Writer/Director : Ed Viney
Stolen Ram, is the latest offering from the same creative team who brought us Pot licker in 2025. Writer and director Ed Viney is keen to emphasise that the play can be enjoyed as a stand-alone piece, with no need to have seen the earlier production.
Produced by Mark Tattersall for Dorchester Arts in association with Lighthouse Poole, Stolen Ram centres on three teachers. Zara (Monika Brodowska) who has recently been promoted to senior management and is struggling with both the added responsibilities and the shift in attitude from her colleagues. Kris (Charlie Coldfield) is a bumbling, eccentric maths teacher, seemingly living in his own world, while Rich (Dan Gaisford), a history teacher who once dreamed of being a drummer, still clearly carries a torch for the now-engaged Zara.
We meet them as they attempt to resolve a rather serious dilemma: a bag left on a chair, a dead body in the boot of Zara’s car, a drug dealer who had supplied Zara with drugs at a festival and the awkward fact that Kris had first run him over and then reversed back to make sure he was actually dead. The question now is what to do with the body, the bag and, indeed, his BMW.
The set is minimal, consisting largely of a chair and a small table with a box of school stationery. However, with such a strong script and believable performances, it is easy to immerse ourselves firmly within a school environment.
The play is underscored with commentary on politics, the education system and the pressures facing teachers today. Yet it balances these serious observations with a generous helping of dark humour as the increasingly absurd situation unfolds. One of many amusing moments centres on the speculation over what exactly is in the mysterious bag.
Does it matter that there seems to be very little urgency about disposing of a dead body and a bag of drugs? Not really. The brilliant writing and impressive performances are strong enough that its easy to suspend disbelief and simply enjoy the ridiculousness of it all. However, one was left wondering quite how or indeed if their dilemma was ever resolved. Perhaps that’s a question for a third play one day. In the meantime, I’d certainly now be curious to see Pot Licker.
Runs until 5 March 2026 – then various dates across Dorset and the South West
