Murder mystery play which will have audiences gripped takes to the stage tonight
'The Proof of the Poison' by Falkland L. Cary and Philip Weathers will be acted out by the talented members of St Vincent's Dramatics Society.
And audiences can be sure of a well-plotted whodunnit. But what's it about?
The play starts with the unexpected death of James, the head of the Sanderson family. His death may be very convenient for some, but is it suspicious?
READ MORE: Debut for St Vincents director
First time at St Vincent's for director
Bolton Amateur Theatre Societies stages it annual dinner and award evening
No-one in the house has suspected that anything is amiss until the doctor refuses to sign the death certificate. which comes as a shock - except for the murderer.
(Image: Ian Charters)
And the question is, have they been clever enough to get away with it?
That's what Tricia Shorten thought when she was looking for the society's next play. Tricia, winner of the local district's National Operatic and Dramatic Association (NODA) Shining Star award for her recent directorial endeavours, said: "It's not always easy to find the right one. However, Bolton Amateur Theatre Societies (BATS) have encouraged their member societies to share details of the scripts they have, full sets or just a single copy.
"This was such a good starting point - we were considering performing a murder mystery this time, so even just looking at play titles gave me a few to consider.
"Looking online at the licence holders' websites then gave me the basics – the roles and an overview of the play. I was then able to get copies of a few different scripts to read from the local societies, and this one just felt right for us.'
'We are not a large society, so choosing a play with a larger number of roles can be a bit daunting. However, it has allowed us bring in new actors to the society as well as giving acting opportunities to our own actors. There will be both familiar and new faces on-stage for our audience to enjoy. "
(Image: Ian Charters)
She added: "We all work so hard to ensure the play is a success, both back-stage and on-stage, but it has to be fun too.
"We're all volunteers, looking to enjoy ourselves, right the way through from the initial design stages, all the rehearsals and during the week of the play.'
"Our award nominations mean so much to us as well, such an encouragement. And it's not just the lead roles that are recognised either. So often it's the supporting roles that add that bit of sparkle to a production, like Keith Hindley's NODA award-winning role in our recent play 'The Late Mrs Early' - by Norman Robbins."
(Image: Ian Charters)
The play is set in the 1950's, in the lounge of a country house, with an array of characters all apparently suspected of the murder - the fussily self-important brother Hector Sanderson, the eldest step-daughter Kate Wilson, her boyfriend Robert Boyd - employee at the Sanderson's company - and the younger step-daughter Nina Cooper. Then there's Helen Traynor, the reserved personal secretary, Mary the somewhat brusque housekeeper, not to forget laconic and always observant Aunt Agatha.
Family solicitor Mr Luce is soon on the scene, with surprise developments in the will and secrets being revealed.
Detective Inspector Harvis continues with the investigation, exposing a number of lies, and finding the poison in dramatic and shocking circumstances. But is it proof enough… and has the culprit been found?
The play is on for three nights and some tickets are still available - check Ticketsource, and the society's website www.stvincentsds.weebly.com.
Performances are from tonight to Friday, July 4 2025, starting at 7:30pm in the Parish Hall, Rutherford Drive, Over Hulton, Bolton BL5 1DJ.
To find out about other productions in the local area, look online at www.batsbolton.co.uk/whats-on/ or at www.noda.org.uk/whats-on and details are also on Facebook too.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Face-recognition tech will be used without bias at festival, Met boss says
The facial recognition technology deployed at this year's Notting Hill Carnival has "significantly improved" from previous years and will be used without bias, the Metropolitan Police has said. Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley said the live facial recognition (LFR) technology will help locate any dangerous individuals attending the carnival over the August bank holiday weekend. He was responding to concerns raised by 11 groups, who in a letter to the commissioner claimed the technology was a "mass surveillance tool that treats all carnival-goers as potential suspects" and has "no place at one of London's biggest cultural celebrations". It also said that LFR technology was "less accurate for women and people of colour" in certain settings. Sir Mark said that when the technology was used at the carnival in 2016 and 2017, it "did not build public confidence", but has since "significantly improved" and now performs to a "much higher standard". He added that the force has selected the algorithm it uses "with care" and knows how to use it in a non-discriminatory way. The letter, signed by groups including Liberty and Big Brother Watch, said there is "no clear legal basis" for Scotland Yard's use of LFR. The letter added: "Notting Hill Carnival is an event that specifically celebrates the British African Caribbean community, yet the MPS (Metropolitan Police Service) is choosing to use a technology with a well-documented history of inaccurate outcomes and racial bias." Rebecca Vincent, interim director at Big Brother Watch, said she is "deeply disappointed" that the Met "has chosen to dig its heels in" after the call to scrap the "Orwellian" technology. She added: "We all want criminals off the streets, but turning (the) carnival into a mass police line-up is not the way to do it." Around 7,000 police officers and staff will be on duty each day throughout the weekend. Police will use LFR cameras to identify individuals listed as wanted in the national police database. Meanwhile, a UK retail facial recognition system has reported its highest-ever monthly total of suspect alerts, its operators say. Read more: Facewatch said in July 2025, it sent 43,602 alerts to subscriber retail stores - the equivalent of more than 10,000 suspects flagged every week for the first time. The figures also represent a 134.8% increase compared to July 2024. Facewatch reported a total of 407,771 alerts over the 12 months leading up to 31 July, with current live data indicating that the upward trend is continuing into August.
