This collection of four new plays, Unveiled Secrets, will be performed in September/October, 2019 at the following venues in the Scottish Borders: The County Hotel, Selkirk. Friday 27th September, 7.30 pm. Tickets from Selkirk Post Office, 40 Market Place, Selkirk, TD7 4BL Carlops Village Hall. Saturday 28th September, 7.30 pm. Tickets from [email protected] MacArts, Galashiels. Friday October 4th, 7.30 pm. Tickets from MacArts. 01896 756852 https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/macarts Eastgate Theatre, Peebles. Friday 11th October, 7.30 pm. Tickets from Eastgate Theatre. 01721 725777 First Steps (Anita John) Highly Commended, Brief Encounters Project 2017 Lizzie and Jane want the day to be perfect for Dot's special Birthday celebrations, but their choice of venue triggers a family revelation which Dot has kept hidden for more than 60 years. "First Steps" explores the changing moral codes by which we live. The Other Nathan (Oliver Eade) Long-listed for the 2015 British Theatre Challenge. Constant phone calls from a failing aunt at the other end of the country threaten a doctor’s marriage. When he goes to sort things out for the old lady, he’s totally unprepared for the revelations that await him. The Other Cat (Oliver Eade) First Prize, 2018 Segora International One Act Play Competition. In a dark comedy take on physicist Erwin Schrödinger’s famous cat, itself a dig at transferring the physics of quantum superposition to the real world, the play is more of a ‘did it happen?’ than a ‘whodunnit?’. Give the Dog a Bone (Oliver Eade) Long-listed for 2015 British Theatre Challenge. Based on a true story about grown-up twin sisters coming up against their elderly mother’s denial of what happened in the past; something that drove a wedge between the girls and which might now reunite them. First Steps will be directed by a promising young actor and director, Esmé Babineaux, The Other Cat, Give the Dog a Bone and The Other Nathan by Kathleen Mansfield. In First Steps, Charlie will be played by Micheal Boyd, Lizzie by Sara Innes, Jane by Erin Christie, and Dot by Kathleen Mansfield. In The Other Cat, male characters will be played by David Bon and Poppy will be played by Erin Christie. Director: Kathleen Mansfield. In The Other Nathan, Nathan will be played by Michael Boyd, Sarah by Erin Christie, and Aunt Beth by Elsie Horobin. Director, Kathleen Mansfield. In Give the Dog a Bone, Moira will be played by Elsie Horobin, Greta by Wendy Barrett, and Eleanor by Sara Innes. Director, Kathleen Mansfield. |
Anita John (Poet, short story writer and playwright)
Anita’s work has been widely published in anthologies, online and in magazines such as the Scotsman, MsLexia, Gutter, The High Window, Scottish PENnings, Zoomorphic, Northwords Now and the Eildon Tree. Her collection of short stories and poetry, “Child’s Eye,” was published in 2013 by Biscuit Publishing after winning the Biscuit International Short and Flash Fiction competition. Since 2017 she has been writing drama with Playwrights’ Studio Scotland. An extract from her play, Amy’s Dilemma, was performed at MacArts as part of Talkfest in the Borders in 2018. Her ten-minute script, Stop Procrastinating, was performed at the inaugural Borders Pub Theatre event in The County Hotel, Selkirk in March 2019. She has an MSc in Creative Writing from Edinburgh University and is Writer in Residence for RSPB Scotland Loch Leven, 2017-19. www.anitajohn.co.uk Oliver Eade (Playwright, novelist) A retired Borders General Hospital doctor, Oliver has published four young readers’ novels. His debut, Moon Rabbit was a winner of the Writers’ and Artists 2007 New Novel Competition and long-listed for the Waterstones 2008 Children’s Book Prize. Its sequel, Monkey King’s Revenge, was children’s category finalist for the People’s Book Prize, 2012. His other young readers’ books are Northwards and The Rainbow Animal. Of his six young adult novels, The Kelpie’s Eyes won the 2018 Georgina Hawtrey-Woore YA Novel Award. He also wrote a trilogy, From Beast to God, set in North America, and a coming-of-age romance, The Terminus, set in a post-apocalyptic London Underground. London Underground. His debut adult novel, A Single Petal, set in ancient China (his wife is Chinese), won the 2012 Local Legend Spiritual Writing Competition. He has written twelve plays, three full-length. ‘The