About

Upper Catchpole, May, 1940 – England is under the threat of a German invasion. When the call to arms reaches this sleepy, rural town, the citizens are eager to do their bit for the country. Due to a shortage of men, caused by World War I, the mayor has to also rely on the town’s ladies to form a Local Defence Volunteer Force. Under the command of the outsider Reginald Hurst – who, according to the townsfolk, definitely has a foreign accent – their job is to guard Upper Catchpole’s military base, which is well-known for being top-secret. After struggling to maintain his authority, Reginald finds acceptance within the town’s community. Or so it seems, until an evening at the pub turns sour.

The Bamberg University English Drama Group invites you to join this unusual bunch, as they form what turns out to be a rather poor excuse for a platoon and struggle with the impacts of war on their daily lives.

Review

This year's winter workshop production took the audience into the grim, but slightly absurd reality of WWII England - to Upper Catchpole. Volunteering for the war here is a community thing and all citizens, men and women alike, wish to contribute to the war effort. Most of them, however, had no idea what they were bargaining. Still, German spy Reginal Hurst had no easy time manipulating them, but the audience certainly had an easy time laughing at the antics of the townfolk's attempts at playing war - at times even in long johns.

Depite the freezing termperatures at JUZ, the BUEDG again entertained their audience greatly and the performances were generally enjoyed by the audience.