THE OLDLAND PLAYERS
Founded in 1967 the Oldland Players are a group in the Bristol area, who've been creating quality community theatre for over 50 years.
1981
Pools Paradise - The Plot Thickens - Murder in Company
'Pools Paradise'
by Philip King
April 1981
Synopsis
Zany, madcap events transpire at the Reverend Lionel Toop's vicarage in Merton cum Middlewick. The plot revolves around Lionel's wife, Penelope, who dabbles in a football pool with the help of their maid, Ida, and Ida's suitor, the droll Willie Briggs. The most fantastic complications ensue when the triumvirate wins, or when they think they have won more than 20,000 English pounds. Lending richly comic hands are the old maid parishioner, Miss Skillon, and Penelope's out of this world uncle, The Bishop of Lax.
Cast
Penelope Toop (Paulette Beaver); Ida, The Maid (Sue Lansdown); Revd Toop (Tim Spurgeon); Miss Skillon (Lillian Cook); Willie Briggs (John Markley); Revd Arthur Humphrey ( David Walford); Bishop Of Lax (John Cook)
Producer: Kay Trenchard.
'The Plot Thickens'
by Mark Langham
November 1981
Synopsis
A group of women receive a telegram from their husband and all arrive at his door of 5 Jubilee Mansions demanding to see him!
Cast
Mrs Lovegrove (Sue Farmer); Mrs Travers (Jill Bishop); Mrs Mincing (Katrina Gregory); Mrs Beddington (Gerry Wilkins); Mrs Tufton (Janice Howes); Policewoman (Audrey Mitchell)
Producer: Kathy Dowson
'Murder in Company'
by Philip King & John Boland
December 1981
Synopsis
A dramatic society is assembling on the stage of a church hall to rehearse a mystery thriller under its somewhat dictatorial director Philip Stephens. Events and strains within the company more than equal those in the play. Philip's wife is too friendly with a young man of the company, a prowler is in the neighborhood and attacks one of the girls, an unpleasant caretaker tries a little blackmail and one of the women seems to know him from the past.
The rehearsal proceeds under difficulties until the mysterious death of the caretaker brings the situation of the whodunit even more closely into real life. It transpires that almost everyone might, and could, have murdered the dead man.
Cast
Alan Wilson (Derek Hardwell); Margaret Stephens (Kay Trenchard); Ted Smith (Tim Spurgeon); Philip Stephens (David Walford); Ronnie Meadows (Mike Dean); Phoebe Kershaw (Audrey Mitchell); Patricia Robins (Julie Hardwell); Doris Stewart (Paulette Beaver)
Producer: Kathy Dowson