Six One Act Plays

Six One Act Plays ... staged and performed by Mawdesley Amateur Dramatics Society at Mawdesley Village Hall, Hurst Green, Mawdesley on Friday 17th April, 2026.

‘Six One Act Plays’ was certainly an ambitious undertaking for Mawdesley Amateur Dramatics Society, and one that came with a fair amount of risk, but with Sheila’s Island scheduled for June – a four‑handed play – the committee recognised that many long‑standing members, along with several enthusiastic new recruits (some stepping on stage for the very first time), would have little opportunity to perform this season. So, the adventure began and what a triumph it proved to be! The hall was packed to capacity; extra chairs had to be drafted in to accommodate the unexpected numbers that turned out!  The atmosphere was buzzing long before the first cue and with an unexpected superb interval buffet, this was a truly enjoyable evening of theatre.

This wasn’t a format that I’d reviewed before, but I’ll do my best to capture the essence of each piece. As always, I’ll stick my neck out and choose MY favourite play from each act, you’ll no doubt have your own opinions, but these will be mine!

The night was narrated by Finlay Robertson, who was presented with a few challenges early on, but who coped admirably and kept us well informed as to what was going on!

PLAY ONE – World Premiere (Written by Charles Manders)
Cast: Aimee Wells (Val), Emma Meen (Sonia), Alan Roe (Gordon), Adrian Barrabell (Stuart), Lorraine Ryan (Ruth), Fraser Bruce (Arnold Brisket), Hilda McCaughey (Mrs Partridge)
This lively comedy follows an amateur dramatic society attempting to hold a technical rehearsal under the increasingly frazzled leadership of producer Gordon. Chaos ensues when Ruth – Gordon’s wife – arrives, followed by a parade of people who had nothing to do with the production. With no set, no director and no stage crew, new recruit Val does her best to hold things together. A fun, frantic opener with plenty of laughs.

PLAY TWO – Sherlock Holmes (Written by Society Member Adrian Barrdell)
Cast: Ethan Banks (Sherlock Holmes), Adrian Barrdell (Dr Watson), Joanne Jenkinson, (Mrs Hudson), Clive Hepplestone (Professor Moriarty), Lorraine Ryan (Lady Ruth Effington)
This witty take on the ‘adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ was set in the 1980s. This play was full of intrigue and imposters... is Lady Ruth Effington truly a Lady? The script delivered some cracking one‑liners, and the cast clearly enjoyed themselves.

PLAY THREE – Burial at Sea (Written by Society Member Jenny Owen)
Cast: Karen Henty (Elizabeth), Emma Meen (Susy), Fraser Bruce (Captain Sharon)
One of the standout pieces of the evening for me!  The “boat flat” was charming and the banter between sisters Liz and Susy as they attempted to bury “George” was both warm and sharply funny, the sound effects added a lovely touch. Capt. Sharon, complete with aviator sunglasses, binoculars and a ship’s wheel that truly was far too heavy than he’d have liked (I did laugh) ... delivered a wonderful physical comedy role without saying much really! A favourite line of the play.... ‘A Yorkshireman – just waiting to become Scottish!’ ... a well‑paced piece!

INTERVAL – Refreshments
A superb buffet was delivered which was appreciated by the audience and added to the sense of community and celebration ... enjoyed and appreciated by everyone present!

PLAY FOUR – Happy Hour for Witches (Another play written by Society Members Jenny Owen)
Cast: Debbie Wells (Baba Yaga), Emma Meen (Old Demdike), Karen Henty (Ursula), Ethan Banks (Barman)
A lively and imaginative piece featuring three witches who each brought strong, distinct characters to the stage. Poor Ethan, as the long‑suffering barman, did his best to fend off Ursula’s enthusiastic amorous advances. The script was littered with sharp humour, including memorable lines such as “Sneeze and you’ll take out Preston” and “Kiss and Spell”, “Don’t talk, I don’t!” ...  another great piece of theatre

PLAY FIVE ... Dinner for One (Written by Lauri Wylie as a TV Sketch which was repeated every New Years Eve in several German speaking European Countries)
Cast: Hilda McCaughey – ‘Miss Sophie’; Clive Hepplestone – ‘James the Butler’
Miss Sophie is celebrating her 90th birthday as she does every year with four of her closest friends ... Sir Toby, Admiral von Schneider, Mr Pomeroy, and Mr Winterbottom, all of whom she’s outlived! James serves a four-course meal to Miss Sophie and her guests along with an appropriate drink (sherry, white wine, champagne and port) one for each course. He then slips into the role of each guest and drinks a toast... by end, as you can imagine, he’s so worse for wear and that ‘Lion Skin’ rug (the unstoppable force and the immovable object) he encounters during every course, became a major obstacle. Just hilarious!

PLAY SIX ... Anger Management (Written by Robert Scott)
Cast included: Joanne Jenkinson – ‘Dr Clarke’; Adrian Barrabell – ‘McGowan’; Alan Roe – ‘Ford’; Fraser Bruce – ‘Losh’; Karen Harty – ‘Knifton’; and Aimee Wells – ‘Polston’
A group of Anger Management Sessions.... run by Dr Clarke take a turn for the worst when the facilitator suggests that the participants re-enact the things that have brought them to the classes in the first place... a recipe for disaster looms large!  Another great play performed really well... full of wit, humour with some great characters created!

Favourites...  I’m not really sure I should have suggested selecting favourites, especially when you could see the effort and feel the enthusiasm that had been put into each and every play ... but never on to ‘sit on the fence’ I’m going for:
‘Burial at Sea’ and ‘Dinner for One’ for no other reason than I probably laughed at these the most!

Conclusion... I honestly think this is something you should consider building into your annual programme.  It clearly was a successful night, enjoyed by everyone. More than that, it gave you that opportunity to ‘blood’ new members and let them gain valuable experience on stage.  From what I heard around me during the interval and again as we were leaving, the whole evening was so well received. You may even consider adding a touch of audience participation next time — perhaps some singing, a quiz, a light‑hearted game of bingo! I really do believe that the event appealed to your loyal followers and could even help attract some new ones too. Thank you so much for inviting my wife and I, we really did have a great evening!
 
Hope ‘Shelia’s Island’ goes well and your annual Panto is a success.

Stay Safe, Keep well
“Stronger Together”
Jim Briscoe,
NODA NW
District 6 Rep 

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