"Pals" - Best Novice Production

This year’s play fest featured six Franklin plays, and it ran over two weekends, giving the actors a chance to stretch their legs on stage before they would be adjudicated the following weekend. All the performers thoroughly enjoyed themselves on stage. Thanks to our three great adjudicators, Steven Feinstein, Anthony Fridjohn, and Charlotte Butler and to Mark from Starlight Creations for the layout of the hall, it looked magnificent.

Dylan and Cat busy with sound and lighting for "Pals"

Congrats to the following winners:

Best Production: A slice of Cheesecake

Best Director: Ashley Nader

Best Actress; Shikara Singh

Best Supporting Actress; Jenny Schmidt

Best Actor: John Atkinson

Best Supporting Actor: Stephen Watkins

Best Newcomer: Joe Gouws

Best Cameo: Wendy Brehm

Best Script: The Gold Locket by Ana Holmes

Best Novice production: Pals by Cat Coxon and Pension Thursday by Hennie Greyvenstein

Runner up to best production: Pals by Cat Coxon

Best Set: Pension Thursday

The Gold Locket

The Colours of Music was Franklin’s year-end musical in 2010. It followed the story of a grey person who takes a metaphorical journey through the heart of the city, meeting all sorts of bright characters along the way in order to gain colour in their life. A dancing show with some singing numbers. Featuring music with a colourful theme.

Director: Marinela Pereira

Choreographer: Cathy Rowley

Starring: Taryn Brehm, Shikara Singh, Kathy Clayton, Teri Goldberg, Grant Prinsloo, Stephen Watkins, Cathleen Limerick, Carri Lyons, Lays Bammesberger, Ryan Julyan, Cathy Rowley, Alice Bester, Chelsea Rowley, Monique Grobbelaar, Candice Taylor, Elit Ben-Attar, Jenny Schmidt, William Davis, Jamie-Lee and Jessica Smerkovitz, Demi-Ray and Gino Pereira, Chloë Raubenheimer, Cameron and Daniel Rowley

Shriek – a Fairytale, by Claire Demmer was the third production of 2010. This was the first time we have added an extra production in between the mid year and end year shows. The aim was to get new blood into Franklin, give actors that had less experience on stage a chance to learn, and also to give the new members who had joined in the One Act Play fest a chance to act again in 2010, if they weren’t involved in Noises Off!

Cast of Shriek in Finale

Shriek is a Fairytale about a beautiful princess, her three not so ugly sisters, a wicked witch, an even wickeder witch, and a foul plan to take over the magical kingdom on the eve of the Princess’s sixteenth birthday.

Director: Candice Taylor and Claire Demmer

Choreography: Cathy Rowley

Starring: Cathleen Limerick, Heather Walker, Katharine Forsyth, Candice Taylor, Ana Holmes, Alex Hattingh, Grant Prinsloo, Carri Lyons, Dimitri Liountris ,Daniel Oosthuizen, Stephen Watkins, Dave Morgan, Seb Hattingh, Daniel Rowley, Cathy Rowley, Sibusiso Makama, Nthabiseng Chauke, Wendy Brehm, Taryn Brehm, Heather Murch, Kim Blanchard, Dane Blanchard

Act II - Silence Backstage!

Noises Off! – a farce in three acts, by Michael Frayn was 2010′s big mid year production. With a huge revolving double storey set in three parts, and a cast of nine experienced actors, this show was the highlight of 2010. It is one of the most difficult farces to stage, as it is literally a story about a play within a play and most of Act 2 involves very little dialogue, other than what you hear in the background, and it is entirely actions that the audience see. Congrats to Franklin for pulling this one off with style!

The Cast Of "Noises Off!"

Director: John Atkinson

Assistant Director: Chris Esterhuyse

Production Secretary: Wendy Brehm

Props and Backstage: Carri Lyons

Starring: Spencer Rowley, Claire Demmer, Ricky Veale, Taryn Brehm, Jeremy Forsyth, Cat Coxon, Danielle Blanchard, Jai Sewram and Hennie Greyvenstein.

The Sardines? The sardines.

The Franklin and Friends One Act Play Festival in March 2010 was a phenomenal success. Franklin Players entered 6 plays and two external societies also joined us – EADS, who put on “Mickey Kannis caught my eye” and NMDP, who put on “In the Blood.”

Charnelle DF, Teri Goldberg and Jacques Scholtz in "Stirred, not Shaken"

Congratulations to the Following Award Winners:

Best Production: Stirred, not Shaken

Runner up the Best Production: Mickey Kannis caught my eye

Best Director: Claire Demmer

Best Actor: Ricky Veale

Best Actress: Charnelle DF

Best Supporting Actor: Gavin Barron

Best Supporting Actress: Ana Holmes

Best Cameo: Teri Goldberg

Best Newcomer: Tom Cronje

Best Novice Director: Ashley Nader

Best Original Script: Stirred, not Shaken, by Claire Demmer

Best Set: Mandy McMaster for Fawlty Towers

Merits: Cat Coxon, Lianne Gill, Wendy Brehm

Fame!

2009 saw our Big Bang musical “Babes on Broadway” take to the stage. Featuring a female only cast, and songs from Broadway shows from all time. Favourites included songs from the show “Wicked” which is still running on Broadway to well loved tunes from “My Fair Lady” and There’s no Business like Show Business! The aim of this show was to put on a show of professional quality, despite being an amateur cast, and, as a cast member, I can truly say that Sean and Paul worked us hard in order to achieve this goal. Congrats on a slick, professional show, guys!

Director: Sean Redpath

Producer: Paul Redpath

Starring: Kathy Clayton, Marinela Pereira, Cathleen Limerick, Candice Taylor, Claire Demmer, Alex Hattingh, Taryn Brehm, Wendy Brehm, Li-at Meyer, Terri Goldberg, Cat Coxon, Carri Lyons, Anita Jack, Cathy Rowley

There's no Business like Show Business