The cast list in the programme stretches over two pages. Written by David Edgar and Stephanie Dale for a cast of 130, A Time to Keep could realistically only be brought to life by a lavishly subsidised major theatre company or, as here, by a large, enthusiastic troupe giving their time and performances for free. It is the fifth Dorchester community play, bringing a professional production team, led by director Jon Oram, together with local amateur players in admirably inclusive fashion. A sign on the door to the audition room apparently said: "Congratulations, you got the part."
The result is a spirit-lifting evening of playfully told local history, melding the threat of Napoleonic invasion in 1804 with the story of Mary Channing, the last woman burned to death in Dorchester a century earlier, for murdering her husband. This pick and mix approach avoids the feeling of dutiful retelling of the town's past and allows the team to throw into the mix everything with dramatic or visual appeal. So King George III is in town, as are some charismatic smugglers, while an ill-fated love story echoes Channing's fate and the limitations on women's lives.
Performing as a promenade, in the shadow of Ariane Gastambide's ingenious scaffold set, the players jostle and chat in character with the audience. The room is filled with an infectious, happy energy, underlined by Tim Laycock's stirring music and rousing songs. The central performances are all strong, and there are long sections where you forget that these are amateur performers. But what impresses most is the sense of a community pulling together to produce something beautiful rather than useful, and memorable rather than practical. This is theatre at its fundamental level: a shared, imaginative experience, communicated with winning passion.
· Until December 1. Box office: 01305 213866.
