Bentley: The Road to Justive

After our success at the Leverhulme Festival in April 2009, Hand in Hand theatre planned to enter again in April 2011.

This time we enterd an orginal one act drama but it was be based on the true-story of the famous Craig and Bentley case of the 1950s, when two teenage boys were found guilty of the shooting of a policeman in Croydon.

Craig, who actually pulled the trigger, was only 16 and too young to hang but Bentley who 19, but with the mental age of 11yrs and already held by the police, was tried and hung for the crime. He was eventually pardoned years later after continuous campaigns to prove his innocence.

Press Release

HAND IN HAND's new production tells A True Story.

BENTLEY: Road to Justice is the new production by Hand in Hand Theatre productions in association with ROX Theatre. David Crosby was keen to tell the story of Derek Bentley, who was hanged in 1953 for the murder of a policeman and subsequently pardoned after a forty year campaign by his family.

Working with a group of performers drawn from all over Wirral, Bev Clark together with David, who had undertaken a lot of research, put together a script and started rehearsing in January this year in Liscard, Birkenhead and Moreton.

The one-act drama will be seen for the first time at The Leverhulme Drama Festival at The Gladstone Theatre on Thursday 14th April.

The Open festival runs all week - details and tickets can be obtained from the Gladstone Theatre on 0151 643 8757 or visit www.gladstonetheatre.org

A £ 6.00 ticket gets you three one-act plays each night, so excellent value.

Cast

• IRIS BENTLEY: Val Marshall
• DEREK BENTLEY: Luke Sandford
• CHRISTOPHER CRAIG/ Ensemble: James Woodfinden
• MR BENTLEY/ CASSELS (defence) PC Pain: Barry William Powell
• MRS BENTLEY/SPOKESWOMAN/Ensemble: Janice Bradshaw
• LORD JUSTICE GODDARD/ man from ministry/Ensemble: Alex May
• HUMPHRIES (Prosecution)/ MP/ Maxwell-Fyfe/ Ensemble: Charles Britton
• MRS MILES/ Woman/ Carole/ Ensemble: Bethany Ling
• MRS CRAIG/Young Iris/Maria /Ensemble: Cheryl Laverick
• PC HARRISON/ Policeman/ Older Craig/ Ensemble: Mark Waters
• NORMAN/ Clerk/ Musician/official: Drew Forrest
• DS FAIRFAX/ Schoolmaster/ Roger/Ensemble: Craig McGrath
• BEN BIRNBERG/ PC Macdonald: David Crosby
• Backstage assistants: Colin McCourt/ Sarah McKeown
• Director: Bev Clark
• Assistant Director: Mike Lockley
• Written and collated by: Bev Clark & David Crosby

Thanks to Jill Breckon, Carlton players, Sunningdale Community Centre & Your Wirral & Wirral Forums for their continued support.

Awards and nominees

CONGRATULATIONS to the cast and crew of BENTLEY:Road to Justice. What a brilliant night!

We managed to bring home three trophies.

• The Adjudicator's award
• Roger Lancelyn Green trophy for Best Director
• winner of The Merseyside trophy of The ALL England Theatre Festival taking us forward to the north west final in Cumbria next month.
• Bev Clark The runner-up to best production -The Hesketh trophy beaten by the brilliant Phoenix Theatre production which took the prize

Also nominations for...

• best actress - Val Marshall as Iris Bentley pipped at the post by Jan Gavin from Phoenix
• and for supporting roles - our James Woodfinden and Cheryl Laverick

well done all three! The whole cast were there apart from poor David who took "break a leg" quite literally and ended up in hospital.