The Art of Coarse Acting

The first Coarse Acting championship at The Questors (or anywhere- else for that matter) was four years ago, during an all-day fund-raising festival called the Drop in. But the first full scale festival was in 1972 and as it proved very popular we are repeating it tonight.

Anyone who has seen a Coarse Acting Championship before will need no introduction. For the benefit of those to whom it may all be a mystery, here is a brief guide. The contest is based upon my book “The Art of Coarse Acting” in which a Coarse Actor is defined as ‘one who can remember the lines but not the order in which they come’, A Coarse Actor is not only incompetent but he tries to outshine the others, His spear is always a little higher than the rest, his walk a trifle more exaggerated, his make-up far more senile. Put them together and you have a Coarse Production. We even have them at Questors.

In the championship, teams compete in demonstrating various facets of the Art in short pieces of about a quarter of an hour. They may either write their own script or ruin someone else’s (preferably Shakespeare’s). But they must be Coarse and the result ought to be funny to win.

For tonight’s show we welcome back old friends in Rose Bruford College (a very impressive entry last time) and, of course, the Questors side who, billed as The Mike Langridge Anti-Theatre, won the 1ast championship and who still hold the unique trophy. We are also extremely pleased to see the Salisbury Playhouse team. Earlier this year Questors competed in a festival at Salisbury Playhouse organised by our former house-manager Denys Nelson, and we are happy to welcome the winners of that competition, The Maskers of Southampton.

And finally a word of thanks to our adjudicator, Barry Took, the script writer and broadcaster, for so kindly coming along to judge the competition and to present the prizes.

Thank you one and all - and may the worst team win!

- Mike Green

ORDER OF PLAY

1. The Maskers, Southampton in Hamlet
2. Rose Bruford College in Snap, Crackle and Death or It’s All in the First by Robert Pugh
3. New College of Speech and Drama (as The Orb and Sceptre Masqueraders) in Women Beware Women by Thomas Middleton

INTERVAL

4. The Tower Theatre, Canonbury
5. Salisbury Playhouse (as Tenby Operatic & Dramatic Society, the T.O.A.D.S.) in The Seagull, after Chekhov – more or less.
6. The New Bunny Langridge Players (formerly Mike Langridgr Anti-Theatre) in A Collier’s Tuesday Tea by David Herbert Goldsworthy

After the final entry you are asked to remain seated for the adjudication and presentation of the World Coarse Acting Trophy by Barry Took.