Victorious Tryst Aim Higher
15/5/2004

Tryst Theatre have been crowned Scottish amateur drama champions.

The club presented "Travels With My Aunt", by Giles Havergal, in front of a near-capacity audience at the 800-seater Eden Court Theatre in Inverness on Saturday night.

It was talented Tryst's first triumph in the Scottish Community Drama Association one-act play festival for nine years and they deservedly returned home with the coveted Wheatley Tassie after finishing top out of the 174 plays entered in the competition this year.

The company also lifted the Grampian Television Trophy for best stage decor. Now they aim to complete the set by capturing the British title for the first time in a quarter of a century. Director Jim Allan said: "It's a case of third time lucky. We've been runners up in the last two years so we're delighted to go one better this year."

Irish adjudicator John P. Kelly sang the praises of Tryst's four-man cast - Craig Murray, Alan Clark, Jim Allan and Malcolm Newlands - describing their performance as "ensemble acting at its finest" and comparing some of their comedy to The Goon Show. Mr Kelly said the cast displayed versatility with an assurance that ranged from detailled mime to splendid vocal orchestration. He highlighted key moments as being the crematorium and slavering Irish wolfhound scenes.

There was considerable praise to for Jim Allan as director. The adjudicator felt a great deal of effort had gone into the pre-planning of the production, which he said was visually varied, with every square inch of the stage used to create a variety of memorable images.

The last time Tryst took the Scottish title was in 1995 when they beat fierce, but friendly, rivals Kirkton Players of Carluke at the Palce Theatre in Kilmarnock.

Both teams performed "September in the Rain" and, while marks are not made public, just one point separated the teams.

Direction on that occasion came from founder member and Children's Theatre stalwart Bill Graham, with Jim Allan and Carol Clark the cast of two.

This time it was Jim Allan's first success as a director at Scottish level and Carol designed the lighting and brought to it a professional calmness and confidence.

In six out of the last seven years, the Scottish winners have lifted the British title. The question now is whether Tryst can win the prestigious Howard de Walden Trophy in Wales next month for the first time since 1979. The wise money says yes.

The British Finals take place in Aberystwyth, Wales on June 25 and 26.