Working in the Following Genre:
Full-Length Plays
Introduction to Amateur Dramatics Joined the Dorchester Dramatic Society
Smashing panes of glass into a wheelbarrow was his introduction to amateur dramatics. Never having dreamt of acting on stage, friends said he could ‘just help backstage’. So, back in the 1980s he found himself making sound effects for the Feydeau farce A Flea in Her Ear, performed outdoors in Dorset by the Dorchester Dramatic Society. Then came play selection meetings at which he could ‘just read a part’ and so to a small role in The Monkey’s Paw and on to larger parts in subsequent plays. It was an active society, putting on four productions of various kinds every year. In the summer, performances including As You Like It and The Servant of Two Masters were held outdoors, in the grounds of one of the local manor houses.
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Moving On Joined the Sherston Drama Group
Moving to North Wiltshire, he found a thriving amateur drama scene with many local groups. Joining the nearest one was a good way to make connections in a new location. The Sherston Drama Group puts on two productions every year, a pantomime in the autumn and a play in the spring. This has provided the opportunity for a variety of roles from an ugly sister in Cinderella to the central vicar in See How They Run. |
First Play Writing Chicks and Dogs
Writing his own play was never an ambition but the thought grew over time. Isolated snippets of conversation occurred to him then the characters who spoke them formed out of the mental mist. Eventually realising that he would have no peace until he wrote his thoughts down, the process began of setting out the conversations and fitting them into an order that formed a plot. This was how Chicks and Dogs started. A play for stage needs more than just dialogue to make full use of the medium, however, so sound effects, props and costumes were built into the plot. The result was a somewhat quirky comedy but one that involved strong characters and contemporary themes concerning charities and the environment. |
Second Play Writing Boa Beef
In order to launch Chicks and Dogs he directed a production of it by The Dolphins Dramatic Society in Tetbury, Glos.. It was not a complete catharsis, however, and the voices persisted in his head. A second work was necessary and so began Boa Beef. This turned out to be a very different drama, being a sinister murder mystery. Using lessons learnt from Chicks and Dogs to make a more generally usable play, the characters’ age range should be easier to cast and there are more female than male roles. The plot line is stronger and there is no bawdiness but plenty of humour. |
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