Autumn Production News: Reading & Auditions

Table Number Seven by Terence Rattigan

Table Number Seven is a play by Terence Rattigan, usually played with another linked one-act play (Table by the Window) under the heading Separate Tables. BDS intend to perform Table Number Seven as a stand alone play in an immersive environment.

In 1954, the typical South Coast Hotel Beauregarde is peopled by the old, the lonely and the indigent. In Table Number Seven, a 'self-made' army colonel without any true background and education to which he lays claim, finds solace with a spinster over the objections of her ruthless, domineering mother. When a sordid scandal threatens to drive them apart, Miss Cooper the hotel manager comes to the rescue.

Suggested playing dates TO BE CONFIRMED: 22nd, 23rd, 24th October 2026

Dramatis Personae & Approximate Playing Ages Below:

Major Angus Pollock (50 plus)

A retired army officer or so he claims—Major Pollock is a man of charm and bluster, masking deep insecurities. His vulnerability emerges as the truth about his background surfaces, revealing a man desperate for acceptance and companionship.

Miss Sybil Railton-Bell (20-40)

A repressed, timid spinster who lives under the suffocating influence of her domineering mother. She is socially awkward, painfully shy, and emotionally fragile, yet possesses a quiet yearning for connection.

Mrs Railton-Bell (50 plus)

Sybil’s controlling and judgmental mother, Mrs. Railton-Bell is a moral absolutist who thrives on gossip and social propriety. She is quick to condemn others.

Miss Meacham (40 plus)

A sharp-tongued, independent-minded resident of the hotel. She is pragmatic, witty, and unafraid to challenge hypocrisy.

Lady Matheson (50 plus)

A civil servant’s widow, probably less well off than the other residents.

Mr Fowler (50 plus)

An elderly, somewhat cantankerous resident who enjoys the small dramas of hotel life. Though not central to the main plot, he adds texture to the ensemble.

Miss Cooper (30-50)

Hotel Manager. Efficient, discreet, and quietly authoritative, Miss Cooper manages the residents with tact.

Charles Stratton (20-30)

Oxford graduate and trainee doctor. The voice of a new generation?

Jean Stratton (20-30)

Charles’s wife. Oxford graduate but with new baby may have tipped back into less liberal views.

Mabel (30 -60)

Waitress, could be quite taciturn – may offer slight comic relief.

Doreen (younger waitress)

Reading and Auditions:

Auditions will take place in the form of an informal table reading:

Dates: Thursday 18th June and Monday 22nd June (come to one or both!)

Venue: The King’s Arms, 80 High Street, Billingshurst, RH14 9QS

Time: 7:30pm

No need to let us know, just turn up! But if you have any questions, please contact us.