The magazine of Scottish Community Drama

Autumn 2016scene

Youth Final

SCDAMerchandiseA range of merchandise isavailable with all profits from thisventure being donated to SCDA.The range of garments are navy blue colour withgold and light blue embroidery of the SCDA logo.Also available in Fushia Pink.

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Chairman’sChatSo google maps said 6hours to Cardiff - and 9hours later I made it tothe theatre with 5minutes to spare!However, I made it intime to see the brilliantwinning play from ourfriends at DAW, whoJUST pipped our ownStudio Theatre Groupinto a very close 2ndplace, with their ownterrific performance.

It was a privilege to be at the British Finals to representSCDA, from where I took home the best wishes of all theother countries back to pass on to you. I was also veryproud to announce the Geoffrey Whitworth winners, and ourvery own Isabella C Rae as runner up. Well done Isabella,your commitment and that of your club to SCDA is greatlyacknowledged.

Believe it or not - arrangements are already starting for ourturn in 2018 - don't pick up the phone, it may be me to askyou to do a job!

And now I'm looking forward to our 90th Birthdaycelebration at Pitlochry on the 23rd of July, where we canrelax and chat and not have to worry about performancenerves, and more importantly, eat drink and be merry!From chatting to my fellow National Chairs in Cardiff itstruck me how strong we are as an association, how luckywe are to be in a stable financial situation and to have sucha thriving and diverse membership, and I'm sure we have atleast another 90 years in us.Yours aye,

Jackie Westermanchair@scda.org.uk

SCENENo. 152Scottish Charity No. 021397

Retail price for non-members - £4

NATIONAL OFFICESuite 88, Stirling Enterprise Park, Springkerse,Stirling, FK7 7RP phone: 01786 440077National Administrator e-mail:headquarters@scda.org.ukNational Drama Advisor email : nda@scda.org.ukwww.scda.org.uk

OFFICE OPENING HOURSOur staff work flexible hours but the nationaladministrator’s normal office hours are Tues-Thurs8am-3.30pm, so please leave a message andsomeone will get back to you as soon as possible.Copy date for next edition : 24th SeptemberFuture Copy Dates: 3rd DecemberEditorial Statement:The editorial committee reserve the right not toprint everything that is submitted for Scene.Please email articles to Scene Editor :scene@scda.org.ukPrinted byMonument Press, 42 Abbey Road, Stirling FK8 1LPPhone : 01786 474763 Fax: 01786 451520email: info@monumentpress.co.uk

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Any posters from an SCDA clubs production in2016 that has the SCDA logo or state they aremembers of SCDA is eligible. Electronic PDF filepreferred.

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CORDINER PRESS: one-act plays and pantomimes byIsabella C. Rae – comedy, drama, fantasy! For catalogue,see www.cordinerpress.co.uk or contact 36 MansefieldAvenue, Cambuslang, Glasgow G72 8NZ;

Phone 0141 641 1465NANCY MCPHERSON PLAYS: For a selection ofpantomimes and award winning One-Act plays including‘Fusion’ (Scott Salver winner 2012) and ‘WasteManagement’ (Geoffrey Whitworth runner-up 2011)

visit www.nancymcphersonplays.co.ukPLAYS BY RON NICOL: 52 published one act dramas, comedies, youth plays, full-length plays and pantomimes.

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MORAE SERVICES: Bookkeeping and Payroll services for small to medium sized businesses, agent for HMRC forPAYE & VAT. Independent Examiner for Charity Accounts. Tel: 01738 446120 or email mo@moraeservices.co.uk

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Welcome....to Sue McPhee from Inverclyde, Lee Dunn from Moray Firth, Christine Hammond from Highland and Scott Finglandfrom Stewarty;to Aberfeldy Drama Club youth section and to Banchory Amateur Dramatic Company;also to new patrons Tom Fuge, Peter & Susan Baird, Liz Balding, and Charlie Balding

Thank you....first of all to the members of the Executive and National Committee for continuing to donate expenses;and also to A McNaughtan, Keith Robinson, A Hendry, R Stewart-Meiklejohn, Plockton ADS, A Ross andB Mackenzie for their kind donations.

Tony FlischNational Vice-Chairmanvicechair@scda.org.uk

Amateur actors don’t often getthe chance to play Hamlet orJuliet. But then along comes amulti-centenary of our greatestnational dramatist – arguablythe world’s greatest – and TheEdinburgh Makars felt we hadto rise to the occasion. So inthe week of the 400thanniversary of Shakespeare’sdeath we put on aperformance of The SevenAges of Man, a rehearsed setof readings fromShakespeare’s plays devisedand compiled by Rachel Moon.‘All the world’s a stage,’ we werereminded by the company of 14 as theyarrived on stage, ‘And one man in histime plays many parts, his acts beingseven ages.’ Then the narrator calledthe company to order: ‘Now, we’ll havea speech straight. And speak thespeech, I pray you, as I pronounced itto you, trippingly on the tongue.’And then we were off, with ‘the infant,mewling and puking in the nurse’sarms’ in scenes from A Winter’s Tale,with Antigonus duly pursued by abear. The schoolboy followed,represented by the student Hamlet.And while we called it ‘readings,’ ourHamlet – given the most famousspeech in the world – was one ofseveral who spoke the speechtrippingly on the night, rather thanreading. This section ended, ofcourse, with the stage littered withbodies. They were cleared just in time

for more bodies to take their place:we had not one, but two lovers, andyou will know that Romeo and Julietboth end up dead as well.Henry V, the ‘soldier full of strangeoaths,’ urged his army into the breachand inspired them with ‘a little touchof Harry in the night’ before StCrispian’s Day. He was followed,appropriately, by a justice, but it hasto be said that our justice did not havea ‘fair round belly with good caponlined,’ because our justice was Portia.Portia, you will remember, disguisesherself as a lawyer to plead Antonio’scase against Shylock, reminding usthat ‘The quality of mercy is notstrain’d … And earthly power doththen show likest God’s when mercyseasons justice.’ Yet there was notmuch mercy apparent in our nextscene either, as the closest we couldget to a ‘lean and slipperedpantaloon’ was Lear – and the oratory

of both Lear and his daughterCordelia comes, sad to say, toanother untimely end.We finished ‘this strange,eventful history’ not quite with‘childishness and mereoblivion’ but with magic. Puckled us a merry dance, andassured the audience thatIf we shadows have offended,

Think but this, and all ismended,

That you have but slumberedhere

While these visions did appear.Visions, verse and music: betweeneach scene we heard one of themore famous sonnets, with gentleguitar accompaniment. And theaudience was far from offended: theywere enthusiastic about the evening,with its selection of words, scenesand characters from The Bard, somewell-known and some a little moreunfamiliar. The company wasenthusiastic too: each of us got to‘play many parts,’ including some ofthe most rewarding lines we shallever have the chance to present.And let us hope that Shakespearewould be pleased as well, that hiswork lives on, among all of us whomarvel at his artistry.

