Perthshire Drama Festival attracts top entries

Mar 3 2010

PLAYS featuring love, murder, suicide, and comedy, provided audiences at last week's Perthshire Drama Festival at Birnam Institute with a wide and varied entertainment over the three evenings.

The festival was part of the Scottish Community Drama Association's 78th national festival of one-act plays, with six clubs having entered nine plays, two of them in the youth category.

Blairgowrie Players had two entries, including one in the youth category.

The Players' youth entry, The Edge by Ron Nicol, was the winner of the Billy Gordon Trophy for the best youth entry, and the award was collected by director Ruth Reid.

The play was about two young people contemplating jumping off a high building.

Runner-up in the youth category was the Scrap Happy Theatre Co. in After Juliet by Sharman MacDonald. The Perthshire District Cup was accepted by director Claire Bee.

The other entry by Blairgowrie Players, Joining The Club by David Tristram, concerned a couple whose settled life was rocked when a pregnancy testing kit showed positive.

Mr Hawthorn said this was a good play to finish the festival on Saturday evening. He noted that telephone conversations had looked real, as if there was someone else on the other end of the conversation, which was something he had been pleased to see earlier in the festival.

The Hunter Trophy for best play in the festival was won by Aberfeldy Drama Club for the third successive year.

In his adjudication of the Aberfeldy entry, Storm Watchers by George Mackay Brown, Mr Hawthorn said the unison delivery was excellent.

It was note perfect and while it was an ensemble production each member of the cast had their own personality.

Each character was well played and was believable.

The director of the winning entry was Anna Price.

Runners-up and winners of the Sandy Miller Cup was the Pitlochry Atholl Players B entry of An Incident At The Border by Keiran Lynn, director Derek Allan.

Mr Hawthorn said that at first glance this was a very funny piece, but underneath there was the very serious theme of international politics with a shock ending.

“The performances of the three characters was spot on,” he said. “They let the laughs go and did not lose any of the following lines.”

Mr Hawthorn went on to say that Steven Fitzgerald “has a great comedy face,” insisting that this was meant in a complimentary way. Audiences over a number of years would agree that Steven has a gift for comedy.

Six clubs entered nine plays for the three-night festival.

At the presentation Fran Norris, chairman, thanked all who contributed to the success of the festival.

TROPHY WINNERS

HUNTER Trophy for first in the festival – Aberfeldy Drama Club A in Storm Watchers by George Mackay Brown. Director Anna Price, stage manager John Cummings. Cast – Shona Reed, Morag Cummings, Carol Anne McVeigh, Sheila Fraser, Emma Carmichael, Kathie Pearson, Sandra Batty.

Sandy Miller Cup for second – Pitlochry Atholl Players B in An Incident At The Border by Keiran Lynn. Director Derek Allan, stage manager and assistant director Fran Norris. Cast – Derek Allan, Ruth McLaren, Steven Fitzgerald.

Billy Gordon Trophy for first in the Youth category – Blairgowrie Players Youth in The Edge by Ron Nicol. Director Ruth Reid. Cast – Robert Oakes and Rhianne Thomas.

Perthshire District Cup for second in the Youth category--Scrap Happy Theatre Company in After Juliet by Sharman MacDonald. Director Claire Bee, stage manager Ian Rae. Cast – Ross Gibbons, Caitlin Mackenzie, Tula Mayne, Beth Custudio-Forbes, Hugh Custudio-Forbes, James Beck, Trudi Davidson, Jamie Morrison, Charlotte Brimner, Alison Rae, Jaime Kettles, Bethany Leitch, Daniel Duncan, Gregor Cunningham, Samantha Beveridge, Caroline Paterson, Erin McGregor.

Roy Caterer Memorial Quaich for best staging and set – Atholl Players B in An Incident At The Border by Keiran Lynn. Director by Derek Allan.

Stirling Stone for best moment of theatre – The closing scene featuring Sandra Batty in Aberfeldy Drama Club B in The Old Lady Shows Her Medals by J. M. Barrie. Directors David Brown and Gilbert Price.

Frank Martin Award for best play for depiction of Scottish life and character – Aberfeldy Drama Club in Storm Watchers by George Mackay Brown.

The top two plays will take part in the Northern Division Festival at Kirkwall Arts Theatre, Orkney, on March 25-27, at 7pm.

The Scottish Finals will be held at Pitlochry Festival Theatre on April 22-24, at 7pm. The Scottish winner will take part in the British Final in the Village Theatre, East Kilbride, on June 24-25.