Final words from our Adjudicator, Robert Meadows

It was an honour and a privilege to be the adjudicator for the 65th Isle of Man Easter Festival of Full Length Plays. What a week! And with such a range of theatre to feast upon! We had works from two leading contemporary Irish playwrights, a new adaptation of ‘Frankenstein’ married to an original take on the life of its creator, Mary Shelley, an ‘In Yer Face’ farce, an original play, one particularly touching monologue and a modern take on the wives of Henry VIII. The choices provoked lively discussions amongst members of the audience which is what one would hope for at any theatre festival.

We were treated to many stand-out performances as well as some outstanding examples of stage presentation and stagecraft throughout the week. The groups certainly did not make my life easy when it came to making those final decisions.

An additional delight when adjudicating on the Isle of Man comes in the form of seeing the work of the Young Actors. There were eight very worthy finalists who demonstrated their ability to present extracts from musical theatre as well as performing modern monologues. The standard of all was first class and, again, it was a nightmare to decide upon the winner.

A further pleasure was in meeting the Friends of the Festival as well as past and present committee members and officers throughout the week and at the Easter Monday luncheon.  

Finally the support given to the groups – as well as to me in my role as adjudicator – was first class. All involved went about the business of making the festival a success with a real sense of enjoyment as well as being totally committed.

It was a very memorable festival for me.  And not just for making my arrival for the last adjudication through the trap door of the stage! Congratulations and good wishes for the future.

  • Robert Meadows, GoDA

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