THE WIDOW: "We had so much positive feedback about the show. It was a big hit." Cheryl Pellett, President of the Board of Directors, Garland Civic Theatre, Texas, USA "A dark and unnerving thriller." Eastbourne Herald "The Widow is a well put together example of the ghost/thriller genre which won't disappoint the audience as it makes great use of the staples of this kind of play - the sinister housekeeper, the terrible family secret, ghostly figures appearing, warnings being whispered, footsteps and laughter coming from nowhere. The writer also manages to refresh the proposition by making the play very contemporary, which gives it additional resonance for a modern audience." Greg Ripley-Duggan, Executive Producer, Hampstead Theatre "A successful genre play – classic gothic/ghost story – which is a very difficult thing to pull off in a contemporary context." Sebastian Born, Associate Director (Literary), National Theatre The Widow is a contemporary gothic thriller with a beautiful heroine, a twisted antagonist, an ancient scandal and a long-dead victim still haunting the halls of a stately home. It is a gripping tale of thwarted ambition, unswerving maternal love, and a doomed romance that warms the heart and draws us into a rich story that resonates long after the final curtain. SUBMERGED: 18-year-old Louise is stuck in a run-down girls’ boarding school in the heart of the English countryside. Her only consolation, during the long cold nights, is Matthew, the art teacher and second husband of the headmistress, Veronica Van Huet. Half-term is looming and Louise cannot bear the thought of being away from her lover for a whole week. So she persuades Veronica to let her remain at school, ostensibly to do extra study for her exams. The holiday begins and the vast Victorian building is a spooky shell without the other pupils. Louise and Matthew grab the first opportunity to be together, exposing their intimate relationship. Veronica, despite her considerable hurt and anger, does not expel Louise as she is acutely aware that her husband is the one truly responsible. She is also keen not to have a row with Matthew as she needs him now more than ever. In a conspiracy with the school’s doctor, Veronica and Matthew are planning a major art fraud in a desperate attempt to raise money to save the school. But marital harmony is short-lived when Veronica discovers something far more painful about her husband’s love for Louise. Consumed with rage, she grabs Matthew’s old knife and stabs him. To buy time while she covers her tracks, Veronica sends Louise off on an errand to collect her daughter Phoebe from the airport. While Louise is out of the way, Stubbs, the school’s caretaker, helps Veronica get rid of Matthew’s body by dumping it in a secluded lake. When Louise returns, she is shocked to find that Matthew has gone. According to Veronica, she and Matthew need a little time apart and that he has flown to Florence to paint. But, nothing seems right. The building itself appears to be in pain, almost crying through the cracked walls and old water pipes. As the days go by Louise believes that Matthew is trying to tell her something from the “other side”. Isolated in the old school, with a woman she believes to be a murderer, Louise's nightmare is just beginning...