Mike ApplebyThe Edinburgh Makars

The Seven Ages of Man

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Geoffrey WhitworthCompetition 2016The results of this annual playwritingcompetition which is administered bySCDA on behalf of our sister UKorganisations – Drama Association ofWales, Association of Ulster DramaFestivals and the All England TheatreFestival – were announced at the endof May with all of the submitted scriptshaving received their first performancein the opening round of theirrespective competitive festivals.Our Professional Judges were onceagain prolific playwright andadjudicator Ron Nicol and his wifeNorma who continue to provide aconsistently high standard ofassessment supplying each entrantwith detailed comments on their workand general advice for futuresubmissions.This season the Playwriting Convenorhad to communicate with a number ofplaywrights whose scripts had obviouslynever received previous performance(some stating the fact quite openly)indicating that some PlaywritingOrganisation had been promoting theevent as an open competition withoutmentioning the restrictive criteria.Regrettably there were only twelveentries this year, fewer than half thenumber expected and writers arereminded to check thoroughly forerrors and ensure they abide by thecompetition rules. One script ran to 50pages because of double-spacingwhilst another risked disqualificationby using a smaller font than thatspecified.After the script has passed out of aplaywright’s hands most have noinfluence over the play’s futureinterpretation and if authors hope it will beplayed as originally conceived then everyeffort must be made to ensure theirintentions are clear.Because authors become totallyabsorbed in their work they naturallythink that aspects such as themessage of the piece or motivation ofcharacters should immediately beobvious to others but unfortunatelythis isn’t always the case. A scripthas to speak on the author’s behalfso for the purposes of a playwritingcompetition playwrights not only need

to show they can develop a plot,create believable characters and writeoriginal dialogue but should alsoprovide information about how theirplay should be performed.Some playwrights think it’sunnecessary to provide stage directionsor setting details on the grounds that it’sthe director’s job to decide how thework should be staged but a stage playcannot be constructed as if fortelevision viewers where scenesdissolve into each other and the set ismagically changed without anyapparent human involvement so if astoryline requires a scene change thewriter must indicate how it might beachieved successfully.The directors and performers have thebenefit of the rehearsal process toclarify the contents of the script,interpret the play’s message andunderstand the relationships andmotivation of the various charactersand it’s also quite likely that the authordirected the original festival productionor may have been present atrehearsals to provide assistance.Whereas competition judges haven’tseen the performance of the submittedplay and must base their evaluationsolely on the script as supplied.

Winning Play‘The Arrangement’ by Toby Rome ofTotterdown, Bristol.A well planned piece of writing withthe author providing plenty ofinformation and helpful stagedirections.Widow Anna celebrating her 60thbirthday has recently met 30 year oldbarman Sam who reminds her of aformer lover and she decides to payhim to sleep with her which forms thebasis for an absorbing study into theevolving relationship between twowell defined characters searching forlove and comfort in their lives, mademore intriguing by their difference inages.As both characters progress throughunfamiliar territory their awkwardnessis well conveyed in the dialoguebuilding to a dramatic climax andsensitively handled conclusion. Afairly short play with a great deal ofdepth and some unexpected turningpoints making the piece absorbingfrom beginning to end.

Runner-Up‘Such a Parcelof Rogues’ byIsabella Rae ofCambuslang.Winner of the Scott SalverCompetition 2016 this piececomprising two plays in one providescontrasting roles for different agegroups as the action alternatesbetween the 18th and 21st centuryfamilies.The former storyline portrays thedreadful poverty left throughoutScotland following the doomed DarienScheme with clearly drawn charactersand accomplished use of Scotslanguage whilst parallels are drawnwith the modern day family about tovote in the independence referendum.Family relationships are wellestablished with a clearunderstanding of the femalepsyche and the suggestion that tohave differing political views risksbringing lifelong damage to familyunity.Lively realistic dialogue colours thefiery interactions between thecharacters in these absorbing talesinterwoven by an accomplishedplaywright.

Highly Commended‘Federico’ by Susan Pierce ofSaltburn.A work full of emotion and theatricalityset in 1936 Spain with a large castoffering possibility of doubling. Twinlocations of garden and theatreinterior. Dialogue flowing easily withshort sequences in Spanish.Action packed commencing with ablindfolded boy in a children’s gamebecoming a blindfolded man before afiring squad. Includes poetry, songand excerpts from Lorca’s ‘Butterfly’sEvil Spell’ using puppets and ‘TheHouse of Bernarda Alba’.Assumes that Lorca’s assassinationand the Spanish Civil Warbackground are familiar to audiencesnevertheless a dramatic and fierypresentation.

Playwriting News

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Commended‘Best Foot Forward’ by S and TWilkinson of Marske by the Sea,North Yorkshire.Contains vast amount of helpfulinformation for potential directorsand performers including a threepage synopsis, detailed characterdescriptions and outline of settingwith scene change incorporated intoaction.Essentially a three scene playconsisting of two long introductory

monologues and a finale when thetwo contrasting protagonists meet.There is some beautiful writing andwell handled comedy plus a lovelyreconciliation scene to close betweenthe two ladies recalling the loss ofloved ones.‘Journeys’ by Shari Gledhill ofScarborough.A pair of monologues for two meneach telling their stories of falling inlove with the same woman.

Feelings are well expressed andsympathetically handled and the storydevelops well as they explain howAlison’s marriage to Joe breaks upand she finally finds consolation withWill.The text is beautifully written and thecharacters well drawn but the dramalacks interaction as the two menrelate their stories in isolation and thepiece might have benefitted by beingextended to include Alison’s versionof events.Excellently devised with a splendidstory, first rate plot developments andpotential for audience involvementwith the characters.Toby Rome was presented with theGeoffrey Whitworth Trophy on thefinal evening of the British Final atSherman Theatre, Cardiff onSaturday 2 July.Many congratulations to the winnersand thanks to all of our writers whosubmitted their work for assessmentthis season.The top scripts are now available toborrow from our National Library atSummerhall in Edinburgh.

Stephen LambertPlaywriting Convenor

Photo: Tony Flisch

As claimed before, wehave a Tardis in theNational Script Library– not just for time-

travel, for its sheer capacity. Wemay look small but by gum wehave some stock, and regularlyreceive more.

The picture collage here is of a small sample of donations in2016, many newly published and donated by Samuel French,Nick Hern Books, Cressrelles etc., and others donated byindividuals. All are available to members. See the onlinecatalogue for single titles.We also have many thousands of collections- some volumeswith as many as 59(!) titles within them, so if you cannot find atitle just ask and we will search the collections for you.Need inspiration for a particular cast range or genre / length?We also offer a filtering/search service. An online enquiry formwill soon be available but meanwhile just email us vialibrary@scda.org.uk or ring/text 07799408608.

