The Easter Play, No Name in the Street, performed by the Trinity Drama Group, was enjoyed by a large audience.

Performed at Trinity at the beginning of the month, the 1966 play was transformed to the present day by Kate Walmsley, who was directing for Trinity for the first time along with co-director Madeline Adey.

Kate said: “I had a fantastic time directing the play alongside Madeline who was an amazing support. I think the reason the play was so successful was that the cast were so dedicated to their parts. Everybody brought suggestions to rehearsals to improve the play. The Trinity community is so welcoming and such a lovely group to be involved with”.

The Easter story, with the support of Clitheroe Christians in Partnership, was presented by a combination of characters. From modern day spectators with smartphones giving them instant access to events as they unfold to characters in costumes of the first century AD.

The spectators were played by Kim Croydon, Sue and Jack Paramore and William Burns. They described the action and reacted to the plot as the scenes unfolded, reflecting the fickle nature of humankind as they moved from praising Jesus on his arrival in Jerusalem to baying for his ultimate sacrifice

There was Kathryn Humphreys as the owner of the room for the last supper with Cynthia Croydon as her servant, Gerry Purchase as a temple trader, seriously affected by Jesus who did not appear, a kitchen woman played by Patti Bowker, the widow who gave her last mite to the temple played by Hazel Hailwood and a prophetess played by Wendy Bridgeman.

Making two appearances were angels played by Steuart Kellington and Andrew Piercy who were given very poetic lines to deliver. A simulated smart phone screen was projected for the audience by Kate Walmsley showing the characters on stage and the lines of the spectators.

The story was told through the eyes of a mother searching for her son, played by Helen Coles, who, very surprisingly, was not the mother of Jesus but revealed herself at the end of the play as the mother of Judas Iscariot. The audience was quite shocked at the revelation!

In his vote of thanks to the cast, Revd Ian Humphreys spoke of the unexpected twist at the end of the play and congratulated the cast on the very moving story they portrayed, leaving the members of the audience to ponder the Easter Story.

The ambiance of the setting was greatly enhanced by the lighting, installed by Stuart Robinson, and the amplification and sound effects produced by Dean Braithwaite. Realistic properties were devised and assembled by Sheila Harrison and Anita Kellington.

After the play, most of the 150 or so in the audience enjoyed refreshments in the Community Hub Hall. A retiring collection for Christian Aid raised almost £400.

The next production by the Drama Group will be on November 16, 17 and 18, a Murder Mystery to be produced by Kim Croydon.

STAGE ACTION: The spectators watching the owner of the room for the last supper and her servant with projected information on the screen behind.