Thriller of the Year

A note from the director, Valerie Clarke.

Good evening! It has been a few years since I have had the privilege of directing a play for Players. Covid has interrupted so much of our lives. Oh what fun to experience again the joy of finding a play and seeing it come to life!

Glyn Jones was born in Durban but worked his passage to London. Before his death in 2014, he had become a celebrated and prolific author and playwright, as well as an actor and director. This murder mystery, Thriller of the Year, was first produced in 1967. It has five diverse and dramatic roles for women - plus a few telephone calls!

The play is set in the early 1960’s, which I can remember - although not too well! And yes, you may well hear a reference to James Bond in the play as he had made his first appearance on the big screen at the start of the decade. It has been interesting to find costumes and accessories for the period and even more interesting to find the appropriate furniture and props, some still lingering at the back of our cupboards at home. We had to search for our old telephones; not a mobile phone in sight.

I want to thank all my lovely cast for working so hard and looking so good, and to take this opportunity to thank the committee and everyone in Players who have supported me and worked their magic to put this play together. It has been a real team effort and I am so grateful to each and every one of them. Well done!

Now sit back, enjoy the show and find out if your guess of 'who dun it' at the interval turns out to be correct.