Libr

ary Corner

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Our trip to theBritish Finalactually startedthe week before,with a visit toStratford to seeour friend MartinTurner performas Bottom at theRSC. A trulymemorableexperience – butthat’s anotherstory.We arrived in

Cardiff to find the City buzzing withenergy as Wales prepared to take onBelgium (football!). No matter thatthe action was in France, it seemedthat most of Cardiff had turned out towatch it on the big screens in the CityStadium. The weekend wasaltogether quite something asBeyoncé had appeared the nightbefore, and England was playing SriLanka in the Glamorgan ground inSophia Gardens on Saturday.The civic reception on the Saturdaymorning was hosted by Huw Irranca-Davies, member of the NationalAssembly for Wales in the stunningSenedd building where the atmospherewas further enhanced by the beautifulharp playing of Annabelle Oliver.But to the plays……The Friday evening started with anopening video which segued into asong written specifically for theopening and performed by theTenovus Cancer Care ‘Sing with usChoir’ and then the house lightsfaded and we waited with anticipationfor the first play.‘Contractions’ by Mike Bartlettperformed by the Welsh finalists, TheUnknown OUTcasts.This chilling and disturbing playexplored the relationship between a

company and its employees wherethe company controls pretty wellevery detail of the employees life,including personal and sexualrelationships. I won’t give away theplot details as this would definitely bea spoiler if you were ever to get achance to see the play, but in typicalabsurdist tradition, the two totallybelievable characters (The Managerplayed by Susan Monkton and Emmaplayed by Kate Hawkins) took the plotto a disturbing and extremeconclusion. The set was stark andimpersonal as befitted the play.We learned later from adjudicator JanPalmer Sayer that this had originallybeen conceived as a radio play,before being taken to the Royal CourtTheatre in London. Jan said it was a‘glossy production, minimal and tight,with perhaps more scope for turningthe screw in the last third’. Bothactors were praised for their superbcharacterisation and vocal range.The second play of the evening was‘The Martha Syndrome’ by ScottMarshall performed by Northern Irelandfinalists, Rosemary Drama GroupThe curtain opened on a setrepresenting a police interview room.A woman(Avril Robb) had been foundwandering in a park with blood on herhands, and the play followed herinterrogation by DC Crane(Mel Lyle)and her boss DI Carpenter(AdrianCooke). When Crane realises thatshe is the wife of a notorious criminallawyer, her handling of the situationchanges. I felt that the plot stretchedcredulity somewhat but the actorsperformed really well – particularlyAvril Robb as ‘The Woman’ and youwere drawn into the dark story thatslowly evolved. I felt too that theending was not as unexpected as itshould have been, but that was morethe writing than acting. Jancommended the actors on their

performance, butremarked that it couldhave done with tighterstaging.It should also be notedthat Jan’sannouncement of thefootball result gotperhaps the biggestcheer of the festival!The first play on theSaturday was

‘A Bench at theEdge’ by LuigiJannuzzi andperformed by theScottish finalists,Studio TheatreMany of you willhave seen thisplay at theScottish Final. It relies on there beinga believable edge to the abyss, whichat the Church Hill was accomplishedby using the edge of the stage. Thestage at the Sherman Theatre is at thesame level as the floor, but the effectwas extremely effectively created byhaving a hard edge to the stagelighting. The set was totally minimalconsisting solely of a green bench midstage right on an open stage.A Bench at the Edge was LuigiJannuzzi’s debut play. It is an abstract,avant-garde two-hander which exploresideas surrounding life, death, suicideand the abyss. The two characters,Man 1 (Scott Jamieson) and Man 2(Scott Neish), located somewherebetween life and death, probe the darkshadows of society, asking what drivespeople to the edge and what makesthem want to keep on living.Jan commended the team for the cleverstaging, costumes and sound, andpraised the two actors for their deliveryand convincing characterisation.This was then followed by‘Interior Designs’ by Jimmie Chin andperformed by the English finalists StAlban’s PlayersOriginally titled “Threeinto One”, this play was first performedin 1987. Despite now being nearly 40,the situation and issues are timeless.Simply staged with tight spotsdelimiting specific areas, the onlyfurniture was a stepladder down stageleft. The man ‘Him’ (Rory Adamson)covered several roles and effortlessslipped between thesecharacterisations. The three womenHolly, Amy and Irene (AndreaPleasant, Rebecca Haslehurst and GillGowen) each from very differentbackgrounds and all benefitting fromthe attentions of Him. The threewomen quickly established theircharacter and the dialogue sparkledwith innuendo. Jan praised its beautifulcrafting and technical achievement butfelt the pace slipped occasionallythrough the transitions.

British Final 2016

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Grease is one of the best knownmusicals of all time, starting as astage show in 1971 before beingmade into the iconic film starringJohn Travolta and Olivia NewtonJohn in 1978. Although the musicalhas been available to schools, it israrely available to amateur groups,so Kirkintilloch Players weredelighted to hear that the narrowwindow of availability to perform it,fitted with the timing of their youthsummer show. After 4 ½ months ofrehearsals, Kirkintilloch Playersenthralled audiences last week withtheir energetic performance.With 22 musical numbers, multiplelocations and a car required on stagein our tiny 60 seater Turret Theatre, itwas probably one of the most difficultshows we have ever staged. Theproduction team (Hilary Lynas, AmyAngus and Anne Marie Connor) roseadmirably to the challenge. Theimaginative and versatile staging,designed by Amy Angus and GordonAllan and created by the talentedstage crew, allowed the specially builtcar to be stored on the stage and to

be brought out for theappropriate scenes. Thecostume team (ShirleyAngus and Morag McKean)searched for authentic1950s costumes, creating avisually stunning show. Theattention to detail didn’tstop there and great carewas taken in finding 50sstyle props including

American sweets and a portablerecord player. Gillian Cameron (oneof the parents) made the mostfantastic headdresses for the ‘BeautySchool Dropout’ dream sequenceThe talented cast, took on theseiconic roles and made them theirown. The interactions between theT-Birds (Lewis Baird, ArranSummers, Ben McDowall, FionnCameron and Adam Cooper) werecompletely believable, incrediblyenergetic and very humorous. Thecharacterisation of the Pink Ladies(Rachel Kimmett, Claire Connor,Tierney McLeod and AimeeAlexander) was excellent andtheir interactions with Sandy(Megan Kilpatrick) were variedand convincing. There is a lotof humour in the show and thiswas handled very well bymany of the characters butspecial mention goes to MitziOliver as Patty Simcox andStuart Fleming as Eugene.The famous prom sceneended with a breath takingdance from Jemma McLachlan

as Cha Cha. The whole show wasan excellent example of ensembleplaying and those in lead roles wereably supported by the other castmembers in the minor roles (EilidhMillin, Steven Fleming, RobertLawson, Ailsa Bos, Niamh Hale,Samantha Kilpatrick, CiaraMcDonald, Stephanie McBride, MiaMcKendrick and Cameron Murray).The audiences thoroughly enjoyedthe musical numbers andimaginative dances to well-knownsongs like ‘Summer Nights’ ,‘Greased Lightening’ and‘Hopelessly Devoted’ and manycouldn’t help joining in. The castreceived several standing ovationsafter gripping the audiences eachnight with their amazingperformances. It was clear they werethoroughly enjoying themselves onstage and the audiences smiled fromstart to finish. For KirkintillochPlayers, Grease really is the word!

