24 Oct – 02 Nov
2025
The Clacton Three
Stage Craft @
Colchester, UNITED KINGDOM - ENGLAND
The Clacton Three is a gritty, funny, & heartfelt new play inspired by a wild but true slice of local history—when 3 orcas were held in a shallow pool on Clacton Pier. Written by Essex playwright Sarah Baxter, directed by Richard Bland (MA Drama Directing, Bristol Old Vic), & performed by local actors, this is a bold new production about captivity, identity, & the fight to break free.
At the centre of this evocative story are 3 working-class teens: Mandy, her golden-boy brother Davey, & her sharp, loyal best mate Shantz—who works on the pier, selling tickets to the orca shows. All of them dream of escape from a town determined to trap them. While Davey prepares to leave for university, Mandy struggles under the weight of caring for their ill mother, picking up extra shifts at the salon to keep food on the table. Shantz, fiercely devoted to the whales she sees suffering every day, pulls her friends into an impulsive campaign to set them free. As the fight to free the whales heats up, so do tensions between the three. Davey’s love for Shantz, Family pasts, their battle with their mother’s MS, and some criminal activity of Davey’s own... all secrets that come to light as a devastating choice looms.
In the shadow of the orcas' tank, each teen must confront what freedom really means, & what they’re willing to risk to claim it. Funny, gritty, and rooted in a true local event, The Clacton Three is a timely coming-of-age story set against the decaying glamour of a seaside town on the edge of collapse. A working class play about voice, legacy, and the deep, human need to belong to something bigger—even if that something is a cause, a killer whale, or a friendship forged under pressure.
Stage Craft @ is not only committed to the development of actors & performers, but to seeing the work of local emerging playwrights come to the for and be celebrated for the talent that they are. Stage Craft is devoted to developing artistry, accessibly. Join us on the pier. Before it al
At the centre of this evocative story are 3 working-class teens: Mandy, her golden-boy brother Davey, & her sharp, loyal best mate Shantz—who works on the pier, selling tickets to the orca shows. All of them dream of escape from a town determined to trap them. While Davey prepares to leave for university, Mandy struggles under the weight of caring for their ill mother, picking up extra shifts at the salon to keep food on the table. Shantz, fiercely devoted to the whales she sees suffering every day, pulls her friends into an impulsive campaign to set them free. As the fight to free the whales heats up, so do tensions between the three. Davey’s love for Shantz, Family pasts, their battle with their mother’s MS, and some criminal activity of Davey’s own... all secrets that come to light as a devastating choice looms.
In the shadow of the orcas' tank, each teen must confront what freedom really means, & what they’re willing to risk to claim it. Funny, gritty, and rooted in a true local event, The Clacton Three is a timely coming-of-age story set against the decaying glamour of a seaside town on the edge of collapse. A working class play about voice, legacy, and the deep, human need to belong to something bigger—even if that something is a cause, a killer whale, or a friendship forged under pressure.
Stage Craft @ is not only committed to the development of actors & performers, but to seeing the work of local emerging playwrights come to the for and be celebrated for the talent that they are. Stage Craft is devoted to developing artistry, accessibly. Join us on the pier. Before it al
