Moving On - A Selection of One Act Plays

Top Leaf: Written & Directed by Jennifer Gold

The Playground: Written & Directed by Chelle Walsh

Pete: Written by Steve Chapman Directed by Ali Owen

Under the main title  Moving On this central theme certainly ran through each of these three “home grown” productions all of which had been  written, directed, and staged by members of the group.

First up was Top Leaf, performed by an engaging troupe of younger members, and which followed the leaves on a cleverly constructed tree as they weathered the seasons. “Rude Leaf” having established himself at the top of tree was initially pompous and superior but came to realise the error of his ways as he tumbled from the “top” and “moved on” with the other leaves in the “fall”.

This was just the right piece for the youngsters to gain experience and work together as a team. The four narrators made a good impact straight away with their sunglasses and black outfits, each took their turn to narrate the story, and were joined along the way by various suitably costumed animals and an owl. There were some good effects throughout, the wind, the swaying of the branches, the clever turning round of the leaves on the tree when autumn came, and the cascade of snow at the end was great fun.

The Playground highlighted the differences between the various “mums” as they waited at the school gates to collect their respective offspring. In this piece it was the  headmistress this time who was “moving on”, and the two snobby ladies certainly got their comeuppance when the new parent they had been casting aspersions on turned out to be none other than the incoming head who had her own innovative plans for the future! The characters were well-defined, and as well as the two social climbers, there was a busy stressed Mum who was always late, a shy, self-denigrating but supportive Mum and the “newbie” who seemed to be on the edge of the action but was actually paying close attention to every word – her expressions were spot on!

At the start the suitably authoritative “outgoing head” appeared front of TABS DSL, and at various times during the piece, as if addressing the pupils  at the end of class, accompanied by a very loud and realistic school bell. This called for the TABS to be brought in and out each time  she reappeared which did tend to slow the action up somewhat.

The twist at the end was perfect!

Last up was Pete where three people had been dispatched to their maker due to differing circumstances. All were greeted along the way by a figure dressed totally in white who explained what had occurred and encouraged  them all to make a positive transition and “move on” from this world to the next.

The three characters were very different, again well-defined and were very kindly welcomed by Pete as he gently explained how their circumstances had now drastically changed.

The fact that all three were found to be related over the generations and were also able to meet up with a family member from the 1920’s gave a warm touch and a “feel good” ending to this very thought-provoking piece, which was sympathetically directed and performed.

Staging the separate scenarios meant that the TABS had to be brought in and out again in this piece, which did become slightly distracting, but the handling of the multitude of props was amazing, all perfected it is understood with only one rehearsal!

Of course, Pete was none other than St Peter of the “pearly gates” who appeared in a most impressive pair of angel’s wings at the end. He made such a striking figure that perhaps he could have stayed USC,  benevolently overseeing the new additions as they entered to take their bows.

An amazing amount of teamwork had obviously gone into these three productions, with an abundance of excellent costumes and props. Everything was simply staged, but the backstage team still worked their socks off particularly in Pete manoeuvring the very impressive car with its personalised number plate BA 22 OSM – great stuff!

As was commented on the night where else could you be treated to “Three World Premier Performances” and a delicious ploughman’s supper! Well done OCT!

Any observation made by the reviewer can only be based on what they see at the performance in question.  The reviewer may have received information in advance of the performance, and it is inevitable that their assessment will be affected by that knowledge.

The N.O.D.A. Representative’s intention is to give an objective critique of the overall production and in particular the performance viewed.  It should be remembered that any review of this nature can only be objective as far as the techniques used during the performance observed.  Any criticisms expressed may not have been valid at other performances and are only made to encourage higher standards in Amateur Theatre.

It is hoped that the audience’s appreciation of your efforts will have given everyone a lift and encouraged you to greater achievements in the future and that the observations made by the reviewer will prove helpful in improving future productions.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.