Directed by Jane Williams Produced by Elaine Potter Assisted by Mione van der Merwe Original music by Laura Forrest-Hay Special contribution by Joel Sharbaugh An amateur production by arrangement with Nick Hern Books
Recommended for ages
THE DOHA PLAYERS
Dear Guests We are delighted and honoured to have this wonderful opportunity to stage our production of Blue Stockings by Jessica Swale at The National Museum, and to collaborate with The Doha Players. All the young performers you see on stage today have trained and developed their acting skills through Mockingbird Performing Arts Academy, many of them attending classes since it was first established in 2013.The young performers are thrilled to act alongside the more mature and experienced Doha Players cast members in such an inspiring, cultural venue. It is really encouraging to see so many young people at The National Museum today and to share with them this story, as it’s a thoughtful, engaging blend of education and entertainment. Dedicated by Jesssica Swale to Malala Yousafzai, this moving play will leave you astonished at the prejudices the pioneers of women’s education had to overcome and it`s their bravery and determination to succeed that attracted me to directing the play. The story follows the lives of the students in Girton College, Cambridge 1896, the first college in Britain to admit women and it charts their journey to change the future of education. The Girton girls study ferociously and match their peers’ grade for grade. Yet, when the men graduate, the women leave with nothing but the stigma of being a ‘blue stocking’ - an unnatural, educated woman. They are denied degrees and go home unqualified and unmarriageable. A poignant story that I feel still resonates with today’s ongoing struggle for women`s education in the classroom and beyond. If you would like to explore or discuss the play further, please join our Post show discussions or visit our website if your interested in joining some of our Adult or Child Acting, Dance or Musical Theatre classes.
A special thank you to the staff at The National Museum, Dr Steffen Sommer and the marketing team at Doha College and the amazing Elaine Potter at Doha players for making this collaboration possible. JANE WILLIAMS Director of Mockingbird Performing Arts Academy
CONTACT MOCKINGBIRD PERFORMING ARTS MOCKINGBIRDACADEMY.COM
Dear Guests Welcome to our production of Blue Stockings, a collaboration between The Doha Players and Mockingbird Academy at Doha College. I would like to thank the National Museum of Qatar for allowing us to use this wonderful venue. I would also like to express my appreciation to Jane Williams for her 18 months of work directing this wonderful cast in very difficult circumstances. During lockdown in May 2020, auditions were held via Zoom and rehearsals continued on and off until restrictions were lifted and it was safe to rehearse in person. We have faced many challenges but as we all know ‘The Show Must Go On’. Behind the scenes we have been supported by an amazingly talented production team, these include a prompt, stage manager, sound and lighting technicians, stage hands, props, costumes, hair and makeup, set design and front of house! We are very grateful to every one of them for their contribution to this endeavour. Everyone you see on and off stage is a volunteer. The Doha Players is a not-for-profit Association established in 1954 and a part of Qatar’s performing arts scene for 67 years. The Doha Players has performed almost 200 plays, pantomimes and musicals. Past productions include Les Miserables, Blood Brothers, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), Hamlet, Macbeth, Peter Pan and much more. New members are always welcome on stage and backstage. You can contact us at administrator@thedohaplayers.com
Enjoy the show!
Elaine Potter Chairlady
DIRECTOR – Jane Williams Jane Williams is a director, writer, actor and teacher who trained at Mountview Drama School in London and has an M.A in Performing Arts. She has performed professionally in the West End and many major theatres in the UK. Some previous roles include: Miss Julie at the Sadlers Wells theatre London, The Grand High Witch at the Theatre Royal and Lady Macbeth at the Redgrave Theatre. As a playwright her work was selected for the finals of the National Students Drama Festival and her play Cluedo, was the first show from Qatar to be performed at the Edinburgh Festival. As a director her work on Alice by Heart by Steven Slater was selected by the National Theatre in the UK and performed at the Latitude Festival. She has also directed for HTV television and the Kent Shakespeare Company. Since arriving in Qatar she has had the pleasure of working alongside Professor Ann Woodworth from Northwestern University creating a show that was performed at the Museum of Islamic Art, which looked at the history of Pearl Diving in Qatar. She has also directed the QBBF Poppy Ball, Peter Pan for Doha Players, and many shows for Mockingbird Performing Arts Academy and Doha College. As a director Jane loves to bring to life bold and surprising stories that make you think and make you feel alive. She is currently working on a performance project in preparation for the world cup in 2022.
