Mark P. Henderson

My new play “Bequest” had its first public performance yesterday evening

Well, we did it! The Anonymous Three Theatre Company (Carol, Patsy and me) strikes again! Eighty people in the audience; they laughed at most of the jokes; they applauded at the end… Only one minor glitch with the lines, which we covered so the audience wouldn’t notice…

As well as providing entertainment, the annual Partington One Act Play Festival is a competition judged by an expert adjudicator. Knowing I was a complete novice as an actor, this year’s adjudicator, Carmel Bird, was generous to me. She gave useful advice to all three of us and suggested a few minor amendments to the script, but she had no major criticisms and clearly liked my play. I’m therefore a Happy Bunny, not least because more than a dozen members of the audience came up to us after the performance to congratulate us and say how much they’d enjoyed it. I don’t expect to win an award – after all, Bequest is only my second attempt to write a play and it was my first attempt to act in one – but yesterday evening’s response was encouraging. Maybe I’ll write another, and even act again!

There was one particularly pleasing moment in the theatre club room as we were leaving. I joined Carol and her mother and sister (who’d been in the audience) as they were chatting to my friend Ann Cole, who’d been one of my fellow-students on the “Writing for the Stage” course a couple of years ago. Ann had wanted to stage her play at this year’s Partington but she hadn’t been able to recruit actors. I was disappointed for her and rather touched that she’d come to see Bequest, so you can imagine my pleasure when Carol’s sister volunteered her acting services and suggested that all the roles could be filled. This means there’s hope that Ann will be able to stage her play at next year’s Festival, if not before. If this comes off I’ll be delighted for her! 

After we left the theatre, Carol, Patsy and I were buzzing; high as kites, presumably on adrenalin. We retired to my house and dined on pizza, cake and sparkling wine, indulged in reminiscence, jokes and laughter, and planned to get together again socially: having worked effectively as a team in two successive Partington Festivals we’ve become friends. It was half past eleven before Carol set off on her half-hour drive back to Buxton to rescue her babysitter. Then I drove Patsy home to Oldham, which meant it was considerably after midnight by the time I returned home. I’m tired today, but smiling.

Back to work on my novella now…