The Church on Rise Park Drama Group

"And if I laugh at any mortal thing -
'Tis that I may not weep" - Byron

Foreword

"A play comes to life only when the reader or actor is in sympathy with the playwright's intentions. The wrong interpretation of a play distorts its meaning. Overemphasis where none was intended destroys the delicate balance of values and the play then becomes either pointless or in bad taste." - John Patrick, The Camel's Back


The picture you see here is the cast of The Camel's Back performed by the Church on Rise Park Drama Group in 1993. I'm at the back on the left. I was 16. This was my first experience of performance. I talked about this show in my interview to study Theatre at Lancaster University. She asked about my last project. I got in. I formed a theatre company. From amateur to academic to professional to academic to amateur. I'm back at university and back in the Drama Group. Acts of Communion is underway. In May I presented my project to the Drama Group. They said yes. The cast is as follows:

Bridesmaid 1 - Louise Walker
Bridesmaid 2 - Donna Thorne
Best Man 2 - Jonathan Pickering
Father of the Bride - Tony Pinchbeck
Mother of the Bride - Betty Walker
Father of the Groom - Ian Pickering
Grandmother of the Bride - Kath Hyde
MC - Michael Pinchbeck

In June I began a series of interviews with the group. I asked them how they got into drama, what they enjoy about it, how they get into character and learn lines. We discussed the rush of adrenaline that follows a show - my dad (the one in the hat) can never sleep. We talked about weddings - how they met their partner and whether they had any cracking anecdotes. This will be material. The interviews are transcribed in the next posting.