Lorna CampbellKirkintilloch Players Youth

Grease is the Word

The audience fully enjoyed this lighter piece as theculmination of two nights of very high quality drama.After some more excellent Welsh singing, it was time forthe platform party and the result. Jan did not keep uswaiting, taking very little time in coming to her conclusion

that there were two plays in this strong quartet thatmade particularly good use of the stage and that thewinner of the Howard de Walden trophy, by just onemark was the Welsh entry with ‘Contractions’. Alsoawarded was the Geoffrey Whitworth trophy, for bestoriginal play performed at the One Act Play Festival,which went to Toby Rome for his play "TheArrangement".Finally Teri McCarthy, Chair of the Drama Associationof Wales gave a vote of thanks and handed over to JMac Pollock of Northern Ireland where the festival willtake place in 2017.You can find more photographs of this thoroughly

enjoyable event here : -https://www.flickr.com/photos/56544645@N07/albums/72157670601636605

Tony Flisch

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Every year I look forward to, and thoroughly enjoy, all thescda youth festivals and am always very impressed bythe high standard of the youth plays, which seems toimprove with each passing year.This year we had a very interesting situation where twoteams in the final performed the same play. Although itis not to everyone’s liking to see the same play twice in acompetition, I have always enjoyed this experience as Ifind it very interesting to watch how two teams approachthe same play in a completely contrasting way.Eastwood Park Theatre, Giffnock, was the venue for the2016 Scottish youth finals and the adjudicator, AlasdairHawthorn, had the extremely difficult job of choosing awinner. He spoke about what a wonderful organisationscda is and how it is still going strong after 90 years.

He began his adjudication by commenting that all fourplays covered very serious subject matters andcontinued that all four deserved to be here and praisedthem on their high standards.The afternoon session opened with Thistle TheatreCompany, representing Western Division, performing“Rabbit” by David Foxton. He said the presentation wasexcellent and liked the acting on varied levels. It was alovely setting and very atmospheric, excellent ensembleplaying and all the cast had an individuality about them.He felt at times the lighting changes were a bit too brightand the music sometimes intrusive. He thought it was avery powerful piece, powerfully put across.Following that was Breadalbane Academy, representingNorthern Division, performing “DNA” by Denis Kelly.Alasdair said this was another incredibly powerful pieceand spoke about it showing how far people were willing

to go to cover up an accident. He personally didn’tthink the tableau at the start was necessary as wewere drawn into the story by not knowing and it wouldhave been more powerful to let the idea trickle to theaudience and too much was given away at the start.He was also distracted by scene changes and wouldhave had the three acting areas left on stage, whichwould have allowed the performance to flow from onescene to the next. He praised the interactionbetween the players which was very believable. Hesaid it is very difficult to speak over each other, as isthe case in real life, but the company managed to

pinpoint everything you wanted to hear and the dialoguewas all still heard.

Scottish Youth Final

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First in the evening was Fintry ADSrepresenting Eastern Divisionperforming “Tuesdays and Sundays”by Daniel Arnold. Alasdair said thisplay was a challenge, based on atrue story. The performers rose tothe challenge to make the wordstheir own, with only each other’scharacters to rely on. It had verygood pace and very clear vocalclarity, with little nuances to add tothe different characters they had toportray. A couple of times the tailend of lines was lost but not enoughto lose the thread. Beautifully stagedwith colours blending. A minorcriticism was a couple of times thelighting was too dim. 10% morewould have lifted faces so facialexpressions could be more clearlyseen. The lovely song at thebeginning set the mood and youcould hear a pin drop at times.Laughs were also there, which wasdown to the actors’ performances.This was, in my opinion, the well-deserved winner.Last on was Inverness RoyalAcademy, representing Highlanddivision, again performing “Rabbit”by David Foxton. Alasdair found itfascinating to watch twoperformances of the same play.Powerful imagery made sense toshow the precursor to the play, verysimple but very powerful. Hewondered if maybe some kind ofuniform would have shown they were

part of the same “tribe”. Attimes there was difficultyhearing when the diction wasa little bit muddy. Even if aperformer has only one line itis equally important that theyshould be heard.Unfortunately, it couldn’t beseen who said the line due tothe grouping and the actorsbeing in absolute straightlines. Good characters andgood individualcharacterisation and hepraised the only male in alarge, all female, cast.As I’m sure everyone whoattended the Scottish YouthFinal will agree, the future ofscda is assured and in verycompetent hands, and willcontinue to go from strengthto strength.Ann FugePhotos by Tony Flisch and DavidSmith

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The Linlithgow Players have neverbeen shy of site-specificperformances but when it came toour Spring production, our fall backposition had for many years beenour local secondary school stage.A desire to embrace new andcreative ideas, coupled with thefinancial pressures of the localcouncil increasing venue hire feeshas encouraged the group to exploredifferent ways of bringing challengingand exciting theatre to the town.This Spring, the search for a venueand a play that worked well broughtus to “The Weir” staged in one of ourlocal hostelries, the function room ofThe Star and Garter Hotel.This award winning play by ConorMacPherson is set in a remote, smallbar on the west coast of Ireland. Ona dark and windy Winter’s evening,with the peat stove glowing, Brendanthe barman welcomes Jack, Jim,Finbar and new-comer Valerie asthey gather for some pints and a few‘small ones’. The gentleshowmanship of the story-tellingwhich is central to the play iscontrasted with the intimacy ofcharacters opening up and reachingout to others by perhaps unwittinglyrevealing their personal regrets and

at times desperation. What betterway to perform it then, than to finda small, intimate venue with itsown bar and invite the audienceinto that space, allowing them tobelieve that they are there with thecharacters. And it seems that weachieved that: there was morethan one audience member whoadmitted that they were close tojoining in with the chorus of“goodnights” as Jim and Finbar leftthe bar towards the end of the

play.Our production of “The Weir” was awelcome reminder that theatre doesnot need a stage. Indeed,sometimes we can create something

more magical without it. Thephysical closeness of the playersallowed shifts of emotion in thecharacters to be keenly felt,increasing the empathy andresponsiveness of the audience.This heightened the contrastbetween the spontaneous andshared laughter of characters andaudience and the pin-drop stillnessof an audienceheld by theemotionalintensity of acharacter’s story.So site-specifictheatre enrichedour production.We attractednew audiencemembers whowere intrigued bythe idea of a playbeing performedin a bar, ticketssales were

unprecedented, and we played tosell-out audiences.And so what next? I think it will behard for us to return to what isbecoming a prohibitively expensivetraditional venue. It seems acontradiction that on the one handour local council “encourages thewellbeing and lifelong learning of thepeople of West Lothian by providingopportunities to participate in thearts”, while on the other hand it ispricing out of the market the localamateur groups that provide thatopportunity. But perhaps this hasbeen a blessing in disguise for us,opening our eyes to other creativeideas and allowing us to develop apiece of theatre that brought us andour audiences a unique, enchantingand impressive combination of playand venue that will stay with us forsome time to come. The hunt for thenext winning combinationbegins…………..

