KENT GROUP TACKLES OUR LARGEST CAST PLAY!
Parlour Players in Chislehurst, Kent performed Pickwick Papers by Lynn Brittney, adapted from The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club by Charles Dickens. The production involved a cast of 24, with some playing two or even three roles and was chosen to close 2011,their year of celebration of their 30th Anniversary.
Tony Dent as Mr Pickwick in the Parlour Players production of Pickwick Papers
Simon Vines and Felicity Nicholson as Mr Jingle and Rachael Wardle in the Parlour Players production of Pickwick Papers.
(left to right) Michael Cooke as Sam Weller and Tony Dent as Mr Pickwick in the Parlour Players production of Pickwick Papers.
PORTHTOWAN PLAYERS MAKE ADJUDICATOR LAUGH ...
... Of course they would, because they were performing "Old Actors Never Die...!" In August 2011, the Cornish group, Porthtowan, performed this piece as part of the Cornwall Drama Association Theatre Festival and received some glowing comments from their adjudicator. She said "We were given and entertaining evening from this talented company ... We saw a competent team of actors, clearly enjoying themselves, and comfortable in their roles."
During her adjudication she also described Playstage Senior as "a fairly new stable of publishers who are boldly offering plays suitable for societies with ageing membership."
Producer/director Barbara Hart said "we knew that our audience would have an enjoyable evening with this very funny farce, especially some of our 'older' audience."
All the actors received some glowing praise but, here in the Playstage office, we particularly enjoyed the critique of Dmitri - the only character in the play who says absolutely nothing. The adjudicator said "Goodness he looked menacing! And his stillness was exemplary!" Wonderful.
2011 WAS A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL YEAR FOR PLAYSTAGE SENIOR
Thanks to all of our customers - many of whom are about to perform their THIRD Playstage production - we can honestly say that 2011 was an excellent year for the company. Our plays have been performed the length and breadth of the UK and in Ireland, France and the United States. We have also sold play scripts to drama groups in New Zealand, Australia and Singapore recently, so we look forward to 2012 being the year that we become even more international!
Not only have amateur actors taken to our plays with gusto but we have also attracted the attention of playwrights around the world. At the moment we have a nice big pile of scripts to read through over the Christmas break from writers in the UK, the USA and Ireland.
So, we have every reason to believe that Playstage Senior will one day emulate its sister company, Playstage Junior, which has just had a play performed in its 42nd country (the Cayman Islands)!
We have four new plays added to our catalogue now and you will notice a couple of new writers amongst the offerings - Will Butters and Mark Robberts - who make a welcome addition to our current stable of Lynn Brittney, David Summers, Alan Marshall and Stewart Auty. David and Alan have taken a break this time but they will be contributing some new plays to be published in Spring 2012. Lynn Brittney will also be contributing a new Charles Dickens adaptation in the Spring, as well, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of his birth. So, keep checking our website for new publications and keep amateur dramatics healthy and vibrant this year! In these times of doom and gloom, everyone turns to community events to cheer themselves up. You could, if you pick the right play, have some record audience attendances this year. Here's hoping!
ANNIE, ONE, TWO, THREE performed in Derbyshire
David Thompson, as Chairman, wrote to us on behalf of Chapel Players, Tupton. "Last year we completed a successful and well received five night run of 'Annie One, Two, Three. We enjoyed producing the play enormously. Chapel Players are a small, friendly and informal drama group, based at Old Tupton Methodist Church, which is about four miles south of Chesterfield in Derbyshire. Plays are performed in the schoolroom at the Church, which holds about 80 people. We are well supported by the local community. We usually perform full length plays in November and February, and a religious play at Easter. Be sure to check the Next production section for further details of our next play on our web site: www.chapelplayers-tupton.com".
The actors in the photo are as follows: Left to right: Barry Johnson as Detective Inspector Williams, Grace Shepherd as Detective Constable Marsham and Andrew Bradley as Eric Davison.
The full cast of 'ANNIE, ONE. TWO, THREE'.
Standing:
Jo Bissell, Andrew Bradley, Grace Shepherd, Barry Johnson,
Seated:
Ann Walters, Kathleen Sorrell, Sally Mason, Eileen Wildsmith, Jean Shaw
Directed by Cathereine Moorcroft and Marie Wilson