Message through drama

Drama can be extraordinarily powerful. The ITV programme Mr Bates vs The Post Office showed how telling a story through character and emotion engages in a way that other media is not necessarily able to do. King Henry VIII of England is well known through literary works such as Robert Bolt’s A Man for All Seasons and Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall. But what of his six wives? With an adroit performance of Stephanie Easton’s A Wife for All Reasons, the Amateur Players of Sherborne suggested their possible thoughts and feelings: https://www.aps-sherborne.co.uk/last-production.html. That victims can still love their oppressors is a curious trait: despite torture, ‘[Winston Smith] had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother.’ For this subtle and moving drama, I was delighted to help alongside front of house. A finer studio theatre would be hard to find.