Rude Mechanical Theatre Company on the road across East and West Sussex

Their show this year is Gods and Dogs, a new play touring to 47 mainly small outdoor rural venues and a few towns across southern England from Friday, May 27 to Sunday, August 7.

Artistic director Pete Talbot said: “The Rude Mechanical Theatre company was founded in 1997 and has been touring brand-new plays once or twice a year every year since to mainly small rural communities and a few towns in Southern England.

"Over the years we have built strong relationships with our communities so that they have come to understand our theatre language, which is rooted in the commedia dell’arte, music hall and silent film but made our own for our audiences and the contemporary world.

"Our annual visits are part of their lives; children have grown up to be adults with us.

“Gods and Dogs, our hilarious new comedy, is set in 2084 on the fictitious island of Abatina based loosely on Monaco in a world where people are either glamorous celebrities or slobbering dog-like followers of them gripped to their telepafones – except, that is, the Nevnops, as Big Al, the all-seeing all hearing President, calls them, that is, ‘Not Very Nice People’, who choose to pursue their own thoughts on the matter and don’t like the President.