St Boswells Drama Club celebrates 60th anniversary

Ally McGilvray • Published 21 Mar 2010 15:52 0 Comments

Share this

THEY made making a drama out of a crisis look like a piece of cake.

However, the curtain almost didn't go up on St Boswells Drama Club's 60th annual production, Culture Crazy, in the village hall last week.

Director Barbara Paul revealed rehearsals were thrown into chaos by the winter white-out earlier this year - which left many of the cast and crew snowed in their homes for up to two weeks.

But, in true theatre style, the show must go on.

And author of the play Roy McCormick, who made a surprise appearance in the audience for the final night's sold-out performance on Friday, led the applause.

Speaking to the Border Telegraph afterwards, Barbara said: "I thought it was a superb show. It didn't look that way in January but we just got on with it. I live 25 miles away so couldn't get here at all for the first two weeks of rehearsals because of the snow which made life a bit difficult.

"I was going to try to put the date back but it didn't suit the village who always do their plays at this time of year."

Nevertheless, in the end, she added: "I thought it was a fitting way to mark our diamond anniversary and, hopefully, the show will go on for another 60 years."

The club's founder, former school headmaster George Harvie, was unable to be present in person for this year's sketch - a comedy set in Glasgow during the 1990s.

However, his picture hung on the wall of the village hall, alongside memorabilia from shows gone by, to allow him to oversee the production.

It included a stand-out performance from Mairi Campbell, who has starred in every play since first treading the club's boards in 1964.

She played Bridget Bingham, the friend of Glasgow housewife Sadie McIntosh, played by Dorothy Jefferson, whose decision to embrace the city's Year of Culture riled her Rangers-daft husband Harry McIntosh, played by Andy Drane.

And together their banter, and witty one-liners, left the audience in fits of laughter.

The play centred on a mix-up by Harry who inadvertently picked up his wife's tickets for the ballet instead of the Old Firm match.

However, the debut of schoolgirls Clare Bridges, who played Sadie's daughter Katy McIntosh and Kirsty MacNab, who played seductive dancer Virginia, along with Katy's boyfriend Nigel, played by Alan Church, did not go unnoticed.

Michael Clarke also put in a solid performance as the bumbling minister, Rev Cumming. And there were many more behind the scenes who shunned the spotlight but without whom the show could not be staged.

Roy said: "I've seen the play performed several times now but I thought this was a marvellous performance. The two girls particularly did extremely well and the drama club relies on youngsters as the life-blood of its shows in the future."

Culture Crazy - Cast (in order of appearance): Dorothy Jefferson (Sadie McIntosh, a Glasgow housewife); Mairi Campbell (Bridget Bingham, her friend); Clare Bridges (Katy McIntosh, Sadie's daughter); Michael Clarke (Rev Cumming, the minister); Andy Drane (Harry McIntosh, Sadie's husband); Alan Church (Nigel, Katy's boyfriend); Kirsty MacNab (Virginia, dancer).

Production team: Director: Barbara Paul, Director's Assistant/Producer: Anne Greig; Prompt: Gail Gibson.

Stage crew: Tom Cessford, Graeme Cunningham, Alan Church, Gavin Kelly, John Melrose, Hugh Templeton and friends.

Front of House and Backstage: Anna Assing, Lorna Baxter, Mary Blackie, Jessie Crombie, Sarah Cummock, Jean Johnstone, Norah Murray, Mary Sargent, Heather Whitaker and friends.

Lighting: Brian and Dorothy Sharpe. Sound: Gavin Kelly.

Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our What's On archives.

Border Telegraph Poll

Do you prefer the new road layout in Galashiels to the old system?

Follow @bordertelegraph