Volunteers Needed for Local Am-Dram

Do you have a flair for the dramatic? Fish Quay Productions are looking for volunteers.

Fish Quay Productions (FQP) produce plays about the local area and industry. Terry Patterson, the writer, is a former Shields fish filleter turned playwright. He fills the plays with his local knowledge and experiences, and always throws in some humour.

Terry’s second production, “Reaping the Benefits”, was a hilarious comedy that was staged at Percy Park Rugby Club in September 2019. FQP were due to stage the same play in March 2020 and had another play planned for July. Unfortunately, the pandemic put a stop to this, and FQP have been unable to meet since.

If the pandemic has provided one silver lining, it’s that it’s given Terry plenty of time to write! He now has several new plays, including;

• “The Fry” is about unemployment in North Shields in the late 1970s.
• “A Fall From Grace” tells of a Catholic Priest, who is really an atheist who meets a young boy on the Metro line and tries to convince him that certain parts of the bible are fabricated.
• “Colour Bar” tells of a family from South Africa who come to live in Cullercoats. The daughter who is studying at university is met with prejudice from other students. She meets and falls in love with a young white boy. They both have to convince their parents that a mixed relationship will work.
• “A Home for Willie” deals with dementia. A well-known artist living on his own is exploited by a neighbour until social services find out.
• “Easy For You to Say” is about a young man with Tourettes syndrome who has to overcome his disability to meet the girl of his dreams.
• “Ralphie’s The College of Knowledge” takes you back to the early part of the 1960s when teaching methods differed from those of today. Where corporal punishment was dealt out as a right. Children were made to feel worthless because of the area in which they lived.

These plays are just waiting to be delivered, and FQP are keen to start up again as soon as possible. However, they need volunteers like you! Whether you have a skill in carpentry, lighting, or sound, or if you just want to improve your confidence and get into theatre, FQP want to hear from you.

To find out more about FQP, contact Carl or Terry using the contact details below, or visit the SIGN North Tyneside Directory.

Carl
📞 07888 708 896
📧 carlallen46@sky.com

Terry
📞 07387 201 124
📧 terrypatterson147@hotmail.com

To find out more about activities and events in North Tyneside, head to ageuk.org.uk/northtyneside/activities-and-events.

Image: Akuppa John Wigham from Newcastle upon Tyne, via Wikimedia Commons