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An Evening of One-Act Plays, Arena Theatre, Corpus Christi Guildhall, Boscombe.

THIS thoroughly enjoyable evening fulfilled several purposes: to perform lesser-known works, to give three first-time directors the opportunity to showcase their talents in a less daunting venue than usual and to experience creating a performance in the semi-round.

Bear Hug, directed by Bernie Langosz, in which a couple’s adolescent son has turned into a bear, with predictable consequences, was perhaps an extreme view of how the period between childhood and adult can cause severe family problems. Although bizarre, it was extremely well acted but did seem to have an invisible proscenium arch that confined the actors to a smaller than necessary area, although that was not to its detriment.

Camp Confidence was co-directed by Pamela Brewer and Jane Haynes, and both they and their cast used every inch of the space available to them, and to great effect. This comedy tinged with pathos, in which a group of women with low self-esteem attend a confidence-building course on a campsite, led by a woman with problems of her own, was also exceptionally well performed.

In conclusion, although the semi-round staging didn’t totally work, it was a marvellous opportunity to experience these two excellent plays – and Arena has certainly found three great new directors.

Linda Kirkman

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