Kilmardinny Players

A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie and adapted for the stage by Leslie Darbon

All my life I have had a passion for theatre. My first role was in a school production of �A Christmas Carol� as a grave digger! When I worked in Luxembourg I mostly did back stage work and prompting because my job had me travelling so I was unable to make rehearsals although I did have a part in Wilde�s �A Woman of no Importance� where I played a maid who had one line �Dinner is served in the green dining room�. I have played many memorable roles but my all time favourite was Magrit in �The Steamie� � what a wonderfully written play � those lines get right under your skin.

I love acting but directing is an absolute joy especially working with dedicated people.This is my first opportunity to direct the Kilmardinny players � they are such a great group of players who,at rehearsals, are totally focussed and dedicated to giving their best, they really care about what they are doing and I know that this production is going to be a great success and enjoyed by our audiences.

Bryony Randall is a Home Counties girl who moved up to Glasgow in August 2007 to work at the University of Glasgow. She has recently moved from the West End Bubble to the South Side, and is enjoying getting to know different parts of this great city. She�s delighted to be playing Julia, who is a sparky and mischievous young woman, constantly bickering with her brother, though obviously fond of her Aunt Letty and with a soft spot for Miss Marple too. But Julia is also apt to get a bit worked up about things � almost as if she�s got something to hide�

In real life Paul is a primary school teacher.Previous theatre includes: �The Real Inspector Hound� (Moon),�A Midsummer Night�s Dream� (Quince),�Aladdin� (Widow Twankey), and �The Savage� (solo performance).Paul has directed numerous school plays, most recently �Black Elk Speaks� which he also wrote.

Last year he �persuaded� his teaching colleagues to put on a Christmas Pantomime, a �tradition� which will continue this year.This is Paul�s first production for the Kilmardinny Players. Inspector Craddock may be tenacious but he is also impatient, irritable, rude and sarcastic. He treats everyone he meets with suspicion, as if they are all probably lying. On the other hand...............

Robert Tennant (Rudi) joined his first amateur dramatic club in 1997 initially to work with lighting. However, he was soon treading the boards himself and has since acted in various productions. At the age of 23, he directed the local pantomime and for three consecutive years, also played the main comic role at the same time! This is Robert�s first role in Kilmardinny Players and hopes that you all enjoy "A Murder is Announced�!

Originally from Ayrshire, I have lived in Glasgow for the past 13 years, and the role of Patrick Simmons presents me with my first stage role in almost 20 years. Throughout this time my �itch�to perform has scratched by various means, from musical performances to Burns poetry; reading in schools and at Burns Suppers. It was during one such recitation that the opportunity to join Kilmardinny Players was presented and I am delighted with the role of Patrick in my first production for the group. The challenge of playing a twenty something student was an obvious one for me(!), but Patrick�s character shone through � a lazy, party-going scoundrel who is fond of a drink or two, and who works hardest when trying to avoid hard work. Despite all of this there is something likeable about Patrick, and besides,he wouldn�t do anything really bad�.would he?

Diane was involved with TRAM Direct Theatre Company several years ago and joined Kilmardinny Players in 2005. She thoroughly enjoys being involved in the Kilmardinny Players and recommends it to anyone as there are so many ways in which you can become involved, whether onstage, behind the scenes or helping with organisation and publicity. The rehearsals are fun and it's great to see the play coming together. She is very excited to be in an Agatha Christie production, having been an enthusiastic reader of her novels as a teenager. She is enjoying playing Bunny, a slightly forgetful and confused character...any similarities between Bunny and Diane are completely unintentional!

I have been connected with a few theatre groups over the last 20 odd years. Usually I am stuck in the wardrobe! The last group I was with coaxed me on to the stage, and to my surprise I did in fact enjoy it. So when the same silver tongued director asked me to take part in this venture how could I refuse! Other shows I�ve been involved include being an extra in BBC�s �Cardiac Arrest� and the movie �Trainspotting�.So, to my fellow actors � break a leg! And to the audience can you guess whodunit?

This is my first production with the Kilmardinny Players, but I have previously worked on numerous other productions at another amateur drama group providing lighting and sound. I have had an interest in all things technical since childhood, and my first foray into sound engineering was back in 1981 at the (former) Pavilion Theatre in Ayr. I have enjoyed the new challenges I have faced at Kilmardinny Arts Centre, and hope that I have improved the audibility in the auditorium.