"Nothing but applause for Players"
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In 1163 a quarrel began between King Henry II and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket. After fleeing to France for several years, Becket returned to England in 1170, only to be murdered by four of Henry's knights as he prayed in Canterbury Cathedral. Three years later, he was canonized and pilgrims, Henry among them, have made their way to his tomb ever since.
T.S.Eliot wrote this play in 1935 for that year's Canterbury Festival; the result was a work that revitalised verse drama. "Murder In The Cathedral" is still performed, studied and regarded as one of Eliot's major works, a testament to his skill as a poet and dramatist.
The play recounts the final days and inner
turmoil of Thomas Becket's life before his gruesome and bloody murder on
the altar steps of Canterbury Cathedral. It is a particularly challenging,
but at the same time very rewarding, piece of drama to stage.
In a departure from tradition, St Nics
decided to stage this production in three churches around the South Holland
area - St Peter & St Paul Church in Gosberton, St Mary Magdalene Church,
Gedney and St Mary & St Nicolas Church in Spalding. It turned out
this
was a truly inspired idea as the locations lent themselves wonderfully to
the atmosphere and surroundings of the plot location. It required little
imagination to transform these three beautiful churches into the hallowed
vastness
of
Canterbury Cathedral.
As always, St Nicolas Players rose to the
challenge with
flair and gusto and produced a fabulous piece of theatre. Once again,
congratulations to all involved, on stage and off.
| A word from the Director |
| (reproduced from the performance programme) |
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Written for the 1935 Canterbury Festival , Murder In The Cathedral was instantly acclaimed as one of the great plays of the twentieth century. It was also recognised as one of the most difficult because of the poetic nature of the script and political intrigue of spiritual versus temporal struggle. This was highlighted at the time when the rise of fascism and communism once more brought competition between Church and State to the fore. It is a very challenging script for an actor, and I am very grateful to the cast and to Jo Dobbs, the producer and all the production team for the efforts and contributions they have made to this production. All of them have approached the script with imagination and enthusiasm. We feel very privileged to be performing in three of the most beautiful Churches in the area and thank the Priests and Churchwardens for their help in allowing us to bring a special ambience to the performance. Philip Bosworth |
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CAST OF ST NICOLAS PLAYERS |
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As the 'Women of Canterbury'..... |
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Lucy Allen |
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Angie Davis |
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Jacqueline Kemp |
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Win Tibbs |
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Gemma Page |
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Janet Staples |
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Marilyn Morris |
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PRODUCTION TEAM |
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| Director | Philip Bosworth | |
| Producer | Jo Dobbs | |
| Stage Manager | Arline Evenden | |
| Set construction | Steve Underwood | |
| John Wright | ||
| Arline Evenden | ||
| Costumes and Styling | Angela Davis | |
| Paula Tunnard | ||
| Andrea Webber | ||
| Lighting/Sound | Ellie Webber | |
| Steve Underwood | ||
| Tom Millard | ||
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St. Nics would also like to thank:- |
| John Hunt, Heather Dickinson, Andy Donley, Adrian Hill, Karl Gernert & Act II |
| Theatre Company, |
| The Vicars, Churchwardens and helpers at all three churches, |
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and many more enthusiastic volunteers who helped bring this production to fruition! |
Please click here to read the great reviews.....
Don't forget to have a look at the rest of the "Murder In The Cathedral" photos in our Photo Gallery
