Michelle Flower and Dreadfeathers Farm

Monday 28th February brings us one of the highlights of the year. First is Michelle Flower, one of the brains behind the Camden Fringe, who is coming to give us a talk in which all your questions about this most magnificent edifice get answered. Come along, be inspired, and put your own play on this August. It's that simple!

Then, comes a tv sitcom pilot co-written by Peter Vincent and Dana Morgan entitled Dreadfeathers Farm. If you know who Peter is then he needs no introduction. If you don't, then you should. You'll almost certainly have laughed at something he's written, unless you're very young, in which case you should be in bed, or you've never owned a tv, in which case you have come to the wrong place. Check this lot out. And Dana? She's relatively new to this writing game. But if she's good enough for Peter, she's good enough for the rest of us.

Come along on Monday. First for wisdom, then for laughter.

The Burning Times

I mentioned it a fortnight ago, but a debut radio play by one of our members is always worth another plug. The writer is Helena Thompson, and her play The Burning Times is on Radio 4 on Friday at 2.15. Give it a listen.

Anna's Eyes

Monday 21st February brings us what I think it's fair to call a psychological thriller with socio-cultural references. That is, it's about the world of contemporary art. I read it a while back, and found it spooky.
It's a full length stage play, and is written by a P-P debutant, Nick Myles. Nick has recently completed City University's Scriptwriting MA, and was awarded a Distinction. Indeed, the main constituent of the MA was write a full length play. Anna's Eyes is the result. So come along on Monday, and see if the tax-payer has got his moneyworth.

74 Georgia Avenue

As some of you may already know, Daniel Dresner is performing in a play in March, in a play by Murray Schisgal. I must declare an interest - it's being directed by Paul Blinkhorn, who did a brilliant job on my own play Siren, back in August. As part of the fun, you can hear Daniel and some of the others being interviewed on the internet radio station Jnet between 6.00pm and 9.00pm tonight on the show "Livingston's World" by our very own Debbie Maya.

The play is 74 Georgia Avenue, and it's on at the New End Theatre, Hampstead on 9 March till the 19th. I'm going to be there on the tenth.

When his marriage falters, Marty returns to the once Jewish Brooklyn of his youth, in search of what remains of his childhood. In the apartment where he was born he meets the current tenant, a black man named Joseph who finds solace in recalling the long-dead figures of the past.

The UK premiere of a poignant one-act play from Tony and Academy Award nominated writer Murray Schisgal.

Murray Schisgal had his first Broadway success with Luv, which premiered in 1964 and earned a Tony Award for director Mike Nichols. He co-wrote the screenplay for Tootsie, which starred Dustin Hoffman and received numerous awards including a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture.

The Senior Blues

Clair Chapwell, who last had a reading at P-P a good two or three years ago, has been busy. She's got a movie out, written and directed by her own good self. It's called The Senior Blues, and gets its world premier on Monday 28th at the Drill Hall at 7.30. Okay, that's a clash with our own reading, but it would be remiss of me not to mention it. Maybe we can all catch it when it comes out on DVD.

Troyboys

So what do you fancy for Valentine's night? A quiet candle lit dinner, staring dewy-eyed into your loved one? Or an evening of high drama at Player Playwrights? Why not do both.

We all know and revere Bill Gordon for his contributions to the PP competitions and the occasional co-written sitcom with Peter Vincent, but he does occasionally branch out to other, more traditional, areas, like the good old fashioned stage play, and on Monday we're getting TROYBOYS. It's the wooden horse version, not the computer virus. The play may seem vaguely familiar to long time members of PP as an earlier version was read about ten years ago, but that was before my time.

It's only forty minutes long, so you'll still have time to get home with a bunch of dandelions dug up from the neighbour's lawn. At any rate, it's bound to be better than this monstrosity. The trailer's only three minutes, and even that's boring.

Tim Gambrell - The Actor

If you click on rhubba.com you will find yourself staring at the delightful visage owned by a certain Tim Gambrell. If you click on the face, and we've all wanted to do that at some stage or other, you will then be taken to a series of sketches. Click on The Actor and you can hear the great man performing. He didn't write it, but hey, it's still funny.

4Play

In 2003 4PLAY by Eddie Coleman received its first production. But you can't keep a good play down, and it's long-awaited first London revival is about to hit the boards. Directed by Charles Doyle it's being done at South London Theatre, from Tuesday 15th to Saturday 19th February 2011.

"What would you do for love? Pretend, Manipulate, Sacrifice, Protect, Lie, Cheat, Kill..."
Eddie, you will recall, gave us the absurdist comedy "Barbara Finds Happiness a couple of weeks ago, and has a number of productions to his name. Two at least, last year, if I remember rightly. A double bill of Houston, We Have a Problem and Come as UR, and Fox Girl Five. In this one, he explores "the complex world of relationships we all have with our partners, friends, colleagues and even therapists."
2 actors. 8 characters. 1 story. 4PLAY – How far would you go?

Childsplay and The Burning Times

I trust we are all fully replenished after a good night's rest. But while we sleep others work, and none harder than Helena Thompson who has two pieces of news. Her play Childsplay continues its site specific run til the end of this week. Read about it here and here. And get tickets here.

And that isn't all. At the end of the month there's a production of Helena's 45 min play The Burning Times on Radio 4 at 2.15pm on Friday Feb 25th. It's a "modern gothic drama", is set in a block of flats, and was recorded on location.

Congratulations. I'll set the Humax for it.

Monday 7th

No P-P this week, I'm afraid. It's a time for quiet contemplation, maybe a little writing too.

Alternatively, you could always watch Dispatches on Channel Four at 8 o'clock, which explores the sordid world of the tabloid newspaper. It's got a voiceover by one of our most distinguished members. But who? Watch, and find out.

Another Actor of the Year

Jonathan Hansler may have been pipped at the post to the much-garlanded P-P Actor of the Year award by the aforementioned Mr. Prior, but as compensation he has just been awarded the almost as worthwhile Actor of the Year Award by Fringe Report. This strikes me as no mean achievement. Anyone can win an Oscar. You just need a lot of hype from a well-funded company behind you. But winning an award on the fringe, where they are hundreds of productions every year all on a shoestring is harder, I'd say. Well done to Johnny, and long overdue.

Actor of the Year

Last year the actor of the year at P-P was none other than Chris Prior. Chris, unfortunately, wasn't available to pick up his prize at the Christmas party, as he was lounging around on a well-deserved holiday in Thailand. So far as we know, he's still there. But for those of us missing the great man, here's something he made earlier.



I never knew he could play the piano.