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VOLUME 4, ISSUE 5  JULY 2001IN THIS ISSUE Hi folks and welcome to the mini e-newsletter for July, in which we lift the veil on our two festival entries, post a review of Shirley Valentine staged at The Theatre In The Dockyard recently, and inform you of our second Anchor Showcase, to be performed at the end of July. 37th ANNUAL ONE ACT PLAY FESTIVAL - ANCHOR PLAYERS 2 ENTRIES 1. JOGGERS by Geraldine Aron, directed by Dave Chaston. Synopsis. The play concerns two couples on holiday at a hotel somewhere along the garden route in the late 70's. The first couple are middle class, middle aged, stuck in a humdrum routine and initially, a bit fed up with their situation. The second couple are a middle aged successful businessman and his new, younger, ex-model wife. Each reveals something of their personality, including some surprising secrets, and gradually their perspective on life changes.
Cole Cameron has acted in numerous productions both amateur and professional. Both he and Lynn Moss are recent recipients of Cape Times Awards. In addition to her Cape Times Award for Best Comedy Cameo Performance, Lynn also received the Anchor Players award for Best Supporting Actress 2000. Warren Rothenburg is a very experienced actor who has won several awards, the most recent being the Anchor Players award for Best Supporting Actor 2000. Dayle Glass has been involved in theatre from a very early age, she has acted in many productions both amateur and professional.
2. MICKEY KANNIS CAUGHT MY EYE by Geraldine Aron, directed by Sue Bolton. Synopsis. This indigenous play, set in Cape Town, is a touching true to life story of a dancer who has painfully come to terms with the fact that he is too old to make a living from dancing. This portrait of disillusionment is both funny and heart breaking, and is a story that all will be able to identify with.
Max Tichauer won the Best Supporting Actor award from Anchor Players for his role in Neil Simon's The Gingerbread Lady, directed by Sue Bolton in 1998. Denise Dubber has taken many varied parts in Anchor Players productions, including The Gingerbread Lady, where she took the Best Supporting Actress award. She also won the Cape Times Award for Best Actress 2000. Both Belinda Batt and Craig Johnstone have acted in a great many productions for Anchor Players and both played delightful parts in Neil Simon's farce Rumors, directed by Sue Bolton in 1999. A reminder to all that the 37th Annual One Act Play Festival presented by Fish Hoek Dramatic Society takes place at the Masque Theatre, Muizenberg from the 10th - 14th July. See you there!
SHIRLEY VALENTINE This one-woman show starring the extremely talented Beverly Charpentier was a first class piece of quality entertainment. That a lone performer can win the hearts and minds of an audience to such a degree and hold them spellbound for the duration of the play is testament not only to Beverly's skill as an actress, but also to the remarkable talent of the author, Willy Russell. The success of Shirley Valentine lies in the level of identification and sympathy that the audience has with the character of Mrs. Joe Bradshaw, the 42 year-old English housewife and former Shirley Valentine. She is an ordinary person ensnared in a decidedly ordinary existence, a person who is instantly recognisable to the audience as someone they know, and with whose circumstances they can readily identify. Yet Shirley, despite her own doubts and trepidation and in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, takes a chance and rediscovers both herself and what it means to be truly alive. As a play, the script is both polished and insightful. It is real because it is human, and this humanity is the source of its impact and power. Total suspension of disbelief on the part of the audience is paramount to the success of the piece and this, both author and actress seemingly effortlessly achieved. In fact, the level of fellow feeling that the character of Shirley, evokes in the audience is so great that people relate her experiences to their own lives during interval or respond audibly to the sentiments, which she expresses in the course of the play. This, as I mentioned, is testimony to the skill of both the writer, Willy Russell and the performer, in this case - Beverly Charpentier who provided a thoroughly enjoyable evening's entertainment.
ANCHOR SHOWCASE No.2 "In a universe that is suddenly deprived of illusions and of light, man feels a stranger. He is an irremediable exile." - Albert Camus 'The Myth of Sisyphus' FORGET COMEDY-DRAMAS, FARCES, MUSICAL REVUES AND PANTOMIME AND PREPARE FOR THE FLIPSIDE! In an attempt to make things new, to challenge and to stimulate, Anchor Players invites you to our second Anchor Showcase, the absurdist drama: Some/One. This powerful two-hander examines issues of emotional insecurity and alienation. It questions the validity of the dramatic medium and the ability of language to convey our deepest feelings. It also hints at the illusory basis of certain social conventions. So if you are a discerning individual who demands more of the theatrical experience than mere entertainment, if you yearn for something new, fresh and decidedly different, then be at the Theatre In The Dockyard, Simon's Town on Friday the 27th of July at 8pm. The evening is free to paid up Society members, although everyone is welcome to attend. (Non members: R10.) A cash bar and light snacks will be provided.
YOUR eMAIL ADDRESS If you are not on our email list then you could be missing out on our Newsflashes. Society members and non-members can be added to our list by simply emailing Jennifer infomo@infomotion.co.za GOT NEWS FOR US? If you have news to share, call Jennifer (785.2466) or eMail infomo@infomotion.co.za | ||||||||||
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