Three Original One Act Comedy Plays

This proved to be an exceedingly pleasant way to spend an evening.  Three original one-act comedy plays, one of them written and performed by a neighbouring society.  The audience was seated around tables and it was an evening of comfortable and relaxed entertainment, so popular that additional tables and chairs needed to be found at the last minute.  In all three plays it was impressive that actors who are used to working with professionally written scripts were able to so well interpret both the characters and the relationships between them.  This suggests not only the strength of the acting but also the quality of the script itself.  It was especially pleasing that young people manned the technical side for the evening.  New to those jobs and they handled them very well.  In years to come, they will remember their first foray as "techies".   It would be good to see these plays entered for the One-Act Play Festival.  They would be simple to transport, all needing so little set to organise.  One thing to watch though if you are performing in a theatre that is not well-known to you is the noise that some footwear can make on a bare stage.  This can be distracting to the audience so probably best, if you are unsure of the stage, to opt for quieter soles.

Charitable Giving

Written by Simon Hurst

Axminster Drama Club

Just three actors and an almost bare stage.  Barely more than a few chairs, and that was all that was needed.  This was a neatly written story involving an elderly uncle and his ill-gotten gains, which were thought to be something of a fortune.  His niece and nephew then conspired to transfer this fortune to themselves by some rather devious scheming.   The action moved from one setting on stage right to the elderly uncle's home on stage left.  No change of scenery was required as this was achieved simply by lighting.    The temptation with an original play is to have too much content.  This didn't happen here, the pace was good, the characters were well drawn and well interpreted by the actors.

The Interval

Written by Andy Coley

Axminster Drama Club

Again the stage was simply set is but this time with rows of chairs representing an audience in the interval.  We listened to their various conversations.  Family tiffs,  parents with the worries of babysitters, a husband grumpy because he wanted to see something else instead and so on.  All the minutiae of daily life that ideally should have been left behind on an evening out, but so often isn't.  The author was clearly a good observer of people and the interchanges of conversation, often overlapping, were amusing.  Plus a  young man fighting his way past a row of knees and then back again just as the second Act was about to start!  Audiences really do behave like that, perhaps not all on the same evening though!  Even the rustling of sweetie bags was included.   A cast of twelve with a lovely range of ages from the young daughters of a somewhat warring couple to an older businessman.  A lovely range of personalities too, well presented and performed.

Home at Heart

Written by Andy Treble

Chard Entertainment Society

Why had this script been lying in a drawer for ten years?  At last, it has seen the light of day and has been performed.  An everyday story of a couple trying to sell their home becomes so complicated, by misunderstandings, situations being misread and potential buyers with hearing problems.  "Professional" house viewers came on the scene, demanding cake and coffee, for they always were offered refreshments when viewing property!  Over amorous potential buyers, of both sexes, also appeared.  I should imagine anyone in the audience considering marketing their home would be discouraged from doing so, at least for a while.  Great fun and some lovely performances.  

 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.