Stane Street Players

The following went out in the programme:

“When, as a group, we decided to do a production of Dad’s Army, I was delighted, because for me, it was a way of paying homage to two sets of people. Firstly our forebears, who answered the call of their country to the best of their ability at a time of national and international need, and secondly a fine cast of veteran actors who brought to life the work of Perry and Croft with such fine ensemble playing in my youth.

I have been delighted by the way the cast and crew of the Stane Street Players have risen to the many challenges and obstacles of this production.

Following in the footsteps of professionals whose portrayal of a role is engraved on the heart of the audience can be daunting, but all of the cast, who have varying levels of experience, have thrown themselves into their characterisations wholeheartedly. Our challenge was not simply to try and copy the way it was done, but to preserve the character while interpreting it within the personality of the actor now playing the role. My huge thanks go to the entire cast for their work.

It is not only about capturing the characters though. Unless the look and feel of the period are accurately portrayed a huge part of the production is at risk. So my thanks go to those of the team who have worked tirelessly to source the costumes and props necessary to convey the authentic atmosphere of the piece. I think that at the outset we had never envisaged how much the body shape of the British people has changed in some 60 years. Our valiant servicemen of the Second World War were, shall we say, of less substantial frame than their modern day successors. It is fair to say that we have had to conduct a Global search to source these uniforms!!

Finally I wish to thank all those involved in front of and behind the scenes for the significant commitment in time they have given to put this show on. We all have busy lives and problems and diversions which arise unexpectedly to interfere with our plans. I truly appreciate the efforts all have made to ‘keep the show on the road’ while dealing with these.

As an amateur dramatic group, we put on productions for two reasons, firstly to explore and stretch our abilities as actors, directors, or problem solvers, and also to provide entertainment to those who support us by coming along to watch. In this production we have certainly done the former, the only judges of our success at the latter will be yourselves.

I hope our production of Dad’s Army will bring back happy memories and a smile to your faces. Enjoy!

Duncan McCubbine“