Poisoned Beds-Two Person Show. The demise of the oyster industry

Poisoned Beds

By Lucy Flannery and Greg Mosse, Original music by John Gleadall

Not surfers but Suffragettes against sewage!

An Edwardian woman's fight for freedom, justice and unpolluted waters.

Who would have believed that 120 years ago local water companies would pump untreated sewage into Emsworth harbour, the famous home of the finest oyster beds in Europe?

It's December 1918 and Elizabeth Wells is preparing a concert to celebrate women's suffrage and the end of the Great War. But she cannot celebrate the future without reconciling herself to her tragic past. Elizabeth recounts her captivating story of one woman's personal liberation set against the fight for suffrage and the death of the Victorian oyster industry.

Poisoned Beds is a collaboration between two highly-regarded theatre writers and will delight audiences with its clever combination of comedy and sadness, sharp dialogue, unexpected plot twists and wonderfully witty lyrics.

West End actress Paula Tinker gives a virtuoso performance in this superb one-act script by Lucy Flannery & Greg Mosse, accompanied on stage by much-loved theatre composer John Gleadall. After The interval there will be an opportunity to discuss the play and to sing some songs of the sea led by John Gleadall.

Last updated 8:31am on 21 May 2025