I Have Been Here Before by J.B. Priestley

8pm Tuesday & Wednesday

A woman, her husband and her much younger lover meet a mysterious professor at an isolated pub. His probing inquiries reveal that all three are unhappy and confused. They’ve been repeating the same old scenes, with catastrophic consequences. Now, finally, there's a chance to break out of the loop.

Like Priestley’s famous An Inspector Calls, this 1937 “time play” was influenced by emerging ideas in science and philosophy. How does Dr Gortler know which characters are headed for disaster? Do we really have the free will to change the course of events? Or are our lives entirely pre-determined? 

An imperturbable landlord and his feisty daughter add Priestley’s observations on social class to the mix. The whole cast react differently to the foreigner in their midst. This adds up to much more than the standard “spooky pub” mystery. We may be in 2026, but disturbingly, we know we’ve been here before.

This amateur production of I Have Been Here Before is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd. on behalf of Samuel French Ltd.
www.concordtheatricals.co.uk

I Have Been Here Before is the third of J.B. Prietsley’s time plays, written the same year as Time and the Conways.

All tickets include a £1 admin charge

Approx running time 2 hours 10 mins (incl. 20 min interval)

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The Alma Theatre has been serving the community for 25 years and has never been the recipient of ACE or other funding and were unable to secure the Covid Arts Recovery Fund. We have been offering reduced rates, preferential box office splits and extended promo support to aid the recovery from the past year and a half. Your help will enable us to continue bringing fantastic stories to your local theatre. 50% of your donation will go to the Alma Theatre, and 50% to our inhouse company, Schoolhouse Productions.

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