Return to stage for drama group
The wait was finally over in Braco last week when Ardoch Amateur Dramatic Society made a triumphant return to the stage with three one-act plays and live music to entertain their audience.
The first play, Socks by Rosemary Frisian Toohey, focuses on what happens to misplaced socks. Performed by the junior drama group, each sock shared with the audience their initial horror of being left in the dryer, after which the odd socks realise that they have it within themselves to determine what their future holds, without being turned into a sock puppet.
From rejection to hope; hopefulness is what I took from this play when watching four such talented teenagers ( Luke Murphy, Leo Chalamanda, Robyn Peacock and Fraser Heron) on the stage. Grassroots drama should be about building the confidence of young people, which is what all four teenagers demonstrated throughout their play.
Convincing and thought provoking, this play will stay with me for a long time and will definitely make me mindful of pairing up my socks more carefully.
In Beata Beatrix by Gillian Plowman, two strangers, Jon (Kenny Hutton) and Beatrix (Rebecca Cranston), are thrown together whilst admiring Rossetti’s Beata Beatrix and find themselves sharing their deepest and darkest secrets.
Broken up by timely interruptions of other gallery visitors (Mike Cox, Trish
Bowerbank and Sally Young), the play reveals the universal truth that sometimes it is easier to talk to a stranger - just when you think everything is lost, something or someone can give hope of a brighter future.
The final play ,Gosforth’s Fete, written by Alan Ayckbourn, deals with the chaos of running a local village fete.
Organiser Gordon Gosforth ( Mike Price) soon realises that the early arrival of Councillor Mrs Pierce (Rebecca Cranston) is the least of his problems when Milly (Trish Bowerbank) reveals she’s pregnant with his child. Her confession is heard by everyone due to the faulty PA system,
including her fiancé, Scoutmaster Stewart (Mark Dawson).
As the weather outside declines, inside the tent the chaos continues with an increasingly drunken Stewart trying to have it out with Gosforth, whilst Milly and the vicar (Sally Young) battle with a broken tea urn and trying to save the day from being a total disaster.
The three plays themselves would have been enough to delight any audience, but Ardoch Amateur Dramatic Society always goes above and beyond, and this year was no exception.
In the intervals the audience were entertained by Brazen Feddals (Fiona
Chalamanda, Bethan Benwell, Aidan Ferguson, Clare Ferguson), a local fiddle group, who kept spirits high with toetapping jigs and a Ukrainian piece.
Applause must be given to director Mike Boxer, and his producers, Ann Gordon and Kenny Hutton, for putting together a most enjoyable package of plays.
The dedication shown by both cast and crew in making this production happen ( the plays were originally due to be performed last November) shows their passion to perform and the anticipation of what comes next already has me clearing my diary for their November production.