PRESSGANGED, as it were, in the early 1960s into playing the juvenile lead Dicker in Haul For The Shore, the first production by the St Peter's Players, Newlyn, young David Tredinnick had no idea then that half a century later he would still be treading the boards for the company, writes Frank Ruhrmund.
He plays Alex, one of the two "gentlemen callers" in the comedy Key For Two by John Chapman and Dave Freeman, opening at 7.30pm this evening in St Peter's Church Hall, The Coombe, Newlyn.
An actor who has appeared in several of the 115 productions presented by the company during the years, Key For Two marks the start of its non-stop 50th year in showbusiness, which must be something of a record for an amateur theatre company throughout the country let alone the county.
Recalling some of the highlights of his long stage career both as director and actor, he has the courage to laugh at himself.
Although the company is renowned for its comedies, it has staged other more serious dramas, from Turn Of The Screw to Pack Of Lies, and, as he says: "I always wanted to have a go at something with more weight than the comic roles I was playing. At the start of one of the productions, I plucked up the courage to ask the director why I was never considered for such parts. Whereupon he said, David, my son, forget it, with a face like yours you can only play comedy!"
Be that as it may, comedies have certainly played a major role in the St Peter's Players' success story. A company which now has more than 150 patrons, and regularly attracts audiences of well over 300 people to its three-nightly performances, there is every chance that it will exceed that number with Key For Two.
A merry tale of marital and financial problems, of mistaken identities and unexpected arrivals, not to mention "indescribable confusion", directed by Goff Johns, and featuring such popular and well-known local actors as Peter Byrne (Gordon), Livia Morant (Harriet), Jude Balson (Anne), Dennis Axford (Richard), Stella Wood (Magda) Betty Johns (Mildred) and, of course, David Tredinnick as Alex, it promises a riotous start to the company's 50th year.
No to be missed, laughter all the way, there are performances at 7.30pm this evening, and on Friday and Saturday.
article copyright THE CORNISHMAN