Rushen Players
History Committee Constitution
Plays Presented
| Please visit Past Productions to explore the full list of plays staged by Rushen Players The majority are comedies, largely because these are the ones which attract the best response at the box office (a serious consideration for any amateur group) and they are great fun for those taking part. But there have been significant successes with thrillers, children's fairy tales, and more serious plays with an underlying message. As an example of the latter it is relevant to note that in 1981, at Eastertide, the Society introduced drama into the Island's Cathedral Church at Peel by presenting 'The Vigil', a play by Ladislav Fodor, set in a modern courtroom, in which a gardener is tried for the alleged crime of stealing the body of Jesus after his crucifixion - a challenge to Christian faith in the resurrection. This moving performance held the audience spellbound. "The best Good Friday I have ever spent" was the sentiment expressed by the Lord Bishop. At the request of the Friends of St. German's Cathedral this same play was staged in the Cathedral for a second time in 1992, using quite a number of the original cast. On three occasions the Society has entered plays in the competitive MADF Festival of Plays held in the Gaiety Theatre in Douglas every Easter. The first of these was in 1962 and the play was 'Ladies In Retirement' by Edward Percy and Reginald Denham. The result was a resounding success; first place Rushen Players. "The team showed integrity and artistry in all sections of their performance" was the recorded opinion of the adjudicator. In 1973 the Society entered the competition with 'The Enquiry' by Charlotte Hastings. Although this entry did not achieve the same success as in 1962 the players acquitted themselves well and in the recorded judgement of the adjudicator this was "A very fine, very imaginative, very sincere performance of a melodramatic, but thought-provoking play". In 1974, however, the Society was back in winning form by gaining third place with Noel Coward's 'Private Lives'. Much more recently, in 1997, the Society entered the Manx Amateur Drama Federation's festival of one-act plays with 'Say Something Happened' by Alan Bennett, a performance which resulted in Vera Moon receiving the award for the best actress in the competition. Some of the Society's most successful performances were presented in the Port St. Mary Town Hall on one night a week for a summer season of five or six weeks, aimed at attracting and entertaining summer holidaymakers as well as local residents. Almost all of these were broad comedies which included 'Job For The Boy' (1978), 'Too Soon For Daisies' (1979), 'Breath Of Spring' (1980), 'Your Obedient Servant' (1981), (1982), 'Busybody' 'The White Sheep Of The Family' (1983), 'Man For The Job' (1984), 'Two Dozen Red Roses' (1985), 'The Brides Of March' (1986) and 'Here We Come Gathering' (1987). Often these were played before full houses. This venture strengthened the Society's financial status considerably, with a welcome spin-off for several local charities. Fairy tales such as 'Hans, The Witch And The Gobbin' (1976), 'The Heartless Princess' (1978) and two short Chinese plays in 1988 demanded quite a different approach from other plays but they were handled competently and were well received. Ideally a dramatic society should be able to select a play and hold auditions to decide upon whom to cast in the various roles. This system presupposes an abundance of players anxious to participate and willing to compete for selection. Alas, the Rushen Society has never enjoyed this luxury and all too often it has been necessary to find a play to match the number of players available, always bearing in mind their experience and acting skills. Occasionally it has been necessary to borrow players from elsewhere and in this connection, the neighbouring Arbory Players have been most cooperative and helpful. Invariably young male actors have been in short supply. Don Williamson has vivid recollections of some of the earlier plays. For example, Galsworthy's 'Escape' in which Don, as the fugitive, had to dash through at least ten different scenes including a trout stream, a lady's bedroom and a church, with numerous changes of costume. A performance of 'The Chiltern Hundreds' by William Douglas Home, based on the topic of parliamentary elections and by-elections happened to coincide with a House of Keys by-election in the Rushen Sheading and the result of this by-election was announced to the audience at the final curtain. Then there is the poignant memory of Barrie's 'Dear Brutus', described as a fairy tale for adults. June Edge, a teenager with unusual acting ability played the part of daughter to a disillusioned ageing artist, but the daughter is a fantasy child and her final plaintive words are "I don't want to be a might-have-been". Sadly June died of cancer about a year later and her memory is preserved in the annual award of the June Edge Cup for the best young actress participating in the annual MADF Easter Festival of Plays at the Gaiety Theatre in Douglas. In the past playwrights such as George Bernard Shaw and J. B. Priestley were often regarded as dangerous radicals and Don Williamson remembers an occasion when proposals to stage one of Shaw's plays had to be hastily dropped when a committee member announced that if the Society pursued this course he would feel it necessary to resign, so strongly was he opposed to Shaw's political outlook. It may be of interest to make special mention of the play 'Sand Castles' by Bob Larbey, presented by the Society in the autumn of the year 2000. The writing of this play was specially commissioned by British Telecom, as part of its support for and promotion of the Arts, the play to be performed, initially, solely by amateur groups. About ninety amateur Societies, including the Rushen Players, scattered throughout the length and breadth of the British Isles, were invited to participate in giving this play its world premiere on Saturday, 14th October 2000. From every angle the presentation in Port Erin was a great success. With the opening night being on this specific Saturday, as stipulated by British Telecom, the Committee decided to experiment with the idea of a Sunday afternoon matinee performance. This proved to be a very welcome innovation, especially by those who, for various reasons, are reluctant to leave home in the dark evenings of autumn and winter. |
| The following pages are taken from Stan Woolock's History of Rushen Amateur Dramatic Society's written in 2001 and with some updates to reflect changes from 2001 to 2013 |
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