ASSISTANT AND STAGE MANAGER - Mione van der Merwe Mione joined Doha Players 21 years ago when she landed her first lead role as young Cosette in Les Miserables at age 12. Little did she know then that 14 years later she would go on to direct Les Miserables at the Qatar National Theatre in 2014.In recent years, Mione has been involved in many Doha Players theatre projects both onstage and off. From playing Prospero in The Tempest at the Qatar National Convention Centre, to leading Shakespeare workshops at Qatar Academy, to directing Macbeth at the HBKU Black Box Theatre, and even being the dedicated crew member to help the giant onto his stilts in a production of Jack and the Beanstalk, Mione truly believes that there is no job too big or too small if it means bringing theatre to the Doha Community. She holds a BA (Hons) in Acting, and is currently teaching Drama at Doha College. Mione feels honoured to be a part of such an important production, which brings together seasoned actors and young talented performers in this meaningful production of Blue Stockings.
PRODUCTION TEAM DIRECTOR
Jane Williams
PRODUCER
Elaine Potter
ASSISTANT & STAGE MANAGER
Mione van der Merwe
SET, PROPS, COSTUMES TEAM Alejandra Caramanica Gill Johnsen Nicola Fletcher BACKSTAGE CREW
Heather Lang Kheilah Viljoen Lois Nelson Zainab Manshu Jessica McManus Dyland Furniss Godfey Monkoli National Museum of Qatar Staff Members of The Doha Players Mockingbird Parents and Students Doha College Students and Staff
CAST THE GIRTON GIRLS TESS MOFFAT
Flurina Briner Rachel Strandvik
CELIA WILLBOUND
Isabella Caramanica Sofia McSwiggan
CAROLYN ADDISON
Ghita El Mernissi
MAEVE SULLIVAN
Eliza Bjorkhammer
THE BOYS RALPH MAYHEW
Christopher Brough
LLOYD
Daniel Hockley
HOMLES
Joel Sharbaugh
EDWARS
Andrew Robinson
WILL BENNETT
Ross Nelson
UNIVERSITY STAFF ELIZABETH WELSH
Gill Mine
DR MAUDSLEY/PROFFESOR ANDERSON
David Pearson
MR BANKS
Simon Miller
MISS BLAKE/MISS LINDLEY
Elizabeth Hake
PROFESSOR COLLINS/MISS BOT
Edward Arthur Hake
PROFESSOR RADLEIGH/MR.PECL
Kerry Suek
THE OTHERS BILLY SULLIVAN (MAEVE'S BROTHER/ WAITER
Noah Meekings
MINNIE/LIBRARIAN/LADY IN CAFÉ
Trudy Beckett-Mcinroy
LADY IN CAFÉ
Kheilah Chelsea Viljoen
WILL BENNETT
Ross Nelson
THE GIRTON GIRLS TESS MOFFAT (shared role)
Rachel Strandvik is 16 years old and has been in Doha for 6 years. She attends mockingbird drama classes and has completed her GCSE drama. Rachel has taken part in many school productions over the years and has always enjoyed them. This is her first production outside of school and she is very proud to be part of it. She loves acting and hopes to be part of many more productions in the years to come.
Flurina Briner is a Year 12 student at Doha College. She has always been passionate about performing, quickly discovering her love for acting with her first ever production when she was 6 years old. Since then, she has involved herself in every school play, undertaking both lead and ensemble roles with energy and enthusiasm. Her most notable performance, and her most favourite, was ‘Grease!’ playing Patty Simcox in 2018. Throughout the years, she has also enjoyed singing in her school choir, attending Mockingbird acting classes, and learning the flute. Whilst she plans to study medicine after graduation, Flurina is determined to keep her connection to drama, and hopes to perform as much as possible going forward.
