Broad Street Wrington Drama Club ARCHIVE
Spirit of Christmas

Thursday, 4th December, 2003         Page 1


The Spirit of Christmas                                               

The turkey, the tinsel the overloaded credit cards... "Christmas" as we know it today is a fairly recent invention. Much of what we consider to be the ritual of Christmas has been cobbled together over the centuries - a bit of pagan ceremony here, a slice of Prince Albert there, with Santa Claus dressed in a costume designed for him in a Coca Cola ad...

But what is the real meaning behind the annual celebrations? Is it a time for people to get together or simply an excuse for a no-bars blowout? Is there any room for less material ways of viewing the festive season? And are the jokes in Christmas crackers part of a plot to drive us all insane?

Tony Watts

Put a disparate group of people into an hotel on Christmas Eve, take away all connection with the outside world, and perhaps - between them -they might find out the answers by the time the mince pies have all been eaten.

That's the theory behind "The Spirit of Christmas", written specially for the Wrington Drama Group by local writer Tony Watts. But rather like the inmates of "Big Brother" or "I'm a celebrity get me out of here" it transpires that many people have a lot of internal issues to resolve first.

So is the play serious, or a comedy? Character drama or farce? Hopefully all these things -and more besides.
A bit like life, then.

SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS 

CAST
Jeremy Hustlethwaite
Maria Hustlethwaite
Phyllida Winstone
Rosy Winstone
Lucinda Gray
Hugh Gray
Jayne Purdy
Timothy Purdy
Mrs Timms
Enid Hustlethwaite
Cook
Local Government Official

Simon Medd
Rebecca Bryce
Pat Milne
Rebecca Key
Louisa Brown
Steve Osman
J
ane Godbehere
Keith Ivory
Alienora Taylor
Echo Irving
Jo Gillions
Peter Langley
THE PRODUCTION TEAM
Director
Producer
Stage Manager
Backstage Manager
Backstage Crew
Set Design
Set Construction


Lighting
Sound
Costumes
Make Up/Hair ...
Advertising
Props

Front of House. ..

Prompt
Refreshments/Bar
Phil Neve
Andrew Tandy
Kate Morley
Barry Sale
Andrew Tandy, Peter Jones, Julie Green
John Graham
Mark Bullen, John Dunstone, Jean Edwards, Peter Ellis
John Graham, Peter Langley,
Phil Neve, Gaby Sheridan,
Andrew Tandy,
Wendy Tandy, Bernie Tarleton
Dave Dodd, John Dunstone
Miche Dunstone
Valerie Langley,
Phil Neve
Sue Cross, Judy Lane,
Liz Thomas
Gill Cowgill,
Andrew Tandy
John Graham, Phil Neve, Kate Morley, Andrew Tandy,
Wendy Tandy,
Bernie Tarleton
Abi Baker,
Sue Bendell, Jean Edwards, Harriet Gillions,
Pauline Jefferies,
Peter Langley, Wendy Tandy
Rosemary Osman
Maggie Carpenter, Gill Cowgill, Jackie Bretherton,
Darryl Brown, Pauline Jefferies, Fiona Jewell, Mike Owen
Maria Petherick-Moss, Bernie Tarleton, David Walker,
Jacqui Walker


Dysfunctional hotel proprietors, Jeremy and Maria Hustlethwaite, await the arrival of their Christmas guests ...

... dysfunctional mother and daughter Phyllida and Rosy Winstone ...
... dysfunctional married couple, property developer Hugh Gray and life-style guru Lucinda ...

... Jayne and Timothy Purdy, whose baby boy's sad death made them dysfunctional ...
... Maria offers them a cheering welcome drink ...


...while Jeremy struggles with everyone's luggage ...
... although when it comes to that of the impatient Mrs Timms ...
... he has an alternative suggestion ...
While everyone is settling in, Enid Hustlethwaite makes a first appearance, rearranging a picture here .. and a bottle there ...