The bear who fought in WW1

The true story of a bear who fought in the First World War will be brought to life at the Gulbenkian, Canterbury.

Faversham theatre company The Quarter Too Ensemble will perform Wotjek: The Happy Warrior on Tuesday, March 28, at 7pm.

The performance is said to be a playful imagining based on the unbelievable true story of a Syrian brown bear which was enlisted into the Polish army with his soldier comrades in the Middle East.

Wotjek eventually travelled to Scotland after the war, before spending the rest of his life as a resident of Edinburgh Zoo.

The production is described as showing “the nature of friendship and empathy amidst the chaos of war”. The Quarter Too Ensemble is a company of actors which produces accessible theatre, workshops and collaborative communitybased projects.

It aims to provide quality, innovative and exciting theatre for people of all ages, incorporating a range of theatrical devices such as puppetry, traditional storytelling, clowning and physical theatre. Shows also feature live music composed and performed by the cast.

Wotjek: The Happy Warrior, begins at 7pm.

Tickets are £10.50, students and under-16s pay £8 and groups of four or more can book at £7.50 per person.

The show is suitable for age seven and over.

For more information and tickets visit www. thegulbenkian.co.uk or call 01227 769075. The Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury is continuing to support local talent by making a Whitstable playwright its first supported artist.

Sharon Byrne’s new play, Gutted, is a fast-paced story set in a Dublin fish factory which is being staged from Tuesday, February 21, to Saturday, February 28.

It tells the story of three women and the drama surrounding a very significant night in their lives, “incorporating trust, love and loss weaved with dark humour, Irish brogue and adult language”.

Sharon’s writing first attracted the attention of the Marlowe Theatre’s creative team via the Roar! writing programme, which led to the invitation to produce Gutted for the Studio.

The cast comprises Nancy Sullivan, Lucia Mcanespie and Rose O’loughlin. The director Nicola Sameris is resident director with the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company.

Performances start at 8pm with tickets at £12.50 available from the box office on 01227 787787 or at www. marlowetheatre.com.

Gutted is supported by the Marlowe Theatre Creative Opportunity Fund, Canterbury City Council and the Arts Council for England.