PLAY SYNOPSIS While on holiday, Peter and Debbie befriend Elsa: a lusty, Trump-loving widow from Denver, USA. She's less than woke but kind of wonderful. They agree to stay in touch – because no one ever really does, do they? When Elsa invites herself to stay a few months later, they decide to look her up online. Too late, they learn the truth about Elsa Jean Krakowski. Deadly danger has just boarded a flight to London! But how do you protect all that you love from mortal peril without seeming, well, a bit impolite? Because guess who's coming... to murder! Steven Moffat's play The Unfriend takes a hilarious and satirical look at middle-class England's disastrous instinct always to appear nice.Steven Moffat is an award-winning writer whose internationally successful television shows include Doctor Who, Sherlock and Dracula. OPEN READING AND AUDITIONS There will be a reading of the play on SUNDAY 26TH OCTOBER AT 7PM at Coventry Vision Hub, 33-35 Earlsdon Ave South, Coventry CV5 6TH. This reading is open to anyone interested in auditioning, finding out more about the play, or anyone who simply likes to read plays, or to hear a play read aloud. Information about the auditions will be given at this reading. Auditions for the play will take place on SUNDAY 2ND NOVEMBER AT 7PM at Coventry Vision Hub, 33-35 Earlsdon Ave South, Coventry CV5 6TH.  Attendance at the reading would be useful but anyone unable to attend the reading or auditions should email the director John Ruscoe at jruscoe@sky.com for alternative details.  CASTING REQUIREMENTS Elsa: Female-presenting. Playing age 50s +. American accent required. Brash, opinionated, pragmatic. If she likes you, she loves you, if not ...! Peter: Male presenting. Playing age 50s. British, with all the typically British hang-ups. Indecisive, lazy, panics easily. Leads with his mouth. Debbie: Female presenting. Playing age 50s. Married to Peter. Tries to control the household, with mixed results. Alex: Male presenting. Playing age mid-teens. Lazy. Uncommunicative. Rarely leaves his room. Farts a lot. Rosie: Female presenting. Playing age mid-teens. Moody, Determined. Challenging. The Neighbour:  Male presenting. Playing age 60+. Smug. Self- righteous. Nosy. Determined.  PC Junkin:  Male presenting. Playing age 40s+. Amiable. Gullible. These are all great comic parts. The teenagers could easily be played by slightly older actors. EDI ASSESSMENT In line with our EDI policy, we undertake an EDI impact assessment of all our artistic programming. This play has no central diversity message. On the character notes, there are indications where specific playing gender identifications are called for and there are also recommendations of approximate playing ages. Otherwise there can be flexibility around casting with regard to ethnicity, age and disability.

PLAY SYNOPSIS While on holiday, Peter and Debbie befriend Elsa: a lusty, Trump-loving widow from Denver, USA. She's less than woke but kind of wonderful. They agree to stay in touch – because no one ever really does, do they? When Elsa invites herself to stay a few months later, they decide to look her up online. Too late, they learn the truth about Elsa Jean Krakowski. Deadly danger has just boarded a flight to London! But how do you protect all that you love from mortal peril without seeming, well, a bit impolite? Because guess who's coming... to murder! Steven Moffat's play The Unfriend takes a