Preparations are well under way for this year’s Stewartry Drama Festival at the Fullarton Theatre in Castle Douglas.
The event runs from March 2 to 4 and is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy eight different plays as well as hearing the adjudications and finding out who goes on to the next round in Dunoon.
The Stewartry Drama Festival has a long tradition going back more than 50 years when many local towns and villages entered the competition: Mossdale, Auchencairn, Glenkens, Twynholm, Dalbeattie, Gatehouse and Crocketford all had their own clubs.
Even Townhead, with its tiny population, had a hugely successful team which regularly won the local round and performed at the Western Division and Scottish finals.
One of these was the very popular Lochside Crannog Players.
Actor and director Jacqueline Feenan recalls some of the funniest moments. She said: “We made it to the Western divisional finals twice. One play was A Person of No Consequence, and one was the Orchestra, where a double bass fell on John Scott’s head, and he had to go to hospital. That was indeed drama!
“A few of our plays won the audience choice trophy and were always full of fun. Our most adventurous set was the Donahue Sisters. The set builders did a fantastic job of constructing the attic in the short time allowed. We had fun along the way, that is what it was all about – friendship and fun.”
Ann Brown recalls another funny moment: “In one play we performed, I was a rambler. The late Michael Emans was the adjudicator, and he joked about my costume (bright yellow fleece and panda hat). He was mortified when I told him they were my own clothes, which I wore regularly.”
Over recent years, it has been wonderful to see so many youth teams taking part. Rose Benson performed in Castle Douglas High School’s version of Romeo and Juliet which won the local youth trophy in 2018. She is looking forward to performing again this year in Catstrand Youth’s production of Tell Me Another Story, Sing Me a Song by Jean Lenox Toddie.
She said: “Taking part in the one act play festival was brilliant fun as well as an excellent experience in acting. My group used the play Romeo and Juliet, which is five acts long and compressed it into one act – a great challenge that allowed all of us to experiment with how we should approach our characters. We often had to play more than one character, hopping into Tybalt and then changing into Friar Lawrence.”
This year’s festival sees the amalgamation of Stranraer and Stewartry districts with eight plays competing. Local club 88 Theatre will perform Happy Jack, a play which the company toured in 2015.
Director Anne McIntyre said: ‘It is the tenth anniversary of our club, so we decided to look back and choose one of our favourite plays. It was a difficult choice, but we are looking forward to staging Happy Jack again.
“It’s a poignant and hilarious tale of a Yorkshire miner and his wife by the talented playwright John Godber. This year’s festival offers a rich variety of plays and is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy live drama in our local theatre.”
The Stewartry Drama Festival takes place on Thursday March 2, Friday March 3 and Saturday, March 4. See www.thefullarton.co.ukfor booking or pay at the door. The following plays will be performed:
CatStrand Players: Feeding the Ducks by Michael Park.
CatStrand Youth Players Kells: Tell Me A Story, Sing Me A Song by Jean Lenox Toddie.
CatStrand Youth Players Clachan: Rabbit by David Foxton.
Newton Stewart Youth: Bad Reception by Paul Vincent.
Newton Stewart Players: Curses Foiled Again by Evelyn Hood.
Stranraer Youth: MmmBeth by Alison Williams.
Stranraer Drama Club: Nursery Crimes by Emma Aitken.
88 Theatre: Happy Jack by John Godber.
