Dead Guilty - performed May 2012
By Richard Harris
Performed with the kind permission of Samuel French
Director - Glyn Hill
‘Dead Guilty ’ is a tense play about Julia, a young lady left with scars, both mental and physical, following a road accident; and is my first play at the Manifest Theatre as director.I first read the play a few years ago and loved it, so I was very pleased when I got the go ahead to direct it here.
I have found it challenging; but with the help of Chris, the producer, the excellent stage and technical crew and, of course, the talented and enthusiastic cast, we have what I think is a very good production.
Cast
(in order of appearance)
| Julia Darrow |
Emma Race-Whitton |
| The Coroner |
Alan Wheeler |
| Anne Bennett |
Christine Phasey |
| Gary |
Adam Duarte-Dias |
| Margaret Haddrell |
Amanda Rowe |
Production Team
Glyn Hill, Chris Sadd, Alan Wheeler, Jude Hussey, Bruce Emeny, Andy Terry, Dan Carter, Derek Butcher, Nigel Rowe, Gloria Streames, Caroline Roberts, John Roberts, Rosamund Pettett, Gordon Prior, Yvonne Cobbold, Patience Ling, Viv Wheatley, Amanda & Nigel Rowe, Steve Sadler and other volunteers not mentioned.
Awards & Nominations
Nominations from NODA Eastern Region, District 11 for Best Technical Award (Set) and the regions best Drama
The Play
Reviews
In sporting parlance, this latest offering from the Manningtree-based Manifest Theatre Group was a game of two halves. Dead Guilty - billed as a tense drama by Richard Harris, and a first as director Glyn Hill - took a long time to get going. The many breaks, indicating the passing of time, while minimal, did start to irritate.However, the pace increased after the interval, the storyline at times becoming almost sinister, as it finally built to its dramatic and for some, limax. What really held the interest was the performances of the two leading characters, played by Emma Race-Whitton and Amanda Rowe.
The former played a young woman injured in a road accident, caused when the man she was having an affair with suffered a heart attack. The later was the "wronged" wife intent on extracting a somewhat novel revenge. Both were word-perfect and on stage for practically the entire evening, and gave what should surely be award-winning performances. They were ably backed by Adam Duarte-Dias, Christine Phasey and Alan Wheeler.
Lesley Pallett
Photo Shoot
Christine, Amanda, Gary, Emma
(click on an image below to view a larger photo - arrow keys navigate through the set)