hilarious and satirical look at middle-class England's disastrous instinct always to appear nice.Steven Moffat is an award-winning writer whose internationally successful television shows include Doctor Who, Sherlock and Dracula. OPEN READING AND AUDITIONS There will be a reading of the play on SUNDAY 26TH OCTOBER AT 7PM at Coventry Vision Hub, 33-35 Earlsdon Ave South, Coventry CV5 6TH. This reading is open to anyone interested in auditioning, finding out more about the play, or anyone who simply likes to read plays, or to hear a play read aloud. Information about the auditions will be given at this reading. Auditions for the play will take place on SUNDAY 2ND NOVEMBER AT 7PM at Coventry Vision Hub, 33-35 Earlsdon Ave South, Coventry CV5 6TH.  Attendance at the reading would be useful but anyone unable to attend the reading or auditions should email the director John Ruscoe at jruscoe@sky.com for alternative details.  CASTING REQUIREMENTS Elsa: Female-presenting. Playing age 50s +. American accent required. Brash, opinionated, pragmatic. If she likes you, she loves you, if not ...! Peter: Male presenting. Playing age 50s. British, with all the typically British hang-ups. Indecisive, lazy, panics easily. Leads with his mouth. Debbie: Female presenting. Playing age 50s. Married to Peter. Tries to control the household, with mixed results. Alex: Male presenting. Playing age mid-teens. Lazy. Uncommunicative. Rarely leaves his room. Farts a lot. Rosie: Female presenting. Playing age mid-teens. Moody, Determined. Challenging. The Neighbour:  Male presenting. Playing age 60+. Smug. Self- righteous. Nosy. Determined.  PC Junkin:  Male presenting. Playing age 40s+. Amiable. Gullible. These are all great comic parts. The teenagers could easily be played by slightly older actors. EDI ASSESSMENT In line with our EDI policy, we undertake an EDI impact assessment of all our artistic programming. This play has no central diversity message. On the character notes, there are indications where specific playing gender identifications are called for and there are also recommendations of approximate playing ages. Otherwise there can be flexibility around casting with regard to ethnicity, age and disability.

TIMING AND PROGRESS: 2-3 WEEKS BEHIND SCHEDULE ON AGREED REVISED PLAN STATUS AGAINST PLAN  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 ⇒ ⇒ ⇒ ⇒ ⇒ ⇒ ⇒ ⇒ ⇒ ⇒ ⇒ ⇒ ⇒ ⇒ ⇒         'EXTENSION OF TIME' CERTIFICATE GRANTED DELAYING CONTRACTOR'S COMPLETION DATE FROM 19TH SEPTEMBER TO 16TH OCTOBER 2025.  Contractor has declared a further slip to 24th October 2025.   WORKS COMPLETED SINCE LAST REPORT (26TH SEPTEMBER 2025) * Internal plastering completed * New automatic doors installed * Continuation of external paving works in additional areas completed * Back of bar rebuild completed * New electrical consumer unit fited * Installation of celing lights, sockets and switches has started   WORKS PLANNED FOR WEEK COMMENCING 6TH OCTOBER 2025 * Install upper windows  * Continue with fitting lights, switches and sockets (electrical 2nd fix) * Start fitting out woodwork etc. to extension (carpentry 2nd fix)    This weeks pictres show the ground floor windows and new automatic doors are now installed, together with extended paving areas outside. Inside after a very busy week of plastering, the internal walls and ceilings are now all plastered. Installation of lights, switches and sockets has now started.  

