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.