CELIA WILLBOND (shared role)
Sofia McSwiggan is 17 years old but has been performing since the age of 5. She has appeared in countless school theatre productions, as well as singing in the choir and solo Irish dancing. Sofia has belonged to Mockingbird Youth Theatre for the past 4 years and is delighted to perform with the Doha Players, for the first time. She has been a part of an advertisement for Qatar Airways and has spent 3 years modeling for leading Qatari brands. Passionate about the performing arts, Sofia is pleased to be a member of the Blue Stockings’ cast.
Isabella (Izzy) Caramanica is 16 years old and has been doing drama with Mockingbird Youth Theatre since the age of 8. She has performed in many shows since joining Mockingbird including Cinderella, Peter Pan, Aladdin and has also appeared in two Doha Players productions and many school plays. Izzy has a passion for theatre and hopes to keep performing in many shows to come.
CAROLYN ADDISON
Ghita El Mernissi is a dedicated performer and passionate about the performing arts. She has participated in countless productions, from school plays, to Mockingbird, to The Doha Players. She loves the stage and is also a singer with Qatar Youth Choir. She is delighted to be performing in this production.
MAEVE SULLIVAN
Eliza Bjorkhammer is a 15-year-old actress who has been in numerous plays such as Les Misérables, Peter Pan, Aladdin and Grease. Eliza has been acting since she was 7 years old and attends Mockingbird acting and dancing lessons twice a week. Another passion of Eliza’s is sport, especially football, which she has been playing since 2013. She has loved acting for a long time and is excited to finally be performing this show that she and the cast have been working so hard on!
THE TRINITY BOYS WILL BENNETT Ross Nelson is 18 years old and is a keen actor and rugby player. His first production with The Doha Players was Peter Pan in 2014 where he played a Lost Boy and found his love for drama. He has since been involved in multiple Doha Players and Mockingbird productions where his passion for acting has been fostered and his capabilities as an actor have expanded.
RALPH MAYHEW Christopher Brough is 17 years old. He has been acting since he was 7 and has performed in a number of shows, playing Aladdin in a recent Mockingbird production. He has also acted in several advertisements and modeled professionally in Qatar. He is working towards his Grade 8 LAMDA exam (London Academy of Music and Performing Arts) with Mockingbird and aiming for a Distinction. He is passionate about acting and would like to study drama at university.
LLOYD
Daniel Hockley is a primary teacher at Doha College and has been living in Qatar for over four years. He is a lover of all things performance based, yet this is his first performance with The Doha Players. He is excited to tackle the role of Lloyd which has taken him to the edge of his comfort zone.
EDWARDS
Andrew Robinson, a keen sportsman throughout his life he has only recently been introduced to the wonderful world of acting. Special thanks to two fellow members of the Doha Players for encouraging him to audition for the play, revealing an unforeseen passion for drama. He has enjoyed working with an extremely talented cast and is looking forward to many future opportunities to develop as an actor. Look out for him playing Prince Charming’s loyal friend Brian in the Doha Players production of Cinderella to be staged in March next year.
HOLMES
Joel Sharbaugh began this venture solely as the one providing the background music, and rightly so, as he identifies as a composer and musical theoretician. These florid ‘Holmesian’ prose however are part and parcel of the temperament of the aforementioned personage, who J.S. Esq., the protagonist of this Confession, has been taxed to interpret. “Aere perennius.”
THE STAFF MISS BLAKE/MRS LINDLEY Elizabeth Hake is a teacher for Mockingbird Performing Arts. She teaches acting, dance and musical theatre to children from 5-18 years of age. She has performed as a dancer in the UK and in the play Cluedo both here in Qatar and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. She has also choreographed and performed for the Doha Players pantomime, the Qatar British Business Forum Poppy Ball and Ted Theatre. She is very proud to be part of this production.
