In this guest blog series, experienced RADS member Neil Cragg shares his reflections on acting with RADS and amateur drama more widely. This six month series will feature a new and interesting blog post each month.
Hi there!
Have you ever wanted to act on stage, to engage with an appreciative and attentive audience, often playing to over a hundred paying customers?
To develop drama skills and be part of bringing a comedy, murder mystery, romance or revue to life?
To make new friends and learn new skills?
To be a part of a project from start to finish that gives you a real sense of enjoyment, satisfaction and accomplishment?
To take your well earned bow at the end of a show, to thunderous applause from a delighted audience?
If so, Reformed Allerton Dramatic Society, or RADS for short, would love to meet you and have a chat!
Beginnings
My acting ‘journey’ with RADS began in 2012. I always enjoyed drama and theatre visits at school and even as a child, the idea of – someday – being an actor (paid – or not!) appealed to me greatly. I had done some acting with another local drama society in the mid 1990s. I had done drama courses (both informal and A Level) at night school, and even took drama classes up at Southport on a Saturday morning.
However, for one reason or another, I sort of drifted away from acting. Although I still loved drama and kept going to see plays both amateur and professional, I was now a new Dad, a married man with two young daughters and had more pressing concerns!
Things changed however in the Autumn of 2012. My youngest daughter was looking for acting opportunities as she was in her final year at school and studying for her GCSE Drama.
To cut a long story short, after finding RADS via a Google search, I rang up for us both and discovered that, by good fortune, auditions were being held for the Agatha Christie play A Murder is Announced and that we were more than welcome to come along and audition for a part.
We were both delighted to hear this, although I must admit, we were quite nervous too. I hadn’t acted on stage for over 15 years, and my daughter had acquired some acting experience but now had her (potentially) first opportunity to act on stage, not just for friends and family, but for a paying audience!
We turned up at Allerton URC Hall and received a very friendly welcome and were quickly put at ease. Everyone had a friendly chat with us and introduced themselves. Then came the dreaded auditions!
All those auditioning read from the script the lines of the various characters in the play. Eleven parts were up for grabs.
We later returned home, and to our surprise and delight, were informed that we had both got significant parts! Myself as Edmund and Natasha as the maid Mitzi.
And that’s when the hard work (and fun) started! More of that in a future post …
Through the years
I’ve been in quite a few plays and one revue show since then and RADS has given me, and other members, many wonderful moments. I’ve been privileged to act alongside a very talented and committed team of acting, technical, front of house, and catering personnel.
It’s difficult to explain the satisfaction and buzz you get from acting on stage, but some of my own personal fab and memorable moments include:
- Making my stage debut with RADS to an audience of over 160 in A Murder is Announced.
- Being part of the very special production of Noël Coward’s Present Laughter in May of this year as Fred, the Cockney valet to acting superstar Gary Essendine.
- Having the privilege of playing the iconic Sherlock Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles in 2016 with an incredibly talented cast with full period costume and set, then receiving an autograph request (as Holmes) via Facebook from a Sherlock Holmes fan in Texas, USA (honest!)
- The laughter of the audience enjoying the Michael Cooney comedy Cash on Delivery while playing Eric Swan (2013).
- Coming off stage to hear audience members (complete strangers) tell me how much they enjoyed the play and my performance as lead Robert Drury in Francis Durbridge’s tense thriller House Guest in 2022.
- And finally, performing both my own poetry and that of the Mersey poets in a revue show earlier this year.
OK, that’s enough of my ego trip for now!
These are just some of my personal highlights, all made possible by the very talented group at RADS. If you join RADS, you will soon be enjoying some great moments of your own!
How to get involved
Everyone at RADS acts as a friendly, hardworking, and enthusiastic team. From the acting side to set building and decoration, props, sound, any special effects, front of house, advertising, internet content – you name it, we all pitch in and help as best we can to bring about the best night’s entertainment we can for our audiences.
In recent weeks, the performance space has undergone refurbishment and redecoration, further enhancing the facilities.
RADS is a social group. With the Greenhills Pub located just around the corner, members often use it as a meeting point for a quick drink and a natter. There are regular social events such as meals and pub quizzes, which all members are welcome to attend.
We are always on the lookout for new people, and are an inclusive and welcoming group that values all of its members. So, if you have always had an ambition to get involved in drama, and are aged 16 and over, why not get in touch by text, phone, or contact form on our website or Facebook page to arrange a date and time to come along? And take the first step on your RADS journey.
Note: the group usually meets on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 7.30 pm to approximately 10 pm, although these hours and days can vary in the run up to a performance.
Take care, see you soon!
Neil
Reformed Allerton Dramatic Society (RADS) 
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