Weymouth Drama Club's triple effort (From Dorset Echo)

Weymouth Drama Club's triple effort

9:50am Thursday 4th March 2010 in

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A TRIO of directors and actors from Weymouth Drama Club are hoping for glory in this year’s one-act play festival.

Dennis Dunford, Jan Dench and James Barber are heading to Shaftesbury on Saturday with the cast of three playlets to bring home awards in the Dorset Drama League’s annual Festival of One Act Plays, which is part of the of the first round of the All-England Theatre Festival.

James is directing After Midnight, Before Dawn by David Campton, which features members of Bridge the Gap, the drama club’s troupe of actors aged between 16 and 20.

Jan is directing Alan Bennett’s Say Something Happened, which features the acting talents of Anne White, Dave Moore and Ellen Jacobs.

Dennis is at the help of the first act of Stones in their Pockets in which Chris Walker and Bob Mears play 11 roles.

Dennis is a veteran of the one-act play festival and has come away with several awards including best play, best director, best set, best actors and best costume.

He hopes the drama club will do well because of the acting and directing talent on show and the fact that the three plays are so varied.

After Midnight, Before Dawn is set in a prison cell containing six people waiting to be executed for witchcraft.

Say Something Happened is Alan Bennett’s conversation between an elderly couple and the council employee trying to get them to consider a move to sheltered accommodation.

Stones in his Pocket is set in a small Irish community where a blockbuster movie is being filmed.

Jan Dench said: “We are all looking froward to the festival because you learn so much from what the adjudicators say and also from watching the other plays.

“They are very good and give you loads of tips.”

James Barber hopes his youngsters – Grace Passoni, Michael Taylor, Philippa Dowdsell, Tasmin Hartley, Zora Hendon and Olive Green – will do well.

The Dorset Drama League’s annual Festival of One Act Plays takes place today, Friday and Saturday at Shaftesbury Arts Centre.

Weymouth Drama Club will be performing on Friday.

Tickets cost £5 plus concessions per session from the arts centre box office at 13 Bell Street, Shaftesbury. Call 01747 854321 for bookings and full details.