Liz DrewettLinlithgow Players

All the world’s a stage…..but do we really need one?

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Play Reviews – BY STEPHEN LAMBERTScripts from leading publishing houses can be ordered through the SCDA Discount Scheme - please contactBrenda Williams at our National Office by phone or email for details. Reading copies of all scripts and the topplays in our Scott Salver, Geoffrey Whitworth and Play on Words script writing competitions are available toborrow from the SCDA National Library at Summerhall Arts Centre in Edinburgh.Please note that we cannot guarantee every script reviewed is currently available for amateur performance.

NICK HERN BOOKS ‘Poppy + George’ by Diane SamuelsRomantic Drama (with music) in seven scenesCast: 2 Male, 2 Female ISBN: 9781848425453The period is 1919 and the Great War isfinally over when Poppy Wright arrives inLondon from the North of England to makeher mark in the world.Deep in the heart of the East End she findsemployment in Smith’s tailoring and costumierworkshop where she meets dashing chauffeurGeorge with whom she quickly falls in love.However this is a time of change andopportunity emerging from the losses of warwhen all are questioning who they are and thediffering roles they can play in forging a newmodern era – it’s time to ditch the corset anddiscover who really wears the trousers.Inspired by the days of music hall and drawingon a world of female impersonators, popularsong, double entendre and some unexpectedrevelations, this new play received its premiereat Watford Palace Theatre in 2016.While the script refers to Musician Tommyplaying piano, he could equally well beaccomplished on the ukulele, accordion oranother appropriate instrument of the period.Copy includes helpful background notes byDiane Samuels, original production photos anda glossary of foreign phrases. ‘Wit’ by Margaret EdsonOne Act Extended DramaCast: 4 Male, 4 Female with doublingISBN: 9781848425521Vivian Bearing a celebrated but exactingProfessor of Metaphysical Poetry has beendiagnosed with an aggressive form of cancerand it appears her life is nearing its final chapter.As she submits herself to an experimentaltreatment Vivian approaches her illness withthe same uncompromising rigour she brings tobear on the sonnets of John Donne andeventually comes to reassess her life and workwith profundity and moving wry humour.This Pulitzer Prize winning script is a striking andsharply funny reflection on the frailty of existenceand complex relationship between knowledgeand love. A dazzling yet humane play firstperformed in 1995 and recently revised at theRoyal Exchange Theatre, Manchester.Most of the action takes place in a hospitaltreatment room with furniture rolled on stage bythe technicians.‘Rabbit Hole’ by David Lindsay-AbaireTwo Act Drama ISBN: 9781848425569Cast: 2 Male, 3 FemaleBecca and Howie Corbett are a happy suburbancouple whose lives are changed forever whentheir young son Danny is killed in an accident.Eight months after the event, they are beginningto drift perilously apart with Becca wanting tostart afresh in a new home and give away herson’s possessions whilst Howie is determined tokeep the memory of Danny alive at all costs.

Another Pulitzer Prize winning drama filledwith distinctive wit and grace charting the pathfrom grief to its antidotes of love and hope forthe future with sightfulness, compassion andsearing honesty. It was made into a filmstarring Nicole Kidman in 2010 and this stageversion had its UK premier at HampsteadTheatre in 2016.Composite setting of kitchen, living room andbedroom.Helpful playwright’s note on how a potentialdirector can achieve the delicate tonal balanceessential to the piece.‘Nell Gwynne’ by Jessica SwaleTwo Act Drama ISBN: 9781848425590Cast: 7 Male, 5 Female plus ensembleIt is London 1660 and King Charles II hasexploded onto the scene with a love of allthings loud, extravagant and sexy while atDrury Lane a young Nell Gwynne is causingstirrings amongst theatre goers.The storyline charts the rise of an unlikely heroinefrom her roots in Coal Yard Lane to her eventualsuccess as Britain’s most celebrated actressearning a hard won place in the heart of the King.However in an age when women are stillsecond class citizens, can her charm and spiritof determination protect her from the dangersof the royal court.A wonderfully layered celebration of theatreand an apt homage to a woman incrediblyahead of her generation.This exhilarating take on the heady world ofRestoration Theatre premiered at Shakespeare’sGlobe in 2015 before transferring to the West Endearlier this year featuring Gemma Arterton,Michelle Dotrice and David Rintoul – a rollickinggood evening’s entertainment.Jessica Swale’s other work includes manyadaptations of classical novels and ‘BlueStockings’ (previously reviewed) which isalready proving a popular success amongstamateur and student companies and iscurrently on the GCSE drama syllabus.The script also celebrates the musicality of17th Century drama, brimming with song anddance. Featuring original lyrics, NigelHess’s beautiful song arrangements can belicensed from Nick Hern Books.Copy includes text of an interview with theplaywright speaking to theatre historian HeatherNeill about the historical background of therelationship between King Charles and Nell.‘The Massive Tragedy of Madame Bovary’(Gustave Flaubert’s complex novel lovinglyderailed by Peepolykus) adapted by JohnNicholson and Javier MarzanTwo Act Comedy ISBN: 9781848425644Cast: 3 Male, 1 FemaleAn exhilarating combination of verbalslapstick, visual surprise and anarchiccomedy is brought to Flaubert’s seminalnineteenth century masterpiece.Audiences will laugh and cry in equal measureas Emma Bovary chooses the wrong husband

in a series of mesmeric love scenes featuring aprocession of devastatingly attractive men orrail at the fate of women in a patriarchal society.Prepare yourself for vermin, moustaches, wildanimals, lots of French people and a nun.Written for a bijou cast of four playing over 30challenging multiple roles.Like their tremendously popular ‘Hound of theBaskervilles’ in which I had the absolute joy ofappearing in 2013, Bovary offers abundantopportunities for slick comedy, slapstick humourand massive tragedy to any theatre companylooking for a loving derailment of a classic novel.Details of advised casting provided.

SPOTLIGHT PUBLICATIONS‘Licenced To Thrill’ by Simon Rayner DavisOne Act Comedy In 3 ScenesCast: 8 M, 6 F( some parts interchangeable)ISBN 9781907307829Simon Davis hilarious spoof version of theJames Bond movie genre is slick, fast-movingand full of inventive wordplay, including themost excruciating puns imaginable andfeaturing characters like Miss Funny Moneyand Chester Drawers commonly known asDroopy, guaranteed to provide audiences withlaughter and groans galore.Jimmy Blond, special agent of M.Hi5 is sent ona deadly mission to the Scottish Glens - enterGlenn McGlenda McGlenn and her husband –to rescue a kidnapped diplomat, Stan Dandy-Liver from the clutches of two criminal gangsNortee and Nice. The denouement at theMystery Moustache Ball where everyonewears ridiculous moustaches featuresexploding cakes and the ultimate secretweapon of bomb proof underpants.Easily achievable settings of Office andReception, a short scene staged front of tabsand finally a hotel entrance hall. Perfect Youththeatre material with comprehensive effectsplot, furniture and properties list.Running Time of 40 minutes.‘Andrew’s Heart’ by Claire ScottOne Act Drama. ISBN 9781907307775Cast: 2 Male, 1 FemaleWith a simple setting of a prison waiting room,this well written, tense and revealing dramacontains some powerful, confrontationaldialogue as both characters seek the upper-hand as the storyline progresses.When bereaved mother Anna Duncan tries tofind the transplant recipient for her son Andrew’sheart she gets more than she bargained for inconvicted murderer Gary McCarron. However,her criticism of Gary’s past life reflects just asmuch about the darker side of her ownpersonality and both individuals are forced toface up to some hard personal truths aboutthemselves. Ideal Festival Material.Running Time 40 Minutes.