Geek Tyrant
an hour ago
- Geek Tyrant
Sydney Chandler Talks About Drawing Strength from Ripley for ALIEN
The Alien franchise has always thrived on two things the terrifying Xenomorph and the unshakable presence of Sigourney Weaver's Ripley. While Alien: Earth delivers big on the alien menace, Ripley is nowhere to be found this time. Instead, the responsibility of leading humanity's fight falls to Sydney Chandler as Wendy, a brand-new kind of Alien protagonist. Speaking with GamesRadar+ during a London press event, Chandler admitted Ripley wasn't a direct influence on her performance, but Weaver's work still had a deep impact. Chandler said: "I've been a massive fan of the original for a really long time. So, I just held on to the essence of that and the strength that her character gave to me when I was younger. "I don't think you can recreate or try and mirror anything from that original film. It stands on its own, as it should. I just went off the feeling that that film gave me. 'Kind of how Noah [Hawley, creator] said he went off the feeling of Alien and then allowed his imagination to explode." Wendy isn't your standard Xeno-fighting action hero. She's a 'hybrid', a terminally ill teenager whose consciousness has been transferred into a powerful Synthetic body. She's part of a group known as the 'Lost Boys,' terminally ill children given the same transformation, named after characters from Peter Pan by their creator, the enigmatic Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin). For Chandler, the role came with the unique challenge of capturing a child's spirit within a superhuman shell. "Noah talked about focusing on the aspects of the personality and being the child and I took that and tried to think of where the personality would override the machine, and what it means to be a child. "I mean, they're great acting teachers. They're so present and vulnerable and honest. They don't overthink and, especially in Wendy's case, she listens to her gut and stands on her own feet and she goes for it. 'There's a freedom that you get to access when you're playing a child that's really vulnerable and really, really, really rewarding." Alongside Chandler, the series stars Alex Lawther, Timothy Olyphant, and more, as Alien: Earth brings the Xenomorph to our planet for the first time, right as humanity begins exploring a transhuman future. Creator Noah Hawley has even hinted that the alien itself will undergo some changes this time around. Alien: Earth streams on Hulu in the US starting August 12, and it looks set to carve out its own terrifying corner of the franchise while passing the torch from Ripley to Wendy in thrilling new ways.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
The 10 Midlands towns and cities named 'most dangerous'
Areas across the Midlands have been named as some of the most dangerous places to live with Stoke-on-Trent coming in at number 31 nationally. Experts have looked at crime rates across the UK, ranking towns and cities according to how much crime happens there. The total number offences committed in one area will always see cities such as London and Birmingham top lists due to their populations. But looking at crime rates rather than the number of offences by taking into account population sizes can give a better insight into crime across the UK. READ MORE: The 'cruel' Stoke-on-Trent criminal who cropped dogs ears for £450 in 'vile' acts READ MORE: King Charles to address nation at 7.30am tomorrow in historic move Across the Midlands, Nottingham has the worst crime rate with 118.4 offences per 1,000 people in the year to March - and is ranked at 24 nationally. This is followed by Leicester with 117.6 offences per 1,000 people Birmingham is ranked 25th, with 117.3 offences per 1,000 people. Meanwhile, Stoke-on-Trent came in at number 31 with a rate of 114.1 offences per 1,000 people. The areas in the Midlands with highest crime rates Nottingham - 22nd nationally Leicester - 24th Birmingham - 25th Stoke-on-Trent - 31st Derby - 48th Wolverhampton - 50th Coventry - 68th Sandwell/Walsall - joint 73rd Chesterfield - 85th The areas in Staffordshire with highest crime rates Stoke-on-Trent - 31st Cannock Chase - 158th Tamworth - 163rd East Staffordshire - 173rd Stafford - 199th Newcastle-under-Lyme - 208th Staffordshire Moorlands - 246th Lichfield - 248th South Staffordshire - 276th Get daily headlines and breaking news emailed to you - it's FREE
