I’m a sucker for Theatre, amateur and professional. I’m a writer, actor, director, backstage wallah and serial audience member, and the magic gets me every time.

PLAY-SCRIPTS WRITTEN (and performed)

‘TOPSHAM TAPESTRY’:  a local community play, performed in Topsham Church.

‘ALL FALL DOWN’:  a play about a pub skittles team, performed in Topsham. The drama critic from the local paper wrote:
‘Cleverly-crafted, with a convincing cast of main characters who established themselves indelibly early on in the performance, the play was professional throughout – both in the writing and in the skilful use of the stage-setting and audience. The simple bar-room lay-out on the lower floor of the hall and the use of the upper stage for extended action, was particularly effective in focusing audience attention on what really mattered – clear audibility and close contact with the plot line and individual characterisation.‘

‘GEMQUEST’:  a fantasy play based on ‘Dungeons & Dragons’, with choices made by the audience, performed at the Barnfield Theatre in Exeter. Reviews included the following:
‘Gemquest at the Barnfield Theatre last week was performed with gusto by Topsham’s Estuary Players, provided a diverting 2.5 hours of unflagging entertainment that really was for all the family.
Gemquest is a fantasy musical play written by two local women, Mary Jones and Gillian Yates.
It had a hissable-at witch, Belladonna, played with bravado by Margaret Butt, who had the audience booing and cat-calling at her within two minutes; a knockabout duo called Dandelion and Burdock and an endearing red dragon who managed to be sinister and rather moving and funny as well. Played with style by Philip Jones, the dragon abandoned his head and turned into a song-and-dance man complete with spangled top-hat and psychedelic red shoes.
The play was directed by the author, Mary Jones who owed a large debt to some stunning effects and costumes that must have been hard work for the stage design team.’

‘CRAFTWORK’:  a re-telling of ‘The Odyssey’ from Penelope’s point of view, rehearsed for a touring production but never performed.

PLAYS DIRECTED

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‘Murder in the Cathedral’, ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’, ‘The Roses of Eyam’, ‘The Caucasian Chalk Circle’, ‘Mixed Doubles’, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, ‘The Ghost Train’, ‘The Tempest’, ‘Habeas Corpus’, ‘Wyrd Sisters’, ‘Twelfth Night’.