North Essex Theatre Guild
Full Length Drama Festival
Dovercourt Theatre Group
Confusions By Alan Ayckbourn
3rd December 2025

I have not been to Dovercourt Theatre Group before and had my companion not done thorough research beforehand, I suspect I would have struggled to find it. Tucked away on a small industrial estate, going through the unassuming doorway into the studio was an unexpectedly magical experience akin to the theatrical equivalent of entering Narnia. The studio was very well laid out with tiered seating (as a tall person, I appreciate this as I worry I am obscuring the view of the person behind otherwise) looking out at a floor-level acting area. We were made to feel very welcome by the front of house team and shown to our seats. The space within the studio has been used very efficiently and with good effect to create a comfortable and intimate atmosphere, giving all the audience a good view of the stage.

The programme was functional, giving us the expected list of cast and crew. It also set the scene for each of the five plays, which was very useful. It would have been nice to have had some biographies and information about the group, although we were given all the essential information.

The show was made up of five short plays all connected by some reoccurring characters, presenting us scenes such as two couples having dinner in a restaurant, a shambolic village fete, and five individuals sitting on park benches. In typical Ayckbourn style, we are invited to consider the human condition and interaction between people in modern society through a mix of poignancy and absurdity.

The setting could have been challenging in a potentially restrictive and limited space. Rather than using a set per se, the locations of each of the plays was suggested by furniture and dressing. This worked well and allowed for quick scene changes which were on the whole fairly slick. The furniture used was appropriate and sufficiently indicated the setting of each play.

Lighting was used very effectively to transport us into each location, which is more impressive when considering the limitations of the size of the studio. My companion and I both enjoyed the softer lighting in the park scene particularly, and the cross fade to light Harry on the telephone covering the first scene change was also effective. I also enjoyed the lighting strip at the back of the stage that provided working light for the scene changes and a bit of ambience throughout the scenes themselves.
Sound was used effectively to help set the scene. We enjoyed the background chatter in the restaurant scene and my companion particularly liked the muzak in "Drinking Companion", commenting that the annoying level of bland music matched the behaviour of Harry. A minor quibble: the telephone sound effect was that of a rotary phone, which did not match the digital landline phone used as a prop onstage. It would have been good to have some music to cover the scene change between the first two plays, also, although we did get this for the other changes. The sound effects were well timed, as well.

Hairstyles and make-up were fitting for each character in an appropriate and unintrusive fashion.

Costumes were a challenge as there were many different characters who were a variety of social standings and in very different settings. The costumes had a timeless look about them which suited the ambiguity of the setting. My companion observed each character had a different look, which were a good match to the performances. Specific roles were made evident, such as the vicar, the waitress and the scoutmaster (although as an ex-scout I was a little unsure of his neckerchief).
Props were another challenge due to volume. It must have been a mammoth task to source all the different props needed for the very different settings of the five plays. The huge variety of props, from children's toys to a tea earn, were put to good use. I wasn't sure about the mobile phone used as a prop in "Between Mouthfuls", as this raised questions about the ambiguity of the period the plays were set in and didn't sit well with the script. Food is always a challenge, and although it wasn't quite high-end restaurant presentation (the solitary chicken breast on the plate did look a bit lonely), it is nice to see the cast presented with something edible! The set dressing worked really well in helping transport us to each scene.

Sara has a lovely stage presence and a very watchable quality. She presented us with three very different characters, showing an entertaining level of authority as Lucy and a good level of innocence and almost-naivety as Milly. Her portrayal of the very-cynical Bernice was a highlight. Each character was well-defined from the last. A varied and enjoyable performance. Liz gave us a good performance of her two characters. Rosemary's reduction to a child-like state under the instruction of Lucy was done to great comic effect and she held herself with the requisite mix of authority and exasperation as Mrs Cllr. Pearce. Greg had the most roles to play and largest variety of characters. Greg had some great vocal-work on display and gave all his characters distinctive voices which fitted each of them very well. Greg could have benefited from varying the physicality of each character to have really defined them. My companion particularly enjoyed his vicar, whilst I thought Greg's delivery of Arthur’s long, rambling monologue gave him real colour and set the scene for the final play perfectly. Rob's portrayal of Harry in particular was excellent. Watching this sad and obnoxious character get steadily more drunk and desperate as the scene progressed was a perfect example of what you expect from an Ayckbourn play: it was awkward, uncomfortable and very funny! Acting drunk convincingly is not easy, and Rob succeeded perfectly. His delivery of dialogue for all three characters was naturalistic, making them all believable. Rob gave us three very realistic and watchable performances. For Katie's age, she portrayed three different adults very convincingly. I would never have guessed that this was her first show, or how young she is! Well done indeed. Personally, I felt the monologue in "A Talk in the Park" needed more gravitas giving the subject of domestic abuse and was perhaps a bit too flippantly delivered (although this may have been more down to direction). However, my companion did not share this opinion and marked this as a highlight of the performance, considering Katie's age. I do enjoy someone who can deliver an understated performance, particularly in amongst a number of larger-than-life characters. Katherine's performance as the waitress is a great example of this, proving sometimes less is indeed more. This approach helped create sympathy for her but crucially highlighted the absurdity of the other characters in the scene. Katherine kept this low-key approach for Doreen which suited the character. Dialogue delivery could have been a little louder (this can be said of some of the other actors as well). An unselfish and effective performance. Jake showed us three different and defined characters. He has a wonderfully expressive face, which he put to good use when reacting to Doreen's monologue in the final play. His portrayal of Stewart was also very funny, with some great comic timing in his line (and song!) delivery.

