Martins Bank Players (North Eastern)

MARTINS BANK PLAYERS (NORTH EASTERN)

Martins Bank Players (North Eastern) in: Ten Till Three by Victor H Vincent

Staged: 18 March 1937 at the Little Theatre Jesmond

1937 Ten Till Three - Sunderland Echo 19-03-37 BNA MBA As Martins Bank Magazine is not created until 1946, we have to rely on other evidence of the earlier productions of the Bank’s Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Societies. The earliest production by the North Eastern Players for which we have been able to find some kind of write up or review, is “Ten Till Three” which is marked by this short article in the local paper the Sunderland Echo on 19 March 1937. The play is staged at the Little Theatre in Jesmond. “Ten till Three” provides familiar territory for the actors, being written by a local author and set in the world of Banking. It runs for three nights, 18, 19 and 20 March 1937. The newspaper critique is succinct to say the least, but at least several members of the cast are singled out for high praise, with words such as “outstanding” and “best character acting”. Original programmes and tickets for these early productions by the North East Players have been turning up on internet auction sites. For those we are able to acquire, we will add images to our “Song and Dance” pages as and when we can.

Image © Northcliffe Media Limited - created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD - reproduced with kind permission of The British Newspaper Archive