All England Theatre Festival Programme and Results for North West Divisional Final   May 1st, 2004

Reg. Charity No. 1071518

The Festival

The 2004 North West Divisional Final was scheduled to be organised by the Merseyside district. However, no suitable venue was available so it was agreed that the event should be held at the Victoria Hall, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria on Saturday May 1st. The adjudicator was Mr Richard Woodward, GODA.. The plays performed are listed below.

Plays Performed

Programme Representing the Mersey, Dee and District The Riverside Players, Heswall The Extraordinary Revelations of Orca The Goldfish by David Tristram Director: WENDY LEE Stage Team: JUDI FOX, JESS CUSSONS, RUTH JOHNSON PETER CLEMENTS, BOB FORRESTER Setting: A living room   Time: The present Cast Alice Henry PAULINE GARLAND TED BULLEN Representing the West Pennine District Halifax Thespians Act 2 of Me and My friend by Gillian Plowman Director: JOHN EASTWOOD Stage Manager: JOE WOOD Lighting: JOHN O’ROURKE Setting: The womens’ flat Cast Robin Julia JULIE JOHNSTON LESLEY TRAVIS Representing the Cumbria District Swarthmoor Drama Group Green Forms (from “Office Suite”) by ALAN BENNETT Director: NEIL DOUGLAS Stage Manager: JOHN FOOTE Doris and Doreen work in an obscure department within a large organisation. Their daily office routine is occasionally interrupted by the demands of work, forms to fill in, phone calls to make, bulletins to read. However, today is different. Why are they getting bundles of 104s? Who is RB/57/212/X? Cast Doreen Bidmead (Mrs) Doris Rutter (Miss) Mr Lomax Boswell Ms Dorothy Binns JAN GOUGH SUE WILSON RAY HODGSON PETE KEVERNE SHEILA FOOTE

The Adjudicator - Mr Richard Woodward, GODA

Richard Woodward is an actor, director, teacher and adjudicator and has a wealth of experience of both sides of the adjudicating process. He has a degree in English and Drama from London University and trained at the North West School of Speech and Drama and the Voice and Speech Centre in London. As an actor he has played many leading roles including Fagin in the musical “Oliver”, Professor Higgins in “Pygmalion”, Lord Nelson in “Bequest to the Nation” and most recently Andrew Crocker-Harris in “The Browning Version”. He has been awarded Best Actor twice at prestigious drama festivals for Danny in “Night Must Fall” and for the dual roles in “Chinamen” by Michael Frayn. He has appeared at the Mitchell Memorial Theatre, Hanley, when he played Oswald in “Ghosts” at the first All Winners Festival.

Richard has directed a wide range of plays including “Uncle Vanya”, “Zack”, “All My Sons”, the Merseyside premiere of “Shadowlands” and the amateur premiere of “Pack of Lies”. In 1993 he won the Best Director award for his production of “Ghosts” at the Ribble Valley Festival. Recently he directed “The Herbal Bed” by Peter Whelan and “The Price” by Arthur Miller and adjudicated the Wirral Festival of One Act Plays.

In 1993 he set up his own company which specialises in courses covering all aspects of communication skills.

Current projects include directing two musicals: the Northern premiere of “Stepping Out - the Musical” in July and, in October, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella” as well as acting as peripatetic adjudicator for Clwyd Community Theatre Association for the 2003/4 season.

As a freelance tutor and director, Richard is available to run workshops on presentation skills and drama and to direct plays and musicals. He has been a member of the Guild of Drama Adjudicators since 1990.

Trophies awarded

The Magrath Trophy - for the winning company
Awarded to The Riverside Players, Heswall

The Barbara Williamson Trophy - for set decor
Awarded to Swarthmoor Drama Group

Subsequent Rounds of The All England Festival and British Final
Northern Area Final	Venue: Garrick Theatre, Stockport Date: May 8th, 2004 Adjudicator: Irene Rostron Winners: Ferriby Dramatic Society Youth Theatre Round the World with Class 6 by Nick Warburton
English Final	Venue: Norden Farm Centre for the Arts, Maidenhead Date: June 5th, 2004 Adjudicator: Tony Rushforth Winners: The Young Theatre of Beaconsfield Ballboys by David Edgar
British Final	Venue: Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Aberystwyth Date: June 25th/26th Adjudicator: Chris Jaeger Winners: The Young Theatre of Beaconsfield Ballboys by David Edgar