NOSTALGIA: Young playwrights visit theatre, '˜92

These bright young things are the winners of the prestigious Young Playwright of the Year Competition in 1992.
Iain and Thea with Youth Theatre director Anthea Dobry and Festival Theatre artistic director Patrick GarlandIain and Thea with Youth Theatre director Anthea Dobry and Festival Theatre artistic director Patrick Garland
Iain and Thea with Youth Theatre director Anthea Dobry and Festival Theatre artistic director Patrick Garland

Iain Ross, here aged 17, of Willowhale Avenue, Bognor, and Thea Lacey, aged 11, of Bermondsey in London, visited the Chichester Festival Theatre to see preparations in progress for the productions of their plays.

They are shown here with Youth Theatre director Anthea Dobry and Festival Theatre artistic director Patrick Garland.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Iain won the under 20 section of the contest, which was run by the theatre and sponsored by the Chichester Observer.

Thea carried off the under 12 prize with an environmental piece, entitled What on Earth.

Both won £100 and had the thrill of seeing Chichester Festival Youth Theatre stage their plays in the Minerva Studio in March, 1992.

Iain’s play was titled Conventional People.

He said: “It’s about three groups of people who are all travelling to Brighton for the weekend.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“They all think they are getting on with each other well, but of course, they’re not.

“The play is a revelation of their relationships”.

It is set entirely in cars and motorway cafes.

He got the idea for it during the summer holidays when he seemed to spend most of his waking life in cars - much to his digust.

Drama was at this point the passion in Iain’s life.

He was then at the sixth form at Bishop Luffa School in Chichester, but hoped to study English at university and then go on to film school.

“I want to be another Kenneth Branagh,” he joked. “I want to write, act, direct, do the set designs - everything.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He had been acting since he was in primary school, performing with Drama 80 and Jubilee Productions at Littlehampton, and Opera 70 at Chichester, among others.

He studied speech and drama with Michael Edgely at Littlehampton since 1988.

Anthea Dobry said: “Conventional People is a very stylish and mature work.

“It is about ordinary people, so everyone will recognise themselves in the character, but it makes the every day into something extraordinary.

“It looks below the surface of human relationships”.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Iain’s play was entered in the Lloyds Bank Theatre Challenge, and stood a chance of being presented on the Olivier Stage at the National Theatre in London.

Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.

Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on.

1) Make our website your homepage at www.chichester.co.uk/

2) Like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ChichesterObserver

3) Follow us on Twitter @Chiobserver

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

4) Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.

And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out!

The Chichester Observer - always the first with your local news.

Be part of it.