Dial M for Mayhem offers nostalgic fun - Guildford and Eastbourne dates - video Dailymotion

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Middle Ground Theatre Company goes back to its early days with the nostalgic and semi-autobiographical new play Dial M for Mayhem.

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00:00Good afternoon, my name is Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor at Sausage Newspapers. Now, it's

00:06not Dial M for Murder, it's Dial M for Mayhem, and it comes from Middle Ground Theatre Company.

00:12We've been on the road, on and off, for 36 years, which is a phenomenal achievement,

00:17under the leadership of Mike Lunney. Lovely to speak to you again, Mike. Dial M for Mayhem

00:22is coming to Eastbourne and Guildford in our area. So, why is it Dial M for Mayhem,

00:30not Dial M for Murder? How do the two relate? Well, it is about a young theatre company

00:37who are touring the Highlands and Islands village hall circuit back in 1991, with a

00:43production of Frederick Knott's Dial M for Murder. And the mayhem actually comes with

00:50what goes on within the company. And indeed, what you get to see in Act Two, Scene Two,

00:57the audience is allowed to see what happens backstage while the play is going on. So,

01:02we have a play within a play. Now, this resonates on a personal level, because from Middle Ground

01:08and its history, we actually did these tours. So, we did these tours in 1991 through to

01:161995. The playwright has drawn on your memories then?

01:19Absolutely. And she did one of these tours. And so, you know, it's hands-on stuff.

01:24Oh, she was one of your actors, was she? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

01:27Oh, my goodness, yes. So, is it all absolutely true?

01:31Oh, no, it's true. We've embellished all sorts of chaos. You'll have to come along and see.

01:39That can't have happened. But I think it's the juxtaposition as well of a young

01:43company. And then there's an older person, there's two older people in the company,

01:46and one actor who's come full circle, who was once a big television star,

01:50Rupert Valentine Tinglewell. What a great name. And somebody says in the production,

01:58what sort of a name is that? To the response comes a made-up one. So, yeah, but it's very-

02:05There's nostalgia here then for the company. Oh, it's great. I mean, it's great. And hopefully,

02:10it will show the workings of a real theatre company. Yes, there is a play and a play. And

02:14yes, it is extremely funny in Act Two, Scene Two, when you get to see that, and the chaos,

02:21and what goes wrong backstage that the audience doesn't see, with, you know, doors that won't

02:26open, and an escaped pet of a child. And it's always good to look back,

02:31isn't it, to remember. But the fact is, Middleground has done so well for so many years

02:35now. How on earth has it managed to stay on track in difficult times? You're saying that

02:41things are as hard now as they've ever been. Yet, Middleground keeps on occupying that

02:46middle ground, isn't it? Well, I don't think I'm wired right,

02:54is the short answer. Am I allowed to say that, Philip?

02:57I think you just did, yes.

02:59I was a lad with a dream when I went to, I left a job to become a civil and structural engineer,

03:10and jumped ship to go to drama school. And from getting a full grant to getting nothing at all,

03:16because it was the arts. So it's like running off to join

03:18the circus then, is it? It is.

03:20Yeah, yeah, yeah, to my parents' emotional disgust. And, you know, I can understand that,

03:27but they lived long enough to see the success. But I always wanted to create. And nobody was

03:34going to come and tap me on the shoulder and say, Michael, we've been looking for you all our days.

03:39You're our man. It wasn't going to happen. So we had to be proactive and we had to do it ourselves.

03:44And it looks like it's been a really adaptable company, isn't it,

03:47looking at the productions you've done. There's not a set type of play that you do, is there?

03:53No, no, we do. You need, you know, this is a new piece of writing,

04:00and we've not put any familiar names in the cast. But it's a great evening's entertainment. But when

04:07you start with a new piece of writing, you're already, you know, two steps down. You've got

04:13to make up the ground because people aren't sure about things they don't know. And we're

04:20not hanging it on a big name, a big acting name, which we have done many times in the past. We've

04:26worked with, you know, big names of the industry from this side and the other side of the pond.

04:34So yeah, it is all a bit daunting. Be careful what you wish for. This is my life's work,

04:41as someone said to me the other day, and I'd never thought about that. I hadn't reflected really. And

04:45maybe it's time as I've just turned 60. So, you know, this is, I started when I was 24. Maybe it's

04:54time to, you know, say, yeah, well, yeah, we have survived 36 years, and we've done 50 productions,

05:00and we've employed... I was going to say, it's time to step down. You're not going to do that, are you?

05:04No, no, no, I can't step down, Phil.

05:08You're just going to keep on keeping on?

05:10I'm going to keep on for a little while. Yeah, yeah, I need to, yeah, we've got...

05:15It's not out of your system yet, clearly.

05:19I mean, some of it is. The shoveling aspect of it is.

05:24But, you know, we've just done a wonderful tour as well of The Verdict, the courtroom drama,

05:31the third time we did that, and we got, you know, five star reviews across the board, and

05:36that ticks the box, I think. But this is special. This is autobiographical, middle ground stuff,

05:43where we started, and, you know, it did, and watching these people, it takes me back to

05:49when you had to put it up and take it down in a day, and you move on, and you did it all again.

05:54Well, it's coming to Guildford and Eastbourne. It sounds great,

05:57Phil and Mike, and lovely to see you again. Thank you.

06:00Thanks so much, Phil. Thank you.

Dial M for Mayhem offers nostalgic fun - Guildford and Eastbourne dates

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