ELIZABETH WELSH Gill Milne has lived in Qatar for 20 years and is pleased to be performing in another Doha Players production, this time collaborating with Mockingbird Academy. She’s performed various roles over the years, from a Diamond Queen, Iraqi doctor, singing cat, nasty Prince, and many more, and now the wonderful Mrs Welsh. The real Mrs Welsh has been described as ‘extremely hardworking, dedicated to the College, and firm but kind with a wonderful sense of humour’. She has been a tremendous character to play and I hope I have managed to bring her personality to life. After many delays it is really pleasing that we can finally put the show on the stage. I’d like to thank the whole company for their unending enthusiasm which has made rehearsing such a joy. It is a great pleasure to work with such talented people.
MR BANKS Simon Miller teaches in the drama department and is Head of the Creative Arts Faculty at Doha College. His first appearance on stage was at the age of five when he played a sheaf of corn in ‘Joseph’. Since arriving in Doha four years ago he has appeared regularly in Doha Players’ Poppy Ball performances for Qatar British Business Forum and performed with a group of friends in TED Theatre. More recently he featured in the Doha Film Institute’s short film The Border.
PROFESSOR COLLINS/MISS BOTT Edward Arthur Hake is the Head of Drama at Sherborne Qatar. He has performed with the Doha Players in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and with Some Like It Hot Theatre Company, in Cluedo at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Edward has also directed plays for the Doha Players and with his company of friends ‘Ted theatre’.
PROFESSOR RADLEIGH/MR PECK Kerry Suek is a lecturer in real life so this role as a grumpy lecturer feels like home. Kerry hopes you enjoy the show and that it makes you think about the decisions people make to be either on the wrong or right side of history.
DR MAUDSLEY/PROFESSOR ANDERSON David Pearson is from North Carolina and has played a wide range of characters on the stage, including Hamlet, Macbeth, Monsieur Thénardier in Les Misérables, Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest, and Will Parker in Oklahoma.
THE OTHERS BILLY SULLIVAN (Maeve’s brother)/WAITER Noah Meekings is 14 and the youngest member of the cast. He played the Artful Dodger in his school production and has been a member of Mockingbird Performing Arts Academy for 3 years.
MINNIE/LIBRARIAN Trudy Beckett-Mcinroy is 17 years old and from England and Scotland but lived in the Middle East her whole life! She has had a passion for theatre since the age of 5 after going to see a production of Swan Lake. She has participated in a number of plays and musicals including The Sound of Music, West Side Story and Alice in Wonderland. She is currently a student with Mockingbird Performing Arts Academy and aspires to pursue acting at university. She is very excited to be in the cast of Blue Stockings.
BACKSTAGE CREW NICKY FLETCHER Nicky Fletcher from the UK is married to Simon, and has 2 teenage children Gabby and Sam. She has lived in Doha for 8 years, and this will be the 12th Doha College/Mockingbird/Doha Players show that she has been involved in. Nicky especially enjoys working backstage and creating sets and will occasionally agree to be dragged on to the stage.
ALEX CARAMANICA Alex has been living in Qatar since 2012, she is married and has three children. Alex has been involved in set design, costumes, props, back stage and even sometimes on stage for the past 8 years, working on over a dozen shows with Doha Players, Rising Starts, Mockingbird Academy, Doha College school productions. Alex enjoys the creative side and being hands on with a production
GILL JOHNSON Gill is a Jack of all Trades and wields a hammer just as well as a sewing machine. She is an artist working in a variety of mediums and enjoys teaching art. She has worked on several school productions for Sherborne Qatar.
KHEILAH CHELSEA VILJOEN Kheilah Chelsea Viljoen is 21 and this is her first production in Qatar. She enjoys being involved with anything related to theatre and in this productions of Blue Stockings, she is part of the backstage crew. In High School and University she was always involved in productions and she wants to continue this in the future. She is looking forward to being part of the Doha theatre scene in the upcoming months.
HEATHER LANG Heather has lived in Qatar for over 16 years. She’s been involved in a variety of plays, short films, musicals and performances over the years enjoying, amongst others, the role of Bet in ‘Oliver’, a Qatar Foundation production and playing the Queen in the Doha Players production of Sleeping Beauty in 2020.
THE DOHA PLAYERS