A Bridge Game Too Far
For the residents of a local retirement home, the weekly bridge game is more than just a way of life, it's a way of staying alive, so when Mabel Shepherd announces she's sitting the game out for the night, the news travels fast as her fellow bridge partners plan their next moves and play their cards a little too far from their chests.
A Bridge Game Too Far was inspired by a New York Times article reprinted in the Observer on 7 June 2009. The article focused on bridge players at the retirement community of Laguna Woods, California. Playing contract bridge was seen as helpful in preventing dementia, but slipping up in games may lead to people having to drop out, and to quote one resident ‘when they stop playing, they don’t live much longer.’
The play won the 2011 Roy Purdue Trophy for new writing at the Roy Purdue New Playwriting Festival at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond. The most recent production of the play was by Tower Theatre company on 30 March 2012.
A Bridge Game Too Far was inspired by a New York Times article reprinted in the Observer on 7 June 2009. The article focused on bridge players at the retirement community of Laguna Woods, California. Playing contract bridge was seen as helpful in preventing dementia, but slipping up in games may lead to people having to drop out, and to quote one resident ‘when they stop playing, they don’t live much longer.’
The play won the 2011 Roy Purdue Trophy for new writing at the Roy Purdue New Playwriting Festival at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond. The most recent production of the play was by Tower Theatre company on 30 March 2012.
|
Ovation Theatre Awards
The play was first performed at the Ovation Theatre Awards 2010 where it was chosen as one of the finalists. Writers are asked to submit 7 minute plays for the Awards, which are designed to bring new writing for theatre to the forefront. Andy Moseley submitted an extract from the play to the competition. The final was held at the Pavilion Theatre, Whitby, North Yorkshire on Saturday 20th November 2010. The cast for the play were: Ted: Nicolaus Mackie Mabel: Anna Dimdore Bob: Tony Wredden Judy: Sue Catten Andy Moseley directed of the play 
|
OHADS
The full one-act play was first performed on Wednesday 2nd March 2011 by Old Hamptonians Amateur Dramatic Society for the 2011 Elmbridge Drama Festival. Cast for the play were: Ted: John Bellamy Mabel: Carol Stratton Bob: John Pyle Judy: Sue Birks Celia: Clare Cooper Andy Moseley directed the play Jess Andrews was set designer Sue Birks won best supporting actress at the festival awards on Saturday 5th March and John Bellamy and Carol Stratton were nominated for best actor and best actress. The play was then performed at the Roy Purdue New Playwriting Festival at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond and in a double bill with Are You Lonesome Tonight by OHADS at Hampton Hill Playhouse from 6 to 9 April. Cath Messum took over the part of Celia for all of these performances. Andy Moseley played the part of Bob for the last two nights of the production at Hampton Hill. TOWER THEATRE The play was performed on Friday 30 March at Upstairs at the Britannia, Victoria Park Road, London as part of Tower's new writing festival. Cast for the play were:Ted: Tom Tillery Mabel: Sheila Burbidge Bob: Peter Novis Judy: Celia Reynolds Celia: Jill Batty Lesley Strachan directed the play 'An expertly-crafted script and a clever set-up about power play between the residents of a care home' Tower Theatre Review |
