SUDS returned to the stage again with a moving and funny family drama
‘The Gathered Leaves’, by Andrew Keatley (2015), directed by Mick Connell and Ray Globe.
The Pennington family have not been in the same room for over 17 years. But for the 75th birthday of William the overbearing patriarch, all three generations gather with the aim of putting the past behind them. William’s elegant wife Olivia finds her poise is put to the test by this gathering since all three of their children come with a good deal of baggage. There’s autistic Samuel who oscillates between charming innocence and disturbing helplessness. His brother Giles has to navigate the anxieties of his wife and two bickering children. And then there’s Alice, who has been out of touch for years and arrives accompanied by her mixed-race daughter Aurelia. This moving, poignant and funny family drama sees the weight of history, heredity and expectation descend on one family over Easter weekend in 1997.
The play was performed in the Sheffield University Drama Studio from 9 to 12 November 2022.
SUDS 