How To Train Your Husband

How To Train Your Husband

Cast: 5 Female / 2 Male
Length: Two Acts (120 minutes)
Genre: Comedy 

Synopsis...
This madcap comedy addresses an issue close to every woman's heart –how to train your husband! Sound impossible? Not when you have alegendary Husband Trainer living right next door. The play follows theadventures of three generations of the Smith family as they attempt toturn their men into fully trained members of the opposite sex. Nothingquite goes according to plan and the result is a hilarious comedy withplenty of unexpected twists and turns.

Characters...
1. Kate. Wife to Denis. Mother to Sheryl. Grandmother to Jessica. Grandmaster of the Lodge of Wifery Wiles to Gwen and Trudy. Kate is the matriarch of the family. She has been so successful in training her husband Denis, that he has become dull and boring. She is the victim of her own success. 

2. Sheryl. Wife to Richard (does not appear in the play). Daughter to Kate. Mother to Jessica. Sheryl's husband is having a “bro-mance” with her daughter's (Jessica) husband (Wayne). With the advent of the “bro-mance”, her husband training has hit a snag.

3. Jessica. Wife to Wayne (does not appear in the play). Daughter to Sheryl.  Granddaughter to Kate. Newly married (perhaps a couple of years)  she has made little if any progress in training her husband. 

4. Denis: Husband to Kate. Father to Sheryl. Grandfather to Jessica.Denis lives to mow his lawns. He has been fully “trained” by his wife Kate.

5. Gwen – One of the “Weird Sisters”. Gwen is Trudy's twin sister. She knows Kate through the Lodge of Wifery Wiles of which she is a member. They desperately want to train a man but are not married. 

6. Trudy – The other “Weird Sister”. Trudy is Gwen's twin sister. She knows Kate through the Lodge of Wifery Wiles of which she is a member. She desperately wants to train a man but is not married. 

7. Pete. Pete has moved in next door to Jessica. He is a builder... and a cross-dresser. 

Premier Production...
How To Train Your Husband premiered at Detour Theatre (Tauranga) in March, 2011.
The original cast/director was as follows…
Kate - Kim Williamson
Denis - Brian McKenzie
Jessica - Rianne Scott
Sheryl - Susi Jensen
Gwen - Allison Stewart
Trudi - Jane McKenna
Pete - Craig Wilson 

Director - Kim Williamson

Perusal Scripts...
Perusal scripts are available for this play. Click here for details.

Reviews, Views and Quotes..

There’s many a detour when training your husband!

The team at Detour Theatre have dished up another comedic delight with ‘How to Train Your Husband’. From the pen of Devon Williamson, and under the direction of wife Kim, be prepared to giggle, squirm, and get involved in this multi generational, clever look at marriage. Ladies beware, some of the secrets are being let out!.
Role playing grandparents, explosive implants, baked beans, and the recent Detour trademark man in a dress, are just a few of the issues of training the husbands in this play. So be prepared for anything, and expect the very much unexpected!.
Brian MacKenzie as Denis shines as the aging husband trying desperately to please his eccentric wife, and the ‘twisted sisters’ Gwen (Allison Stewart) and Trudy (Jane McKenna) never failed to make me smile with their many antics. Craig Wilson as Dave Bigfoot with his fabulous smile and skimpy clothing got me chuckling every time.  It was obvious that the entire cast enjoyed themselves, and had worked extremely hard to memorise massive monologues.
A close to full house laughed, participated and even pinched each other, showing their enjoyment and support for the hard working cast and crew. It’s wonderful to see locals write and perform great plays for everyone to enjoy, and showcase the talent that Tauranga has to offer.
 
-          Elise Rohde (For Bay of Plenty Times)

“"...playwright Devon Williamson has great fun with this oddball mix of characters, producing lots of audience laughs.".”
-The Weekend Sun

“Hilarious, dramatic, insightful... Williamsons plays are winners for the audience and producer alike..”
-Stuart Gunn, Absolute Theatre