Written by Matt Paratt
Directed by Matt Parratt
The Medstead Players broke new ground last week with a production which took a rigorous look at the way we are treating our planet.
Earthrise, the brainchild of 22 year old Matt Parratt, was a dramatic departure from the normal repertoire, but one which has already put the Medstead Players firmly on the environmental map.
Billed as an event, rather than a play, Earthrise was written to shed a little light on the green issues which are shaping our future - a future which looks depressingly black, unless we all decide to change our ways.
"If present events are allowed to continue, there can be no doubt that our home - The Earth - faces a very bleak future indeed", writes Matt.
"Global warming, pollution, the senseless hunting and extinction of animals and plants, war, famine and disease, are all signs that our world is heading for disaster".
The issues could not have been examined more dramatically or with more humour and sensitivity. From the opening number to the powerful finale, the message was clear: "It is the ordinary people like you and me who can make all the difference".
There were some memorable performances Pam Kercher and Anne Penn led the way with a comedy sketch. Nick Cooper and Paul Cox, provided Medstead's own sensational answer to Smith and Jones -"Bill and Ben" gave scope for some brilliant character acting, and young Karin Withey delighted with her dizzy interpretation of the secretary bird.
Carole Janes drew the whole 'happening' together in her role as an ordinary sweeper, guided by narrators - Gaia, alias Tana Riviere, and Artemis - Rachel Smith.
But the real impact came from the vocalists and dancers, many of them young, and all totally committed to the message they were seeking to convey.
They had some excellent backup. The choreography, by Anne Penn and Larraine Fisher, was imaginative, and the costumes (Val Prior and Marion Rogers) and scenery (Tana Riviere) simple but dramatic.
Add to that the special effects (Graham Bennell, Ann Bassil and Mike Overy) and an outstanding choice of music, which ranged from Ethnicolour by Jean Michelle Jarre to the anthem -Yes We Can! - recorded by Artists United for Nature, which Matt Parratt believes conveyed a sure sign for hope for the future.
The result was an inspired production which could provide the vehicle for conveying the green message to people of all generations.
"One day our grandchildren may be seeing the Earth travelling through space. Is it going to be a hazy desert planet, or a world restored to health by some of the efforts we are making today?" he asks.
"Will it be a stifling global greenhouse, or a planet with cool forests where the birds still sing and rivers in which the fish still jump? Will there be farms and cities where people can live contentedly? The answers to these questions lie with us all!"
Moira Howells
Cast: Gareth Bennell, Anita Bone, Heather Coombs, Nick Cooper, Paul Cox, Larraine Fisher, Jane Fomes, Toby Fomes, Marion Giles, Sarah Giles, John Gregory, Emma Harper, Douglas Hestor, Tina Higgins, Catherine Hudson, Carole Janes, Pam Kercher, Jessica Lansdown, Maxine Lansdown, Dianne Nicholls, Jenny Overy, Mike Overy, Trevor Parratt, Ann Penn, Daniel Poulter, Anita Prior, Val Prior, Tana Riviere, Marion Rogers, Rachel Smith, Lucy Weston, Stan Whitcher, Karin Withey
