Dragon Interview: Yvonne Arnaud Director on New Play ‘Party Games’

Published on: 5 Feb, 2024
Updated on: 9 Feb, 2024

Joanna Read

By Martin Giles

You might say that recent years have provided a surfeit of content for those delivering political satire. As the cliche goes “you could hardly make it up”.

For many of us, the political situation can provide humour and entertainment as well as interest and concern, so a play that looks at a possible future scenario and the continuing challenges of leadership, in a humorous way, should appeal to many.

That is the hope of Joanna Read, director and chief executive of the Yvonne Arnaud, who is directing the new play Party Games by Michael McManus. Set in 2026, this new drama is said to take a hilariously acerbic stance on the chaos of government.

Please watch the interview to learn more about Party Games and the general situation at Guildford’s leading theatre…

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Responses to Dragon Interview: Yvonne Arnaud Director on New Play ‘Party Games’

Barbara Ford Reply

February 5, 2024 at 1:48 pm

Sounds like a really interesting play, especially as it’s funny too – I’m buying tickets for it!

We’re so lucky to have such a great little theatre on our doorstep in Guildford, with a really energetic and farsighted director – and it’s so easy to support it and enjoy yourself at the same time.
Malcolm Souter Reply

May 7, 2024 at 8:15 am

I watched it on Saturday matinee sitting in an almost empty circle at the YA. The first half seemed to be a cocofany of people all talking against each other. The laughs were very few and far between. I almost left at the interval.

The second half was marginally better, but only just.

Described as ‘hilarious’. I admit that my sense is humour may be different from others but the audience were not laughing so I think my view that this was not a hilarious play is correct.

At the end there was only half-hearted applause.