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Murder, mystery and the pain of being impossibly polite - all this and more in the Players' autumn comedy production, The Unfriend

  • Writer: Downsview Players
    Downsview Players
  • 1 day ago
  • 2 min read
Four people sit with neutral expressions while one stands and gestures behind them. Text: "THE UNFRIEND," show dates, and ticket info.
Our latest production is Steven Moffat's debut play, The Unfriend.

This weekend it’s finally time to raise the curtain on the Downsview Players’ third production of 2025, The Unfriend.


Woman in a black and white portrait, smiling subtly. She wears glasses on her head, short hair.
Director Anne Bassi

This witty play is the debut theatrical work of Steven Moffat, famous for his similarly tongue-in-cheek humour on screen. The play became available to perform just recently, and the Players are just one of the amateur groups leaping at the chance to bring it to life.


When director Anne saw the show in London, she knew she wanted to bring it to Downsview from the moment the curtain closed.


Anne is a veteran when it comes to directing for the Downsview Players. “Thirty-four years, I think,” she says, when asked how long she’s been with the Players. “I’ve been involved - either directing, or acting, or doing something backstage - in pretty much every play bar one.”


Three people in a living room; one stands, two sit on a couch looking at a laptop. Bright plaid and striped decor, with a wallpaper backdrop.
L-R: Steve Canning, Kate Lee and Amanda Perry star in The Unfriend

The hilarious script was one of the reasons she wanted to put on this play.


“What I find really funny is what’s left unsaid,” she says. “The frustrations of the characters come through because they can’t actually say what they want to.”


But there was another reason she was excited to choose The Unfriend. “It’s the most modern production we’ve done, but it also includes a lot of technical things that we’ve never done before.”


Four people in a room; a seated woman in sparkling clothes, two women standing, one comforting the other, and an older man nearby. Cozy setting.
L-R: Amanda Perry, Steve Atkins, Ceri Williams and Kate Lee on stage at Downsview during rehearsals.

The technicalities include projections, for which the Players orchestrated two film shoots during rehearsals, using camera tricks and a greenscreen. All will be revealed with some careful timing on the night. “We're lucky to have quite a technical bunch in the group, and they have managed to put together something quite incredible.” 


To see the technical elements in action, you’ll have to grab your ticket and come along on the 27th, 28th, and 29th November.



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