As we have mentioned above, the space at the theatre is intimate and could have been restrictive. Chrissie did not let this become a problem and used it to good effect. The minimal set made the space flexible and maximised the acting area. The vast majority of the blocking worked well and only very occasionally did the actors get in each other's way. This is notable as there was often five people onstage manoeuvring around furniture, so could have been much more awkward. Both my companion and I felt the pacing should have been a little tighter in places, particularly in the switches between the couples' discussions in "Between Mouthfuls", but this may have been a result of us watching on the first night. Overall, this was a great use of a studio space that resulted in us as the audience really feeling like we were sitting with the characters and observing their lives.

Will Parrick – Adjudicator

Confusions, by Alan Ayckbourn
Director Chrissie Donegan

Performed at the Dovercourt Theatre Studio, Dovercourt on Thursday 4th December at 7.30pm.

I was warmly welcomed on arrival and was able to discuss the performance at the end with the Director, Chrissie Donegan and most of the cast. I had not seen this work by Alan Ayckbourn before and it was an unusual offering from this society. It consisted of five individual one act plays with each play connected to the next one through one of the characters until the final play. The same group of actors played different roles in more than one play.

The set, designed and built by the society was bare and minimal with props, mainly table, chairs and settee being moved on and off stage as needed. Costumes were appropriate to the characters Sound levels were good with the cast being heard clearly and all actors projecting well. Good use of lighting enhanced the set.
The different roles and situations in each play required the actors to rapidly switch characters which often entailed a costume change and this small and talented society rose to the challenge remarkably well. The pace at times was frantic and to, the actors' credit all went well!

Three actors only in this first play, Sara Talbot-Ashby as Lucy, Liz McLeod as Rosemary and Greg McDowell as Terry, Rosemary's husband. It was fascinating to observe the dynamics here with a seeming role reversal as Sara changed from neurotic mother to a domineering neighbour treating Rosemary and Terry as children. There was plenty of humour here with chauvinist Terry forced to drink milk from a baby's bottle!

Four actors in this play with Rob Porter as Harry the drunken salesman away from home, flirting unsuccessfully with Katie Wallace, as Paula and Sara Talbot-Ashby as Bernice, two friends receiving the unwelcome attentions of Rob. Katherine Johnson was the waitress with wonderful facial expressions revealing her views of the situation. Good acting here.

This play was probably the most demanding of the five plays with Katherine Johnson as a waitress again, Greg McDowell and Liz McLeod as Mr and Mrs Pearce and Jake Clover and Katie Wallace as Martin and Polly. Two couples with deep seated issues bubbling to the surface! First class acting here with the couples seated at separate tables taking it in turn to talk and mime simultaneously. Not easy to achieve and split second timing was essential. Katherine's expressions told the audience exactly what she thought of the situation!

This play was farcical and hilarious. Could anything else go wrong? Rob Porter was Gosforth, a bumptious know-it-all publican with Sara Talbot-Ashby as Milly, Liz McLeod as Mrs Pearce again, Greg McDowell as the rather hapless Vicar and Jake Clover as the drunk Scout Leader. The fete was a total disaster ending with Mrs Pearce being electrocuted by the PA system.

The final play involved five characters all trying to talk with the next person on the bench but not willing to listen to others concerns. Arthur,( Greg McDowell,) Beryl, (Katie Wallace,) Charles, (Rob Porter,) Doreen, (Katherine Johnson) and Ernest, (Jake Clover), all brought out common themes of loneliness and relationship issues.

This was a challenging production demanding versatile and talented actors and all performed extremely well. Congratulations to Director Chrissie Donegan for bringing this to life and well done to everyone involved in any way. Your audience enjoyed the humour and farce and appreciated the underlying sentiments.

Hazel Hole MBE
Regional Representative
NODA East
District 11