Radio play makes it to small screen
The Oban Times has teamed up with Benderloch and North Connel Drama Club to present a ‘premiere’ performance of John Finnemore’s radio comedy Penguin Diplomacy.
The play, staring Mike Rowell and Sophie Caruana was recorded ‘live’ in the club’s drama hut a couple of weeks ago by Stargate 42 Films just before the country went into lockdown. It will screen at 8pm tomorrow night (Friday April 3) on The Oban Times page – www.obantimes.co.uk/ penguin
Penguin Diplomacy was performed in the Campbeltown Drama Festival in February when it won the Rex Trophy for first place overall, the Campbeltown Drama Club Trophy for best stage presentation and the Jenny Black Memorial Trophy for highest marks for acting.
Performed by Sophie Caruana and Angus Vajk, the play went on to represent Argyll and Kintyre in the Scottish Community Drama Association Western Divisional final, which was due to take place in Greenock at the end March.
Angus was unavailable in March and so the part of Søndergaard was taken by director Mike Rowell and the play was entered for the Lorn Drama Festival in Oban and the North Lorn Drama Festival in Appin.
Sadly, the coronavirus pandemic caused the cancellation of both, but a cunning plan was hatched by The Oban Times and the Lorn Drama Festival to record the play and stream it on the Oban Times YouTube channel.
Mike told us: ‘We had been rehearsing the play for the festival anyway so when the festival was cancelled we made the decision to film it on stage.
‘Things were changing by the hour though and when the cinema and theatres were also told to shut, we ended up filming it in our rehearsal space with just four of us present.
‘It was an interesting project to say the least but we just wanted to give everyone a chance to watch and enjoy it.’
Penguin Diplomacy is set in 1948 on a rocky island in the South Atlantic. Bunning, a British diplomat arrives to claim the island for Britain, but the resident Dane, Søndergaard and some penguins, notably Lauren Bacall, have other ideas.
The original radio play was shortlisted for the Society of Authors Tinniswood Award in 2018. This is a highly respected award presented annually to the best original audio drama script.
A well-known name in Radio 4 households, writer John Finnemore is a regular contributor to classic series such as I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue, The Now Show and The Unbelievable Truth. He is best known for writing and performing in Cabin Pressure, a sitcom set in a less than successful charter airline, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Roger Allam and Stephanie Cole, and John Finnemore’s Souvenir Programme, a multiaward-winning sketch show, now in its eighth series.
Everyone involved is really grateful to John, David Tyler of Pozzitive Productions and United Agents for allowing this video stream to go ahead in these unusual and unprecedented times and they’d like to remind everyone that this is an amateur production of Double Acts by John Finnemore, performed by a company of non-professional actors.
Benderloch and North Connel Drama Club and the Lorn Drama Festival hope you enjoy the play and in lieu of their normal ticket costs would welcome any donation you can give to Hope Kitchen in Oban.
Why not choose your favourite social media platform to discuss the play or join us on Twitter and tweet @ BacallPenguin, or leave The Oban Times a message on our Facebook Page.