Bothered & Bewildered

Greater Manchester Drama Federation

GMDF is recognised as one of the leading associations
representing amateur theatre in the North West of England.

GMDF’s affiliated network alone makes it one of the largest regional
organisations of its type and it’s Full Length Festival, is probably the largest drama
festival to be held in Europe. Festival entries are adjudicated by four adjudicators

throughout the season and their awards across various
categories of drama are announced at our prestigious Awards Evening

during the summer.

We also hold a long established, annual, high quality, week long,
One Act Play Festival which, this year, will be held at Players Theatre, Anfield Road,

Cheadle Hulme, Stockport SK8 5EX.
Details are on our website.

GMDF aims include:

• To provide a central organisation through which the membership can take
co-operative and concerted action in all matters which concern non-professional
theatre

• To involve and encourage at all times, in every facet of the theatre, the youth
drama movement in the Greater Manchester area

• To promote ‘live theatre’ to the general public, thus providing a cultural activity of
acknowledged value in this modern era of increased leisure time

www.gmdf.org

Chairman’s address

Good evening and welcome to another evening’s entertainment from Woodford
Players.

Tonight we present for your enjoyment a thought provoking play about a serious
subject which may well affect many of us, our friends and our families, if it has
not done so already.

“Bothered and Bewildered” was written by a local (Cheshire) playwright Gail
Young. She uses beautifully accurate observation and has written the play with
warmth, compassion and humour.

The play illustrates and faces up to the very real problems imposed upon a
family by dementia. It is a very difficult subject which has been approached
sympathetically and empathically by our director and actors.The story has twists
and turns and an element of the unexpected and I am sure that you will enjoy
and be intrigued by your evening with us.

As ever, we are always on the look out for new talent, both on and off stage so if
you are interested in joining us please feel free to ask any of our Front of House
staff or peruse our website www.woodfordplayers.co.uk

We are an award winning society and we look forward to presenting our one act
play “Sat Love” (which some of you will have seen) at the prestigious Greater
Manchester Drama Federation One Act Play Festival which is being held this
year at The Players Theatre in Cheadle Hulme during the first week in June, do
come and support us.

Now, please sit back and enjoy “Bothered And Bewildered”.

Dr Derek Snowdon
Chairman Woodford Players.

www.woodfordplayers.co.uk

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Barbara Cartland - (9th July 1901-21st May 2000)

Dame Barbara Cartland was a prolific and popular writer of
Romantic novels. Using a tried and tested formula, she tapped
into a popular demand for romantic novels, usually with women
ending up happily married to some chivalrous man. Outside
of writing she was a vivacious and outgoing personality, rarely
short of an opinion on any subject, She was also noted for her
dress sense which was nothing if not colourful.

She was born in Edgbaston, Birmingham in 1901. Her father
died during the First World War leaving the family in difficult circumstances. However
with her natural charm, beauty and energy she became a feature on the 1920s social
circle. She attracted many proposals of marriage (rumoured to be 49) before finally
accepting.Ironically her first marriage was not a success,ending in divorce six years
later. However, her second marriage to Alexander McCorquodale was successful and
she had two children through this marriage.

In the 1920s she took up position at the Daily Mail where she wrote a column on the
issues of the day. In 1923 she wrote her first novel “Jigsaw”. The success of this book
led to greater demand from publishers. She had found a formula for writing and could
dictate a new novel in a fortnight at the peak of her writing career. By the end of her life
she had written an estimated 723 books. Apart from a few, the majority of books were
based on a now old fashioned romantic vision of love. Her women were models of virtue
and her men had the old fashioned virtues of chivalry. Her writing did not endear her to
feminists or literary critics, but the popularity of her books could not be denied.

Yet her life was not all idealised romantic fantasies. She suffered great personal losses
in both the First and Second World Wars. Dame Barbara Cartland became a national
treasure. To some perhaps a caricature of past times, to some a figure of fun, but in
becoming one of the top selling authors of all time she made sure she had the last
laugh.

About the author - Gail Young

Born in Liverpool, Gail left at eighteen months old and had moved around the world by
her early teens. The family then moved back to the North West of England, and Gail has
since lived in Cheshire for most of her life.

She had a professional career in Human Resources and Training, but took a career
break in 2006 to take her first full length and now internationally acclaimed play
`Cheshire Cats’ to the Edinburgh Fringe with her local am dram group Guilden Sutton
Players. It was a ‘Fringe Sell Out Show 2006’, and the play was published by Samuel
French in 2011. Gail has continued to write for the stage ever since.

Her second full-length comedy/drama, ‘Bothered and Bewildered’, focuses on the
problems faced by a family living with dementia. The play premiered as a Tip Top
Production to sell out audiences at the Forum Studio Theatre in Chester in October
2014, was published by Samuel French in the spring of 2015, and is now being
performed by various groups up and down the UK and abroad.

Bothered & Bewildered Cast

Carol Ackers- Irene
Carol has appeared on the Woodford stage many times, in a
variety of roles, her most recent being that of Dorothy Nettles in “A
Bunch of Amateurs” for which she received a NODA Nomination for
Best Actress In A Drama. She has been directed by Sue Mooney
in “Calendar Girls”, “Stepping Out” and The Farndale Afternoon
Townswomens Guild Murder Mystery, but this is the first time she
has performed alongside her and she would like to thank Sue for
her encouragement and guidance with this challenging role. Carol
is delighted to be working with friends old and new in this moving,
tender and beautiful play.

