All posts by Emma Quirk

Easter Festival 2023 Preview

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A full week of plays staged by theatre groups from the island and across the UK are set to perform in two newly merged festivals.

Booking has opened for the Manx Amateur Drama Federation’s (MADF) Easter Festival of Full Length and One Act Plays, which takes place at the Gaiety Theatre from April 8 to 14.

MADF president Michael Lees told Island Life: ‘It will be two festivals in one although they will be adjudicated separately giving winners for one act and full length.

‘The plays will be mixed throughout the week so an audience will have the opportunity to see a night of one acts followed by a full length play the following evening.’

The opening performance, on Easter Saturday (April 8) will be Service Players’ production of the one-act drama Lovers by Tony Rushforth, a previous adjudicator. It’s set at a graveside, with three characters all speaking to the deceased as if he is still here.

They will be followed by a one act youth entry, Broadway Youth Theatre’s production of Sweep Under The Rug by island writer Lindsay Price.

The play envisions a future where struggling families are placed in the Bobby Sue program, a computerised guardian of sorts.

Shopshire group Wellington Theatre Company return to the island to present the full length play Waiting For Godot by Samuel Beckett on Easter Sunday (April 9).

Michael said: ‘This play has been presented many times throughout the world to great acclaim.’

The two leading characters are tramps and explain the world as they see it while they wait for Godot.

They will be followed by another full length entry, by Northampton group White Cobra Productions on April 10 with The Lonesome West by Martin McDonagh.

It’s about two brothers living alone in their father’s house after his recent death.

April 11 will see two One Act  entries from the island.

First up will be Platform Theatre School’s production of black comedy Heritage by Dafydd James, which explores the darker side of nationalism.

And they will be followed by Parodos Theatre Company with horror/drama The Monkey’s Paw by William Wymark Jacobs, with a lesson about being careful what you wish for.

Three One Act plays will be staged on April 12.

Youth group Yn Draamey will present the drama Chiller by Christopher J. Maybury, set in a world of low budget horror films which take on an all too real aspect.

And then there will be two adult entries.

The Service Players will present The Photograph by Lisa M. Smith, about two sisters who find a mystery photo in their mother’s collection.

And then Rushen Players will perform Accident of Birth by Trevor Suthers.

This sees an inmate in Broadmoor confront his birth mother to discover the cause of his insanity.

Yn Draamey will be first on stage on April 13 with their youth one act entry Faces in The Dark by Christopher J. Maybury, about four children trapped in a purgatory.

They will be followed by Rushen Players with the adult one act entry comedy/drama September In The Rain by John Godber. It follows a married couple through their relationship.

Finally, Friday, April 14 will see London group Garden Suburb Theatre present a full length comedy, The Game’s Afoot; or Holmes for the Holidays by Ken Ludwig. It sees an actor take on the persona of his beloved Holmes to solve a death.

Each night, the plays will be adjudicated by Robert Meadows from the Guild of Drama Adjudicators.

He has been to the island on several occasions to judge the Young Actor of Mann and the One Act Festival of Plays.

‘He is always very popular with our audiences,’ said Michael.

Awards will be presented on the final night of the festival. Marks will be awarded for acting, production, stage presentation, and endeavour, originality and attainment.

Book tickets online at www.villa
gaiety.com or call the box office on 600555.

An early bird season ticket offer with a £21 saving closes on Monday, February 27.

 

ISLE OF MAN STEAM PACKET COMPANY SUPPORTS MANX AMATEUR DRAMA FEDERATION’S 72ND EASTER FESTIVAL OF PLAYS

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ISLE OF MAN STEAM PACKET COMPANY SUPPORTS

MANX AMATEUR DRAMA FEDERATION’S 72ND EASTER FESTIVAL OF PLAYS

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company is supporting local charity, the Manx Amateur Drama Federation (MADF), with its 2022 Easter Festival of Full Length Plays.

