Drama group wins award for Shaw play adaptation

A DRAMA group in Henley has won an award and has been shortlisted for a second one.

The Henley Players received a district award for its adaptation of Pygmalion by the National Operatic and Drama Association London.

And it has been shortlisted by the association for best production in the region.

Pygmalion was based on George Bernard Shaw’s play, which looks at English Edwardian society around 1912, and was staged at the Kenton Theatre in March.

Meanwhile, the Noda London Awards have named Jake Turnell Willett, of the Henley Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society, as a district winner for best male character in a play.

He portrayed Gerardo Escobar in Death and the Maiden during the group’s run at the Kenton in October. He will also go forward to the regional awards.

Written by Chilean playwright Ariel Dorfman in 1990, Death in the Maiden is a psychological thriller that explores the issues around retribution.

The regional winners will be announced at the award ceremony on June 16.