The Dartmouth Players - Cinderella

Bill Hunt and Linda Churchill, of the Dartmouth Players, talk about writing and producing Pantomime and other drama, ahead of their performances of Cinderella on 27th-31st December.

When did you get involved with The Dartmouth Players?

Bill:     I joined the Dartmouth Players in 1984 and played one of the ugly sisters in the pantomime Cinderella.  This is of course our current production opening on 27^th December but this time I am the writer and director plus playing in the band.

Lin:     It was about 2000 after being involved with dear old Judy Lewthwaite and the Strolling Players. Judy and I wrote Dartmouth of a 1000 years which we enacted in St. Saviours Church.

Have you always been interested in drama?

Bill:    I started seeing shows aged 5 and watched my stepfather take starring roles on stage. The early ones were mainly Gilbert and Sullivan operettas and I always insisted on trying on all the costumes even when they were many sizes too big for me. A particular favourite was of course “Pirates of Penzance”. Since then I have performed in a large number of musicals, plays, pantomimes and serious drama including Shakespeare and Chekov. 

Lin:     No not really, I came to it quite late. We never really did it at Grammar school, although I always liked writing stories and poems which I had printed in magazines and newspapers from about 8.

Do you both write plays? Can you briefly describe the process?

Bill:     Yes we both write drama. I have been writing pantomimes for around 15 years and now branching into screenplays. You have to be interested in the subject and have a good storyline. With pantomimes this starts with fairy stories but the challenge is to keep the production relevant to today’s audience. The Disney film hits of Frozen and last year Cinderella have influenced younger audience expectations. Both these movies have emphasised “girl power” so this is brought in more.  Other factors in the process are the strengths and weaknesses of the people you may be able to cast. This is particularly important in a small community like Dartmouth.  Once the plan is in place the dialogue is done and then lots of edits. Stage directions, audio visual cues, props, scenery all have to be put in. If it is a musical production, then the provisional script is passed to Norman Cork for composition of music and lyrics. From all of this the final version of the script is produced but this is often modified during the first production. We produced Cinderella in 2010 at the Flavel but when I looked at it for this year I decided on quite a lot of changes. The process takes a long time so I am already starting to plan our December 2016 production of “Snow White".

Lin:     I have a great love of history and often my plays are of historical characters and their lives. I immerse myself in the research and try to relive the times in my imagination. I have to become all the characters to write the dialogue and sometimes it is very emotional. The play Edie about the Hallsands disaster was very real to me, these were real people experiencing what I was trying to depict on stage. I went to find their graves at Stokenham churchyard as a mark of respect to the Trout family. Then I actually played Edie on stage at the Flavel and it was very upsetting when she collapsed in the old hotel, on her own with no water, electricity and the place all boarded up. But that is how she wanted it, she wanted to carry on as always even in her old age.  

What are the main challenges of putting on a production?

Bill:     It’s people, people and people! Firstly, getting interest in the production, finding people with the right characteristics and talent. Finding people who will make the rehearsal commitment then dealing with all the absence through other aspects of their lives.  In Dartmouth everyone is a volunteer so you have to work with this as best you can. The way I get round this is to schedule enough rehearsal time to account for absence but it is wonderful when you get the whole cast together.

Lin:     I try to write plays that I can cast and often have an actor in mind as I am writing it, however it is still very challenging to get the right cast, to have people who can throw themselves into the character and become that person. We performed for the Women’s Institute in the Flavel Church recently, an extract from my new play “Brontës” and it was very rewarding to see Patrick, Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë come alive in the Howarth Parsonage.

Is it easy/difficult to find volunteers to join the company?

Bill:     Sometimes it is easier than others. Men and boys are usually the most difficult to find but it depends on the production. This year’s Cinderella attracted plenty of interest and we do have a small core of very dedicated people. Sometimes we have to postpone projects or re-write the parts to account for being in a very small community like Dartmouth. All productions need a large backstage team and this can be challenging to find.

Lin:     When we do find people they often become very loyal and that is greatly appreciated. This is such a small town and the Players have been in existence since 1929, a great achievement. This year we have quite a few families taking part, father and son, father and daughter, mother and daughter, it is a hobby for all ages and with hardly any cost but their time. I think it can enhance family life when they are all pulling together for a shared goal, learning lines, rehearsing, performing to an audience. It is very good for children’s confidence, usually very educational and a personal discipline. I see the younger ones growing in confidence at every performance, to see them being challenged and rising to the task, very rewarding.  

Pantomime has a very definite format. Does that make it more difficult to produce than other drama?

Bill:     Absolutely!  People may have the view that pantomime is easy and yes you can throw something together with a very low standard of performance and an audience of friends and relations who enjoy seeing people making a fool of themselves on stage. Professional pantomime tends to rely on big TV names but sometimes the show content is actually quite poor but usually with a great set in a wonderful theatre space.  The Flavel brings in a lot of live broadcasts from the West End so we are conscious that we have to provide the best standard of performance we can achieve within the acute confines of a multiple purpose space.  Pantomime contains all aspects of musical theatre plus comedy which is always difficult to pull off. For me this challenge is what keeps my interest. If it was easy I would be bored! We get good audiences who keep coming back so I guess we must be getting it right.

Lin:     Pantomime is the hardest thing. Every aspect is covered, music, dance, comedy, romance, good and evil. A real challenge.

           

           Wish list: three things you would like to see in the Dartmouth Players in the future.

Bill:      More people interested in taking part both front and back stage. New directors to take on productions. Better storage and rehearsal space.

Lin:     Our own theatre space, where we can rehearse and store our extensive wardrobe and where we can set up really good sets and rehearse in them. A Wardrobe mistress to help keep all the costumes organised and neatly stored away. An abundance of actors, helpers, supporters and directors.  

For more information and to book tickets click here: http://theflavel.org.uk/TheFlavel.dll/WhatsOn?Programme=2346149