We are thrilled to announce the main house productions of 2026. This is going to be a particularly exciting season for us as it will be the first to take place in what will be our transformed bar and foyer space. We think it is an exciting and celebratory season - with a mix of new writing and more classic pieces, well known and unusual plays. As a member of the audience, actors, backstage teams and front of house please do come along, get involved and be part of a wonderful year of theatre. All details are below and please look out for Open Reading and Audition notices as well as announcements of tickets going on sale for all these productions coming very soon. January 31st to February 7th: The Who’s ‘Tommy’ by Des McAnuff/Pete Townshend March 21st to 28th: ‘The Unfriend’ by Steven Moffat May 9th to 16th: Springboard Festival 2026 June 27th to 4th July: ‘Popcorn’ by Ben Elton September 26th to 3rd October: ‘Underdog: The Other Other Brontë’ by Sarah Gordon December 5th to 12th: Shakespeare in Love adapted for the stage by Lee Hall PLAY SYNOPSES RESCHEDULED DATES SAT 31ST JANUARY TO 7TH FEBRUARY 'THE WHO’S ‘TOMMY’ BY DES MCANUFF AND PETE TOWNSHEND (1968/1994) Genre: Rock Musical, Cast 20+, Director: Deb Relton-Elves (Sweeney Todd, 2023; Rumpelstiltskin,2016; Snake in the Grass, 2015, Musical Director: Rob Parish (Sweeney Todd, 2023) This thoroughly entertaining rock musical with its dramatic score and fascinating storyline, has been thrilling theatre goers for years and is just as relevant today as when it was first produced. Whilst dealing with some dark themes there are moments of hope and triumph so audiences are uplifted as well as moved. At its heart, the story celebrates family, forgiveness, resilience, and ultimately the extraordinary power of healing. The story of Tommy is timeless. The artistic vision of our production is a simplicity of set, costumes and props with the use of inspirational projection and lighting to complement and enhance the piece, with an emphasis on the cast to bring the characters to life through the wonderful music. This production of Tommy exists outside the bounds of a specific time or place. ________________________________________________________________ SAT 21ST TO 28TH MARCH 'THE UNFRIEND' BY STEVEN MOFFAT (2023) Genre: Comedy, Cast: 7 (3f 4m), Director: John Ruscoe (The Homecoming, 2024; The Father, 2019; Communicating Doors, 2017) While on holiday, Peter and Debbie befriend Elsa: a lusty, Trump-loving widow from Denver, USA. She's less than woke but kind of wonderful. They agree to stay in touch – because no one ever really does, do they?When Elsa invites herself to stay a few months later, they decide to look her up online. Too late, they learn the truth about Elsa Jean Krakowski. Deadly danger has just boarded a flight to London! But how do you protect all that you love from mortal peril without seeming, well, a bit impolite? Because guess who's coming... to murder! Steven Moffat's play The Unfriend takes a hilarious and satirical look at middle-class England's disastrous instinct always to appear nice.Steven Moffat is an award-winning writer whose internationally successful television shows include Doctor Who, Sherlock and Dracula. ______________________________________________________________________________________ SAT 9TH TO SAT 16TH MAY SPRINGBOARD FESTIVAL 2026 Now in its 4th year, Springboard provides eight evenings of fabulous and varied entertainment in the form of short one act plays, poetry/spoken word, music, film, literary discussion and visual art. The festival brings together Coventry and Warwickshire amateur and professionals in one space, with in-house Criterion company performances and community/Criterion collaborations alongside external artists, musicians and poets. _______________________________________________________________________________________ SAT 27TH JUNE TO SAT 4TH JULY 'POPCORN' BY BEN ELTON (1998) Genre: Comedy Thriller, Cast: 9 (5f 4m), Director: Dean Sheridan (Grace, 2024) A play adaptation of the best-selling 1996 novel of the same name by well-known comedian and author Ben Elton. Set in the Beverly Hills home of Oscar winning movie director Bruce Delamitri, Popcorn is a satirical comedy thriller. When notorious killers Wayne and Scout interrupt Bruce's passionate introduction to Brooke Daniels, a model and actress, they want more than an autograph from their cinematic idol. Wayne intends to use Bruce's "art" as justification for murder. Events are disrupted by the arrival of Bruce's soon to be ex wife and spoiled teenage daughter and his producer. However, Wayne means to succeed whatever the cost. When Popcorn was first written, it was asking, do violent movies create a violent society? Can minds be corrupted by images and ideas presented in films? In the era of social media this has perhaps more potency: do platforms which are often unregulated, cause any damage and desensitise minds? _______________________________________________________________________________________ SAT 26TH SEPTEMBER TO 3RD OCTOBER 'UNDERDOG: THE OTHER OTHER BRONTË' BY SARAH GORDON (2024) Genre: Comedy, Cast 8 (3f, 1m, 4m/f) Director: