A drama by J.B.Priestley ... November 5th to November 10th

Set in the pre-First World War period and focusing on a wealthy family An Inspector Calls is a play that can be enjoyed by its audience on a number of levels.

At the centre of the play are two mysteries that engage one almost immediately: who is responsible for the suicide of Eva Smith and who, or what, is the Inspector? This play will appeal to lovers’ of ‘who-dunnits’ and psychological thrillers as it has plenty of hints and clues to draw them on to the ultimate resolution of the mysteries.

The Playgoers’ 2007/2008 Season production of An Inspector Calls aims to capture the physical atmosphere of the late Edwardian Era in which it is set. Audience members interested in productions striving to recreate a period feel will enjoy the detail of the set and the authentic looking costumes.

For students of human relationships An Inspector Calls holds plenty of material for analysis. The author has written characters who not only react to the circumstances of the situation in which they find themselves but, as in real life, are also acting & reacting in relation to their role within a family or social setting. As with any family, the dynamics of the parent-child, sibling-sibling, and husband-wife relationships etc are powerful and constantly present influences on how the individuals act and react. Priestly skilfully allows his audiences an insight into the Birling family’s inter-relations.

J.B. Priestley was not only a dramatist but also a social observer and polemicist. Set in the optimistic, relatively affluent pre-WWI years it is important to recognise that the play was written by Priestley in 1946. This was the early post-WWII era when industry, capital and social conditions were markedly different to that of the beginning of the Twentieth Century. Why did Priestly set his play in 1912? Could it be that many of those in Priestley’s original audience had experienced first hand the massive social, political, industrial and international changes of the past 35 years and would be receptive Priestley’s own ‘take’ on the rights and wrongs of social responsibility and morality?

Although written in the 1940s and set in the Edwardian era An Inspector Calls has themes, debates and ideas that are as relevant and interesting to an early Twenty-first Century audience as any. Good drama never dates and J.B. Priestley’s An Inspector Calls is good drama.

The Playgoer’s 2007/2008 Season production of An Inspector Calls aims to ensure that justice is done to this ‘good drama’. Although she is a first time director, Larissa Cowen has been lucky enough to be nurtured by the Playgoers’ organisation for almost 4 years. She has the benefit of a talented and experienced cast and the backing of the skilled behind the scenes team at the Riverhead Theatre.