An amateur drama group that has been entertaining audiences in Kintyre and across the UK for seven decades has given its final performance.
Established in 1952, Dunaverty Players achieved great success over the past 70 years of Scottish Community Drama Association (SCDA) festivals, reaching the Scottish finals on no less than six occasions, representing Scotland at the British finals on two occasions and winning the British title in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, in 1993.
Now, citing several contributing factors, the Southend-based group’s committee has unanimously agreed to dissolve the club.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the end of an era of ‘the drama’ in Southend,” said Linda Brannigan on behalf of Dunaverty Players. “It was without doubt a huge part of life here – golf in summer, drama in winter.
“The group not only entered the ‘one act’ festival each year but resurrected the plays, with additions, to present summer shows in Dunaverty Hall, full length plays and our never-to-be-forgotten pantomimes.
“Many of us are getting a bit ‘long in the tooth’ and other circumstances have resulted in dwindling numbers, plus there was the loss of Southend Primary School and Scout group, with whom we jointly presented ‘A Night of Drama’ for a couple of years, then, of course, there was Covid, all of which contributed to this decision.”
The group’s final performance was at the SCDA’s Kintyre District Drama Festival in Campbeltown in 2019, when Elizabeth Barbour, David Barbour and Pat Healey acted out Mission to Planet Bob by Andrew Bawn.
Dunaverty Players began life in 1952 as the Southend WRI Dramatic Club, and was triumphant from the start, succeeding at the first attempt in winning the Kintyre district SCDA festival and the Argyll county festival.
The club’s early years were dominated by plays written and produced by renowned author Angus MacVicar.
Given the number of men involved both as actors and behind the scenes, the WRI’s general council decided that teams representing the women’s organisation must consist entirely of ladies so, in 1957, the Southend group changed its name to the Dunaverty Players.
Plays written by a variety of authors were produced by Mr MacVicar in the 1960s, with no fewer than three one act plays produced some years.
Summer shows became a great way of entertaining the seasonal visitors to Southend and gaining some financial help towards the cost of taking plays all over Scotland.
Alastair Maiden joined Mr MacVicar in producing plays in the 1970s, helping the club to win SCDA competitions at district, divisional and Scottish final levels, making it to the British finals in 1975.
The team did not win the British finals but all agreed it had been an honour and an experience not to be missed.
As well as the Maiden family, the 1970s saw a huge influx of members, including the Rattray family, the Lamont family, Mary Bowen and many more, who joined ‘old stagers’ including the McKerrals, the Taylors, the Barbours, the Fergusons, the Ronalds, the Buchanans, Margaret Cameron, Peggy Campbell and others who remained very active.
Mary Rattray joined Mr MacVicar and John McKerral as producers in the 1980s, and they were later joined by Geoffrey Horton and Ronnie Togneri, all of whom brought different approaches to the plays.
The 1990s saw a decline in numbers, however, it was also the decade of Dunaverty Players’ greatest success, competition-wise, with the club crowned Scottish champions in 1993, again making it to the British finals which, this time, they won!
At the turn of the century, with a smaller drama club, the Dunaverty Players members turned their hand to pantomime.
When the previous village hall was condemned, Dunaverty Players lost its rehearsal room, as well as its storage for props, scenery and costumes and the actors spent a number of years ‘resting’, before returning to perform locally until 2019.
Having been lucky enough to win through many stages of the SCDA competitions throughout their 70 years of presenting plays, those involved with Dunaverty Players not only had the opportunity to perform in theatres all over Scotland and the UK, but they also made many many friends along the way.