happy – her house felt just too small. Whatever could she do? Will the wise old man’s solution of bringing in a flappy, scratchy, greedy, noisy crowd of farmyard animals work?
SCUMMY MUMMIES: HOT MESS
Saturday 11th October at 7.30pm EM Forster Theatre | Tickets: £19, £16 students Age recommendation: 12+
MUMS’ NIGHT OUT! Helen and Ellie are BACK with a brand new comedy show that will have you laughing till you wee. From menopause to mansplaining, teenagers to Tinder, no subject is safe. Featuring brand new songs, sketches, stand-up, and of course, sparkly new catsuits. Bring your mates, bring your mum, bring your partner if they’re feeling brave enough… It’s a big Scummy party! Tickets: £24 Age 18+, no babes in arms
FRONTIER SAPIENS ADVENTURE FILM FESTIVAL
Thursday 16th October at 7.30pm EM Forster Theatre
Returning for its third year, the Frontier Sapiens Adventure Film Festival is back with another awe-inspiring line-up of films. Join us for an evening watching a collection of the very best adventure, cultural and environmental films from around the world, all introduced by the festival team.
This year, a 2000ft big-wall climb in Norway, an audacious cycle expedition through the Gola rainforest, a look into the life of a shepherd in the Pyrenees, and lots more.
TONBRIDGE COMEDY NIGHT
Friday 17th October at 7.30pm EM Forster Studio | Tickets: £15 Age: 16+
We welcome three of the best comedians on the circuit, and these monthly nights are always popular. This month we welcome James Ellis, Jonny Awsum and Ross Smith.
THREE
Thursday 23rd October at 7.30pm EM Forster Theatre | Tickets: £16, £14 student Age recommendation: 11+
Three explores the bonds between Grandparents and Grandchildren through puppetry, mask, and shadow play. Ida, Jaanvi, and Ralph each face life-changing moments shaped by love, memory, and connection. From award-winning Smoking Apples, Three captures the quiet moments that define us.
NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE: MRS WARREN’S PROFESSION
Thursday 6th November at 7.00pm EM Forster Theatre | Tickets: £16, £14 students Cert: 12
By Bernard Shaw and Directed by Dominic Cooke.
Five-time Olivier Award winner Imelda Staunton (The Crown) joins forces with her real-life daughter Bessie Carter (Bridgerton) for the very first time, playing mother and daughter in Bernard Shaw’s incendiary moral classic.
Vivie Warren is a woman ahead of her time. Her mother, however, is a product of that old patriarchal order. Exploiting it has earned Mrs. Warren a fortune – but at what cost?
Filmed live from the West End, this new production reunites Staunton with director Dominic Cooke (Follies, Good), exploring the clash between morality and independence, traditions and progress.
TONBRIDGE COMEDY NIGHT
Friday 14th November at 7.30pm EM Forster Studio | Tickets: £15 Age: 16+
We welcome three of the best comedians on the circuit, and these monthly nights are always popular. This month we welcome Tom Toal, Dominic Holland and Laura Lexx.
NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE: THE FIFTH STEP
Thursday 4th December at 7.00pm EM Forster Theatre | Tickets: £16, £14 students Cert: 15
By David Ireland and Directed by Finn den Hertog
Olivier Award-winner Jack Lowden (Slow Horses, Dunkirk) is joined by Emmy and BAFTA-winner Martin Freeman (The Hobbit, The Responder) in the critically acclaimed and subversively funny new play by David Ireland.
After years in the 12-step programme of Alcoholics Anonymous, James becomes a sponsor to newcomer Luka. The pair bond over black coffee, trade stories and build a fragile friendship out of their shared experiences. But as Luka approaches step five – the moment of confession – dangerous truths emerge, threatening the trust on which both of their recoveries depend.
Finn den Hertog directs the provocative and entertaining production filmed live from @sohoplace on London’s West End.
JACK AND THE BEANSTALK
Friday 12th December to Saturday 3rd January 2026 EM Forster Theatre | Tickets £22 – £31
Wicked Productions return for their celebratory 10th year, with a GIANT of a pantomime ‘Jack & the Beanstalk’!
Scale new heights on this enormous adventure for the whole family, where we guarantee some hilarious Fe Fi Fo FUN!
Join Jack on a thrilling escapade as he exchanges his cherished cow for magical beans, sparking an extraordinary adventure. Ascend with him up a colossal beanstalk to a realm of danger and wonder, facing a formidable giant. Will Jack outwit his foes to rescue his udderly adorable cow ‘Pat’ and his sweetheart Jill, or will he face a dizzying fall? Amidst the turmoil, will family follies with ‘Silly Billy’ and ‘Dame Trott’ jeopardize his quest for riches? Dive into Jack’s high-stakes journey, where fantasy and bravery collide!
The hilarious ‘Tom Swift’ is back for his tenth year, as Silly Billy, with ‘Amanda Swift’ as Pat the Cow and Tonbridge favourite ‘Rhys Whiteside’ as Dame Trott. Further casting to be announced soon.
So… Get your head out of the clouds and get ready for slapstick galore and a non-stop-laugh-a-minute extravaganza that’ll have you rolling in the aisles! It’s the pantomime you’ve ‘BEAN’ waiting for.
LISTINGS INFORMATION
Venue Box Office
EM Forster Theatre 01732 304241
Tonbridge School Book online: www.emftheatre.com
Tonbridge Facebook: /emforstertheatre
Kent Instagram: @emforstertheatre
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