Warkworth Drama Group

YOUR COMMENTS - from the guest book

Carol

I was priviledged to see the dress rehearsal - praise to all involved, the acting was superb!

Sarah Mitchell

Last night I attended the first night of Shadowlands. My friend and I were both a bit sceptical about such a production being done by an ameteur group. How wrong we were!! It was a wonderful and moving production. The two chief characters of Lewis and Joy really owned the stage and were ably backed up by the rest of the cast. We thoroughly enjoyed the evening and will make sure we come to other productions. Well done to everyone.

Jon and Valerie West

Congratulations, all of you! A brilliant evening if your really wanted your heart rended.A well balanced cast with clear well controlled emotion. A special mention for "Douglas" - you stood up well to the Old Masters. Well done too, to the busy scene shifters and a smooth old wardrobe. We can'twait for the next play, they get better every time..

Jon and Valerie Again: P.S. We are still talking about Shadowlands - Was that the deal?

Anna

I caught the Friday performance of Shadowlands - and found it the most emotionally engaging and draining performance I have ever seen! Huge kudos to the two leads, who both did a fantastic job. Mike D was particularly good at transforming himself into the character - I became very attached to Jack.

The emotionally intimate scenes were done to a professional standard; during some of them I found myself feeling like I was intruding, and they were almost too personal to watch!

The backstage gang were very smooth, and overall it was a brilliant production - well done to cast and crew! I'm looking forward to when the WDG next tackles something this heavy.

Anna H

A great finale on Saturday night. Well done to the drama group for taking on such a 'meaty' production and pulling it off with such finesse. What a shame some of Mike's perfectly delivered monologues were ruined by one member of the audience who took more interest in unwrapping their sweets VERY LOUDLY than listening to what he was saying.

Kathryn Potts

I had seen the film and wondered how, with limited resources, a rural drama group would stage the production. Well, I left after the performance on Saturday finding it difficult to come back to real life. The production and the acting had me completely engaged every minute. From the first few seconds Jack was CS Lewis for me and Joy equalled this when she appeared later. The performance didn’t falter at any point and I was so pleased to have experienced such a moving production. Congatulations and thank you to every one involved … and Paddy for his phone call telling me not to miss this!

Paddy Conway

Wow! Shadowlands was an ambitious work to take on but what a triumph. Everyone I’ve talked to was completely knocked out by it. From Mike’s first speech it gripped you. Mike became Jack Lewis and Steph was totally believable as Joy from the moment she walked on stage. The acting overall was of high standard but Mike and Steph’s performance was in a different league, transcending anything I have ever seen on the amateur stage and much I’ve seen done by professionals. It was a superlative performance. Congratulations to all involved. And ‘thank you’ ... Paddy

Bev Palin

Just amazing production- Mike genuinely became CS Lewis, Steph brilliantly laconic as Joy, and Ali surely has a great stage career ahead of him, such a heavy role at his age and we so wished that Joy could make a miraculous recovery for a happy ending. Rarely have I seen a play- or even come to that a film- where I've identified with and cared about the characters like that, Mike's final soliloquy left us all in tears (and I didn't even cry when Bambi's mother was shot...).
A triumph- can't say any more!

Joy and Goff Stocks

Goff and I were at Shadowlands first night and we would like you to know that we thought it was incredible, we loved it, fantastic, it even brought tears to Goff's eyes and that isn't easy to do. You should all be extrememly proud of yourselves, London West End eat your heart out, we look forward to the next production. Mike you were completely transformed, it took a second or two to recognise you, but your portrayal of Lewis was excellent as was your leading lady and indeed everyone involved and that is not forgetting Meg and her production team, bravo.