Gap’, shortlisted for the Rowan Tree One Act Play Competition, went on tour in Scotland with Odd Productions in 2012. A full-length play, Rule Britannia, a farce about ex-pat Brits living in a Turkish condominium, was short-listed for the 2015 Sussex Playwrights’ Competition whilst The Other Nathan and Give the dog a Bone were long-listed for the 2015 British Theatre Challenge. Over five consecutive years, his short stories won the Wilfred Hopkins Prize for Creative Writing. Collections have been published as Walls of Words (for adults), and Short Stories for Children from Ages 7 to 77 (for all ages). He and his wife have led writing and drama workshops for children in Scotland and abroad. www.olivereadebooks.org Kathleen Mansfield (Director, actor, novelist) Kathleen worked with the National Theatre on the ‘New Views’ project, writing and developing plays from scratch with young people and then performing them. She worked in particular with pupils from Galashiels Academy and won the Robert Noble Award for her contribution to the arts in the community when she had her youth group, Stagecraft, running at the Eastgate Theatre, Peebles. Kathleen has published her debut novel, While God Was Sleeping (‘…A beautifully observed and skilfully written novel about love, loss and longing…’). Kathleen trained in acting at Queen Margaret University Edinburgh, The National Theatre of Scotland and Pinewood Studios. Her Odd Productions acting roles include Mrs Moscrop (Borders Banter, 2012) all the female characters in Two, 2010 (Edinburgh Fringe) Jean Brodie (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, 2009) and Juno in Juno and the Paycock (2008). For Shakespeare at Traquair productions, she played Camilla in The Winter’s Tale (2019) the Doctor in Macbeth (2010), Mistress Ford in The Merry Wives of Windsor (2008), Juno in The Tempest (2007), Audrey in As You Like It (2006) , Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2005), Suzanna in The Herbal Bed (2005), Portia in The Merchant of Venice. She performed annually at Traquair House from 2000-2017 Living History as Lady Stewart, and as Lorraine for the National Theatre of Scotland Home in 2006. In 2018 she played Aggie in the Northlight Feature Project. (2004), Margaret in Much Ado About Nothing (2003) and Maria in Twelfth Night (2001). In 2004 she played various characters in Gentlemen of the Shade at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Esmé Babinaux (Director/actor) Esmé Babinaux is an actor from the Scottish Borders. After signing up to drama workshops at age six, she discovered a passion for all things theatre, jumping at every chance since to be involved, be it on the stage with performance, or behind the stage with writing, directing, and production. At age twelve, Esmé landed her first professional role in Firebrand's 'Blackbird' and has continued on to perform at the Traverse Theatre in 'Mermaid' with award-winning company Shared Experience, at the Lyceum Theatre and Eden Court with National Theatre Connections Festival, and has been in all six shows taken to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival by Shakespeare at Traquair's youth company, Shakespeare Shorts. Esmé plans to set up her own theatre company next year, and is also keen to carry on what she has learnt about filmmaking, animation, and radio from Voice of my Own (VOMO) and Wired on Radio Borders. Their debut moving image installation 'Fr@gile' won over crowds and critics at the Alchemy Festival. "I want to make my own opportunities and work in all areas of the creative industry. I am incredibly interested in environmental issues and social justice, and want to create theatre, film and art that is accessible, representative, and can be a driver for change.” Elsie Horobin (Actor) Elsie has been involved drama in since 1990 with Edinburgh Fringe appearances including a number of comic roles, most notably Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing. She has also appeared in a number of classics, such as The Cherry Orchard and The Crucible. She has been involved with Shakespeare at Traquair and takes part in her local community drama ventures. Personal highlights include playing on the stages at The Playhouse and The Lyceum in Edinburgh. She also has an interest in storytelling and physical theatre. Previous Odd Productions... Click on BLOG above. |