theatre

Hogg in the Limelight

~ anniejo9 ~ Leave a comment

 ~ ANNIEJO9

My latest 10-minute script Knocking on Heaven’s Door was screened as part of this year’s DunsPlayFest, which ran online from 22nd to 29th May 2021. https://www.dunsplayfest.org.uk

My script was part of four bite-size film plays from Borders Pub Theatre, inspired by the work of James Hogg, the famous Borders poet and essayist, in celebration of his 250th anniversary in 2020. My play imagined a sequel to James Hogg’s book The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner with the main characters Gilmartin (Gilly) and Robert Wringhim arriving at heaven’s door only to be stopped in their tracks by St. Peter. Other plays included:

In the Fold by Campbell Hutcheson; 

I Hear His Voice by Robert Sproul-Cran;

Knocking on Heaven’s Door by Anita John;

James Hogg and the Corbie Craw by Roger Simian

Directed by Vivien Reid and performed, script-in-hand by Emily Larner, Matthew Burgess and David Bon. https://www.facebook.com/BordersPubTheatre/

Busy, Busy, Busy!

~ anniejo9 ~ Leave a comment

2019 proved to be one of those extremely busy years with so much going on that I didn’t even have time to update my blog!

Playscripts seemed to dominate the agenda & I had a fun time working with community actors and Odd Productions Theatre Company to produce my short play, “First Steps,” as part of “Unveiled Secrets.” Together with Oliver Eade’s plays, the theme of four plays, four women, four secrets proved a great success, touring to sell-out audiences at the Eastgate Theatre, Peebles; MacArts, Galashiels; Carlops Village Hall and the County Hotel, Selkirk.

For me, it was a great privilege to sit behind the scenes and see how a play comes together in terms of rehearsals, props, costumes, re-writes, lighting and sound. It was a great experience, including the time I was roped in to be responsible for the lighting, which I thoroughly enjoyed! Thanks to all those who made the project possible and a great success.

As a founding member of Borders Pub Theatre I also found myself writing 10 minute playscripts for events in the County Hotel, Selkirk and Cornucopia, Hawick on the themes of “In the Beginning,” and “Take Two.” Watch out for a James Hogg themed Borders Pub Theatre coming to Duns PlayFest during the week of 2nd to 9th May 2020! Two of my scripts were performed, script-in-hand at the inaugural Duns PlayFest in 2019 – a week-long event of plays and everything to do with theatre!

All in all 2019 was a fun year of writing scripts and working with actors and directors. It was, for me, also a steep learning curve about theatre and the way it works!