Aberfeldy and Perth drama clubs in SCDA Festival

Mar 25 2011 by Alison Anderson, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

ABERFELDY and Perth Drama Clubs have reached the northern division finals of the Scottish Community Drama Association’s Festival of one-act plays.

The finals, in the Birnam Arts Centre tonight and tomorrow, bring together eight am-dram clubs from Aberdeen, Angus and Orkney as well as Perthshire.

The Aberfeldy and Perth clubs qualified for the finals by being placed first and second respectively in the recent Perthshire district round of the competition.

Top teams from this weekend’s division finals go through to the Scottish Finals, which in turn leads to the contest for the Great Britain one-act play title.

Aberfeldy Drama Club A team are first on stage tomorrow evening with Bondagers Act One by Sue Glover and directed by Anna and Gilbert Price.

This evening at 7pm Perth Drama Club (PDC) present ‘You Don’t Know Me’ by Carolyn McCole, a PDC member who is also in the cast, and directed by Helen Mitchell.

The play is set in the day room of a geriatric Alzheimer’s in-patient ward in the 1980s.

“It’s not what it sounds,” said Helen, “it’s really quite funny.

“The ladies all have their story to tell and it is both funny and poignant.”

Helen has been a PDC member for some 15 years and has appeared in many productions but never before directed.

“I hated directing at first but now I’m loving it. The cast of seven women and Gavin Scrimgeour are wonderful and a super mix of new faces and established members. Getting into the division final has given us all a great buzz.”

The lead role is taken by American actress now living in Blairgowrie, Wendy Byrd Meldrum, who is also directing PDC’s next production – The Prodigal to be staged in Perth in May.

Among Wendy’s Stateside roles was playing Hot Lips Houlahan in the stage version of M.A.S.H.

Tickets for the competition tonight and tomorrow – 7pm start – are available from Birnam Arts Centre, telephone 01350 727674, Wade’s Newsagents, Aberfeldy, and Iain McEwan on 01796 472188.

The adjudicator is Marie O’Sullivan, a qualified speech and drama teacher.