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January 26thI’m a bit anxious. My one-act playTom & Gerry is to be premiered on27th February in Carnoustie, and I'vegot first-night jitters already. Will theaudience like it? Will they laugh atthe jokes? Be moved by the story?Relate to the characters? -characters that I've created?I’ve had this feeling before, bothonstage and off. The nervousanticipation you get before aperformance. As an actor, myroutine, almost a ritual, was to paceup and down a bit manically. Othershad different routines. I knew a guywho created what he called ‘acocoon’: he sat in a corner with hishead bowed and his eyes shut. Andwoe betide anyone who tried tobreak in, he got very shirty indeed!Being a playwright is different, andmuch worse. At least as an actor youhave some control over your destiny,but as a playwright you have none.You sit in the auditorium or at theback and watch the audience’sreactions to your baby – which youhave written and rewritten, honed andproof-read. You’ve lived with yourcharacters for days or weeks andchanged the ending a dozen times.Now all you can do is sit and wait.February 6thThe idea for Tom & Gerry came to meover a few days just before Christmasof 2014. I’m a great fan of Neil Simon. Iremember taking part in an amdramproduction of Plaza Suite Act 3 in thenineties. The play is set in a hotelbedroom minutes before a weddingceremony is due to start. The motherand father of the bride, Roy and NormaHubley, discover to their horror thattheir daughter Mimsey has lockedherself in the bathroom and won’t comeout. My character, Roy, threatens tobreak the door down if Mimsey doesn’tcome out. She doesn’t of course, so Igave the door an actorish shoulder-charge, a move I’d rehearsed over andover with the Director. The door flatwobbled, but not disastrously so.However I realised I’d knocked my wriston the doorknob. My next line was,“Get a doctor”; which I said, but beforethe actress (whose name alsohappened to be Norma) could reply Iadded, “Norma, I think my wrist isbroken.” She frowned as if to say don’tyou dare ad-lib, but with amazing

sangfroid she hissed, “No, darling, yourarm is broken, not your wrist!”The idea for Tom & Gerry of coursedidn’t come from Plaza Suite, but fromNeil Simon’s masterpiece The OddCouple, familiar to most people fromthe 1968 movie starring Walter Matthauand Jack Lemmon. It features twomismatched roommates, OscarMadison, described as ‘a slovenly,recently divorced sportswriter’ and FelixUngar, ‘a fastidious, hypochondriacnewswriter whose marriage is ending’.The idea was to translate New York toEdinburgh, and so Oscar and Felixbecame Tom and Gerry. They areretired veterans, and the plot centres onRemembrance Day. One idea followedanother, and soon Tom and Gerry hadpartners, Molly and Wilhelmina. Gerryand Molly have already met through a‘serendipity’ moment in Sainsbury’s.Tom and Wilhelmina meet fortuitouslywhen she reverses her car into Tom’sparking space and scrapes the side ofhis BMW. A simple romanticentanglement follows with Tom initiallynot liking Wilhelmina. He pretends to begay with comic results. Thedenouement involves music, is verysatisfying and a lot of fun.February 27thWell, I had no need to worry. The castperformed the play wonderfully well,and the audience seemed to like it.Brian Marjoribanks, the adjudicator,too. The team won two prizes, firstoverall and best stage presentation,and are on to the Divisional Final inAberdeen on the 24th March.March 24thAnother excellent performance fromthe team, good ensemble work,word-perfect and well-paced. Morelaughs than at Carnoustie. Theopposition is less than impressive.We’re in with a chance!March 27th

Disaster! An email from Director JohnMcSkimming tells me that we weren’tplaced in the first three. He adds thatthe standby adjudicator told him hehad us in second place, but it’s noconsolation. The winning play is atwo-hander called A Bench at theEdge by Luigi Jannuzzi, which I thinkI’ve seen before. I google it anddiscover that it is just about the mostsuccessful one act play of the lasttwenty years and has won countlessawards, including best play at theBritish Finals of this competition in2001. The synopsis reads, “A mansits on a bench at the edge of anabyss watching the human race rushinto it. Along comes a second mancontemplating ‘a heroic dive’. What isthe abyss and what are these mendoing here? Terrifying concepts andvisions of deepening mysteriesemerge from their confrontation, andthey conclude that life is preciousafter all.” Gulp!April 23rdA Bench at the Edge wins first prize atthe Scottish Finals. Ah well, we wereup against it. A simple comedy on theone side, and on the other a complexdrama about the abyss, a play thatwins competitions; and is liked byadjudicators We are always told that incompetition it’s not the choice of playthat counts, but the way in which it isdone. I sometimes wonder about this.There are plays, and there are‘challenging’ plays: it’s like Degree ofDifficulty in diving competitions. Here’sthe conundrum: if an adjudicator ispresented with two plays, one aserious play on a weighty subject, theother more lightweight, and if both areequally well performed, which one willhe or she choose?So thanks to the cast:Sam Ruddell (Tom), Grant Wilson(Gerry), Carolyn Harrison (Molly),Cath Eddie (Wilhelmina), and DaveRoss (Roger), not forgetting directorJohn McSkimming and stagemanager Steve Rose.

Dave Buchanan

Premiere Angst

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JOHN MORLEY’SPANTOMIMES

“THE DOYEN OF GOOD PANTOMIME WRITERS” (The Times 1994)

CINDERELLASNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS

PETER PANBABES IN THE WOOD

BEAUTY AND THE BEASTTHE SLEEPING BEAUTY

PUSS IN BOOTSRED RIDING HOODHUMPTY DUMPTY

WIZARD OF OZMOTHER GOOSE

“NO ONE KNOWS MORE ABOUT PANTO THAN JOHN MORLEY”(Sunday Times)

FROM NODA LTD.

ALADDINROBINSON CRUSOE

GOLDILOCKS & THE THREE BEARSPINOCCHIO

JACK & THE BEANSTALKTHE WIND IN THE WILLOWS

SINBAD THE SAILORDICK WHITTINGTON

“WRITTEN BY JOHN MORLEY, THIS IS PANTO AT ITS BEST”(The Guardian)

FROM SAMUEL FRENCH LTD.

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AccuracyThe Editor is not able to authenticate all details in every article. If you submit an article to us we expectyou to have checked the facts.

PhotosWe want your photos. Images must be 300 dpi and please don’t let your email client make

them smaller. If you are unsure please email us scene@scda.org.uk and we will advise you.

