One for the Road

Written by Harold Pinter
Directed by Wes Scully
Performed in Mill Theatre Studio, Bewley's Café Theatre and Manx Festival Jan and Feb 2008

Winner at Bray Festival & Manx Festival

Director Wes Scully took his cast and crew to the Isle of Man to compete in the Manx Amateur Drama Federation's Festival of One Act Plays. The festival took place at the Erin Arts Centre in Port Erin between Thursday 21 and Saturday 23 February 2008.

The Balally Players production was given five awards by the adjudicator, Mike Tilbury:

 

• Best Play
  
  
• Best Director
  
  
• Best Actor
  
  
• Best Lighting
  
  
• Best Dramatic Moment of Theatre

This was the first time that the festival had an 'off-Island' entry. The adjudicator, Mike Tilbury, was also making his first visit to the Isle of Man. The full schedule of plays performed during the week was as follows:

Thu 21 Feb: The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare, abridged by Tom Stoppard (youth entry), Manx National Youth Theatre; In by the Half by Jimmie Chinn, Arbory Players. Fri 22 Feb: Last Tango in Port Rushen by Davis Tristram, Rushen Players; That Old Black Magic by Andrea MacPhail, Service Players; Babysitting Calvin by John H. Newmeir, Service Players. Sat 23 Feb: One for the Road by Harold Pinter, Balally Players, Dublin; One Careful Owner by H. Connolly, Rushen Players.

Mike Tilbury, Adjudicator at Isle of Man Festival

Adjudicator Mike Tilbury has been actively involved in theatre all his life and divides his time between acting, directing and adjudicating. He is a Council Member (and past Chaiman) of the Guild of Adjudicators. He is currently chairman of the Drama Festivals Consortium.

The play also won awards at the One Act Festival in Bray, Co Wicklow on Saturday 26 January. 'One for the Road' won second place overall. Paul Sharpe won Best Supporting Actor, Anna O'Duffy received a Merit Award and Wes Scully was presented with the Adjudicator's Award for Direction.

Following their success in Bray, the team took the play to Bewley's Café Theatre, Grafton Street, Dublin on Friday 8 and Saturday 9 February. The intimate setting in Bewley's was ideal for this strong, intense drama, which presents a dark and persuasive account of psychological torture and how it is used. The cast was Bernard Doyle, Ciara O'Byrne, Paul Sharpe and Anna O'Duffy.

 

Harold Pinter wrote 'One for the Road' in 1984 after he met two "extremely attractive and intelligent young Turkish women" at a party, who seemed casually indifferent to the use of torture in their country.

The play presents a very strong, dark and persuasive account of psychological torture and how it is used as a tool of state repression. There is also a sense of loneliness around the man in control of the interrogation. He serves the state because he has nothing and nobody else in his life. In a sense, his victims are his only friends and he asks "Who would you rather be? You or me?".

One for the Road takes you right into the heart of one man's moral wasteland.

 

The play was also performed in the Mill_Theatre Studio on Thursday 17, Friday 18 and Saturday 19 January.