Confessions and Rants

The Will o Janet Wishart

written and performed by Wendy Ivers
with music by Haworth Hodgkinson
directed by Gráinne Smith

Uncle Kenny

written by Cal Wallace
performed by Matthew Jupe
directed by Catriona McLeod

Callum McAllion's Voice

written by Haworth Hodgkinson
performed by Pauline de Koning
with music by Haworth Hodgkinson

This year wordfringe presents the debut of its new resident theatre company Wordfringe Festival Players in a programme of three short dramas.

The Will o Janet Wishart explores spiritual violence against women and gives voice to the thoughts of a mother condemned for alleged witchcraft in Aberdeen in 1596.

In Uncle Kenny an old friend settles a difference, and Callum McAllion's Voice takes us with its sole character Catherine on a journey from the confines of her flat to the edge of freedom.

Wendy Ivers is an established and acclaimed North-East comedian, compere and performance poet, and has been a finalist in several Aberdeen Poetry Slams. She has a PG Diploma in Community Education and a BSc Honours in Health Science and has researched, written and presented several informative, yet humorous, pieces on given topics or subjects for charity and community organisations.

Wendy was involved in researching, scripting and producing No Laughing Matter and Just for Laughs, documentaries about comedy in Aberdeen. She starred in The Torcher Parade Parody, a comedy made for Three Mobile's WePay Popularity Stakes, a national popularity contest she came third in.

Cal Wallace writes short stories, and is currently attempting a novel. He has been published in Issues 2 and 5 of Pushing Out the Boat. His short monologue Gully Molly, which appeared in The Lemon Tree programme, is being adapted to film by Dutch film maker Mark van Hugten.

Born in Lancashire and resident in North-East Scotland for twenty years, Haworth Hodgkinson is best known as a poet, but he also writes short stories and is involved in music and theatre.

His poetry has appeared in Storm, Pushing Out the Boat, The Broken Fiddle, Breaking New Ground, New Writing Scotland, Spinners and Spoons and Sex in the City, as well as on the Dead Good Poets and Spring Tides websites. His poetry chapbook A Weakness for Mermaids was published by Koo Press in March 2007.

Haworth Hodgkinson is the Founder and Director of wordfringe.

Matthew Jupe enjoyed dramatics from an early age. He took the lead in his first primary school play as the wicked wizard Willikins and was hooked. He played leading roles throughout his school life, winning a school award for drama and the Dolman Theatre Crafts Best Senior Actor Award in 1986. This lead to him producing, directing and acting in his sixth form play, Androcles and the Lion in 1987.

He returned to the stage, with critical acclaim in 2006, with his performance of another wicked wizard, Flesh Creep, in Attic Theatre Company's, Jack and the Beanstalk. Uncle Kenny is his first solo performance.

Writer of children's fiction and of poetry, Pauline de Koning this time shows a different aspect of her many talents, as an actress. Pauline is no newcomer to the theatre: she has filled many main parts in a variety of theatre shows, has directed a number of productions and has also been up in the technical box responsible for lights.

She is honoured to be given the chance to interpret Haworth's disturbing, dark piece Callum McAllion's Voice. And honestly... it's all an act!

Over a scary number of years, Gráinne Smith has written and directed plays and monologues, in English and Doric, on topics droll and dreadful, for ages eight to eighty.

Chanceshot, about the effects of current events on the fishing industry, gained 3rd place in 2005 SCDA 3-act playwriting competition; A Practical Man and Good Vibrations featured as part of Aberdeen Arts Carnivals. Currently writing Connections for the Aberdeen-Regensburg project, about ordinary folk when peace was declared in 1945.

Catriona McLeod has written two plays under the pen name Catriona Yule, one of which she is currently developing. Two Seconds and Kitten Heels have been given rehearsed readings at The Lemon Tree in 2003 and Aberdeen Arts Centre in 2005 respectively.

This is her first role as director.

Photo by Sally McIntosh

Promoted by

Wordfringe

Supported by

Aberdeen Arts Centre
Aberdeen City Council