The Manx Amateur Drama Federation run the Easter Festival of plays which runs over seven days with seven diverse plays presented by companies from all the UK and Ireland. Whole Hog had entered again this year with Harold Pinter’s ‘The Birthday Party’ but were turned down. We all have contrasting feelings about the decision. In no way do we blame MADF, they had 9 plays to choose from and Pinter’s play had been seen at the festival only 2 years ago.
From my point of view it’s a break away from a festival that I have been at- on and off- for over a decade. I first encountered the festival in 2000 when I visited my Uncle Mark who had settled on the Isle of Man. The whole
atmosphere of the festival was a revelation to me as all the companies were so
friendly and all wanted to talk theatre and discuss plays...I’d died and gone to
heaven! My lasting image of that particular festival was sat in the bar of the
hotel that entertained the actors after the shows. It was 6am and the Irish team
had hardly broken a sweat!
As the years progressed I came back again as an audience member
and later on with student productions. The experience of performing in a 900
seat Victorian theatre, the Gaiety, was always a great boon to the young actors work and, for some of them, gave them their first taste on working on a ‘real’
stage!
Whole Hog entered the festival fray back in 2010 when a group of
lads put on a play about poker, Patrick Marber's 'Dealer's Choice'. Testosterone filled as the trip was, as might be expected, but also again the welcome of the Manx people and their theatre was amazing. Uncle Mark took us in as always, a giant Spag. Bol., endless bottles of red wine and then a huge game of poker that went on into the night!
I spoke to Mark on the phone in the summer of 2010.
“So, what you entering this year? A lot of expectancy after the production last year”.
“I don’t know a few options.I fancy doing Berkoff’s ‘Metamorphosis’
“You have to do that! One of my favourites.”
Sadly, Mark passed away in the autumn of that year, never seeing
our production.
We performed it in his memory and the audiences took to what is a
difficult piece of absurdist/sur-real/ total theatre that is hard to stage and
even trickier to watch! One old lady cried at the sadness of Gregor Samsa’s plight as he finally slips away from his family. A fitting tribute. Last year we took our largest group over for a stage adaptation of ‘Jane Eyre’. Another great time had by all.
So, we miss out this year but I may go over as an audience member
again just to be part of that unique atmosphere. A few people missing, but
still plenty of new people to meet.We miss you Isle of Man but we will be back. Start thinking of a play for 2014! Come on Uncle Mark, some divine intervention please...