Sylvia Arnold - Louise
I have had the pleasure of performing with Woodford Players in
several of their productions. Most recently have appeared in
“ A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Romeo & Juliet” with
Feelgood Theatre Company. I hope you enjoy Bothered and
Bewildered, a play that I personally find very moving yet
humorous, with a very important and serious issue at its heart.

Catherine Eaton - Beth
Catherine has performed in a number of plays with Woodford
Players, including ‘Gaslight’, ‘Outside Edge’ ‘The Titfield
Thunderbolt’ and ‘Seasons Greetings’ as well as special charity
events at Woodford where she performed in ‘Shirley Valentine’
and more recently, ‘The Vagina Monologues’. Catherine says
that preparing to play Beth has been an eye opening and
emotional experience which has been deeply moving for all the
cast and given us all new insights into the reality of dementia, for
all the family.

Sue Mooney - Barbara Cartland
Having directed and acted in over 95 productions this is the first
production that I have acted in and directed at the same time. I
loved this play from the minute I first read it and I am delighted
that Woodford Players took up the gauntlet and agreed to include
it in their season’s programme.
The greatest joy for me after so many years playing strange old
women particularly Miss Shepherd in Lady in the Van, is that I
actually get to wear a “posh frock”, even though the character is
still a strange old woman!

Bothered & Bewildered Cast

John Lomax - NHS Consultant
Bothered and Bewildered marks John’s acting return to the
Woodford stage since November 2017 when he played Alan
Bennett in ‘The Lady on the Van’. Since that production John
has directed ‘A Bunch of Amateurs’ and ‘Chinamen’ for Woodford
Players and ‘Party Pieces’ and ‘Barefoot in the Park’ for Poynton
Players. He is delighted therefore to be able to take a back seat
in this production away from the trials and challenges of directing.

Tom Dawson - Dr Johnson and Community Police Officer
Tom has played a variety of roles over the years, he went Mad
as King George in “The Madness of George III” then he spent
years chained to radiator in “Someone to Watch Over Me”. Next
was a spell (for an awful long time) propping up the bar until he
bought the railway in the “Titfield Thunderbolt” and now he has to
become a PCSO with the patience of a Saint.
Tom also helps to build the sets at Woodford and generally gets
under everyone’s feet.

Nikki Lees - Shelley and Young Irene
Although Nikki has provided backstage support over the last few
years, “Bothered and Bewildered” sees Nikki make a welcome
return to the boards after a six year break. Her last stage
performance was as Celia in Calendar Girls for which she was
nominated best supporting actress. She has thoroughly enjoyed
the challenge of playing both Irene in her younger days and her
young grandaugfhter.

Ethan Wade - James and Jim
A newcomer to Woodford’s stage Ethan started acting locally at a
drama / dance/music club in Gatley called Y Dn’t U. This lead to a
for amateur dramatics and he subsequently acted in both
musicals and plays throughout his education appearing in roles
from Disco Inferno to leading male as Link in Hairspray. He
developed his passion for performing with Stockport Operatic
Society in My Fair Lady, Half a Sixpence, Me & My Girl and Chitty
Chitty Bang Bang with Romiley Operatic Society. He has often
been in ensemble or small roles in his adult career, so can’t wait
to be part of the emotional rollercoaster as James and Jim.

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Synopsis of Scenes - Set in 2001, the action of the play takes place variously between a
NHS Consulting Room, Irene’s living room, Louise’s living room and flashbacks from
Irene’s memory.

Bothered & Bewildered Cast

Irene Carol Ackers
Louise Sylvia Arnold

Beth Catherine Eaton
Barbara Cartland Sue Mooney

NHS Consultant John Lomax
Dr Johnson & PCSO Tom Dawson
Shelley and Young Irene Nikki Lees

James and Jim Ethan Wade

Production Team

Director Sue Mooney
Trevor Mckelvey
Technical Director & Lighting Graham Scurfield
Design

Sound Engineer

Stage Manager Derek Snowdon

Continuity Heather Braddock

Set Design, Set Construction Sue Mooney, Tom Dawson,
Team and Stage Crew Derek Snowdon,
Derek Manton, Wilson Young
Properties James Cawley, Graham
Scurfield

Pat and Derek Snowdon

Wardrobe Jude Craig

Programme and Publicity Tom Dawson and Jude Craig

Photography Derek Manton

Front of House Graham Ackers and Team

Refreshments Woodford Players members

Director’s Notes

This modern play came to be written because of situations
experienced by the author when, in her own family,
dementia and the changes it brings to a loved one became
part of her life.

The play has been crafted with great care, feeling and
humour showing the lighter side of an undoubtedly serious
subject. Irene, assisted by her favourite author, Barbara
Cartland, seen only by her (Irene) and you the audience,
delves into the complete story of her life which has
remained hidden for many, many years.

We trust we have done justice to the playwright’s intentions and that we have
performed this very difficult and complex subject with honesty and integrity.

Best wishes
Sue Mooney

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