^{GREENOCK ARTS GUILD FEBRUARY}

' Essential Scottish Opera'

Every year Scottish Opera takes to the road with four singers, a pianist and a stage manager to bring a concert programme of popular opera highlights to our doorsteps.
Now is the tenth year, Essential Scottish Opera has brought world class opera to over 25,000 people in 117 communities across Scotland.
The programme will feature an exciting mix of much-loved arias, duets and ensembles as the company continues to showcase the best young operatic talent.
This performance will surely prove to you how much real drama can be created with the right blend of four singers, a pianist and a set of screens.

' The Arabian Adventure'

Join The Happy Gang in their dusty attic as Spatz, Nicky and Mr P search for costumes for their latest show. In amongst the junk, they find an old lunch box, and as they dust it down an amazing Genie appears!. He's not happy because a sorceress has stolen his magic powers, and plans to turn the whole world into a desert.
The Sun is fun and the sand is grand, but we'd all miss the rain and flowers, so the Happy Gang agree to help! Prepare for a thrilling magic carpet ride as the Happy Gang meet a sad snake who's lost his rattle and a snowman who's a long way from home, as they search for the sorceress.
Look out for devious disguises, sensational songs and a dopey donkey in a captivating singalong adventure for children up to nine... and grown-ups too! Sand-tastic fun guaranteed!

' Men Should Weep'

Kayos Theatre Co. present Ena Lamont Stewart's searing drama of life in the Glasgow slums of the 30's and 40's. Pathos and black humour laced with the tragedy of the poverty of the time combine to make this a must see play.
The second part of the night the company present their new concert, with songs such as "Waterloo Sunset", "Stay", "Somewhere over the Rainbow", "I don't want a lover" combined with songs from West End Shows. "Boi Doi" from Miss Saigon and "Bring him Home" from "Phantom of the Opera" to name but two.

' SCDA One Act Play Festival'
Bring some local drama into your life...

The annual one act play festival will begin on Thursday 21st February and run for three consecutive nights. The festival will show eight different plays during these three nights -three per night, two on Saturday all competing to represent the district in the next round and hopefully reaching the ultimate goal -- to represent Scotland in the British finals in June. The quality this year is sure to be exceptionally high as usual, with our local talent showing us what acting is really about!

Adjudicator - TBA

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THURSDAY 21st

• George Square Players present Mozart Man
  A play by Tony Powell
  Play details will be posted when received!!
  
• PACT Productions(youth) present The Dot Com Date
  by Danny McCahon
  "Dot com date" was conceived out of improvisation workshops by the cast and written by local television writer, Danny McCahon (Taggart, London's Burning, Casualty, The Bill).
  It is a hilarious comedy on the very serious subject of teenagers and internet chatrooms.
  Anyone can go on a chatroom and claim to be a teenager, no matter what their age.
  This is obviously quite a worrying problem and this play looks at the mechanics and the consequences of teenagers talking to strangers on the net.
  
  
• Greenock Players (Newark) present Ritual For Dolls
  by George MacEwan Green
  A golliwog, a toy soldier, a doll and a monkey with a drum lie forgotten in an attic. Each night they enact the story of the brother and sister who owned them long ago - a story that bursts with violence through the strait lacing of Victorian society. This Brilliant play by an author who has been described as he best new writer to emerge since James Saunders, won the New Play Award at the NUS Drama Festival in 1969.

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FRIDAY 22nd

• Greenock Players (Finnart) present Gizmo
  A play by Alan Ayckbourn
  Ben suffers from a little-known condition of post-traumatic paralysis, brought on by a cold-blooded shooting he witnessed in a bar where he used to work. Doctors at a research hospital have developed an advanced new device, a ‘wrist-watch’ named GIZMO. When worn, the device works with a microchip implanted in Ben’s brain to help him walk by exactly mimicking the movements of the GIZMO wearer. When Ben persuades his nurse Ted to take him for a walk in the park, and they are set upon by a gang of muggers, Gizmo and Ben with it, fall into the hands of some seriously dangerous people. One of them is Lando, a hit man, who thinks he know Ben from somewhere. When the penny drops and Ben finds his life in danger, he will need all his will power to start moving under his own steam again.
  
• Pool Theatre Company 'A' present One Sided Triangle
  A play by Stephen Smith
  In northern Thailand, a region of enchantment and vice, Mike and Brian are waiting for Sarah. She is to bring a new passport for Mike to escape the country. But as soon as Mike has the passport, he seems reluctant to leave- and even more reluctant to pay. Instead, he wants Brian to courier heroin for him to London. Brian needs the financial reward offered, but his flight would go through Singapore where the death sentence awaits those who are caught. Sarah urges him not to accept. Brian goes for a walk to think over his decision. During his absence, the true nature of the game is revealed, and the ending is sad and profound, its implications set to reverberate long after Brian's fate becomes known.
  
• George Square Players (Brisbane) present Mental
  A play by Joe Brand & Helen Griffin
  Play details will be posted when received!!
  

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SATURDAY 23rd

• Greenock Players (Youth Team) present CageBirds
  A play by David Campton
  The Cagebirds is a play for eight women. Birds in a cage live, each totally absorbed in her own particular characteristics. When the Wild One is introduced into their midst by the Mistress in charge of them, she endeavours to persuade them to break out from their self-imposed dependence and imprisonment into the wider world outside- but her efforts result only in her own destruction at their hands
  
  
• Pool Theatre Company 'B' present Growing Pains
  a play by Ian Armstrong Frank and Mary Shaw have a child after twelve years of interesting but unfulfilled marriage. Through their poignant soliloquies, and scenes replayed from Andrew's their son's formative years, it is revealed how he becomes the centre of their separate worlds. Without wanting to leave Mary, it suits Frank to have a long running affair. When Mary finds out she smothers her own hurt so that Andrew remains emotionally secure. At seventeen, Andrew is fatally injured in a motorcycle accident. The world has ended for Mary and Frank, unless they can come together and draw strength and comfort from each other.
  
  
  

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  SCDA RESULTS
  
  
  1st
  2nd
  3rd
  Ray Lynn Craig Trophy --
  Bob Richardson Trophy --
  
  
  
  The Arts Guild would like to wish take this opportunity to wish both teams success in the next round.