FIRST time director Laura Shaw will take of The Castle Players’ next production – Terence Rattigan’s wartime drama Flare Path.
Ms Shaw moved to Barnard Castle two years ago.
Since then she has acted in three productions with The Castle Players, most notably in 2017 when she played Malvolia in the summer production of Twelfth Night.
A lifelong enthusiasm for dance led to her working part-time as both a dance teacher and choreographer in Surrey.
She is now the office administrator for The Witham.
Flare Path takes place in a hotel in Lincolnshire and centres around a group of RAF personnel who are based at a nearby airfield and who will soon be involved in a nighttime bombing mission.
It was originally produced in London in 1942.
Its American production in 1943 provided the Broadway debut for a young Alec Guinness.
Ms Shaw said: “I have chosen Flare Path because it is such a touching and understated piece.
“It will suit The Castle Players perfectly, and will be particularly poignant as we will be performing it not only at the Remembrance weekend, but also in the centenary year of the RAF.”
She added: “Throughout the production, I am being supported by a mentor, Jill Cole, a long-standing member of The Castle Players who is providing invaluable advice and guidance.
“In addition, of course, there’s the extended family of The Castle Players who are all there to help get the show on the road.”
Flare Path will be performed at The Witham, Barnard Castle on Friday, November 9, and Saturday, November 10.
Tickets are available at: www.thewitham.org.uk or from the box office on 01833 631107.
In previous years the Castle Players’ new director scheme has seen productions of the First World War drama, Journey’s End, and last year, the ingenious one act play by Peter Shaffer, Black Comedy.
