Our one-act play for 2026 A Handbag by Anthony Horowitz was directed by Chrissie Garrett. Performances were given at Adderbury, Lighthorne, Abingdon, Wallingford, the NDFA National Finals in Bromsgrove and finally at The Mill Arts Centre in Banbury.
The Play
A group of people are rehearsing The Importance of Being Earnest but, as they attempt to perform a play which is alien to them to gain some form of escapism, it becomes apparent that their surroundings are not normal. Gradually, as tensions mount, squabbles ensue and each person’s story starts to emerge.
Cast
The Cast is as follows:
George – Adrian McGlynn
Specs – Simon Hook
Rose – Deborah Galea
Irene – Hilary Beaton
Allan – Martin Crook
Kinzey – Jonathan Muir
Directed by Chrissie Garrett
Production Manager – Debby Andrews
Sound and Light – Lucy Byford
Props – Terry Andrews
Members of BCP were awarded prizes at the NDFA National Finals as follows:
Martin Crook (as Menacing Alan) was awarded Best Supporting Actor and Chrissie Garrett was awarded Best Director.
In addition, nominations were received for Simon Hook (Specs) in the Best Supporting Actor category and Lucy Byford in the Tech. category.
Independent Reviews
Representatives from both NODA and ODN came along to our Season Preview. See their Reviews of A Handbag: NODA Review and ODN Review.
Oxfordshire Drama Network – Award for Outstanding Achievement. This was awarded to BCP at the ODN 40th Anniversary event 10 Oct 2026. It was for A Handbag but also in the context of qualifying and finishing 3rd in two consecutive National Drama Festival Finals. So big respect to the Goodbye Charles gang too. The judge said, BCP are operating at the very top end of national amateur drama so we should be very proud.
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