Setting

Set in the 1950s in the drawing-room of the Hailsham-Brown residence, a large house in the English
countryside called Copplestone Court.

The action takes place during the course of an evening in March.

Synopsis

Clarissa, the wife of a Foreign Office diplomat, is given to daydreaming. ‘Supposing I were to come
down one morning and find a dead body in the library, what should I do?’ she muses. Clarissa has her
chance to find out when she discovers a body in the drawing-room of her house in Kent.

Desperate to dispose of the body before her husband comes home with an important foreign politician,
Clarissa persuades her three house guests to become accessories and accomplices. It seems that the
murdered man was not unknown to certain members of the house party (but which ones?), and the
search begins for the murderer and the motive, while at the same time trying to persuade a police
inspector that there has been no murder at all.

Performances

Thursday 13th to Sunday 16th November 2025

Box Office

Box Office

Artistic Team

Director – Michael Hall

Assistant Director – Hollie Heavens

Characters

Clarissa Hailsham-Brown	Age 25-35. The second wife of Henry Hailsham-Brown, charming and inventive, her imagination tends to work overtime, with some unexpected consequences.
Jeremy Warrender	Age 25-30. An elegant young man and guest at the Hailsham-Brown’s house, the private secretary for a man much wealthier than he.
Oliver Costello	Age 40s. He is suspected of shady dealings. None of the other characters like him and neither should the audience – even though he is killed in the first act, his body gets to hang around in the second act.
Pippa Hailsham-Brown	Clarissa’s young stepdaughter: Age about 12 years old, she exhibits the strong emotional swings of a pre-teen, made worse by a previous family problems, will need to look much younger than Clarissa but strong enough for Clarissa (and the audience) to believe that she could have clobbered Oliver.
Mildred Peake	She is a big, jolly-looking woman of forty odd, in tweeds and gum boots. The gardener with a hale and hearty attitude, some suspect that she isn’t all there.
Mr. Elgin	The butler – middle aged. Nothing escapes his attention.
Henry Hailsham-Brown	Age 40-50s. Clarissa’s husband. A good-looking man of about forty with a rather expressionless face who works in the foreign office, a strong, solid type.
Constable Jones	Age 20-40s. He and the Inspector have been working together long enough that they understand each other well.
Sir Rowland Delahaye	Age 50-60. A distinguished gentleman with very definite charm. Clarissa’s guardian, friend, and adviser, he likes to think that he can guide her, but would never admit that she has him wrapped around her little finger.
Hugo Birch	Age 50-60. The local Justice of the Peace. A rather irascible type who shouldn’t be involved in business like a murder.
Inspector Lord	Age 40-50s. The wheels are always turning in his brain. Although he doesn’t let on, he doesn’t miss a thing.

Auditions

Auditions will take place on:

Thursday 28th August from 19:30
Sunday 31st August from 18:00

Location: St Peter’s Church Hall, St Peter’s Road, South Croydon CR0 1EZ
The venue is 3 minutes walk from South Croydon station and on numerous bus routes. On street parking is available on nearby Heathfield Road, Hurst Road and Dean Road. Alternatively, paid parking is available at the station.
What three words location: ///clips.doctor.motel

Spider’s Web

Setting

Synopsis

Performances

Box Office

Artistic Team

Characters

Auditions

Audition Pieces

Rehearsals

The Show

Show Fee

Backstage