Special   Presentation  for   the   Adelaide   Fringe   Festival  2004

“A Touch of Dickens”
An  adaptation  by
John  G.  Sands
Assisted  by  Ric  Mepsted
Directed  by  Harold  Minear

Season
Week I:
St Jude’s Hall, 444 Brighton Road, Brighton 4–6 March 2004

Week 2:
Promethean Theatre, 116 Grote Street, Adelaide  9–13 March 2004

We were pleased to present a production for the Adelaide Fringe 2004, the John G. Sands’ original masterpiece A Touch of Dickens.  The characters of Charles Dickens came to life before your eyes, an extraordinary show by an extraordinary man of theatre.

John has been long association with St. Jude’s Players with performances in Night Watch, Waiting in the Wings, And A Nightingale Sang and The Sunshine Boys.  In addition he is always there with a helping hand for all the Players’ productions. 

John was an original cast member of the RAF Gang Show, which toured the world during World War II.  His began his theatrical career as a teenage tap dancer, touring the top theatres of the UK and subsequently appearing in many live television broadcasts. John appeared with the English Repertory Theatre Company in Devon and later opened his own theatre in London.  Then followed a series of tours with Tod Slaughter and Jenny Lynde in Sweeny Todd and Mariah Martin in the Red Barn, followed by a stint with Cecil Gray’s Court Players, a summer season with the Frances Yates Company in Kent, and an extended season with the Richmond Players.

After emigrating to Adelaide in the 1970s, John performed in several radio plays for the ABC, featured in television commercials, and appeared in the recent film Tish directed by John Howard.  Noteworthy was his appearance in Shakespeare’s Tempest during the 1998 Adelaide Fringe.

Last year John was runner up in the Messenger Press Light Year 2003 Awards for his narration of Royal Hunt for the Sun with Opus Performing Arts.  He was also nominated for the prestigious Adelaide Critics Circle Award for Best Actor for the same role.

Since 2000 John has produced his own one-man show featuring original adaptations of Charles Dickens’ novels, entitled A Touch of Dickens, in 2004 a part of the official Adelaide Fringe program.

Production  Credits
Stage Manager: Louise Illingworth assisted by Pat Illingworth
Sound & Lighting: Alan Bell, Rob Zibell, Robert Aust
Wigs: Kathryn Stevens
Costumes: Isabella Norton
Properties: Sybil Woollard
Set Construction: Pat Illingworth, Greg Barratt
Marketing:  Christel Mex
Front of House:  Tarlee Dack, Rosie Aust
Opening Night:  Vicky Wray, Judy Nimmo, Meredith Harvey, Judy Menz, Andrew Horwood, Greg Barratt
Signs:  Bill Jolley
Publicity:  Sandra Preston
Fringe Parade:  Jemima Nicholas, Imogen Nicholas,  Christel Mex, Diana Mepsted, Vicky Wray, Judy Nimmo, Teresa Zetlein, Mark Nicholas, Andrew Horwood, Les Zetlein, Greg Barratt, Sandra Preston.
Acknowledgements:
Deirdre  Minear     
Scats
Rare  Old  Times  453  Brighton  Road  Brighton

Reviews

A TOUCH OF DICKENS: St Jude's Players

THIS is a performance of dramatic moments from the novels of Charles Dickens: Bill Sykes murdering Nancy, Scrooge having a change of heart, the death of Little Nell, and other well-known scenes.

John G. Sands, the "one man" in this one-man show, was in a theatre company that toured the world entertaining the troops during World War II.

He is still fit enough to perform energetically on stage for nearly two hours - but maybe the script would work   better if it were performed a bit less energetically.

Sands chooses the acting style of the vigorously melodramatic kind known as "ranting" which was popular in  Dickens' own day, but which often makes it hard to hear what's actually being said.

Dickens' stories and characters are so dramatic and so memorable in themselves that simply reading them aloud can make good theatre.

Those who attended a performance of the adaptation by John G. Sands enjoyed a real treat.  To step into the past and experience a Dickens performance as Dickens’ himself would have performed his extracts, was an exceptional opportunity.  We wish John continued success as he takes his one man show to audiences around the state of South Australia.

Fringe Parade

A highlight of the Festival was the Fringe Parade and eight members from The Players with photographer Les Zetlein and two ‘support crew’ (Greg Barratt and Sandra Preston), promoted the show to record numbers who lined the streets.

Photographs

John G. Sands	Christel Mex, Judy Nimmo John G. Sands, Teresa Zetlein, Diana Mepsted	Ric Mepsted and John step it out in the Fringe Parade 2004