By Mal Butler
Past and present members of the New Strolling Players were reunited as the amateur dramatic company celebrated its 50th anniversary at The Memorial Hall, Freshwater.
Among the guests was the company’s founder, Philip Bovill, and his wife, Ellen, with Philip saying: “Our first production was a farce, called ‘Who Goes Bare’, and after that we did panto. I think the people of Freshwater have really enjoyed the pantos over the years and had a lot of laughter.”
Janet Haire came on board after the first panto had been performed and said: “There are so many people involved in a production, not just those on stage, but the people who make the costumes, scenery and lighting.
“I counted it up and around 400 people have helped with the productions over the years. They have touched so many hearts of the thousands of people who have come here to watch us.”
Not all has gone according to the script during the productions, and Janet told the story of one Aladdin, in the days when flashes were allowed, whose trousers caught fire.
Over the years she has played the Principal Boy, dwarf, leprechaun, ugly sister and Chinese policeman called Ping, and added: “It’s a great way of making friends and making people laugh. We have done around 44 pantos, and the musical, Scrooge.”
Founder member, Ainnis Fessey, also attended along with Ann Steward, who read a couple of her popular ditties about past and present pantos.
Guests were entertained by a dance performance from young members, and an archive film-show of past performances, put together by Alan Benns.
Isle of Wight Observer