NO SUCH THINGS & BRITTLE WOMEN

The two one act plays presented for two evenings at St Peter’s Hall Wilburton will be Wilburton Theatre Group’s junior and adult entries in this year’s Hunstanton Drama Festival.

NO SUCH THINGS by Mick Newbold performed by WTG juniors takes place in one location in the present day and in 1880.  In 1880 Louise decides to leave her brother and sister, James and Beth, to look after their sick mother while she goes out into the snowstorm to the village to get food and help.  150 years later a girl called Louise while sheltering from the rain with friends in a derelict cottage senses something strange but familiar.  Has she been here before?

Set 150 years apart and taking place on a split stage this was a technical challenge not only for the actors but for the lighting designer (Barry Starr) and lighting and sound operator (Phil Mellor).  The opening sound effects certainly set the mood with ghostly voices and music. Margot Barber sourced some good 1880’s costumes for Louise, James and Beth.  Present day costumes were, I assume, the cast’s own personal wear.

Overall everyone did a good job.  It was obvious the actors knew their lines just, in one or two cases, cue lines were not picked up. This gave the appearance of hesitancy which I am sure was not true, but it bears out the importance of not only learning your own lines but also the last line of the previous speaker as that is your cue to speak next.

On the acting front everyone gave a very good account of themselves.  Moves were mostly natural and although there were one or two spots when masking occurred it was not too noticeable.  Well done to the present day Friends who completely ignored the 1880 James and Beth ensuring the audience believed that only Louise could see and hear them.  Congratulations to Director Barry Starr, Assistant Director Carole Gentry and the ten-strong cast particularly Elizabeth Smith who took on the dual roles of Ghost and Present Day Louise.  I wish you a successful drama festival performance and look forward to hearing the outcome.

BRITTLE WOMEN by Lindsey McAuley performed by the adult WTG members.  This lovely one-act play, directed by Alan Marston, is about the importance of female friendships. 

The play opens with four women waiting for the doors to open on a church jumble sale. I was unsure about the ladies queueing on the floor in front of the stage.  I could see them well as I was sitting at the front but wonder whether those further back could only see heads.  Staging was minimal - obviously thinking about festival conditions - and the scene change was swift.  I liked the swift change from jumble table to church altar with the lovely arched window gobo projected on the cyclorama.  I am not sure Liz and Trisha would have spent time kneeling to pray (which they did for a while) with their backs to the altar. I think perhaps if the altar had been more to stage right instead of central it would have made their scene in the church better.   Just a staging suggestion: the table with the jumble could have been dispensed with and the table the ladies sat for their tea could have been later adapted as the altar.  This would have given a nice picture with the church window gobo central and the ladies more or less beneath it.

The play concerns four unrelated and seemingly light-hearted women discussing family, love and health whilst waiting for the doors to open on a church jumble sale. It quickly became apparent that Liz was (maybe being the eldest) the focus of this little group.  However, each had their little “quirk” which became apparent at things progressed. 

Two very strong performances came from Maureen Hutter as Liz and Lisa Nixon as Trisha.  My goodness these two could turn you from laughter to tears and back again pretty quickly! Well done ladies.  Two good supporting performances too from Ann Sherwood as Mary and Jen Ives as Viv.   This group of actors did full justice to Lindsey McAuley’s script and I am sure you will be well received at the Hunstanton drama festival.

Thanks for a very interesting evening WTG and all the best going forward.

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