The Easter Festival of Full Length Plays will see amateur dramatic groups from across the UK and the Isle of Man come together to perform six full-length plays at the Gaiety Theatre throughout the Easter week. The six groups will compete for the best play and performance of the week and will be judged by leading independent UK adjudicator, Jan Palmer Sayer. Audience members attending the full week’s performances are also entitled to cast a vote.

The Festival, which was first started in 1950, has welcomed hundreds of visiting groups from across Europe and the UK over its 72-year history, and looks to foster and celebrate amateur theatre. MADF, which was formed in the 1940’s, promotes live theatre and is open to all amateur drama, operatic, musical and play groups in the Isle of Man. The charity also provides acting, stage management and technical theatre training to its members.

The Isle of Man Steam Packet will be supporting the event by subsidising the travel expenses of those groups travelling from the UK to take part in the Festival.

Brian Thomson, Managing Director of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, said: ‘The Steam Packet Company is thrilled to support MADF with its Easter Festival of Full Length Plays. This is a wonderful opportunity for residents, and visitors alike, to watch some outstanding local and UK acting talent in the beautiful setting of the Gaiety Theatre. With a wide range of plays to watch, there is something for everyone. We are delighted to be supporting this iconic event, which celebrates local theatre and the art of storytelling.’

Michael Lees, President of the MADF, added: ‘MADF would like to thank the Isle of Man Steam Packet for its support in helping us to bring across the UK teams taking part in our Easter Festival of Full Length Plays. This Festival is a wonderful addition to an already diverse and exciting Isle of Man events calendar and attracts many visitors from the UK and beyond.

‘This is a great opportunity for the public to watch a variety of live theatre performances and plays spanning a huge range of genres, all within the space of a week – an opportunity that doesn’t come along too often. Several ticket options are available, including single performance and weekly season tickets.’

To find out more about MADF and its work, visit: www.madf.im. To purchase tickets for The Easter Festival of Full Length Plays, taking place between the 17th and 22nd April, visit: www.villagaiety.com/easterfestival.

The Drama of Mann- A Word from our One Act Play Festival Adjudicator

MADF, One Act, Reviews, YAoM

The Drama of Mann

I cannot express how delighted I was to be approached to come to the island to adjudicate the One Act Festival and Young Actor of Mann. It was a new one to me, and I had not managed a visit to the island since sailing into Doolish harbour at midnight aboard our Sea Cadet Training Ship. We sailed out at about two the following afternoon, so my whole previous experience of the island was fourteen hours in Douglas, at least eight of which were spent asleep.

This time however more than made up for it. The whole of the community of the island has been so welcoming that one could easily be mistaken for an old friend returning to the island rather than a stranger. The welcome aside, the scenery and atmosphere of the island is magical, as many have remarked before, going back thousands of years. And the food! I am only too glad that the airlines don’t charge for that particular type of excess baggage one carries back around one’s waist!

As for the festivals themselves, what a treat to be able to observe and adjudicate them. The One Act Festival brought laughter and tears, often in the same production. I saw performers who ranged from fifteen to eighty-five and all stops in-between, and each and every one of them had something unique and valuable to contribute. The styles ranged from the stylised to naturalistic and touched on themes from an unexpected change late in life to Faustian pacts with the cult of celebrity and even a Roald Dahl-esque twist in the tail.

Then there was the Young Actor of Mann. All anyone will tell you about this competition is that it is a nigh on impossible job to judge as all the young actors are so talented, and they certainly wouldn’t like to do it.  As adjudicators we hear this often, but never before have I seen it so justified as here.  It is inspiring to see these young actors and actresses willing to get up and present themselves for their talent to be judged. In Wales we have the Eisteddfod culture, we encourage all our young people to get up and compete in these competitions of singing, recitation etc. It makes the experience normal. But I know only too well it doesn’t make it any easier. So to see these youngsters willing to step outside their comfort zone and do it without that cultural norm, well… I feel the dramatic future of the island will be in safe hands. And I can confirm that it is a nigh on impossible job as all the young actors are so talented and cannot wait to do it again!

Gura mie eu

Chris Baglin