As we took down the set on Tuesday night of the production-that-never-was the question of why the play was cancelled kept surfacing. As I have mentioned previously I have never come across a production that was anywhere near ready to go on three weeks prior to opening night. However in the opinion of some members of the cast there was that little could be done to salvage the exercise and it was the Director’s reluctant decision the axe was dropped. So that’s it. End of story.

On to a more positive subject, the group is entering the ODN and Wallingford festivals this year with The Summer of my Thirtieth Year by Mark Rees. This short play was rehearsed after the set was struck on Tuesday, with mammoth parts for two of the cast to whom if I wore a hat I would take it off. Directed by Susi Dalton, the plot concerns John, who is 30 years old and believes he has special powers of "insight" after allegedly being visited by the Spirit of God to prepare for the second coming. A young newspaper reporter comes to interview him but her cynicism and failure to take him seriously have terrifying consequences for her. Not many laughs I can tell you but a powerful piece competently tackled. Two of the three cast are very young members and it’s good to see them committing themselves in this way.

We shall be holding a dress rehearsal/preview at the Village Hall on Tuesday, 18 May, which will be open to the public, beginning at 8pm. Entry is free and we hope people will stay and join us afterwards. The play is only about half an hour long and the cast always appreciate an audience, which always makes such a big difference to those performing. Feel free to come along.

The ODN’s Festival at the Unicorn Theatre, Abingdon will be held on May 31-June 5. More details on www.oxfordshiredramanetwork.org.

At the Oxford Mail OX5 fun run in aid of the Oxford Children’s Hospital it was good to see Joe Graham’s forthcoming production of ‘Fun Run’ being so well advertised. Indeed I believe many of the cast and crew took part in the run. Steve Hay for one was spotted with his underpants on the outside of his trousers as per the show’s posters. At least I hope that was why he had his underpants on the outside of his trousers.

Now a blonde lady gets home early from shopping and hears strange noises coming from the bedroom. She rushes upstairs only to find her husband naked lying on the bed, sweating and panting.

'What's up?' she asks.

'I think I'm having a heart attack,' cries the husband.

The blonde rushes downstairs to grab the phone, but just as she's dialling, her four-year-old son comes up and says, 'Mommy! Mommy! Auntie Shirley is hiding in your wardrobe and she's got no clothes on!'

The blonde slams the phone down and storms back upstairs into the bedroom, right past her husband, rips open the wardrobe door and sure enough, there is her sister, totally naked and cowering on the floor.

'You rotten 'Bitch', she screams.

'My husband's having a heart attack, and you're running around naked playing hide and seek with the kids!!'