SUMMER PRODUCTION 2008:
Dennis Potter's "Blue Remembered Hills".
Performance: 4 - 6 June at the Gulbenkian
Theatre.
Tickets: £10 (Concessions: £8)
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Sarah Gooch embarked on her directing debut for the Players
and staged Blue Remembered Hills by Dennis Potter from Wednesday
4th to Friday 6th June, 2008.
Set in the West Country during the long summer holidays of 1943,
the play centres around a group of seven year old children, all
played by adult actors. The children’s games, fighting and
relationships reflect their understanding of the adult world and
the war around them. The play is a deceptively simple tale, ending
in tragedy, and was originally shown on television in 1979. |
DENNIS Potter's tale of the loss of childhood innocence in the hills and woodland
of rural England during the Second World War throws some difficulties in the
path of those taking on the roles of seven children.
It is not a question of the actors ust playing the parts of seven-year-olds
- they have to almost become children if the audience's credibility in the story
and the action unfolding on stage is to be maintained.
Fortunately Canterbury Players managed this and the acting from all seven was
particularly strong with no weak links. Especially impressive were the facial
expressions and exaggerated movements, which are so typical of children.
Although, on the face of it, a play about innocence, childhood and games, the
play carries much deeper and thought provoking insights into the way children
behave and why.
We see them at play, but their make-believe conversations are often a mirror
image of those heard at home from their parents. And thoughout we are shown,
by the children's behaviour, the way the human mind and emotions work and the
sheer cruelty that can result. This is no romanticised view of childhood and
this came over convincingly in the performances by all the actors - Sid Moon,
James Newberry, Ed Clark, Laura Brown, Katherine Durio, John Rye and Samuel
Stolton, who took on this difficult task and rose to the challenge.
Derek Standing's simple and effective set also worked well.
Sponsor:
CATHEDRAL GATE HOTEL: You
too can rest where pilgrims did before Blenheim, the Boyne or even Bosworth
were contested.This ancient and modern hotel provides city centre comfort from
which to brave re-enactments from all ages, even unsettling ones like "The
Birthday Party", assured in the knowledge that a hospitable welcome awaits
you on return. Twisting passageways, low beams and just the occasional ghost
lend drama to the experience, as do the stunning Cathedral and Buttermarket
views. 27 well appointed rooms, Bow-Window restaurant and a cosy bar for that
post-performance palliative. Prices from £22 per person (15% preferment)
on presentation of the programme for "The Birthday Party".
Contact Cathedral Gate Hotel: 36 Burgate, Canterbury. Tel: 01227 464381
or email cgate@cgate.demon.co.uk
The Cathedral Gate Hotel have kindly handed their sponsor's tickets for "The
Birthday Party" back to the Players, for use by drama students and others
who might otherwise not have been able to attend.
Rehearsing for Blue Remembered
Hills |
Jim's fallen out of his pram again. |
If you go down to the woods today....... |
This job has its perks. Oh yes! |
Just another day at the office..... |
.... and another. |
| Below: The
dress rehearsal |
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Blue Remembered
Hills
by Dennis Potter
performed by
Canterbury Players |
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The characters are as follows:
- Peter – the bully of the gang
- John – fair minded and a challenger to Peter
- Willie – easy going and everyone’s friend
- Raymond – gentle with a stammer
- Donald – an abused child, a victim, a pyromaniac
- Angela – pretty and bossy
- Audrey – plain and angry
The Cast:
As Peter:
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Ed Clark
Actor: Justin, in Roleplay;
Tom in The Accrington
Pals; Peter in Blue Remembered
Hills
Ed has played a variety of roles over the last few years and keeps up
his skill set in a number of other disciplines, including singing and
sports, making him a very useful member of the Players and to others,
including film and tv production teams etc. |
As John:
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James Newberry
Actor: Goldberg in "The
Birthday Party" ; John in "Blue
Remembered Hills"
Until April 2006, James (Jim) had spent the past 20 years or so on an
acting break between career engagements, latterly running his own management
consultancy, training and coaching business, People
Scope.
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In his first acting life - primarily for the Cambridge University Players,
at Uni in Birmingham, and the Goodrich Theatre, Putney - he got to play
in different stuff: including a panoply of Shakespeares (Much Ado, As
You Like It, Merchant of Venice, Hamlet), Beckett (Krapp's Last Tape),
Bennett, Simon Gray, Pinter, Edward Bond, Athol Fugard et al.
In late 2005, Pinter's the Birthday Party - in all its non-sequitury
weirdness - re-appeared and he started again....
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As Willie:
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Sid Moon
Actor: Willie in "Blue
Remembered Hills"
Blue Remembered Hills will be Sid's first shot at straight acting (if
you forget the school nativity play). He did not start performing until
he passed 50 when he played the part of a miner in the community opera,
"Promised Land" as part of the Canterbury Festival
in 2006.
It was there that Sid met Sarah, the Director for Blue
Remembered Hills and John Rye who plays the part of Donald in this
production. Last year Sid and Gill, his wife, had great fun being part
of Canterbury Players Palace of Varieties
show.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of Canterbury
Players for the warm welcome they have given us and the friendships we
have made within the society."
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As Raymond:
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Samuel Stolton
Actor: Raymond in "Blue
Remembered Hills"
Samuel has held a passion for acting, theatre and film for many years,
and prior to joining the Canterbury Players, has taken up roles such as
Jimmy Porter In John Osborne's 'Look Back In Anger' in which Samuel portrayed
the classic 'angry young man' to critical acclaim. Samuel is a keen musician,
actively playing the electric and acoustic guitar. He also likes to keep
himself busy by learning Italian, reciting Shakespeare, writing poetry,
scriptwriting, and playing a number of different sports. Samuel plans
to pursue a professional acting career one day, and is very grateful for
all the help that The Canterbury Players have offered him.
