Return to Albion by The Company (2008)

Opening Night : August 28th 2008

Venue : Aberystwyth Arts Centre (studio)

Company



Lucas (first night only)	Aiman Awad
Vic Burrows, Marellus, Jim	David Blumfield
Annie Burrows	Lindsay Blumfield
Alice, Jackie	Susan Chapman
Mr Hapenstall, Mr Johnson, Bryn, Idris	John Daniel Edwards
The Amazing Barry	Jim Finnis
Hitch Hiker, Pilgrim in a Strange Land	Huw Fox
Samuel, Sam, Sammy, Ben	Matt Fullwood
Margot, Becky, Graceless Grace	Sarah Mair Gates
Valerie	Heather Giles
The Busker	Ian Gledhill
"Cyril" Hapenstall, Kayleigh	Catrin Fflûr Huws
Samantha	Shelley Iles
Lily Cooper, Mary Davies, Frances Pilkington-Lacey	Norma Izon
Pvt. James Harper	Nick Martin
Station Announcer	Julie McNicholls
Nel	Corina Vermeer

Director	David Blumfield
Sound Design	David Blumfield
Original Music	John Daniel Edwards
Assistant Director	Sarah Mair Gates
Original Music	Ian Gledhill
Stage Manager	Shelley Iles
Original Music	Norma Izon
Original Music	Rhys Kelly
Set Design	Peter Lochery

Script Consultant	Anne Hayes
Script Consultant	Rhys Kelly
Script Consultant (Station Announcer's Monologue)	Paddy Cooper

Notes on the Play

Return to Albion is set on a fictional railway station somewhere in the middle of England, between 1892 and 2008.

Have you ever sat on a train and wondered what was going on the the person's life who was sitting opposite you? You may well have done the same thing in a station bar. You may hear snapshots of their conversation. Essentially, they are a strange who you will never see again. Much of Return to Albion puts you, the audience, into that kind of situation. You will see many characters this evening, yet you will only get snapshots of their lives. In some caes, you will get clues about where they have come from and where may be going, but much of the time you are free to decide what might happen to them next.

Indeed, a railway station can tell many stories but only based on the "brief encounter" (really sorry about that) it has with its visitors. So, if you have made up stories about the tall guy with a laptop, eating a BLT on a Pendolino bound for Liverpool Lime Street, then you can do the same with the people you encounter tonight. Therefore, we deliberately don't give you all the pieces to the jigsaw!

Return to Albion has been an interesting experiment for the company. I came up with the original idea and the cast created characters, biographies and scenarios. The timeline spans 106 years but the place is always the same. Some characters are constant throughout. Cyril is a semi-narrator and the busker appears as the same character throughout but in different ages.

Working on this piece has been a fascinating experience and I am happy to state that as I am from a railway family, I have finally directed a play set on a railway station!

Finally, many thanks to Rhys and Anne who weren't able to perform but have made a big contribution to the script.

- David Blumfield, August 2008.

Reviews

Review by : Paddy Cooper (Theatre in Wales)

...Return to Albion is a new departure, an interesting departure and though perhaps not Castaway’s finest production overall, worthy of a place on the honour roll nonetheless. Congratulations to all involved.

Full text at http://www.theatre-wales.co.uk/reviews/reviews_details.asp?offset=75&reviewID=1938

Gallery


Susan Chapman and Corina Vermeer	Ian Gledhill	Norma Izon	Catrin Huws

Lindsay Blumfield	John Daniel Edwards	Huw Fox	Nick Martin

Heather Giles	Aiman Awad	Matt Fullwood	Ian and Norma

Matt Fullwood	Matt Fullwood	Matt Fullwood	David Blumfield

Gallery Pages:
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