The Gateway Drama Summer Presentations of “A Tale of Two Manxmen” took place at Ballakermeen Studio Theatre on Tuesday evening, 22nd July, and Wednesday, 23rd July in the afternoon.
The first had an enthusiastic audience of families and friends, and was as usual very well received. The second was part of the British All Winners’ Festival, which was taking place on the Island that week, and as such had an audience of keen amateur theatre people from all over Britain, and even as far as Switzerland! It was adjudicated at the end by Festival Judge Jan Palmer Sayer, who was very complimentary about the whole production, the ambitious use of back projection for the scenery and inclusion of film, the use of music and dance as well as drama, and above all she loved the obvious enjoyment of the cast in what they were doing.
At the Festival Awards Ceremony in the Gaiety Theatre on the Saturday night, she presented the Group with a new trophy, the Star Bright Award, which she had purchased specially after seeing the Gateway performance! It will be held for a year, then presented annually at the Festival to a deserving Special Needs Group. It was received on Gateway’s behalf by Jack Leece, one of the leading members of the cast, who gave an acceptance speech worthy of the Oscars!!
Drama has now broken up for the summer, and will resume its weekly meetings at the end of September. The next production will be a Nativity on Sunday, 14th December 2014 at St Andrew’s church Douglas.