We were thrilled to open for Bench Theatre’s play ‘Bob and Doris are Not Afraid’, written by Jacquie Penrose and directed by Vin Adams. Performances were at The Spring (Havant) in April 2023, with Pens of the Earth writers presenting stories and poems based on our 2022 themes.
A mid-run report from our founder, Helen Salsbury:
‘It’s going fabulously. Bench Theatre has long had a reputation for quality work, and their play ‘Bob and Doris are not Afraid’ shows why. It’s not the easiest of things to put on a Climate Crisis Comedy – and to pull it off. I must admit, I myself had wondered how those two concepts could fit on the same stage. I guess the answer is: a wonderfully written, witty script, with beautifully drawn characters vividly brought to life by talented actors; the sort of physical theatre which is a delight and a fascination to watch – something very different from most theatre outings I’ve experienced; and a director (our very own Vin Adams) whose professionalism and skill fine-tuned this and made everyone feel held, supported and encouraged.
As supporting act, Pens of the Earth came on first, accompanied by our environmental speakers who were as wonderful and inspiring as ever! Given the Bench Theatre’s reputation, it’s perhaps not surprising that the atmosphere every night was so encouraging: interested, engaged and supportive. It’s a total honour to be trusted by Bench Theatre to deliver – and we did!
Every performance has seen different readers, a different programme of spoken word pieces, and a different slide show (put together by Richard Salsbury) backing our performers. These performers have not just been reading their own work – but also those of other Pens of the Earth writers. And they are doing a wonderful job. It’s possible to feel when an audience is engaged: intensity at the poignant moments, a stir as subtle components of plot are figured out, a delightful mix of laughter and quiet. There’s the enthusiastic applause, and then there are the comments in the interval which have been wonderfully moving.
So, yes, our performers have done us proud, with professionalism and timing, and a range of accents and postures which have brought the varied written pieces to life. Listening to our volunteers perform I was also struck by the quality of the writing: the mix of emotions, humour, delicate observations, beautiful rhythms and sentence construction which allowed the pieces to come across so well.
If you have a piece performed in this programme, you should be very proud of yourself. And to those we couldn’t include this time – be proud of yourselves, too! Every piece published on Pens of the Earth is special and we continue to work towards other opportunities to get your work into the public eye/ear in the future.
There has been much individual praise of pieces, as well as praise for, and interest in, the project.
Here’s what the Portsmouth News had to say: “The first half of the evening, before the play began, involved a series of readings, prose and poetry, by Pens Of The Earth, a group of local writers who are as concerned as any of us about the ruin of the planet. These pieces are well-written, thoughtful, funny and insightful. Creativity like this deserves support.” James George, The News (full review here).
People have been much struck by how well the written pieces and talks from our environmental speakers work together – an indication of how well you as writers have taken on board our themes, and paid attention to the environmental inspiration we shared with you. Thank you! And I need to say thank you to our editors, as well, for the well-honed quality of the work performed.
There have been so many lovely, supportive and encouraging comments. A particular thrill for me was the astonishment and interest expressed by Christine Seaward, CEO of the South Downs Sustainability Centre, someone who has been an inspiration for me, over the years.
So finally, thank you to all our volunteers, speakers and writers for making this fortnight possible. And especial thanks to our wonderful performers. And finally to Vin Adams, for trusting us, for working with us to enhance our performances, and for compere-ing our half of the programme so delightfully.’