12 Aug 2024
St Albans Times Theatre reviewer Deborah Heath has had a great summer experiencing the best that the district has to offer, but she recently went a bit further afield to see some of her own writing. She popped up to the Edinburgh Fringe for the day to see her short play ‘Gnome Anne’s Land’, which forms part of the Big Bite-Size Breakfast Show.
“I was thrilled to be selected for this programme of new plays. There were over 400 submissions and only 16 scripts chosen so it wasn’t easy,” Deborah explains.
Gnome Anne’s Land is a short workplace comedy about a group of garden gnomes who are mysteriously disappearing.
“I had some very local inspiration from a St Albans front garden which will remain gnomeless!”
The play has had three different productions this summer from the Luton Homegrown Festival to St Albans’ own Abbey Theatre New Writing Festival.
“I’ve been so lucky to have my work realised by some great actors and directors. I also feel very supported by my fellow playwrights at the Company of Ten Writers group. I think the play has appealed because it is easy to stage and is inclusive featuring non gender/race specific characters.”
Earlier this year, Deborah co-scripted a new play with director Catherine Lomax which was staged at the Barn Theatre Welwyn as part of the Welwyn Drama Festival. ‘Fabulous at 30’ is a play about a group of disgraced drivers at a speed awareness course.
However, this was a devised rather than a traditionally written show. The Feelgood Factor, the adult group from Best Theatre Arts, came up with the show’s concept after workshopping their characters in long form improvisations.
“All Catherine and I really had to do was give it structure because the amazing cast had done such a good job. I enjoyed the challenge of writing in this way – it made a change. It was also tremendous fun to work with the cast. We laughed a lot and only a few of us had experienced speed awareness first hand!
“My background as a playwright is invaluable to me as a theatre reviewer,” explains Deborah, “It makes me very open to companies who experiment with new approaches to storytelling.
“For instance, I have been really enjoying the use of audience participation and improvisation in many of the shows at this year’s Roman Theatre Festival. The flip side to being both a reviewer and playwright is that I am very critical of my own work and probably spend too long deliberating over it.”
Deborah is currently busy adapting a historical tale for the stage: “I get very excited by social history – it’s how people lived that interests me above battles and dates. My first published play, ‘The Shelter Secrets’, was an adventure story about four 12-year-olds during WWII and how it impacted on their burgeoning imaginations.
“I have also visited many different time periods through musicals I have written for local schools, including Roman times of course, plus the Fire of London and one involving time travel that goes across the whole history of Christmas! Whilst I love both writing and working with children, however, I am currently writing for an adult cast, not least because it lets me get a bit spookier.”
Debbie wasn’t the only St Albans talent involved in the Fringe. Despite the fleeting nature of her visit she found time to see ‘The Last Laugh’ which debuted in Harpenden last month, and even had a chance to catch upbriefly with star and local panto legend Bob Golding afterwards.
So did she really make it to Edinburgh and back in a day? “Yes, it’s definitely possible, although it was a very long day. As my play was on at breakfast we had to start at 4am and didn’t make it home again until nearly 19 hours later, but on the plus side I managed to see seven different plays whilst I was up there, and I got a free croissant!”
To book tickets to see “Gnome Anne’s Land” which is in Menu 1, click here:
https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/big-bite-size-breakfast-show
Main photo: Viewpoint Pictures
