To Whom It May Concern Reaps Drama Festival Rewards

The Mousetrap Theatre Company in Redcliffe, Queensland chose To Whom It May Concern by Daniel Keene as its entry into the Murrumba Drama Festival in 2012.

Sandra Hines, the Director, had first seen this play at La Boite Theatre many years before and knew that, with the right cast, this play would make a very strong, emotional impact on all who saw it.

The play tells the story of a father of a mentally challenged son about 40 years old.  The father discovers that he has terminal cancer and is already suffering great pain.  But what to do about his son?  He tries to leave him with his brother, his sister-in-law, at a bus stop, on a beach. 

The Mousetrap cast of Keith Wilson as the father and Amanda Burgess (the son changed into the daughter of about 30) rose to the challenge superbly. Keith’s agony was palpable as he tried to find an answer to his problem, and Amanda moved the audiences to tears with her beautiful, moving performance of the girl with no language except “Da”.

At the Murrumba Festival at the Mousetrap Theatre, the adjudicator (Jacqui Mata Luque), gave Amanda the adjudicator’s award, Keith won the Best Actor, Sandra won the best director, the production won the best play and the Premier’s Award for the greatest contribution to the Festival.  The adjudicator said that this was a tour de force, emotionally devastating. The images throughout were captured like photographs, some too painful to revisit.

The production was then taken to: Act 1 Festival, where again Amanda won the adjudicator’s award and Keith won best actor; Sunshine Coast Festival where Amanda won the adjudicator’s award and Keith the adjudicator’s medal; King Street Players Festival, where Amanda won best supporting actor (female) and Redfest Drama Festival where Keith won the best actor award and the production won the runner up play award.