🎭 The Kitchen Sink by Tom Wells – Coming to Holt on the 27th, 28th & 29th of November 2025!

This isn’t just any play. First performed at London’s Bush Theatre in 2011, The Kitchen Sink quickly made waves for its fresh voice, heartfelt humour and beautifully observed characters. Set in a small Yorkshire town, the story follows a family doing their best to get by—holding onto hope, dreams, and each other as the kitchen quite literally falls apart around them. It’s tender, it’s eccentric, it’s laugh-out-loud funny, it’s packed with pathos in all the right places and as of the 3rd of November 2025, you can grab your tickets here!

MEET THE CAST

KATH - Kirstin West

Having recently joined Holt Players, audiences might recognise Kirstin from her role as Helen in A Pack of Lies. Before that, she’s trodden the boards in a number of local productions, with equal enthusiasm for both the dramatic and the downright daft.

She’s survived the suspense of Agatha Christie whodunnits, brought her own flair to Keevil's, Am Dram is Murder, and still manages to keep a straight face (mostly) when things go gloriously wrong in rehearsals.

When not on stage, Kirstin can usually be spotted in Holt being taken for a walk by her two dachshunds and labrador.

MARTIN - Maxon Bailey

This is Maxon’s first production with the Holt Players, although he lived in Holt many years ago.

He discovered his passion for acting later in life, at the age of 29, and has since gained experience in both film and television. For around ten years, Maxon was part of a travelling theatre company, performing mainly promenade and in-the-round productions, styles he particularly enjoys for their closeness to the audience.

Most of his amateur work has been with the Trowbridge Players, where he has performed in a wide range of productions, from Shakespeare to farce and pantomime. Among his favourite roles are those in Gas Light, Humble Boy, and Neville’s Island.

BILLY - Harry Harman

Harry has been performing on stage for as long as he can remember, although this is his first appearance with the Holt Players.

Based in Frome, he is an active committee member of Frome Drama, where he manages publicity and social media, as well as performing in a number of productions over the past ten years. In addition to his dramatic work, Harry has appeared in several musicals with the Frome Musical Theatre Company (FMTC), including Anything Goes and The Addams Family.

SOPHIE - Noelle Grierson

Noelle works both professionally and within community theatre. After studying film at university, she later turned to acting, developing her craft under the guidance of Mark McGann at Drama Direct. She has performed in numerous stage and screen productions, as well as immersive theatre projects – most of which, intriguingly, have involved a touch of murder.

Noelle brings emotional depth and authenticity to every role, allowing audiences to connect with the motivations behind her movement, pace, and delivery. Her recent credits include Valentine in The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Shakespeare Live).

Portraying Sophie in The Kitchen Sink has been a particularly rewarding experience for Noelle. Each rehearsal has deepened her understanding of the character – how Sophie navigates life, how those closest to her shape her ambitions, and how her past has influenced the woman she has become. Noelle hopes the audience enjoys watching the play as much as she has enjoyed bringing Sophie to life.

PETE - Dan Sung

After acting a fair bit when he was younger, Dan returned to the stage in a short play called Lil’ Jill about 18 months ago, and has been on a bit of a run since.

He played Jack Manningham in Gaslight with Frome Drama in April and performed some street theatre during this summer’s Frome festival.

This is his first role with the Holt Players.

He is not really a plumber.

🎬 Meet the Director – Richard Wright

We are delighted to welcome a very experienced director from Wells Little Theatre and Frome Drama Club for our next production, the award-winning The Kitchen Sink by Tom Wells. We spoke to Richard Wright, 74, about his lifelong love of drama, his career in amateur dramatics, and why he chose this play for the Holt Players.

So how did it all start?

‘My parents lived just outside Stratford-upon-Avon, and I went to Shakespeare’s old school, where all the desks had WS carved into them! Naturally, the focus was on Shakespeare and his body of work. My parents were involved in amateur dramatics, so I followed them, playing several parts as a young teenager, and I also joined the local youth theatre.’

‘This love of acting followed me to university in Leicester, where I read law and became President of the University Theatre. I was hooked, for life as it turned out.’

Richard qualified as a solicitor and he and his wife, Julie, eventually moved to Wells, where they brought up three daughters. While they were growing up, he concentrated on family life, then soon found himself itching to get back to treading the boards.

How did you manage that?

‘When the girls were old enough, I joined Pilton Players, a tiny village group at the heart of the community, where my business partner also enjoyed acting. That was great fun, but after a few years I decided I needed a wider challenge, so I joined Wells Little Theatre, officially the Operatic Society, where they put on five productions a year, including plays, musicals and pantomimes. And that was where I stayed. For 30 years. For twelve of those years I was Chairman of the Society.’

When did you begin to concentrate on directing, and why?

‘I started directing at Wells in 1998, and during my time there I directed about thirty productions, as well as three musicals for Weston-super-Mare Operatic Society. At the same time I enjoyed acting and had many roles in pantomimes, plays and musicals. I was devastated to be given a prompt in Animal Farm in 2017, something I had never needed before, and it happened again when I played Falstaff in The Merry Wives of Windsor in 2019. The time had come to hang up the greasepaint.’

In 2022 Richard retired and he and the ever-patient Julie relocated to Westbury to be nearer their daughters. He had not intended to return to drama, but the itch would not go away.

What brought you back?

‘Frome Drama Club and the Merlin Theatre. I started out working with John Palmer on Ibsen’s A Doll’s House and then just could not stop. So I returned to directing with Frome. Through John I learned of Holt Players and its growing reputation for ambitious productions in a limited space, and I wanted to give working with them a try.’

Tell us about this play, and why you chose it

‘It is a bittersweet study of family affection, ambition and eccentricity. When I first read it, I found it very funny. The parts are fairly evenly distributed, and it is great fun to rehearse. Added to that, there is only one set, ideal for a small stage, though there are some challenging technical touches that our set builders are sorting out.’

‘We have a great cast, some of whom I have worked with before, with plenty of talent and brilliant timing. I just love doing comedy.’

What is your philosophy as a director?

‘The most important part of directing is casting. Get that right and the job is already half done. Then get them off book early and they can begin to develop their characters, almost directing themselves. I believe that a lot of directing for amateurs is about organisation, and then encouragement.’