Sad news for Lane Theatre and Drama in Cornwall

Sad news for Lane Theatre and Drama in Cornwall

Newquay Dramatic Society and Lane (Community) Theatre are mourning the death of David Faulkner, one of Cornwall’s best known and respected actors and directors.

David had been battling with a life threatening condition for many years and finally passed peacefully away, surrounded by his family, on Saturday 12thSeptember, his legacy being the many successful plays and awards he and his cast and crew have garnered over the years.

He once said to me that he did not “do am-dram,” rather he expected to be able to direct and produce professional quality drama, performed and constructed by non-professionals and, in this, he succeeded in no uncertain terms even setting up his own travelling theatre in 2002 “The Open Road Theatre Company” to tour the county, performing in Village Halls and Community Centres, sometimes carrying their sets and props in a horsebox! His production of “Lunchtime Concert” was awarded runner up spot in the All England One Act Play Festival held in Southport in 2007!

David joined NDS in the early 1990’s having been a professional actor and having toured Europe. His first production was his adaptation of “Pinocchio” including what is probably the largest cast ever to perform at Lane Theatre.

Cornwall Drama Association presented many awards to him for his productions and they include several as Best Director, as recently as 2019 for “Upside Down at the Bottom of the World”,

Best Set for “Lettice & Lovage” and Best Actor for Stuart Ellison who has been with David for over 18 years and takes over the mantle for directing his choice for 2021.

David would be the first to admit that a play is only as good as his choice of cast members, set builders and backstage management allow it to be and that the director has to act as a kind of puppet master to keep everything running smoothly otherwise the old adage of “It’ll be alright on the night” comes into play, something that he would never countenance.

David’s passing has robbed NDS of the possibility of any future productions, the list of which he had prepared for many years to come, and C19 prevented him seeing his latest play, “No Exit” by Jean Paul Sartre, complete its run in March but we hope to stage his choice for 2021, “ART”, sometime next year. His cast are already holding readthroughs prior to going into rehearsal.

I think I can see him now, script in one hand, clipboard in the other “okay cherubs, into line stage right and don’t crowd each other,” Archangel! can I have the harp a little bit higher, bit more, hold it, right Ok everyone, lets go, Act 1, Scene1, after all, we’ve got all the time in the world!

Our thoughts are with his family at this sad time and we offer our condolences on their incalculable loss!

Details of David’s funeral and donations can be found on Andrew Henwood (Funeral Directors) website.

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