South Yorkshire Times, November 17th, 1951

Festival Rivals

Mexborough head office of this newspaper has particular interest in Mexborough Drama Festival, a section of Mexborough Musical Competition Festival which began last night in the Schofield Technical College Hall, Mexborough, for taking part – in different plays with different societies – are two members of the staff, from commercial staff, 18-year-old Joan Neal (picture) of Park Rd., Mexborough, will play Annette in Mexborough Green Room Club’s “The King’s Pet,” and from the editorial staff 19-years-old R. Peter Elliott, of Doncaster, formerly of Park Road, Conisbrough, will play Ludovic in Mexborough Theatre Guild’s “Come Away Death.”

First – and Many

For Joan, this will be quite an occasion, it will be her first speaking role. She had a walk on part in the Green Room Club’s recent “Merchant of Venice” production and a very charming picture she made in her mediaeval costume. For Mr. Elliott it will be one more part in a long list of stage appearances and his sixth time in competition work. Upstairs in the bookbinding department of the “South Yorkshire Times” they are firm Green Room Club ‘fans’. The Green Room Club’s John R. Bell, also a player in “The King’s Pet,” is husband of a member of the staff there.

The festival continues to-night (Friday) and to-morrow. To-night the Green Room Club will present their play and to-morrow the Theatre Guild will wind up the festival.