Banbury Cross Players win Drama Festival
Banbury Cross Players have become the first amateur theatre group to win the prestigious Lighthorne June Drama Festival twice.
Their piece, Goodbye Charles by Gabriel Benjamin Davis and directed by Phil Wintle, was given a score of 86 out of 100 by Tristan Marshall of the Guild of Drama Adjudicators. He told the sell-out Festival’s packed hall: “This was a masterclass in directing.”
A score of 80 is considered to meet GoDA’s benchmark of excellence.
The victory means that BCP have now been invited to compete in the National Drama Festival, to be held from July 31 to August 3 at Artrix in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, where they will face other festival-winners from across the United Kingdom.
Goodbye Charles tells the story of Jill, a woman forlorn, who sets out on an increasingly strange journey to find her missing husband. A quirky, comic piece featuring amongst others, a commitment-phobic husband, an armed cheese fanatic who robs cheese shops and a man with delusions of being a leprechaun. Five actors, all on stage throughout, take the play’s eight roles, slickly moving between characters, locations and time.
Banbury Cross Players were the first local amateur theatre group to sign up to the Lighthorne Festival of One-Act Plays when it launched in June 2013. They won this now nationally-recognised Festival six years later with Contractions by Mike Bartlett and directed by Chrissie Garrett.
The Lighthorne Festival offers a cash prize of £1,000 - the biggest in UK amateur theatre. Under Festival rules, the payout must be split 50/50 between the winning group and a registered charity of their choice. After receiving the trophy from adjudicator Tristan, BCP director Phil Wintle nominated two Cherwell charities - Homeless Oxfordshire and Asylum Welcome.
The Lighthorne Festival was suspended in 2024 because of unforeseen circumstances, but returned this year to a full complement of 12 one-act plays performed by a dozen different groups from across central England. The festival was sold out on each of its four nights.
Festival Chair Rod Chaytor said: “After the disappointment of last year, it was great to be back and with a bang. Banbury were worthy winners and it is so appropriate that one of our founder members should return to triumph again.”
Director Phil Wintle was delighted with the result, commenting, “We’re over the moon that Goodbye Charles scooped the prestigious prize at Lighthorne and can’t wait to take it next to festivals at Abingdon on 20th June and Wallingford on 26th June. My thanks to my absolutely amazing cast - Deborah, Hilary, Rob, Ian and Zoey”.
Adrian McGlynn, Chairman of Banbury Cross Players, was equally thrilled. “2025 is our 80th anniversary year, and I’m so proud of everyone who worked to bring this challenging piece of theatre to life. These competitions are really hard to win and you have to be on the top of your game. I was there for our performance and it was dazzling!”
Banbury Cross Players are bringing a new play to The Mill theatre this July. Puck, inspired by Shakespeare’s magical comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream premieres July 10-12.
Tickets via The Mill Arts Centre Box Office: https://www.themillartscentre.co.uk/shows/puck/