Yet another hugely successful Franklin & Friends One Act Play Festival under our belt!
We had an incredible 2018 season and played to a full house on two of the four nights, receiving great feedback from the audiences who thoroughly enjoyed the ten productions we had on offer.
We are also very pleased to announce that we were able to raise in excess of R1,400 (being 10% of ticket sales) as part of our annual fundraising for Baby Moses Child Sanctuary which is our charity recipient for 2018.
Congratulations and many thanks to everyone involved in the fest this year, including our amazing Franklin members and fellow amdram societies Protea Stage Productions, Edenvale Acting & Drama Society (EADS), RLT Productions and Lefakgomo Youth Development Theatre.
We are of course eternally grateful to our expert adjudicators, Kathleen Andersen and Cati Muller, for once again sharing their time and expertise with us. And of course to our valued patrons, a massive thanks for your continued support – we do this for you! – and we hope you enjoyed the productions we brought you this year.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE AWARD WINNERS:
- Best Overall Production – Waiting for John
- Runner-Up Best Production – April Groom (Protea Stage Productions)
- Best Director – Carole Worrell (April Groom) (Protea)
- Runner-Up Best Director – Lise Wessels & Mark Paps (The Last Time I Saw Transylvania)
- Best Original Script – Spencer Rowley (Waiting for John)
- Best Actor – Juan Oosthuizen (April Groom) (Protea)
- Runner-Up Best Actor – Hendrik Greyvenstein (Waiting for John)
- Best Supporting Actor – Michael Lomas (April Groom) (Protea)
- Runner-Up Best Supporting Actor – Peter Bishton (Last Tango in Little Vale) (EADS)
- Best Actress – Traci Scerri (Waiting for John)
- Runner-Up Best Actress – Amorita van den Heever (Caravans)
- Best Supporting Actress – Avrill Cameron (Last Tango in Little Vale) (EADS)
- Runner-Up Best Supporting Actress – Traci Scerri (The Last Time I Saw Transylvania)
- Best Ensemble Cast – Last Tango in Little Vale (EADS)
- Best Newcomer – Nick King (Say What?)
- Best Novice Production – Homeless Man (Lefakgomo Youth Development Theatre)
- Best Cameo Role – Jessica Urbani (The Last Time I Saw Transylvania)
- Best Set – Caravans
- Best Lighting – One Last Time with Feeling! (RLT)
- Best Sound – Strip Me to the Bone
MERIT AWARDS:
- Merit Award for Production – One Last Time with Feeling! (RLT)
- Merit Award for Acting – Kristy Lomas (April Groom) (Protea)
- Merit Award for Acting – Kath Clayton (Waiting for John)
- Merit Award for Acting – Zinhle Letlalo (Strip Me to the Bone)
- Merit Award for Acting – Soné Pieterse (Strip Me to the Bone)
- Merit Award for Acting – Doris Seale (Homeless Man) (Lefakgomo)
- Merit Award for Acting – Kathleen van Niekerk (Last Tango in Little Vale) (EADS)
- Merit Award for Best Use of Costume – Mark Paps (The Last Time I Saw Transylvania)
- Merit Award for Most Convincing Physical Performance – Daniel Solomons (Strip Me to the Bone)
PHOTOS:
Shout out to Andrew Mayes and Sarah Dorey from DorMay Photography (www.dormayphotography.co.za) for taking photographs at our awards ceremony. Thanks guys, you’re awesome!
POSTERS & PROGRAMME:
This year’s festival showcased a line-up of 10 productions, including five entries from fellow societies Protea Stage Productions, EADS, RLT Productions and Lefakgomo Youth Development Theatre.
Here are posters and synopses of the plays that took part:
One Last Time with Feeling!
(RLT Productions)
Written by Graham Shirley
Directed by Ian Herington
Tension is mounting in the ‘star’ dressing room of a run-down theatre. It’s half an hour to curtain-up on the opening night of an ill-conceived revival of an archaic melodrama. The evening that aging actor Hector Johnson desperately hopes will relaunch his career and save him from destitution seems fated to end in disaster… especially if the theatre burns down before the overture even begins.
Strip Me to the Bone
(Franklin Players)
Written by Ashley Nader
Directed by Lise Wessels
Michelle just got engaged to the man of her dreams – she thinks. Samantha, Michelle’s sister, plans to throw her the best bachelorette party ever. What follows is a night of alcohol and a stripping Santa. The next morning, matters go from bad (hangovers) to worse as decisions are questioned and matters of the heart have to be answered.
Waiting for John
(Franklin Players)
Written by Spencer Rowley
Directed by Monika Jacobs
The play follows the life of a couple dealing with life after their son left home three years ago. The “imminent return” of John and the strain of waiting not only places immense stress on their relationship, but also takes its toll on their psychological well-being.
Homeless Man
(Lefakgomo Youth Development Theatre)
Written & Directed by Thabo Selepe
Edmond is looking for true love – the kind of love that goes beyond superficial materialism. If Linda finds the courage to break the chains of her emotionally abused past, could this unlikely relationship work?
Last Tango in Little Vale
(EADS)
Written by David Tristram
Directed by Lindsey Fyfe
Membership of the local amateur drama society has dwindled to four. Time for dramatic action.
April Groom
(Protea Stage Productions)
Written by Pat Wollaston
Directed by Carole Worrell
Whilst trying to prank the groom, Phil, Melanie and Geoff’s joke has perhaps gone too far. Will the wedding still go ahead?
Goggles
(EADS)
Written by Josie Dale-Jones & Greta Mitchell
Directed by Nicola da Silva & Michael da Silva
Gemma and Josie had pet fish – Sunny and Boo. They’re dead now. They killed them. Accidentally. This show is for them – Sunny and Boo.
The Last Time I Saw Transylvania
(Franklin Players)
Written by Graham Shirley
Directed by Mark Paps & Lise Wessels
Self-confessed mad (possibly stark raving, clinically insane) scientist, Dr Frankenstein, invites the world’s vilest villains to a finger supper at his gothic Transylvania hideaway, “Hall ‘n All”. His guests are left quaking with fear when an “Irate Mortal” arrives and turns out to be the very last woman on earth any of them would ever want to confront!
Caravans
(Franklin Players)
Written & Directed by Ben Frey
“It is the same life in a different place.” These words are spoken by Marietjie Pieterse in her struggle to raise her family in a caravan park. An unexpected call to her daughter is the cause of great excitement. The celebrations are, however, short-lived when her eldest son returns from Johannesburg. Family dynamics are complicated no matter where you are, but living in a “mobile eco estate” certainly doesn’t help!
Say What?
(Franklin Players)
Written & Directed by Ashley Nader
What is the best way to deal with losing love, finding yourself, and at the same time finding someone suitable? Emm is struggling with these questions as a “tug of war” is at play. Watch it all unfold in this modern comedy about being single.