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As Angela:
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Laura Brown
Actor: Angela in "Blue
Remembered Hills"
Laura has adored performing for as long as she can remember and grabs
at all opportunities of ‘Treading the boards’.
Laura has trained in musical theatre since the age of 14 with the Kent
Youth Theatre and the BRIT School of Performing Arts before gaining a
variety of credits to her CV. These include leading roles in professional
pantomimes at the Marlowe Theatre, tremendously fun summer seasons singing
and dancing in holiday venues, and show cases at the London Palladium
and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.
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Her most recent credits include:
Dorothy in ‘The Wizard of OZ’, Shelby in ‘Steel Magnolias’
and the title role in ‘Cinderella’ with the Up The Creek pantomime
society.
Performing as Angela in ‘Blue Remembered Hills’ will be
Laura's debut production with the Canterbury Players. She is grateful
for the opportunity to perform with such a talented group of actors and
she would like to thank the cast and crew for welcoming her so warmly. |
As Audrey:
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Katherine Durio
Actor: Audrey in "Blue
Remembered Hills"
Katherine has been dancing, singing and acting since she could walk.
Many lessons later, an acting degree from Bretton Hall, a post grad at
The Bridge Theatre Training co. and Katherine's CV has roles ranging from
Sandy in Grease to Viola in Twelfth Night. Professional work also includes
Mae in Anthony Minghella's 2003 film "Cold Mountain".
Having had the taste for the big time Katherine is now happily living
in Wye and working with The Canterbury Players. Audrey in Blue
Remembered Hills was Katherine's first role with the company
and she will make her debut directing for The Players later in the year
with "Much Ado About Nothing".
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As Donald:
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John Rye
Actor: Donald in "Blue
Remembered Hills"
John has always loved the stage, appearing in Gypsy at the
Erith Playhouse at the age of ten. He took lead roles in university productions
of Fame:The Musical, East, and A Midsummer Night's Dream.
He also directed successful performances of Bouncers and an adult pantomime.
John moved back to kent after graduating in the summer of 2005 and is
now working far too hard as a teacher at Chaucer Technology School. Recently
he has worked with the Really Promising Company in their shows Promised
Land and Kentish Tales, through which he has met Sarah Gooch
and Sid Moon. He has also worked with Yellow Brick Road productions in
a very well received performance of 100 last year.
John would like to thank the Players for their warm reception and he
is looking forward to successful future productions.
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Director:
Stage Manager:
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Liz Findlay
Actor: Play It Again Sam
Stage Manager (The Birthday
Party, La Ronde, The
Accrington Pals, Gosforth's
Fete, Play It Again Sam,
Fallen Angels, Blue
Remembered Hills.)
Liz joined the players in 2005 as prompt for Roleplay, rose to the position
of chief of teapot bearing and has been stage managing since then in Pinter's
"Birthday Party",
Ayckbourne's "Gosforth’s
Fete", Schnitzlers "La
Ronde", Whelan's "
The Accrington Pals" and Woody Allen's Play
It Again Sam in which she also took the part of Vanessa.
Liz is trained in Fine Art and has exhibited locally. She designed the
posters for Fallen Angels
and Blue Remembered Hills.
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Set Design
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Derek Standing
Set Design & Construction
Some 42 years ago, Derek responded to an urgent advert from Canterbury
Dramatic Society and although only 18 he got a job and even survived giving
the cast a nightmare on his first set because he did not know that one
has to add size glue to the powder paint.
Recent productions: RolePlay;
The Birthday Party; The
Accrington Pals; Play It
Again Sam; Fallen Angels |
Sound
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Mark Charles Smith
Actor: Gosforth's Fete;
La Ronde; Fallen
Angels; The Accrington
Pals (For Canterbury Players);
Seasons Greetings (For Chilham Players)
Sound Engineer for Blue Remembered
Hills.
Mark joined the RAF in 1974 and performed his first stage piece - in a
wind-blown tent in the Falkland Islands - in 1982. This was as one of
the "Three Degrees" song trio, miming to a recording
and dressed in a chiffon dress - a dangerous thing to do with several
hundred other airmen removed from their wives and girlfriends for some
months. He is now a director of the succesful online marketing company,
Internet Marketing Kent
Ltd.
Mark has appeared in end of year short films at universities in Canterbury
and Hastings and also as a film extra for various productions filmed in
Kent including "The Other Boleyn Girl" and "Wild Child".
Mark is looking for more extra work to get him out of the office once
in a while.
See his profile pages on Extras.co.uk
or Universal
Extras.
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Publicity
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Louise Gibbins
Actor: Play It Again Sam;
Gosforth’s Fete;
The Accrington Pals;
La Ronde
Louise joined the Players in 2006 & has been involved in 4 productions.
The first was Harold Pinter’s ‘The
Birthday Party’ where she was the official teapot bearer between
Acts II & III. Following the success of teapot placement, she was
cast as Councillor Mrs Pearce in Alan Ayckborne’s ‘Gosforth’s
Fete’. Louise proved herself to be a massive hit when Charlie
Jubber (Gosforth) omitted to catch her as she fell off the podium backwards.
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In Schnitzler's ‘La
Ronde’, she played a prostitute which was lucky as Louise was
concerned about being typecast! Louise also appeared in the production,
"The Accrington
Pals" by Peter Whelan. Here, she played Sarah, a hardworking
but fun loving mother in her late twenties.This is very far removed from
her own existence as a single, grumpy trainee mortgage advisor in Canterbury!!
Louise is seeking film extra work, her public profiles on casting websites
can be found HERE
and HERE.
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