About the Play:

Shakers is a full-length comedic drama by the double BAFTA-winning partnership of John Godber and his wife Jane Thornton. Welcome to Shakers cocktail bar! It's the place where everyone wants to be seen. We meet our four waitresses amongst the hustle and bustle of gossip and spilled cocktails as they navigate the claustrophobia and chaos of busy bar life. Shakers is a timeless exploration of friendship and courage and what it really means to work in the service industry.

Shakers is set on the night shift of a an oh-so-trendy cocktail bar. We meet Carol, Adele, Nicky and Mel, four friends who have taken to waitressing in desperation but who also have wit and resilience enough to never let any of the colourful characters they come across shake them up! In theatrically heightened moments, the all-female cast play the roles of men and women alike, covering not only their nights at Shakers but also the lives of four other working women in London. Always at the source of their satire are the men who take them for granted or, worse, abuse them. Written in the 1980s, and retaining all the 'charm' of that era, yet still every bit as relevant and relatable today, Shakers, a sister play to Bouncers, gives a wickedly funny glimpse of the world as seen through the eyes of the four long suffering waitresses, offering a fascinating view of the reality that lurks behind the plastic palms and the Pina Coladas.

Shakers was first presented by Hull Truck Theatre Company at the Spring Street Theatre in Hull, then London, both 1985. Its US premiere was in 1988 at the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble in Los Angeles. It has been performed worldwide, from Dubai to Bratislava, from Scandinavia to Prague.

Cast: 4 female

What people say:

"Delightfully funny! Thoroughly entertaining! Pure Theatre!" — Variety

"Men bounce, women shake, keeps us swiftly and sassily entertained for 90 minutes." — Los Angeles Times

About the Playwright:

John Godber, OBE, is a multi award-winning English playwright and dramatist. His many plays are performed across the world and he is said to be the second most performed living English playwright, and third of all time (coming only narrowly behind William Shakespeare and Sir Alan Ayckbourn). With his wife Jane Thornton, also known as Jane Clifford and Jane Godber, they are arguably the nation's leading acting-writing-directing married couple. The former school teacher has been creative director of the Theatre Royal Wakefield since 2011 and set up the John Godber Company as its resident company.