A Trio of One Act Plays

Curtain Call
Written by  Keith Trezise
Director  Veronica Cringle

This is a play about a group of actors performing their friend David’s best production on the tenth anniversary of his unfortunate demise in a car accident. The event takes place in a closed-down theatre with no audience. The ardent core group is Susan (Lyndsey Kite), Margaret (Elizabeth Toon), Gilbert (Martin Hoskins) and Brian (Dave Holden). Susan and Brian were married some years before and still bicker although they have a healthy respect for one another. For a further year, these four are waiting for the elusive Elaine  (Julie Gardiner) to appear. Elaine does eventually arrive saying that she had been keeping an eye on things for five years but the surprise is that she reveals the fact that she and David were the only ones to survive the car crash and the five of them are actually spirits. David had only died a few months before the action of the play. A very clever piece of writing well performed with a unexpected twist at the end.

Scream
Written by Mike Smith
Director    Mike Smith

Max               Martin Hoskins
Maria/Sylvi  Lilian Holdsworth
Robert           Alan Buttery
Per/Guard    Niall Conlan

The Scream by Norwegian Edvard Munch is a painting created in 1893. I know very little about this artistic medium, so I looked up details about the particular work of art. I would say that is is a “marmite” situation - you love it or hate it. I have to say that it did not inspire me but anything that sells for close to $120 million dollars must be appreciated by a good number of people. The script by writer and director Mike Smith explored all the strange colours, the attributes of the work and the way it can get into people’s minds for good or bad. The four actors did an excellent task of portraying the affected characters and their mentors.  

Sat Love
Written by Simon Brett
Director   Veronica Cringle

He    Simon Weston
She  Judith Mason-Griffiths       

This interesting piece of writing is basically a man who wants to get to grips with his SatNav in order that his complicated life of wife, business and lover can run more efficiently. It turns out that the SatNav is programmed to be an interactive device with a moral conscience. It tries to hamper his time with his lover and  also attempts to to stop his one night stand at the firm’s conference. He is determined to continue his life as what he considers normal but is outwitted in the end by this clever piece of technology. The script was complicated and very wordy but He (Simon Weston) coped with ease all the way through and She (Judith Mason-Griffiths) played the part of the interactive machine very well.

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