Clubs please note you can get 4 copies of Scene for £10.00 plus postage just send your request to HQ

Reflections and news from an agingthespian - they can’t touch you for it!To a theatre world far off in anotherGalaxy (is the cosmos made ofchocolate?) of Repertorymachinations.The EK Rep Theatre is one of thebusiest Rep Theatres on the Scottishamateur circuit, mounting some fiveplays, a two week pantomime and aOne Act Play Festival in May.Several of the SCDA member clubsparticipated in the Rep’s One Actplay Festival and indeed took off withsome of the awards. Indeed Killin DCmanaged to win no less that three ofthe awards and here was methinking that they only came for thesandwiches and the banter. Welldone Killin and the rest.Following on the 15th June saw theopening of our last production of theSeason with “Nana’s NaughtyKnickers.” A great American comedywith the result that there was nounderwear left in East Kilbride as itwas all on stage for the production.Watch out for the great knicker sale allsold off for 50p or to you and me - halfa knicker!!!The 22nd June saw the club’s AGMwhich saw it in rude health but awareof the rising cost to amateurs to puton plays. Although the club feels thatit is in very fortunate position to be

able to put on their plays in a propertheatre built for that purpose, TheEast Kilbride Village theatre.Their new Season of 2016/ 2017was also announced :-Aug/Sept 2016Ladies Down Under, a comedy byAmanda WhittingtonOctober2016Good Things, a comedy by LizLochheadDecember 2016Pantomime Robin Hood by GeorgeWaiteFebruary 2017The Lady Killers a black comedy byGraham LinehanApril 2017Farndale Avenue Housing EstateTownswomen’s Guild DramaticSociety Murder Mystery, (comedy).May 2017EK RepFest - A festival of one actplays.June 2017Time of My Life, a comedy by AlanAyckbourn“The choice of plays,” they said, “wasdown to asking their public, through asurvey, what plays or playwrights thatthey would like to see.”Latterly as last season ended, they

saw their audience figuresrising, even for mid weekdates.As a community theatre,they will continue theirpolicy of giving localcharities complimentarytickets to be used as fundraisers or as ‘thank yous’ totheir members and friends.This year they are lookingto get local schools moreinvolved as that is wherethe future interest andaudiences lie. There will be

announcements about thismade later .Then onSaturday 25thJune the clubcelebratedthen end of asuccessfulseason with a barbecue held in theirrehearsal HQ premises, knownlocally as ‘the hut’.A good time was had by all.However the ‘rest’ was short lived asthey went immediately into rehearsalfor the 31st August opening night for‘Ladies Down Under’The E K Rep Theatre is a bit like theold London theatre, the Windmill,whose reputation during WW II was,‘We never shut. We are always open’Any budding actors or backstagepeople are all welcome to come andjoin and carry out a long held wish tobe involved in the theatre, safe in theknowledge that they had, as mymother used to put it, a proper jobelsewhere or indeed for those justretired and want to give it a go.A busy Rep Theatre like ours is a rarecommodity nowadays as evenprofessional companies are gettingrarer. E.g. The Dundee Rep. PerthRep, Pitlochry Festival theatre,Traverse in Edinburgh and theCitizens in Glasgow. Thesecompanies are about the only ones leftin Scotland and the phenomenon iseven rarer in England.So if you are an audience out therelooking for a play then support yourlocal Rep company – amateur orprofessional.As, all good things must come to anend, so I close and thank every onewho has supported the theatre and inparticular the East Kilbride Rep Theatreand endorse the fact that you will enjoytheir next 2016/2017 Season.

Ken Lawton

EK Rep Theatre

2015 Panto - Alice in Wonderland

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On Saturday15th May,2015 the EKRep.Theatre’sfestival ofone actplays drewto a close.The

adjudication was presided over byMr. Alasdair Hawthorn who has hadyears of experience as a dramateacher, an actor and a Director. Hehas adjudicated both one act and fulllength plays all over the country.This year he will be directing thepantomime at Kirkcaldy’s AdamSmith Centre. Perhaps awaking thedays when he was on that samestage with the like of Jimmy Logan atthe Centre some 23 years ago.

The re-vamp of the festival and itsrebranding is going from strength tostrength as the Rep Fest (theFriendly festival of One Act plays).As a result it drew in clubs from,Stewarton, Killin, Greenock , andRutherglen and for the first time theAccent Players from Campbeltown inKintyre – some eight plays in all.The prize-giving was opened with afew words of thanks from The EKRep‘s President, Mrs Jean Macmillanto all those who had helped and tothe audience for coming - many allweek and in particular Ann Macfie theFestival Director. To give theadjudicator time to add the marks shegave a rendition of Chick Murrayjokes which seemed to go down verywell (“Just like this or was it that?”).She then introduced Mr. Alasdair

Hawthorn who concurred with MrsMacmillan regards the organisation.He then went through the week’sprogramme making good andpertinent comments about the variousproductions and remarking on thehigh standard and the eclectic mixthat the audience had seen all week.He hoped that both the audience andthe clubs had learnt something or atleast sowed the seed that “we coulddo that one.” He went on, “It had beendifficult to separate each productionas each play had had something tocommend it.”All in all it was obvious from theaudience’s reactions over the week,that they had thoroughly enjoyed thewide selection of the plays on offer.

Ken Lawton

EK RepFest - 33rd Anniversary

1st : John McNicol Trophy Greenock Players Blackout

2nd : Arts Council Trophy Stewarton Drama Group The Night I danced with Cyd Charise

3rd : Whitemoss Trophy Killin Drama Club Towpath

Best Actor : Alf Davidson Trophy Gordon Hibbert (Killin) Into the Mist

Best Actress : EK Rep Theatre Trophy Alison Barr (Stewarton) The Night I danced with Cyd Charise

Best Staging : Betty McAuley Trophy Killin Drama Club Into the Mist

Prizes were awarded as follows :

Advertising inScene

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Scene@scda.org.ukDiscounts available for pre-paid

adverts and web links.

Don’t Forget…..Putting on a show? Email the information to headquarters@scda.org.uk and the information will be entered into thediary. Remember to give as much information as possible, please do not assume that we know your club’s contact

details. A post code for the venue is always useful too.

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This will take place as usual at the Stirling Court Hotel (previously Stirling University Management Centre) onSaturday 19th November. I am trying to make the event interesting, informative and fun and am introducing somedrama related events which should have a broad appeal. This will include talks by: -

Paul Fowler (Chairman of GoDA). Paul, is well known and respected in SCDA and will talk on the processof adjudication, pointers for successful productions, and how GoDA trains and supervises its memberadjudicators.Citizens’ Theatre Director. The Citizens Theatre Glasgow has agreed to provide one of their directorswho will talk about direction from a professional viewpoint and the work of the Citizens generally.

Each session will be followed by a Q&A session that will allow discussion of the issues raised. These speakers arenow confirmed. The programme is shaping up as follows, but some detail and timings could change:-

Friday 18 NovemberSocial Dinner – early birds will get together for dinner and a chat - I presume some alcohol will beconsumed (perhaps more by some than others).

