1958

November

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	Cast
	Miss Groze	Patricia Wilkins
	Cavendish	Stanley Bull
	Mrs. Wragg	Doris Taylor Smith
	Jimmy North	Bert Gallop
	Beatrice Jasper	Mary Ryland
	Mrs. Arthur (her mother)	Elizabeth Neville
	Sir Charles Jasper	David Beeching
	Maurice Mullins	John Lines
	A Woman	Wynne Corson
	The Scene: The stage of the St. James's Theatre, London, in the remains of a setting used in the last play running there.
	The Time: Now - that is Saturday 15th November, 1958. Sir Jasper's fortieth birthday.

Programme Notes This Autumn production of "A Murder has been Arranged" makes a departure from recent plays presented. Here we have a ghost story - with thrills and humour expertly blended by a master craftsman of the theatre - Emlyn Williams. The cast is also a blend - mixing Fairlight favourites and players who we are sure will be favourites in the future. Patricia Wilkins sets the atmosphere of the drama, with Doris Taylor Smith in a strong role providing comedy relief, and adding to the excitement of the action later. Also combining with drama his well known comedy talents is Bert Gallop, and playing opposite him is Mary Ryland, the youngest member of the cast, in her first long role. She is supported by a local favourite Elizabeth Neville, and in a mystery role well suited to her talents is Wynne Corson. Further support comes from Stanley Bull and David Beeching. The leading male role is taken by John Lines, who made such an impression with his last appearance at Fairlight. We trust that you will enjoy both the laughs and the thrills. (Copied from the rear of the programme)

This production introduces a new practice of including informative notes on the back of the programme. No doubt these were appreciated by audiences of the day, but they are probably of even more value some fifty years or so later when studying the archives. This appears to have been the only production staged during 1958. It is, of course, possible that we are missing a record from the archive, but the theory that this was the one and only production is lent extra credence by the discovery of this typewritten flyer. Obviously this was circulated some months before the date, perhaps in the Spring to reassure disappointed supporters that the Players were still "in business". In addition, the notes (above) refer to previous performances of Mary Ryland and John Lines, both of whom made their debut in Bonaventure in the previous December. For this production, the Box Office has moved to "Beverley", previously noted as the home of the Secretary.