The programme carried this piece about the Director, Betty Dawes
Betty’s dream of creating a Theatre Company began in early childhood with her passionate love of drama – she just lived and breathed theatre! Her opportunity to do this eventually emerged and The Wick was born.
Most of her dramatic rôles have been at Southwick – some of the leads affectionately remembered are as Emma in Sailor Beware, My Three Angels, and When We Are Married. She has also directed many productions including Anastasia and Wizard of Oz. She has performed in numerous County Productions touring professional theatre. Guested at Littlehampton in Under Milk Wood and attended many weekend courses at Lodge Hill.
Betty regards the Wick as her extended family and still regularly sees ex-members who were with her at the birth of The Wick. Since her daughter Amanda has been in professional theatre, Betty has worked in the wardrobe and been a dresser at New Sadlers Wells Theatre and with Regents Park Open Air Theatre touring Company.
Grand Opera is her other great love and since 1971 she has been very involved with Southwick Opera directing many productions including works from Verdi, Bizet and the highly successful Don Giovanni by Mozart in 1995. She is currently directing HMS Pinafore for Worthing Operatic Society to be staged at the Pier Pavilion in June and has also staged up-to-date performances of Gilbert & Sullivan at Southwick.
Betty is extremely proud to be President of The Wick and also Southwick Opera.
Publicity #1: It Runs in the Family
Publication: Shoreham Herald
Publication Data: March 7 1997 issue – page 1
Text Header: “Pulling a farce one”
Text: Content
WICK Theatre Company is tackling another farce by Ray Cooney – It Runs in the Family.
Go and find out what is Dr David Mortimore’s dark secret which has been hidden for 18 years. Who is Lesley? Why has St Andrew’s Hospital suddenly got three matrons? Did nurse Tate’s first husband fall in the Himalayas? Did she even have a first husband?
Find out the answers to these questions and many more at a performance of It Runs in the Family, directed by Ralph Dawes, who has gathered and experienced cast of Wick members together with three actors new to the Barn stage – Tony Brownings, Richard King and Ron Newman.
It Runs in the Family will be performed at Southwick Community Centre’s Barn Theatre from March 12 [Wednesday] until March 15 at 7.45pm. Box Office: [01273] 597094.
Review #1: It Runs in the Family
Publication: Shoreham Herald
Publication Data: March 21 1997 issue – page 15
Reviewer: Stephen Critchett
Text Header: “Wick stitched up their audience a treat”
Text: Content
PLAYGOERS at the Barn Theatre, Southwick, enjoyed a rib-tickling farce performed by Wick Theatre Company as part of their 49th season. It Runs in the Family, directed by Betty Dawes, was a hugely amusing production set against the backdrop of a hospital and had the audience in stitches most of the way through. The dreary set conveyed the doctors’ common-room setting well, the bottle of Scotch in the corner being tested regularly.
The cast performed in front of full houses at both weekend performances. The lively script by Ray Cooney was written around a happily married Dr David Mortimore {Tony Brownings], who was confronted with an old flame, former nurse Jane Tate, played by Margaret Faggetter. She dropped a bombshell just before he was to give an important speech in front of the junior health minister – their 18-year-old love-child was waiting in reception to meet her father for the first time.
Tony Brownings performed well in his rôle of the harassed doctor. One almost felt sorry for him at times as he tried time after time to pretend Lesley [Hannah Collis] was nothing to do with him. Hannah Collis, complete with spiky hair, loud mouth, Doc Martens, earrings and attitude, was utterly convincing in her rôle as anarchic teenager.
One of the most enjoyable characters in the production was wheel-chaired geriatric Bill, played by Ron Newman. He had the knack of saying the wrong thing at the right time, much to the displeasure of Dr Mortimore and the amusement of the audience.
The whole cast worked well together and had the desired effect of headless chicken throughout. Thank goodness the NHS isn’t really like this.
