Hi! I’m Jack and welcome to my Blog page. I joined WiTS in September 2021 with my first show being Cinderella: “What” Happened Next. As you can tell, I haven’t been with the group for very long but I certainly settled in easily and have been welcomed so kindly by everyone here. I have always enjoyed acting; it’s always been a strong passion of mine. I got to do many shows when I was at school and even became the director of the school’s drama club. I went on to study Performing Arts at Exeter College for two years and am now currently studying Creative Writing at the University of Plymouth.

In my free time, I usually tend to do some writing, predominantly scripts while listening to music. I also enjoy spending time with my family and playing with nephews and niece. I like to sing where I can. If I ever had the opportunity, I would love to perform in Les Misérables, either as Javert or Marius. It is truly the best show that I have ever seen!

I hope you enjoy reading these Blogs as much as I enjoy writing them. And hopefully, they might entice you to come and join us. As I said, we will always welcome people with open arms! Happy reading…

Well, what can I say about Cry Havoc? This year’s Summer Show gave me two big opportunities, being able to direct a show and having my own writing produced. And before I continue, to those of you who may not already be aware, I am “Elliot White” who wrote this comedy! I have waited five years to be able to produce this play. Throughout this time, the script has gone through heavy changes, been read by a number of theatre groups and actors and ultimately ended up on the stage of Willand Village Hall. And I couldn’t be happier that it did.

Comedy is a tricky theme to perform; it requires correct line delivery and characterisation to name a few skills. Cry Havoc is a play full of quick one-liners, a vast array of characters and many comedically physical moments. The story itself takes place in many different locations across 1924 London and takes the audience on a hilarious journey. The cast took on their roles with great enthusiasm and it was clear from the moment they stepped on stage. I must say that this truly warmed my heart that the actors really embraced the characters and wanted to do their roles justice.

The biggest challenge for me, personally, is the moment where the writer and director both hit a standstill. When writing a play, one can picture what the play might look like on stage. It will then come down to the director to make that picture a reality. You may think that this is easier when one person takes on these two roles and to some degree, it is. However, my problem is that because I have things pictured in such a specific way, I may struggle to see an alternative. This is common, I think, amongst writers but it’s important to remember that no play works on every stage the same way. There were many times during rehearsals when there were set designs, character ideas etc that I might not have initially agreed with because they weren’t how I pictured it when writing the play. But having such a wonderfully creative team around me really helped me to overcome it and make this play the amazing show it turned out to be.

It makes me sad to know that this is my last show with WiTS, for the time-being, but I am both proud and thankful to the rest of the group for all the hard work they did which made my last show a fantastic one! I cannot wait to see what they produce next…

"Treasure Island"

February 2023

Well hello messmates…(that’s your cue to shout “Avast Behind”)...what experience it was to perform in Treasure Island. I have had many people come up to me before to say that I would make a perfect Dame and now, I finally had the opportunity. And I must say, I loved every minute of it. The story of Treasure Island is one that I have constantly heard about but never actually looked into reading before. Yet having now performed in the Panto of the same story, I am now very tempted to read it after so long. Graham has done an absolutely fabulous job at adapting the original story into a pantomime and the cast managed to perform it with such professionalism and confidence.

It was so nice to get back together with the rest of the cast to put on our ever-popular annual pantomime. Even better, we had a new addition to the group in the form of the lovely Vickie Mogford who you will know as the cheese-obsessed Ben Gunn. It’s so wonderful to see our group grow each year.

However, I can’t go through this blog without mentioning a very funny story. You may recall that I had three amazing costumes throughout the show (credit goes to Alison and Sue). As part of my second outfit, I wore a hat that proved to be topheavy which I then secured in place with a hat pin. During the Friday show, the pin fell out at some point where I must also add, it was very long and sharp. In the midst of running around trying to find it, Sue managed to find it. Where was it, you ask? It had pierced itself into the padding on my “avast behind”. Of all places!

Treasure Island has been an incredible experience for me, in terms of acting and also working alongside some great people. I cannot wait to see what our next show brings. And for one final time…Arrrr!

"Alfurian Fury"

October 2022

Murder Mysteries have always interested me; the style in which they are written allows the audience the chance to take in the story and really get them thinking. However, add audience participation into the mix and you have a truly exciting experience. Alfurian Fury is the first interactive murder mystery that I have seen and I have to say, was one that made me feel so many different things. The humour within it is so cleverly written. As well as that, the way that the story is slowly revealed over the course of the play is both exhilarating and fascinating. There were many times that I felt I had finally cracked the case as to who had committed the murder, only to discover I was actually wrong.

In terms of decor, the village hall was so beautifully decorated in Arthurian tapestries, flags, armour and many other historical replicas which made the entire piece feel that much more authentic. Furthermore, the costumes that the actors wore were so unique. It was clear that the detail was intricately thought through so as to keep that authenticity.

I must say though, I don’t think there has ever been a play that has made me scream in fear before. Now, I know what you’re thinking and no, it was because of the murder but rather a wise, old wizard named Werlin. The silent and mysterious persona of this character was enough to put me on the edge of my seat. Despite this, he was absolutely hilarious! Your traditional wizard might go around and perform tricks to entertain you. This one decided to mess up my hair and create loud bangs. I even jumped when he finally spoke, I just wasn’t expecting it!

For my first time going to an interactive murder, I enjoyed every second of it. The actors performing created a really authentically dramatic yet comedic piece of theatre and I have heard nothing but good reviews from other audience members. A truly well-constructed piece of writing.

"Agatha Crusty"

'And The Village Hall Murders'

September 2022

I love a good comedy. They always have the ability to make me howl with laughter, even at the smallest jokes. Agatha Crusty and the Village Hall Murders is no exception. I remember reading the script while I was out having a meal at a restaurant and I was struggling so much to hold in my laughter. This murder mystery is filled to the brim with hilarious jokes that entertained our audience the whole way through. I lost count of the number of times rehearsals took that bit longer because of how much we were laughing. I remember a few occasions where Pixie (DI Twigg) were rehearsing Scene 2 where we shared a duologue and we just couldn’t look at each other because we kept making each other laugh. At one point, I had only said my first line and he burst out laughing. Talking of which, for those of you who have seen the show, you may recall how for my character of the Reverend Toby Bishop, I have a very distinctive voice. Yes, surprise, that is not my real voice! That voice came from when I was practising different characterisation techniques in the first rehearsal. I didn’t even prepare for it. I came on stage during the first rehearsal and it just stuck but it felt right.

This rollercoaster of a story that we journey on is most certainly a well written piece of comedy and drama merged into one. There are so many twists that I must’ve gotten lost more than once. It’s one of those mysteries where you think you’ve sussed it out but then the next scene comes along to squash that theory. I’m still convinced even now that it was secretly Eleanor. The play felt right for the group as, spoiler alert, it is set within a village hall and we obviously rehearse in one. It felt a lot more relatable to us (other than the murders of the committee members). If I ever get the chance to read the other Agatha Crusty plays, I most certainly will take it. This play is such a good read and just leaves you smiling. Amen…

“Acting is in everything but the words.”
― Stella Adler, The Art of Acting