Headgate Theatre Productions
On Golden Pond by Ernest Thompson
Director – Liz Mullen
Liz says – “Although the film version is probably better known, I have a great fondness for this play, which is less “smulchy” and the characters within it are well rounded with beautifully written and funny dialogue. It’s going to be a joy to direct this for Headgate Theatre Productions.”
Could you be the one of the people we’re looking for, to bring out the warmth, sadness, humour and magic of this well-loved play!?
Production Champion – Andrew Hodgson
Production Week: Sunday 22nd February 2026. Performances from Wednesday – Saturday (two shows on Saturday).
Rehearsals: Mainly Sunday afternoons and Wednesday evenings from 23rd November, with a break for Christmas. A detailed rehearsal schedule will be created once casting is complete and individual availability is known. Any rehearsals over the Christmas/New Year period to be agreed collectively.
Casting
Norman – Les Chisnall
Ethel – Jenni Horn
Chelsea – Elly Kent-Johnson
Billy Ray – Mark Russell
Billy Ray Jnr – Will Torry
Charlie – Richard Hill
Operator – Angie Reid
To express an interest in being part of the technical and creative team, please email htp@headgatetheatre.co.uk
On Golden Pond Synopsis
It’s 1979. The setting is Golden Pond – a typical lake in Maine and the summer retreat of Ethel and Norman Thayer for many decades. Their delightful summer routine – fishing, picking strawberries, enjoying old mementoes, listening to the loons call – is given a bitterly comedic edge by Norman’s unreliable memory and his cantankerously morbid statements.
With his 80th birthday looming, Noman – a retired University professor – is tetchy. His mental capacity is not what it was, and Ethel is becoming his caregiver. However, the imminent arrival of estranged daughter Chelsea – complete with her new fiancé and his young son – is destined to change Norman’s life. Ethel and Norman experience a revival when they spend time with their pseudo-grandson.
The story examines all kinds of different relationships, mother/daughter, father/daughter, husband and wife, and potential step-parent and child. The generation gap between young and old is carefully and delightfully explored.
Note. This is a classic American comedic drama, which was first produced in 1978, and some of the views and language expressed are reflective of that time, and of the deteriorating mental health of Norman.
Character Descriptions and Skills
| Role | Playing Age | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Norman Thayer, Jr | Playing age 80 | Forgetful, forceful, but still has a good posture and a cutting wit. |
| Ethel Thayer | Playing age 60+ | Norman’s wife. Late 60s, youthful, considered nice-looking, long-suffering but takes no nonsense. |
| Chelsea Thayer Wayne | Playing age early 40s | Divorced daughter, never really valued by Norman. Now lives in California . Fiesty. In love with Bill. |
| Billy Ray | Early 40s | Smart, caring and initially overawed by Norman, but fights back! |
| Billy Ray Jnr | Playing age 13. Actual age can be older | Bright, cheeky, a crucial role. He and Norman both learn from each other. |
| Charlie Martin | Playing age early – mid 40s | A genuine Maine character. The lake's mailman, still delivering to homes around the shore in his boat. Has been in love with Chelsea since he was her teenage summer boyfriend. He is witty but sometimes mistaken as simple. |