Hansard - Reading

HANSARD by Simon Woods

Director:  Dorothy Duffy

Reading                Sunday 25th January 2026, 6.00 pm, Yardley
Audition               Sunday 1st February 2026, 6.00 pm, Coward/Yardley
Performances   Tuesday 19th - Saturday 23rd May 2026, Coward Studio

Please click HERE for the main production page 

Please click HERE for the audition page

With razor-sharp wit and emotional depth, Hansard by Simon Woods is a gripping two-hander that explores love, loss, and the irreparable rifts in both a marriage and a nation.

Set in May 1988. The gin is poured; the lawns are perfectly mowed; the setting -   an Oxfordshire country home. Tory junior minister Robin Hesketh has returned home for the weekend to the Cotswolds from a trip to Leeds to do Any Questions. His wife of 30 years, Diana, has been waiting. And she’s not in the mood for small talk.

As the couple verbally battle over dinner, drinks, and decades of buried resentments, polite conversation gives way to political clashes, personal betrayal, and the deeply felt cost of loyalty — both public and private. Robin attacks his wife’s sloth, her drinking, and left-leaning beliefs. She derides his privileged background and is scornful of his awe of Mrs Thatcher. She admits she adored Robin in the early days ‘and the rest they say is tragedy’.

These are two fabulous roles that will need experienced and confident actors willing to dig deep into these characters.

Characters: 

Diana Hesketh:  Mid 50s’s – mid 60’s. Tory wife. Dry, witty, acerbic with a scabrous wit.

Robin Hesketh:  Mid 50s’s – mid 60’s. Tory MP. Buttoned up, entitled, irascible.

I am very excited to be making my directorial debut at TTC with this wonderful play and I look forward to seeing you at the reading and auditions. 

Play readings are not just for prospective actors, but for anyone who would like to join in reading the play – or just listen to it being read. The readings are informal social occasions when the bar is open - we enjoy meeting new people and welcoming them to our club.  There is no obligation to audition for the play or even to read – and there’s no need to book, just turn up!

For more information artistic@teddingtontheatreclub.org.uk