Programme for Taunton Thespians' production of Agatha Christie's Black Coffee

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Programme.indd Spread 1 of 12 - Pages(24, 1)Programme.indd Spread 1 of 12 - Pages(24, 1) 10/03/2009 20:14:1210/03/2009 20:14:12

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"Black Coffee, I'm in trouble.Black Coffee, I see double.How'm I going to get home?Black Coffee, I'm so dizzy.Black Coffee, please get busy.Help me so I can get home. Had a little too much hoopy soup.All I meant to take was one.Now my head is going loopy-loop.Good stuff, eh kid, what fun". Al Goodhart/ Maurice Sigler/ Al Hoffman (1935) Last September, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to direct Alan Bennett’s Lady Of Letters at the Tacchi Morris theatre. This was a funny, moving, though provoking forty minute piece with just one actress. So why did I volunteer to direct a three act play with a cast of thirteen? Because I like Agatha Christie's stories: I enjoy the familiar characters, the period settings, the gentle comedy and the lovely frocks. I take pleasure in spotting the red herrings and solving the puzzles. Black Coffee, writ-ten in 1930, is very seldom performed. I'm not sure why as it has a great group of characters and features the incomparable Hercule Poirot. This production has been great fun to rehearse. The cast is an exciting mix of experienced players and fresh new faces. And the crew have enjoyed immersing themselves in the atmosphere of the early 1930s, those unfamiliar days of loud music, when the older generation did not understand the young generation; when the international situation was tense; when the world was gripped by the beginnings of an economic downturn…. I started my dramatic activities with a village hall pantomime group and joined the Thespians in 1994. One of the attractions of the society was the fact that they got to play in a real, live, proper theatre. I am saddened that circumstances mean that this may be the last Thespians’ production in the Brewhouse for the foreseeable future. But the Thespians are no strangers to touring and have performed in barns, churches, village halls, abbeys, schools, restaurants, tents, gardens, Bath Place, a fi eld near Burrowbridge etc so I’m optimistic that the future will bring new opportunities to take productions anywhere we can reach with the van. So what has been the biggest challenge with Black Coffee: after years of organising improvised “who-dun-it” evenings, I’ve had to resist the temptation to keep the cast on their toes by changing the guilty party for every performance.


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This production is This production is entered forentered for

The Phoebe Rees AwardsThe Phoebe Rees AwardsFounded by Phoebe Rees and run by the Somerset Fellowship of Dra-ma, the competition is open to amateur drama societies and groups in Somerset. Plays are adjudicated by members of the Fellowship’s committee who also run an annual Original Playwriting Festival and the county’s fi rst round of the All England Theatre Festival, and organise drama training.

The Rose Bowl The Rose Bowl AwardsAwards

Founded by the families of Walter Hawk-ins and John Coe, this is now funded through the Quartet Community Founda-tion, with individual awards sponsored by the Bristol Evening Post. Amateur operatic and dramatic produc-tions throughout former Avon, Glouces-ter and Somerset are assessed by GODA qualifi ed adjudicators.

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live

Court Envoy in Genet s The Balcony; (direct-ing) Peter Shaffer’s Black Comedy and my own 20-minute reduction of Macbeth; (name-drop-ping) working with Edward Bond and Howard Barker, and nearly hitting Tom Sharpe on the head with a Frisbee. Also ran my own small company in Essex for a while, and helped run the Brewhouse new writ-ing lunchtime seasons in 1993-5. One previous

be asked to play "Captain Arthur Hast-admired

ard, honest and thoroughly decenthave some sympathy for his not quite being

rey cells.

ird crime mystery play, having appearedmpkins" in "Murdered to Death" and asSherlock's Excellent Adventure". For some

as the less clever half of each crime busting

small role, it is great fun to play. It is alsoince many of you will have seen Hugh

astings" in the popular TV series.


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I performed as a child in Kent, where I was brought up, but have lived here-abouts since 1986 and have taken various roles with Wellington Arts As-sociation, notably tap-dancing as Dahomie in Showboat, Pantomime Dame (twice) and my favourite: Muriel in Alan Bennett’s Habeus Corpus.

