It seems to have been eons ago when it was decided that Pattaya International Ladies’ Club should branch out into the theatre and produce a play using PILC members in the cast. The search for a script commenced, nothing too complicated was needed, as most of the volunteer actors may not have acted before, and, of course, a mainly female cast.
After much searching, “The Hit Man” by Geoff Fulford was found to fit the bill. Auditions were held, and parts allocated BUT there were 3 men in the script, so after much pleading and arm twisting, gentlemen from Pattaya Players Community Theater were persuaded to join the ladies. Rehearsals commenced at the White Horse Pub in the grounds of the Eastern Grand Palace Hotel, the staff of which made us very welcome and were extremely helpful.
After a few hiccups and a number of cast changes, rehearsals were in full swing. These eventually moved to Indian by Nature restaurant so the cast could experience the feel of the actual venue. The performances were held on June 10-11 at Indian by Nature to very appreciative audiences. Saturday night’s “full house” was especially rewarding for the cast.
From a Directors point of view it was certainly a challenge working with cast members that had not acted before or not since school, but it was very enjoyable and rewarding seeing the characters develop and they all did an excellent job, helped along with the very able members from Pattaya Players. John Khan did a brilliant job with the music and sound effects which gave the whole show a professional appearance.
Indian by Nature made us feel very welcome when we went there for our rehearsals, even tempting us with delicious snacks at the end of each. The staff did a brilliant job on performance nights under difficult circumstances, trying to feed 60 people all at the same time, with a delicious menu, but they did it really well and smoothly, so our thanks definitely go to Av Khanijou and Satish for all their help in making PILC’s first play such success.
The cast was as follows: Laura Norder – PaulineElphick; Constance Noring – Carole-Ann Moore; Sue Ridgepipe – Ros Colman; Evanne Jellical – Sue Tait; Rhoda Case – Deepika Bhateja; Phyllis Stein – Jayne Jouai; Joe King – Tom Fletcher; Jean Poole – Wendy Khan; Orson Cart – Ray Lightbown; Tom Bowler – Chris Harman; Anna List – Mara Swankey; Director – Wendy Khan; Musical Director – John Khan.
