The Gathered Leaves
By Andrew Keatley, Directed by Adrian Noble
The Pennington family have not been in the same room for 17 years, yet on the eve of William’s 75th birthday all three generations gather in the hope that the mistakes of the past can be resigned to history.
An errant daughter, an autistic son, and a second son that could never just grasp the nettle; his children have always proved a disappointment to his lofty ambitions. With long-held resentments rising back to the surface, and new problems unexpectedly presenting themselves, any plans of family reconciliation may give way to further turmoil. But William knows he is running out of time to accept his family on their own terms – even if they cannot overlook his own shortcomings in return.
The Gathered Leaves is a moving, poignant and funny family drama that sees the weight of history, of reputation, and of expectation, all descend on one family over Easter weekend in 1997.
PostScript Productions in association with Park Theatre.
-
Evenings
19:30
Thu & Sat15:00
-
Duration
Approx 2 hours and 40 mins inc interval
-
Genre
Drama
-
Age guidance
11+
In the press
"Keatley breathes new life into an old form"
The Guardian
"Hugely impressive"
The Telegraph
"Outstanding"
The Times
"A quite terrific play"
Nick Hern
Cast and creatives
-
Andrew Keatley
Writer
Andrew Keatley
Writer
Andrew studied English and Drama at Royal Holloway, University of London before training as an actor at Webber Douglas Academy. His first play Colourings was produced at the Old Red Lion Theatre, Islington, for which he was chosen as one of Time Out’s Tips For The Top in their annual culture review. Other plays include: Go to Your God Like a Soldier (Underbelly) and Alligators, written on attachment at the Royal Court Theatre and produced by Hampstead Theatre. His feature film For Grace played all over the international festival circuit after premiering at Raindance, where it was nominated for Best UK Feature Film.
-
Adrian Noble
Director
Adrian Noble
Director
Adrian is a freelance director of theatre, opera and film, whose work can be seen in the UK, USA, Canada, China, Hong Kong and across Europe. He was the Artistic Director and Chief Executive of The Royal Shakespeare Company (1991-2003) and of the Shakespeare Festival, San Diego (20102013). He was appointed Mellon Visiting Artist and Thinker at Columbia University, USA in 2014 and is the recipient of numerous awards and honours in the UK, USA and Europe, including nominations for a Tony Award and many Olivier Awards. Recent work in theatre includes: Suzatzka a new musical in Toronto; Before the Dawn with Kate Bush at Apollo Hammersmith and The Importance of Being Earnest with David Suchet. Recent work in opera includes: Verdi’s Falstaff for Gran Teatro La Fenice; Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi for Teatro alla Scala; Verdi’s Otello; Handel’s Alcina and Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel for the Wiener Staatsoper. His feature film Mrs Lowry and Son, starring Vanessa Redgrave and Timothy Spall, was released in 2023. Also in 2023, his second book How to Direct Shakespeare was published by Arden.
-
Gabrielle Dawes CDG
Casting Director
Gabrielle Dawes CDG
Casting Director
Recent casting includes: A Man For All Seasons (Theatre Royal Bath & tour); The Lightest Element (Hampstead Theatre); Unearthed: Angry & Young season (Almeida Theatre); Anthropology (Hampstead Theatre); Pressure (Royal Alexandra Theatre, Toronto); Murder on the Orient Express (Chichester Festival Theatre & Bath Theatre Royal); The Price (Wyndhams Theatre); The Height of the Storm (Wyndhams Theatre/Samuel J Friedman Theatre, Broadway); Workshop readings for The Old Vic (Joe Penhall & Matthew Warchus) & the Almeida Theatre (Rupert Goold, Anthony Almeida & Ebe Bamgboye); Alone in Berlin (Northampton) and Remains of the Day (Northampton). Further West End theatre includes: Dead Funny with Katherine Parkinson; Ralf Little, Steve Pemberton & Rufus Jones; The Importance of Being Earnest with David Suchet; Blithe Spirit withAngela Lansbury; Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with James Earl Jones and Adrian Lester; Three Days of Rain with James McAvoy, Nigel Harman and Lyndsey Marshal; Classic Spring 2018 season at the Vaudeville Theatre: An Ideal Husband & The Importance of Being Earnest. Casting Associate, Salisbury Playhouse / Wiltshire Creative, 2018-2024: A Chorus of Disapproval; One Last Push; The Girl on the Train; The Tempest; How The Other Half Loves; The Children; September in the Rain; Hayfever; Breaking the Code; Relatively Speaking; Handbagged and Her Naked Skin. Casting Associate, Theatre Royal Bath Summer Seasons, 2017 & 2018: The Price; In Praise of Love; An Ideal Husband; Racing Demon; North By North West (& Toronto) and Lady in the Van. Casting Associate, Chichester Festival Theatre, 2006-2016. Cast over 45 plays and musicals including: Taken At Midnight; Singin’ in the Rain; Private Lives; Neville’s Island; The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui; The Browning Version / South Downs (all of which transferred to the WestEnd); King Lear (& BAM New York) and Macbeth (& West End, BAM & Broadway). Other theatre includes: The Norman Conquests (Old Vic & Broadway) and All About My Mother (Old Vic); Caroline, or Change; Elmina’s Kitchen; The Pillowman & Coram Boy (National Theatre 2000-2006). Television credits include: Macbeth directed by Rupert Goold; Harold Pinter’s Celebration and Elmina’s Kitchen by Kwame Kwei-Arma. Films include: Perdie (BAFTA award for Best Short Film) and The Suicide Club.
Join us, keep us
Get closer to the action with a Park Keeper membership. Members get ticket discounts, priority booking and invitations to exclusive member benefits.
Help us thrive
As a registered charity, we rely on the generous support of individuals like you to fund our work.
Love Park Theatre?
Sign up to hear about events, news and offers.
Mailing List
w
We will use your data to keep you up-to-date with news, events and offers. For more information, please see our Privacy Statement.