Saturday 9 November11:00 AM AGM.11:45 AM Open forum. A discussion on festivals and any other matters relevant to the activities of the

association generally. I will be asking you to submit matters you might like to raise fordiscussion some time before the meeting, although there will be scope for ad hoc questionstoo.

12:45 AM National Committee meeting.1:30-2:30 Lunch.2:30-3:45 Paul Fowler and Q&A.3:45-4:00 Break and coffee.4:00-5:30 Citizens theatre director and Q&A.7:00 Evening meal.8:00 - ?? Entertainment! (all will be revealed later!)

Sunday 10 NovemberBreakfast, fond farewells and depart.

You can pick and choose between these activities from taking a 2 night dinner B&B package, to turning up on theSaturday for the day’s events.Prices are as follows:-

● Single room is £49.00 per night● Shared room (double or twin) is £67.00 (33.50 each)● Dinner on the Saturday is £31.00

Please do come along and support the association, be entertained and informed.To book, contact me by email vicechair@scda.org.uk, telephone 01360 860580 or at Easter Glenboig Mill Cottage,Fintry, Glasgow G63 0YH.

Tony Flisch (National Vice-Chair)

National Conference & AGMs

Highland Division AGM29th October in the Florians Theatre, inverness at 1pm.

Western Division AGM22nd October in the Broomhill Hotel, Kilmarnock at 2pm.

Eastern Divisional AGMSaturday 22nd October 2016 at 10am in TillicoultryBowling Club, Moss Road, Tiliicoultry

The Northern Divisional AGMACT Aberdeen on Sunday 2nd October 2016 at 2pm(14.00hours). Apologies to mornascda@gmail.com by30th September 2016. Lunch can be organised at the'Illicit Still' Aberdeen, at 12 noon. Please let Peter Esson(peter.esson@tiscali.co.uk) know if you wish lunch.

The National AGM of the Associationwill take place on Saturday 19th November at 11am in theStirling Court Hotel, Stirling University, Stirling FK9 4LA towhich you are warmly invited.Tea/Coffee from 10.30 amMinutes of previous AGM and Annual report will be sentby e-mail to Members prior to the meetingIf you require a postal copies please contact BrendaWilliams, National Office Administrator, Suite 88, STEP,Stirling FK7 7RP. Tel: 01786 440077Apologies to National Secretary Morna Barronsecretary@scda.org.ukA full programme of events to accompany the AGM hasbeen arranged - please refer to the article above forfurther information.

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Having for variousreasons not been ableto attend the nowfamous Killin KomedyFestival the past five

years, I was delighted tomake it to Killin this year.The weather was gorgeous, knewGordon, Lesley and clan weregood organisers but how theymanaged to have brilliant sunshineall weekend was truly a bonus.After a pleasant meal with

friends at the Killin Hotel, we walked across the road tothe McLarenHall. I didn’treally knowwhat to expectbut had beentold it would bea good night.How true, therewas anexpectant partyatmosphere tostart with, plentyof balloons, a

side stage and main stage and the all-important bar!The evening kicked off in great style with ‘An ImportantAnnouncement’ from Lesley Syme. Right from the start Iknew I was in for a treat. The laughter followed every turn,in particular I loved Paul Anderson from FADS with ‘FifteenMinutes Wasted’ and the various other monologues he didwith complete disregard to Shakespeare.Perth Drama Club and Killin Drama Club both gave us acouple of comedy sketches that had the audience groaningwith delight. Interspersed was poetry readings in ‘PamAyre’ style by Sharon Wadsley who comes up fromEngland every year to add to the fun. The final piece forthe evening was a radio Play by Lesley Syme and AndrewMurphy with sound effects provided by members of theaudience – would Gordon press gang volunteers – never!Complete mayhem as Martin from Perth, Margaret fromKADS and myself tried to keep up with the plot. Doubtfulsounds with flying fish, broken eggs, a bath full of waterand even worse timing brought the evening to a closeSaturday dawned yet another sunny day, and most of ushad a stroll through the village and then relaxed in the sunputting the world to rights as we eagerly anticipated theSaturday’s performances.The evening kicked off with Riverside Drama Clubpresenting Sex Factor on Ice, by David Tristram. The Little

Grimley Amateur Societyare faced with yet anotherthreat to their veryexistence. Reality TVshows have ravaged theirSaturday night audiences,which in their hey-dayused to occasionally reachdouble figures. Never oneto take these things lyingdown, Chairman Gordon(not Mr Hibbert) hasdevised a cunning plan tocompete head-on - their

very own live Saturday nightblock buster, combining thebest of all the other formats. Allthey need now is an audience,some contestants, four judges,a mirror ball… oh, yes, andsome ice.Greenock Players then gave us‘Kevin’s Above’ by Claire Scott.A wonderful comedy about twomen both named Kevin whofind themselves in heavenswaiting room. Hilarity ensues asthe receptionist, new to the job,and only expecting one Kevin,tries to solve the various problems.Lesley Simpson from Perth Drama Club gave us a cheerytale and Sharonreturned withmore poetry.We then hadanother coupleof sketchesfrom PerthDrama Club.GIP fromInverclyde gaveus a wonderfullyfunny play, allbe it with a sadending, ‘Mind Your Own Show Business’ by David Carswell.The three men are discussing ideas for a new TV show.They look at various ideas, a chat show along the lines ofJeremy Kyle –naw – been done to death says one of thecharacters. How about cookery programmes? They then doa spoof of the Great British Bake Off – Cooking for theFinancially Challenged with a student versus an unemployedwelder. They then look at shopping channels and finallywhile arguing over Songs of Praise with naked Nuns one ofthe men loses his temper – quick appearance of two nurses,- twist at the end as two of the men fade into the backgroundand the third loses the plot! He was a TV writer who has losthis family in a tragic accident and his mind never recovered.His psychiatrist recommended he be given pen and paper inthe hope he comes out of his stupor, but he never has.Once again members of the audience are dragged along tohelp with the radio play sound effects to finish off the evening.After a few nice nibbles and final drink we wandered slowlyback to the hotel having had a thoroughly enjoyable eveningand hopefully made a few coppers for SCDA.Thanks Gordon, Lesley, Lizzie and Co for organising awonderful weekend, if you have never been – you mustmake the effort to go next year. I am certainly bookingmy seat now!

Morna Barron

Killin Drama Club - Cinderella

Killin Drama Club - Cinderella

Killin Drama Club - ABC

Greenock Players -Kevins Above

Riverside Drama Club - SexFactor on Ice

Pho

tos

by T

ony

Flis

ch

Abbey Theatre

King Arthur & the Knights of the Round tableAbbey Theatre

Witches of Pollock

EPT

Buttons (Matthew Dunn) and admirers

Kirkintilloch Players

Snow White

Dollar Drama

London Suite

Kirkintilloch Players

Abigails Party by Mike Leigh

Eastwood Entertainers

The Full Monty

Project Theatre - The Legend

of Sleepy Hollow and Connection