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PACK OF LIES
28TH - 30TH NOVEMBER, 2024
This drama is the true story of a solidly middle class family innocently caught up in an international spy scandal involving Russia and the Royal Navy. Is anyone as they seem? Find out what happened when the Jacksons befriended the Krogers right across the road...... CAST: BARBARA – Lynne McCaffrey BOB – Felix Byrne JULIE – Poppy Foot HELEN – Kirstin West PETER – John Fletcher STEWART – Allan Schonfeld THELMA – Liz Hollis PACK OF LIES, originally performed in the West End starring Dame Judi Dench and her husband Michael Williams and made into an Emmy Award-nominated film featuring Ellen Burstyn and Alan Bates – is well underway. After a summer of line-learning, the talented cast are polishing up their performances and bringing their characters to life. The play is based on the true story of international espionage and betrayal involving Russia and the Royal Navy. Some may well remember the Portland Spy Ring scandal of the 1960s and the capture of Gordon Lonsdale and his associates. Now learn how it affected an ordinary middle-class family who simply befriended their neighbours across the road – and got caught up in the middle. Will they ever trust anyone again....?
STRIKING THE SET
The final curtain might have come down that Saturday– but our work certainly wasn’t finished! We were up at the crack of dawn the next morning to strike the set from the Village Hall. Our thanks to everyone who turned up to help. Always a sad moment to pack it all away until the next production....
Meet the Director
Simon Welch
Spotlight on Simon Welch – A Versatile Talent On and Off Stage! 🎭
Since joining Holt Players just two years ago, Simon Welch has become an indispensable force, both on stage and behind the scenes. Having moved to Trowbridge from Cyprus in June 2022, Simon made an unforgettable debut as the irascible and snobbish Squire David Horton in our sell-out production of The Vicar of Dibley that November.
But acting is just one of his talents—he’s also a passionate director. In spring 2023, he led the team behind Trap for a Lonely Man, a psychological thriller he had long dreamed of directing since first seeing it in Nottingham nearly 40 years ago. That production was a key part of Holt Players’ success in securing the prestigious regional District Award from NODA (National Operatic and Dramatic Association).
Now, Simon is taking on another thrilling project—directing Pack of Lies, the gripping true story of an ordinary couple caught up in an international espionage scandal. Having waited more than three decades to direct this play, he admits that finding strong, dedicated actors was crucial. “I’m thrilled to have assembled a fantastic cast, made up of both Holt Players’ stalwarts and talented newcomers,” he says.
Originally from Chingford, Essex, Simon, 67, has been involved in drama his entire adult life. His adventurous career has taken him across the South of England, the Midlands, Thailand, and Cyprus, but wherever he went, he always found a drama group to call home. It was through amateur dramatics in South Lincolnshire that he met his wife, Joan—also a keen theatre enthusiast.
“I’m a jack of all trades,” he says with a grin. “I love getting stuck in, whether it’s acting, directing, or working backstage. Though I draw the line at singing! More than anything, I just love being part of a team.”
Favourite Roles?
Simon has played an eclectic mix of characters, from the title role in Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell to Snug/Lion/Fairy in A Midsummer Night’s Dream—complete with wings and a tutu (don’t ask!). He also took on Grandpa Joe in a ballet school adaptation of Willy Wonka… in Thailand!
With his passion, experience, and enthusiasm, Simon has already made a huge impact on Holt Players, and now, as an elected Committee Member, he’s shaping the group’s future too. We’re lucky to have him—just don’t ask him to sing! 🎭👏✨