A treat is in store both for regular supporters of the Summer Play Festival and those arriving for the Sidmouth Folk Festival, who will have a chance to catch the show God of Carnage.

Opening on Monday, July 29 and running until Friday, August 2, it concludes the first half of the 12 plays being presented at the Manor Pavilion.

God of Carnage is a French dark comedy by Yasmin Reza, adapted in English by Christopher Hampton and made into a film in 2011. Two sets of parents meet to discuss an incident in a public park in which the son of one of the couples has hurt the son of the other two parents. The discussion is meant to be a civilised way of addressing the matter but, as the evening develops, the behaviour of the parents degenerates, becoming increasingly childish and spiralling into chaos.

Director Ellie Chadwick returns to the Play Festival after her debut with The Business of Murder last year. Also glad to be returning to Sidmouth are Claire Amias and Steven Blacker-Barrowman who have both been very busy in national tours, Claire in Drop the Dead Donkey: The Reawakening and Steve in Home, I’m Darling.

Claire said: “I've been acting in the Sidmouth Play Festival since 2017 and I've had the opportunity to play some fabulous leading roles in great classic plays – a personal favourite was Private Lives.”

The Play Festival resumes with Mike Leigh’s comedy, Abigail’s Party, opening on Monday, August 12. Full details can be found at https://www.manorpavilion.com/whats-on