Anne-marie Greene (Every Brilliant Thing, 2024; Afterlife, 2023; Glorious, 2020) Synopsis: Charlotte Brontë has a confession about how one sister became an idol, and the other became known as the third sister. You know the one. No, not that one. The other, other one… Anne. This is not a story about well-behaved women. This is a story about the power of words. It’s about sisters and sisterhood, love and jealousy, support and competition. Sarah Gordon’s play is an irreverent retelling of the life and legend of the Brontë sisters, and the story of the sibling power dynamics that shaped their uneven rise to fame. ______________________________________________________________________________________ SAT 5TH-12TH DECEMBER 'SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE' BASED ON THE SCREENPLAY BY MARC NORMAN AND TOM STOPPARD, ADAPTED FOR THE STAGE BY LEE HALL (2014) Genre: Comic Drama, Cast: over 20, Director: Hugh Sorrill (Mary Stuart, 2022) Synopsis: Based on the Academy Award-winning movie, this enchanting, hilarious, romantic stage play reimagines William Shakespeare's creative process – and explores his inspiration – as he writes Romeo and Juliet. William Shakespeare hasn't written a hit in years, and theatre owner Henslowe is counting on Shakespeare's promised comedy, Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter, to keep his wolfish creditors from the door. At the casting session, Will hears his lines spoken with great feeling by an unknown young actor and his curiosity is fired. Soon he discovers the secret of the talented young actor and rediscovers his muse. As Shakespeare falls in love with an unattainable noblewoman, the farcical comedy transforms into the timeless tragedy that is Romeo and Juliet.

Since 1960, the Criterion has entertained audiences from its base on Berkeley Road South, Earlsdon. In that time, the fabric of the building has not changed to any great extent, with the majority of any renovations typically carried out by volunteers within the theatre. However, it has long been recognised that our wonderful building needs modernising to prepare it for the next generations of users; not only improve the theatrical experience for audiences and volunteers, but also to become more energy efficient building fit for a greener future. The biggest barrier to such development has always been how to fund it. The theatre has always been run to serve its community, not one to maximise its profits, which meant large scale redevelopment has, to up to now, remained out of reach. However, thanks to an incredible gift left by one of our founding members - Chris Murly - the generosity of donations over many years, and the prudency of our finance team, we have been able to look at a number of key changes to the theatre. The redevelopment will begin immediately after the close of the “Springboard Festival 25” on 18th May and be finished in plenty of time for the grand reopening when “The Who’s Tommy” hits the stage in November. WHAT'S CHANGING?  The most obvious change will be the front of the building, with a new modern frontage featuring large format stone texture cladding panels, an illuminated sign and accessible entrance. This will also create more space in the building, and slightly reduce capacity in the car park. There will be also major changes to the front of house/bar/toilet areas with a number of new features: - New open entrance extension - Opening up bar and entrance - Complete refit and refurbishment - New fixed banquette seating - New furniture throughout - Sympathetic bar refurbishment - Full toilet refurbishment - New wall and floor finishes - Theatrical entrance to auditorium - Inclusive, flexible design HEATING AND COOLING Managing the temperature within the theatre has always been a challenge. Installing an economical air conditioning system will not only ensure that the building’s temperature is more easily managed, but also help to reduce the carbon footprint. FUTURE PLANS The next planned stage of development will see the installation of solar panels on the roof to make our energy use even greener, and also to replace the stage lighting with more efficient LED lamps. We will then be looking to the backstage area to provide a more accessible, fit for purpose space for the cast and crew who put on our wonderful productions. In order to achieve our ambitious plans, we will have to continue to fundraise in a major way. If you would like to contribute at all to our wonderful plans, we would be eternally grateful for any donations (big or small) from individuals, community groups or businesses.  We have a JustGiving page which you can donate to by visiting the website at https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/criterionbigbuild or contact Barbara at fundraising@criteriontheatre.co.uk if you want to discuss other ways of donating to the theatre.   If you are able to help in any other capacity (DIY, professional trades) or just want to be involved please drop an email to volunteer@criteriontheatre.co.uk and make yourself known. There are some wonderful small, manageable projects in the pipeline, a real chance to play a part in shaping the future.