Category Archives: MADF

Another opening another show or shows?

Easter Festival, MADF

Well the Manx Amateur Drama Federation (MADF) has started preparations for their festivals in 2024 and 2025!

The invitations to teams from the Island, British Isles and Ireland have gone out. Our first competition will be the The Young Actor of Mann (now biennial). This will be Saturday 30th March at Ballakermeen Studio, further information can be found on the event page. Entrants must be Isle of Man residents. Closing date for entries Saturday 13th Jan 2024.

The Easter Festival (which now incorporates the One Act and Full Length Play Festivals) has teams coming from the Island and British Isles. It commences on Saturday 30th March, running for 7 days from 7.30pm each evening at the Gaiety Theatre and runs until Friday 5th April. The deadline for entries is 1st December 2023. The Empress Hotel will be MADF Headquarters and green room each evening.

We’re pleased to announce the adjudicator for all events will be Chris Baglin GoDA (Guild of Drama Adjudicators). Chris is well known to audiences on the island having previously adjudicated the One Act Play Festival.

Social events will include a Coffee morning on Friday 1st March at Peel Centenary Centre, more details from the Friends of MADF later. The traditional Easter Monday lunch will be Monday 1st April at the Empress Hotel.

We are now eagerly awaiting the entries for all our festivals and will announce the entrants in January 2024.

Some advance news for our 2025 Easter festival which will be our 75th Anniversary is the ever popular Robert Meadows GoDA has accepted our invitation and the Gaiety Theatre has been booked from Saturday 19th April  through to Friday 25th.  We are in the process of planning our special anniversary year and more details  will be released in the New Year.

We are very grateful to the IOM Arts Council for their continued support and would welcome other sponsors for any of our events. If you know of any who might be interested please let me know at michaellees@manx.net.

Michael J Lees MADF President and PR Officer

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

 

Many congratulations, Olga Gray MBE

MADF

Congratulations to Olga Gray who has been appointed an MBE for 50 years of voluntary services on the IOM, fundraising over £1.5 million for The charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

Olga has also dedicated so much time to MADF and we are super proud of this recognition.

Hear her interviewed on Manx Radio and again on MTTV when they met to talk with her ahead of the Douglas New Year day dip.

Many congratulations, Olga Gray MBE.

  • MADF Committee

Artist Needed!

MADF

MADF Covers– Are you a local artist or art student?

– Are you looking for a new project for the winter period?

– Do you have a passion for theatre?

MADF are looking for an artist to create new designs for the One Act Festival, Easter Festival of Full Length Plays and the Young Actor of Mann programmes and the MADF website.

You will receive two tickets for all of the festivals, a reward worth approximately £200!

Benefits:

  • You will see approximately 7 Full Length plays, 14 One Act plays, Young Actor performances and their adjudication by a GoDA accredited adjudicator.
  • Your artwork will be featured on all the festival programmes, madf.im and publicised via the MADF Facebook and Twitter accounts and the newsletter sent to all subscribers.
  • You will get to meet many people who are interested in the theatre, so it’s a great social opportunity.

Please email onlineadmin@madf.im or facebook message to express interest by Tuesday 1st November 2016.

What do you call 20 people sitting round a table with intermittent lighting?

MADF

Yes, it was the latest MADF committee meeting, and no, between us we couldn’t persuade the lights to cooperate.  Lots to discuss (lively), decisions were made (fortunately) and I’m happy with them (good – cos I’ve got the cheque book J).  We know what we need to do, but we’re still getting some unexpected little issues turn up, this week it’s art work.    Any suggestions for next week’s unusual problem?  Maybe keep them to yourself…

  • Helen Clarke, Treasurer

 

Learning lots about the One Act & Young Actor of Mann…

MADF

Another busy week learning lots about the One Act play festival & the Young Actor of Mann competition, both take place next year.  Interesting how many names I recognise in the list of previous winners of both events.  Given how little I’ve been involved, that came as a nice surprise.   Format for both is looking good particularly now the adjudicator Robert Meadows GODA has been booked.  Venue’s are sorted, Erin Arts Centre for the One Acts & Ballakermeen Studio for the Young Actor.  Lots of business to go through at next week’s meeting …exciting!  (maybe I need to get out more…)

  • Helen Clarke, Treasurer

Roll On Spring 2016!

MADF

The all new, highly motivated, bursting with energy MADF committee is getting into gear for our 2016 season…(highly what?)…

Generally (strangely) we seem to be heading in the right direction. Both the One Act festival and Easter festival of plays are coming together nicely, as is the Young actor of Man competition. Lots of new ideas coming in, some are interesting, some sensible, and nearly all legal (bonus) so I’m happy to report it’s looking very positive for next year. The new look website is emerging and we’re hoping that it will be more accessible and more informative. We’re planning to add a lot more including something about our history, recent winners and some photo’s, comments and memories too. Roll on Spring 2016!

  • Helen Clarke, Treasurer