|
This page will spotlight some of the brightest stars of the Amateur Theatre in the area, both in front and behind the footlights.
Our first accolade goes to LIN DENNING, who has distinguished herself both as an actress and as a director, and the following article is her 'potted' Amateur Theatre autobiography.
LIN DENNING
My theatrical career began in my first year of infants' school, when I was cast as Miss Muffet in a series of nursery rhyme enactments. I had come home! In fact, with such enthusiasm did I throw myself (and my dish of curds and whey) into preparation for the part, that a tin plate had to be introduced to curb the flow of breakages.
I would love to be able to say it was non-stop from there on, but in my peripatetic school career (the family were never anywhere for longer than a year), I found no other niche for my thirst for stardom, apart from a stint as an eleven year old May Queen, until a memorable production of Anouilh's "Antigone" at High School. Aged fifteen, I played both Antigone and her lover Haemon - on separate nights I hasten to add, and in an all girl cast.
When I came to Bournemouth, after meeting my husband-to-be, I was briefly a member of the Bournemouth Little Theatre Club in its Palace Court days, but marriage put an end to that phase almost before it began.
 I finally got back into Theatre in the seventies with the Town Hall Amateur Theatrical Society and enjoyed many happy years of productions, ranging from early David Campton one-acters (deep and meaningful Festival stuff!) to David Wood musicals. We even did the "Owl and the Pussycat" twice, as we enjoyed it so much the first time round - we all enrolled in tap dancing classes to prepare for it, with Kate Pocknell, who became a much valued all-round member and now runs the highly rated Drama Plus Theatre School.
My favourite roles from that era were in Ayckbourn plays and those of my first love, Anouilh. Most especially "Ring round the Moon" where the script had been so enchantingly translated by Christopher Fry. It seems to be fashionable to speak patronisingly now of Anouilh's work, but he understood theatre through and through and his characters were a joy to play. When I directed my first full production for T.H.A.T.S it was his Antigone; an exciting experience, so many years after being in it myself.
Sadly, T.H.A.T.S. eventually folded and in 1986 I (once again!) joined Bournemouth Little Theatre Club - now operating in a studio theatre in Moordown. (If anyone is tempted to say "How are the mighty fallen", consider the achievement of surviving, not just as a working body, but as a premier working group, for more than 80 years.)
I've enjoyed both directing and acting in an amazing wide variety of plays with this group, so I won't bore you with the details, but I must mention my most satisfying role here (so far!) - that of the mad doctor in Durrenmatt"s "The Physicists". This was fascinating for the challenge of creating real people from characters who are largely vehicles for the writer's polemic views.
While acting will always be my first love, I must confess that prominent on my list of highlights is the delight in directing Shakespeare for Brownsea Open Air Theatre.
Amazingly for a teacher of English, my first acting experience of Shakespeare was as Mistress Quickly in the "Merry Wives of Windsor", on Brownsea at the ripe old age of.. .. ..mumble, mumble. It was tremendous fun, especially as no director up to that time had seemed to see me capable of outright comedy roles. (The joy of not just helping other actors get their laughs, but actually get them yourself!)
When the chance came later to direct, I grabbed it with both hands! Never mind that directing on Brownsea takes a full year out of your life and wears you to a frazzle. I wouldn't have missed either "Much Ado about Nothing" or "A Winter's Tale" for anything - not even a life with Paul Newman (who?). I had
wonderful casts (we felt like a family) and working with Shakespeare (if it's not 'with' him you"ll never get very far) is such a joyous challenge that I can't imagine anything more satisfying.
Perhaps the only experience which comes close to matching it was the gloriously meaty role of Eleanor of Aquitaine in "A Lion in Winter" with Impact! Theatre Company. Their reputation, built up by their founder Andrew Richards, based on staging only seriously high-quality drama of the sort most groups shy away from, has been well deserved, and hard-won on the financial front.
So, where next? Who knows? I continue to work with B.L.T.C., and hope to do so for many years.
I could do worse, I suppose, than sign off with their slogan "Help to keep live Theatre alive!" And don't forget that means professional theatre too.
LIN DENNING
|
