WOKINGHAM Theatre hosted a real-life romance at the weekend, as two members of its current production, An Ideal Husband, got engaged on stage.
In a carefully planned operation, with theatre friends sworn to secrecy, Dave Wood managed to get unsuspecting Ellie Bukht inside the theatre late at night in order to pop the question – on the set of the current Oscar Wilde play.
Ellie was entirely unaware that Dave had planned an elaborate proposal involving a carrier pigeon, rose petals and a trail of memories.
“We had just finished celebrating my birthday in London,” she said.
“It had been a lovely day, with lots of surprises.”
Dave kept Ellie guessing with the clues: ‘Up’, ‘Down’, and ‘All Around’ throughout the day.
‘Up’ was brunch at The Shard, ‘Down’ was a visit to Leicester Square restaurant Fallow, and ‘All Around’ was seeing West End play, Moulon Rouge (which features windmills).
“But the real ‘All Around’ was a tour of our relationship, and the moments that have led to our engagement,” said Dave.
At Wokingham Theatre Dave is currently playing Sir Robert Chiltern in An Ideal Husband, while Ellie is a member of the backstage crew.
Dating since January 1, 2025, the pair have performed and watched a number of plays there together, making the Wokingham stage a perfect place for Dave’s proposal.
“We were on our way back from the train station,” explained Ellie.
“Dave drove into the Wokingham Theatre car park, and I thought he was just turning round because of the road closures.
“But he said he just had to pop inside for something, so we went in.”
At 11.45pm, the theatre was dark and empty, but spotlights played on a few auditorium seats, and music played quietly.
Dave took Ellie on a tour of each of the lit seats, from which the couple had watched shows together.
On each he had placed a significant quote.
He said: “When we watched Lovesong together,and I heard the line: – ‘Time is linear. When we die. I think we die. But until we do… I want that time to be with you.’ – it made me think, I really wish I’d met Ellie sooner.
“So now I just want to make sure that I can spend the rest of my life with her.”
A trail of rose petals and candles led Ellie to a sign on stage that said, ‘pull me’.
As she did, a (fake) carrier pigeon flew down from the auditorium holding a bag that contained a ring.
“Since writing notes to each other during The Game’s Afoot, in 2025, we had joked about delivering messages by carrier pigeon.
“It became a bit of a theme and I gave Ellie a fake pigeon (Biggles) to go on the Christmas tree.”
Thanks to a clever pulley system rigged by Wokingham Theatre’s Ben Kellett, Biggles was able to swoop down and deliver Ellie’s ring.
“Then Dave got down on one knee and delivered a very wonderful speech to me,” she smiled.
“As I accepted, the music swelled, and the lights suddenly turned pink.
“I realised we weren’t alone, and I whispered to Dave, ‘who else is here?’”
Ben, Ideal Husband stage manager Sophie Vallely and her daughters Holly, Katy and Fran, with Dave’s son had all helped to prepare the stage.
And lighting designer Neil Goodhand had provided spotlights and a pink onstage blush, while Alan Long (Lord Caversham) and his team had finished painting marble tiles in time for the stage to be dry enough to walk on.
All were on an Operation Biggles WhatsApp group and planned everything behind the scenes.
“It was so theatrical, romantic, and beautiful,” said Ellie.
“Dave had thought of everything – all the details – it was so meaningful.
“And it has really felt like a community effort – we’re very touched.
“Wokingham Theatre is such an important place for us, so it was the perfect location.”
It is hard to imagine a more appropriate place for a proposal than on the set of An Ideal Husband.
“Dave demonstrates many qualities of an ideal life partner,” said a smiling Ellie.
“We’re very privileged to have been on a working set at the time of our engagement, and for An Ideal Husband to be the background for our engagement.
“It paints a really fitting picture for us.”
Dave agreed.
“It was a no-brainer – it had to be here,” he said.
“The whole set worked really well.
“It’s beautiful, and elegant, with a central raised balcony – which proved to be a great place from which to film the proposal.
“We’d both like to say a really big thank you to all our theatre friends who gave up their time to help us make this happen.
“It really shows the spirit of Wokingham Theatre.”
Having just moved house, Ellie and Dave are now looking forward to their joint future together.
In the words of Oscar Wilde at the close of An Ideal Husband, it just remains to say:
‘It is love and only love.
‘For both [Ellie and Dave] a new life is just beginning.’
For information, visit: wokinghamtheatre.org.uk
