Newbury Dramatic Society |
Next production
Confusions, 24th to 27th March
By Alan Ayckbourn.
The second of two one-act plays (the other being Sganarelle
by Box Theatre Company). Lucy spends so much
time at home with the kids, that she's started to treat everyone -
even the next-door neighbours - like children. Her errant salesman
husband, Harry, is miles away in an hotel, and has other things on
his mind - namely, the charms of Paula and Bernice. Their waiter
also has other concerns - the rapidly deteriorating relationships of
diners Polly and Martin, and Mr and Mrs Pearce, for instance. Mrs
Pearce is invited to open a village fete - but can't possibly have
any inkling of the mayhem which is about to ensue. Finally, five
people meet on four park benches and converse.
Where
About us
 |
NDS is the oldest established amateur theatre group in the Newbury area. Current membership is around 45, and we stage a variety of shows each year in local venues, and also enter regional drama festivals. Between rehearsals we have an active social calendar - events planned include bowling, a car treasure hunt and group outings to other theatres. |
Recent Productions
| 1996 | Watermill | Flying Feathers |
| Wallingford Festival | Caught On The Hop (Festival Winner) | |
| 1997 | Watermill | Move Over Mrs Markham |
| Wallingford Festival | Parentcraft | |
| 1998 | Watermill | Habeas Corpus |
| 1999 | Kintbury | A Midsummer Night's Dream |
| 2000 | Watermill | It Could be Any One of Us |
| Festivals | Is It Something I Said? | |
| New Greenham Arts | Love Begins At Fifty | |
| 2001 | Festivals | World Première |
| Thatcham & Watermill | The Crucible | |
| 2002 | Festivals | Sganarelle |
| Mencap Centre | Sganarelle and People ARE Odd! A joint revue and radio play with Kingsclere Players | |
| Watermill | Taking Steps | |
| 2003 | New Greenham Arts | Arms and the Man |
| Watermill | An Ideal Husband | |
| 2004 | On tour | 2004 Review |
| Watermill | Whose Life is it Anyway? | |
| 2005 | Waterside, Newbury | Babysitting Calvin and A Radio Reminiscence |
| Watermill | Racing Demon | |
| 2006 | Festivals | What's for Pudding |
| Watermill | Abigail's Party | |
| 2007 | Festivals | A Fishy Business |
| Watermill | Far From the Madding Crowd | |
| 2008 | New Greenham Arts | Ladies Who Lunch |
| Watermill | The Recruiting Officer | |
| 2009 | New Greenham Arts | Ladies' Day |
| New Greenham Arts | Outside Edge |
Contact Us
If you are interested in joining us in any capacity - whether
as an actor, director, stage manager, backstage helper or programme seller -
get in touch for details! Contact Sylvia Knight -
Tel: 01635 569679
Email: .
Review of Outside Edge
18th to 21st November 2009.
From the Newbury Weekly News.
Stumped by slow pace of deliveryNewbury Dramatic Society: Outside Edge, at New Greenham Arts, from Wednesday, November 18 to Saturday, November 21 According to playwright Richard Harris, Outside Edge is not a play about cricket, but a play about people - different types we recognise but (hopefully) don't relate to. This leaves us free to laugh getting too close to home. The action deals with a chaotic Saturday, when a cricket club's obsessive captain, Roger, is trying to get his team together to play against the fearsome British Railways Maintenance Division Yeading East - at least five of whom are "genuine West Indians". His problems are complicated by the personal lives of his team members, their wives, ex-wives, girlfriend, and a roller requiring a good greasing. Outside Edge was first performed in 1979, and 30 years later is still going strong. It is a clever script and full of non sequiturs and one-liners which require strong delivery to keep up the pace and get the most out of the comedy. On the Thursday performance, there was a lack of crispness in delivery at times which slowed the pace. That said, we were treated to some great characterisations from the cast, and the result was a highly-enjoyable production, under the direction of Sylvia Knight. Phil Campbell, after a shaky start, got well into the role of Roger, and Ruth Tibbets gave good value as Miriam, bustling around with her requests for help, followed by 'It's not compulsory!'. Mike Brooks gave a well thought out and strong performance as Bob, and Mike Cole was excellent as Dennis, bringing energy to the proceedings. Caroline Stripp as the strapping fur-coated Maggie was splendid, with good delivery and worked well with Trevor Pitman who gave us good comedy as the wacky Kevin. Mandy Cole was first class and delightfully acerbic as Ginnie and Sharon Brown was the awkward Sharon, Alex's girlfriend (although the part of Alex seemed to have been strangely written out) and Ian Martin as Brian completed the cast. The set was a little too basic for my liking with not enough detail, but good audio effects set the scene well for the cricket match. A difficult piece but, in all, well played Newbury Dramatic Society. TREVOR DOBSON |