When a walk across the dales turns sour: Wolverhampton theatre to host debut play from two retired GPs

A play written by two retired Black Country GPs will be performed at a popular arts venue this month.

A Dales Way, written by Mike Smith and Brijinder Singh, comes to Wolverhampton Arts Centre on June 24, 25 and 26.

The play, which tells the story about a group of friends planning an 80-mile walk across the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District, will be performed by Studio 61 theatre group.

The pair, who worked as GPs serving the Wrens Nest and Priory estates in Dudley before their retirement, have written a number of novels together over the past 20 years, but it is their first play.

It tells the story of three couples, all long-time friends, who set out to walk the Dales Way, 80 miles of natural wild beauty from Ilkley to Bowness, on the shores of Windermere.

On the eve of their journey, two couples toast their adventure with laughter, fine food, and a little too much drink. Optimism is high, nerves kept at bay by good cheer.

But when the third couple arrive, bringing an unexpected extra walker, the atmosphere shifts, and what should be a night of jollity suddenly brims with unspoken tension, hinting that the trail ahead may hold more than just scenic beauty.

The pair wrote alternate scenes for the play, neither of them knowing what the other would write or how the tale would develop.

Performances start at 7.30pm.

Tickets, priced £10, are available on 01902 572090 or through the website wolverhamptonartscentre.co.uk