Grove Theatre & The Drayton Round's Production

The Lords of the White & Grey Castles

Grove theatre has a long tradition stretching back into the 1960s.  Its productions in recent years have all been musicals under the direction of Ken Sterling, Head of the Music Department.

The present production represents an unusual collaboration with The Drayton Round, the theatre and writing Commuity Arts Association which has been operating in Market Drayton since the start of 2007, and Market Drayton Junior School, which has provided twelve of its pupils as part of the company of actors.

The production is a fantasy tale of two kings who leave their kingdom to explore strange goings-on in the outside world.  On their journey they meet many interesting characters including some unusual fairies!  For the first time twelve young students from Market Drayton Junior School were involved and, by all accounts, stole the Fairy Court scene with their energetic acting! The show was very well received by an enthususiastic audience.

One of our Grove College 'Roving Reporters'  Bethan Davies was in the audience.  We hope you enjoy her review of the show.

During the interval of the school play The Lords of the White and Grey Castles, one of the first people I talked to was one of the younger members of the cast, from Market Drayton Junior School. Still excited from her performance, as “a member of the crowd” she asked me a series of questions – Was I in the play? Was I watching the play? Then finally: Was she any good? It was at this point that she noticed that we were blocking the queue for the ladies and we didn’t talk for the rest of the night. So, as she asked me first, yes Lucy Postams was brilliant as a “member of the crowd” and, later on, the fairy “Pin.” As for the rest of the cast…
I’m joking, of course. The Lords of the White and Grey Castles was a fantastic comedy, set in a time when magic was alive in Britain’s woodlands. However, when the White and Grey Castles were built, they interfered with the magic forest, causing the fairy kingdom to create havoc if a human being dared enter the forest. With a fantastic world of Hunters and “Betsy the Invisible Cow,” this is a rich story, allowing each member of the 50 strong cast to showcase their talents. The 12 pupils from Market Drayton Junior School were particularly energetic, stealing the show in the Fairy Court scene, which included young Lucy.

In normal Grove School Fashion, the music was provided throughout by Mr Sterling. However, in a slight change from the norm, the play was written and directed by RG Gregory, an ex-head of Drama at the Grove, who discovered the play from another school, and after losing the music, relied on Mr Harrison (Languages) to write the lyrics. His wife, Jean, also used to be a head of department (English, in case you wondered), helped out with props and clothes. The date of the performance had to be moved from December, when the Grove Productions normally take place (I can remember it snowing for Summer Holiday) as one of the performers, Jordan Bentley, who played the “Woodwender,” was injured after a car crash, causing the play to be postponed.

The type of play was also different from normal Grove School Productions, such as Grease and Little Shop of Horrors. This was an incredibly refreshing concept, along with the production being in the round, instead of on the stage. There was a real communal spirit in the production, with every member pulling their weight together. It was also fantastic to see some new talent springing up. The Grove School has had some amazing performers in past productions and the younger actors showed some great potential for the future. For me, the play shows that the Grove productions will have a strong cast for many years to come, and be able to produce innovative and interesting pieces of drama.