LEISURE: The show must go on – despite society chairman having to miss out

THE chairman of Chard Entertainment Society, Neil Wells, has had to pull out of his role in the group’s forthcoming show while he recovers from illness.

Neil had been expected to play the role of David Horton in the Chard Carnival week show, The Vicar of Dibley, to be staged at the Guildhall in Fore Street on October 5-7, 2016.

But his recovery from radiotherapy treatment for a throat condition has not been quite as uneventful as he had hoped and, reluctantly, he has handed the role over to fellow member Leigh Conley.

Neil said: “Supporting Chard Carnival with a show is something that means a lot to me.

“I really thought there was sufficient time to make a good recovery before the show dates, but there were a few delays along the way and things didn’t quite go to plan.

“I’m very grateful to Leigh for taking on the role with just a couple of weeks to go and I know that he will do it justice.”

As a member of Axminster Drama Club as well as CES, Leigh Conley is a seasoned performer and used to learning lines quickly, so he was undaunted by the short time available.

He joins a talented cast who are morphing easily into the well-known roles of Frank Pickle, Jim Trott, Hugo Horton, Alice Tinker and Mrs Cropley.  The most startling transformation is to see slim, svelte Caroline Markham evolve into the larger than life character of the Rev Geraldine Grainger made famous by Dawn French!

Having fine-tuned their performances, the cast are now looking forward to bringing Dibley to life on The Guildhall stage nightly at 7.30pm from October 5-7, 2016.

Tickets for The Vicar of Dibley are £8 and available from Barron’s, Holyrood Street, Chard, or online (small booking fee) by visiting www.ticketsource.co.uk/chardentertainment or £10 on the door.

PHOTO - TOP: In costume for the first time are pictured (left to right) Amy Stoodley (Mrs Cropley), Dick Arnold (Frank Pickle), David Horton (Leigh Conley), Caroline Markham (Rev Geraldine Grainger), Any Treble (Hugo Horton), Adam Chudley (Owen Newitt) and Judith Izzard (Alice Tinker).

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Leisure.