I now have the honour of treading the boards for the fi rst time with Taunton Thespians in my fi rst show at the Brewhouse. I’m not sure if having worked as a nurse at MPH qualifi es me to play Dr Graham: a formidable, authori-tative, clever and effi cient woman, she is not to be trifl ed with. This is a lot to convey in my fi ve minute début. Blink and you’ll miss my maiden perfor-mance...

I originally joined the Taunton Thespians in 1970 when I played a small role in “The Lion in Winter”. I re-joined the company in 1981 and have been an active membeever since having appeared in over 40 full length plays presented here at the Brewhouse Theatre as well as a number of one act plays entered in the County DramaFestival. Among my favorite roles have been Joe Gargery in ‘Great Expectations’, The Ghost of Christmas Past in ‘A Christmas Carol’, Organ Morgan in ‘Under Milk Wood’ and ClPatel the Pakistani milkman in ‘Keeping Down With the Joneses’.Playing Sir Claude Amory in Black Coffee is a part to die for!

I was delighted toings". I've always his straight forwaapproach. And I hable to keepup with Poirot's g This will be my thas "Constable Tom"Dr Watson" in "Sreason I am always cast duo! Although this is a a little daunting siFraser'squintessential "Ha

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In January I was on this stage singing and dancing as a would-be ‘Baddie’ with an Italian accent in The Way-farer’s pantomime ‘Pinocchio’. The day after our last performance I started ‘Black Coffee’ rehearsals, playing a rather drab, insignifi cant secretary! One of the delights of such a role is that being quietly in the background you can watch the play unfolding around you. I am always less comfortable playing a character which is close to my real self as I would prefer to play a character which I can hide behind. However I love all theatre and relish the challenge which any role brings.


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I am always happy to be cast in parts unlike me and this time is no exception. Several of my previ-ous parts have been forceful rather formidable women, and I had great fun playing a ghost in “The Haunting of Harold” and a vamp in “Love Begins at Fifty”! Miss Caroline Amory is a genteel, rather eccentric elderly lady and although kind, has little understanding of the younger generation. It is said that unlike men women can multi task, but I questioned this in rehearsals because I have some business with knitting wool at the same time as speaking lines!

I was born in April 1985 in Warwickshire, before grow-ing up in Somerset. After fi nishing Uni last year at Oxford Brookes, I worked for a Birmingham Television company presenting some sports broadcasts shows for them, before coming home and joining Taunton Thesps. My fi rst love was dressage, although I love the Arts and performing, always getting involved with school dramatics societies.

RAY COURT Character – Tredwell the butler & Johnson a policeman

As the Assistant Director I am able to play a couple of small roles in this play. So here I go again playing the butler. This is the third time that I have played this role recently, having had parts in The Hollow and Jekyll & Hyde. The one good thing about it is that my costume is still hanging in the wardrobe. Surprisingly it still fi ts, This is more than I can say for the policeman’s costume, which I wear as Johnson. The costume is somewhat tight, but this does mean that I am obliged to stand up straight.

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CASTTredwell. . . . . . . . . . . . Ray CourtLucy Amory . . . . . . . Kate HinckleyMiss Caroline Amory . .Cynthia JonesRichard Amory. . . . . . . Tony LeachBarbara Amory . . . . . Anne DowseyEdwina (Edie) Raynor . . Nikki CourtDr Carelli . . . . . . . . . . Mike LeachSir Claude Amory . . . . John BurberyHercule Poirot . . . . . David GoodallCapt. Arthur Hastings . . . Rob SmithDr Georgina Graham . . . Susan SwanInspector Japp . . . . . Martin JevonsJohnson . . . . . . . . . . . . Ray Court

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CREWDirector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nicola DawsonAsst Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ray CourtProducer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sylvia FellgettStage Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tony VennDSM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Keith GibbonsSet Design/builder. . . . . . . . . . . . Matt WebberLighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Graham ReeksSound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pam FlemingWardrobe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rose HumphreysAsst Wardrobe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sue ShaxonProps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alex MarshallAsst Props. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sue ShaxonPrompt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rene KilnerFront of House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jane EdwardsPublicity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mike Gilbert


Entertainment & Humor

Programme for Taunton Thespians' production of Agatha Christie's Black Coffee