The Fifteen Streets

Catherine Cookson was an iconic author from the North East who wrote about the harshness of life for the working classes. The story of The Fifteen Streets is no exception, and makes this play  powerful and emotional with its many strands including religion, class division, and prejudice. It would be easy to be overwhelmed by the intensity of the play, but under the direction of Michelle Coulson it managed to cover it all convincingly and realistically.Brian Pennick who played the traditional score perfectly.

The Fifteen Streets is centred around the O’Briens, a notorious family known for its drinking and fighting, especially between the two brothers, John, played by Phil Martin, and Dominic, played by Adam Donald, with some great acting by both. The family is held together by their mother Mary Ellen O’Brien, played by Kay Anderson good acting and stage presence, and their father, Shane, played by Graham Gibson. Their three children were played by Libby Kennedy as Katie, Rebecca Scott as Molly and Alex Gibbs as Mick. The plot tells of how two of the family are determined to rise above life in the streets and better themselves.  John O’Brien, a good man, and his sister, Katie, a clever girl who introduces John to her teacher, Miss Llewellen, played beautifully by Emma Scott. There were also excellent performances by Karen Scott, as Beatrice Llewellyn, the aggrieved mother, jealous of the relationship between Mary and her father, played by Grayson Wood. Some great acting from Annette Morris playing Hannah Kelly, Lawrence Clark who played Joe Kelly, and Charlotte Archer as Nancy Kelly. Well done, Charlotte. I loved the way you portrayed the character. There were excellent performances from  Ken Martin, as Father O’Malley, and Gary Eglington, as Father Bailey. Special mention should be made of the neighbours and cameo roles, all of whom added to the overall performance of the play. Special mention also to Margaret Smith, who played Peggy Flaherty, Mary’s neighbour, with excellent acting and dialect, and Naomi Skelton, as Bella Bradley.

Congratulations to everyone at Dryburn Theatrical Workshop for producing another excellent piece of drama. It was so much more than the tale of the school teacher and the docker.

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