The Orchard
Synopsis
Six actors are brought together in a country house over one weekend to put on an improvised version of The Cherry Orchard. They are pleased to see each other again and begin to explore the house and talk about old times. They chat about the play and what they feel needs to be done during this weekend but as they cast themselves as suitable characters cracks begin to appear. They discuss the dramatic themes - longing for things past, decay, regret, loss, spite and jealousy which slowly and imperceptibly begin to take over the actors and their characters. Little do the actors realise they will be consumed by the play both as the characters, over which they argue, bitch, make alliances and betrayals, and as themselves, loving, jealous, spiteful, bullying human beings. What begins as a light-hearted weekend of theatrical fun gradually turns into a self-doubting and destructive scenario.
As they gather in the garden to make their theatrical entrance will they ever be able to be friends again?
Details
- Year
- 2013
- Type of project
- Features
- Running time
- 104 mins
- Format
- EXDCAM
- Director
-
Lynda Myer-Bennett, Clive Myer 1st Feature
- Producer
- Lynda Myer-Bennett, Clive Myer
- Executive Producer
- Allan Niblo
- Editor
- Lynda Myer-Bennett, Clive Myer
- Screenwriter
- Lynda Myer-Bennett, Clive Myer
- Director of Photography
- Clive Myer
- Production Designer
- Lynda Myer-Bennett, Clive Myer
- Sound
- Lynda Myer-Bennett
- Composer
- Andy Saunders
- Principal cast
- Lucy Black, Paul Currier, Daisy Douglas, Dorothea Myer-Bennett, Richard Neale, Dan Winter
- Second Unit Camera
- George Myer
- Sound Design
- Carl Boland
- Sound Re-recordist
- Jules Woods
- Postproduction Sound Facility
- Technicolor Sound Services
Genre
Categories
Production Status
Production Company
Page updates
This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.
See also
You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.
The Mire Archive
Director: Lynda Myer-Bennett, Clive Myer
Year: 2020
All things buried will resurface. Focused on the last weeks of the life of an archaeology professor, whose academic world is thrown into turmoil when forced to exhibit the 2000-year-old bog body he excavated with his former student and lover. As places, events and his relationships appear to conspire in the analysis of the bog body, he concocts an ‘archaeology of the living’. Forced to confront painful home truths created by the love affair that tore his family apart, he enlists the help of a young security guard at the university who has his own peculiar reasons for an intense devotion to the body. Increasingly affected by his illness, his final address at the opening of the exhibition becomes the haunting soundtrack to a brutal murder, an event for which he, as an act of atonement, is prepared to pay the ultimate price.
Dancing on Road
Director: Lauren Gee
Year: 2024
Documenting and celebrating the Black British female roller-skating community, showcasing its long history and fixture within popular culture. Blurring the boundaries between documentary and music video, this experimental film reveals the expansive network of London’s Black skate scene through two key individuals that share their stories and delve into what this space and their skate crews and mentors provide them. This joyous exploration gives visibility to a subculture that to many outsiders is unknown but is made familiar through its nostalgic lens which pays homage to the sports DIY and music-led roots. Official Selection Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival 2025
Shall We Meet Tonight
Director: Wapah Ezeigwe
Year: 2025
The film narrates the complex journey of a young woman as she is promised in an arranged marriage to a wealthy aristocrat. As she navigates this new social landscape, she unexpectedly finds herself drawn towards another woman from her town. This secret affection creates a conflict within her, torn between fulfilling her marital duties and following her heart. Through its poignant portrayal of love in the face of societal expectations, the movie explores themes of identity, independence, and the struggle for authentic connection amidst tradition-bound constraints. As the protagonist grapples with these competing forces in her life, viewers are drawn into a captivating tale of self-discovery and the courage to embrace one's own desires. Official Selection BFI Flare LGBTQIA+ Film Festival 2025