Craigie takes the top spot as Arran hosts national drama contest
Teams from all over Scotland made their way to Arran last weekend for the Scottish Women’s Institute’s Anstruther-Gray drama competition.
One team travelled all the way from Skye for the contest and ferry disruption on Saturday morning meant that some of the teams, as well as adjudicator Alastair Hawthorn, were late to arrive.
However, once proceedings got going the large audience, which filled much of the community theatre, enjoyed seven very different radio plays - all written by the teams themselves.
The Arran SWI Federation was the host of the competition this year which was originally a one-act play competition, but was converted to a radio play version after entries dwindled. Mr Hawthorn watched the plays from behind a screen, but the audience got to see the performers on stage and watch how they made the various sound effects required.
The competition was won by the Ayrshire Federation, represented by Craigie In- stitute, with Once Upon a Time (but not as you know it), a hilarious retelling of the Little Red Riding Hood story from the point of view of the much misunderstood wolf – giving his evidence in court.
Runner-up was the Jackton Institute, representing Lanarkshire, which presented Charity Begins at Home, a comedy play set in a charity shop, which has just received a rather valuable donation.
Hosts Arran, representred by the Shiskine Institute, finished third to lift The Smith Salver with a play written and produced by Wilma Moreton, who was also one of the characters, about three women trying to save their allotment shed from demolition.
The final award for the best individual performance on the day went to Wilma Ballany of the Carnbee Institute, representing Fife Federation, who was secretary Olive in its performance of Conflict Over Health and Safety – an amusing look at the hoops community groups have to go through when organising an outing.
The other plays were Bellsquarry, Harburn and Ratho Institutes (Midlothian) with Conflict is a Given; Tillicoultry Institute (Stirling, Clackmannan and West Perth) with Shetland Greets Dundee; and Kyleakin Institute (Inverness-shire) with Conflict17.
Arran Federation chairman Jerry Arthur said it had been a great day and thanked all the teams for their determination and committment to get to Arran to compete in the event.