The aptly-named Dramatic Productions delivers an intriguing and clever interpretation of Tennessee Williams' classic tale of misery and madness in the deep south.

When A Streetcar Named Desire was first staged as a Broadway play nearly 65 years ago it launched the careers of two young stars in the making, Jessica Tandy and Marlon Brando.

At Poole we have Nicole Faraday (best known for her portrayal of murderer Snowball Merriman in TV's Bad Girls) as ruined Southern belle Blanche DuBois and Leigh Haywood as her abusive brother-in-law Stanley Kowalski.

In psychological free-fall after the suicide of her homosexual husband and the scandal of an affair with a 17-year-old pupil, disgraced English teacher Blanche seeks refuge at her sister's home in New Orleans.

But her airs and graces do little to disguise her growing alcoholism and infuriate Stanley. We watch as this pair - representing the dying elegance of the old south and the harsh new face of the modern working class - lock in desperate combat.

Dominant Stanley finally asserts his power in the most brutal way, raping Blanche while his wife is in hospital having a baby. Already damaged and fragile, Blanche is destroyed and Stanley has her committed to a mental institution.

A fine cast directed by Sasha Paul turn in excellent performances in this always disturbing drama.

The play, which runs at the Lighthouse Studio until Saturday October 15, is being staged in support of St Anne's Hospital in Poole and its work in the mental health care field.

Read review on Bournemouth Echo's website

Jeremy Miles, Bournemouth Echo

Thank you for an excellent production of A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE - enjoyed the whole piece, but especially the second half when the play gathered tremendous power and momentum and built to a terrific dreadful summit climax. Terrific performances and staging, great use of music and sound as well. Very atmospheric and gripping production. The tragedy of the story comes over very powerfully, amidst much tenderness and pathos. Great work!

BAFTA winner John Foster

The intimate Studio at Lighthouse, Poole creates the atmosphere perfectly for Tennessee Williams classic drama A Streetcar Named Desire, which is set in a cramped New Orleans apartment during a long, hot summer in the 1940s. It is the tale of two sisters, reared in the aristocratic traditions of the deep south of America but whose lives go separate ways. Stella marries and moves to New Orleans with her volatile and violent husband Stanley Kowalski while older sibling Blanche becomes Mrs DuBois, lives graciously in the family home and has a respectable career.

Circumstances change dramatically for Blanche however, and when she arrives at the modest home which Stella and Stanley rent from the lady upstairs, steamy temperatures are matched by emotions running high.

What a challenge for Nicole Faraday (known for the ITV series Bad Girls) to capture the multi-faceted Blanche but she convinces in a role which finds her rarely off stage. Her mental deterioration from the glamorous lady of feathers and fur to a deluded wreck being taken away for psychiatric help is very moving, though just occasionally her Southern drawl and fast delivery mean words are lost. As Stella, the young woman who is torn between loyalty to her sister and her forceful husband, Emma Stephens is a joy to behold, capturing the heart and soul of the character. Her coarse and outspoken man is played to perfection by Leigh Haywood, whether loud and physically abusive or seeking forgiveness from Stella on whom he is emotionally dependant. His poker partners, Pablo (well captured by Sean Pogmore) and Steve – nicely delivered by Jamie Hill – are a foil for the sensitive Mitch, a part which Steve McCarten plays with the right balance of thoughtfulness and anger.

What a good portrayal too by Tara Dominick as the caring Eunice who also has an abusive relationship but still endeavours to help Stanley and Stella with their problems. The supporting actors all make an impact in this powerful story of desire, desperation and ultimately disaster which holds the packed audience spell-bound.

Director of Dramatic Productions Sasha Paul has used her vast experience and that of her principal players to present a drama which would grace the West End.

Committed to providing high quality classic plays that appear on the national curriculum, Sasha brings to Poole a high standard of professional theatre for all ages. Dramatic Productions seeks to enrich, educate and entertain – it certainly does all three.

Pat Scott, Stour and Avon Magazine

Performance Wednesday evening 2nd night.

A Streetcar named Desire opened to a press night of glittering rave reviews on Tuesday 11th October at Lighthouse, Poole, Dorset.

Sasha Paul, Founder and Artistic Director of Dramatic Productions, has an instinctive knack of bringing the very best acting talent together with the very best theatre has to offer, as well as producing her own original work. Sasha understands what it takes to bring a playwright's work to life and preserve its heartbeat. Many productions or interpretations fall short of the mark by losing the original author's voice, but the crisp dialogue and edgy pulse points of the original play was held sacred which should please many die-hard Tennessee Williams fans; although the modern footprint the actors brought to the piece kept it original, fresh and spellbinding.

Stellar performances came from lead star Nicole Faraday who played Blanche Du Bois. Nicole teased out the fragile mind of Blanche and peeled away her sanity scene-by-scene, layer-by-layer; we were drawn into the hopeless predicament in which Blanche finds herself, a penniless, disgraced soak with only a bottle as her friend.

Equally sharing the limelight was Emma Stephens, fresh from the west end stage, her honest portrayal of Blanche's sister Stella was held in character throughout. Emma stole the prize for the most believable southern belle accent, which captured all the charm of the 'Gone with the Wind' Deep South.

A menacing yet at times touching account of Stanley, played by Leigh Haywood, provided plenty of socio-political discussion during the Q & A session at the end of the performance, about whether Stanley was typical of a man of his time. What Leigh fell short on in his accent, was more than compensated for by his dark chocolate voice and deep understanding of Stanley the man; he chose to underplay the original brutish violence by twisting his character's footprint towards intimidation, menace and hovering violence.

The sexual tension between the three main characters and the reduced financial and social circumstances Blanche finds herself in, are enough to edge her towards loosing her mind; it delivered on every count. The sound design, lighting, staging, costumes, treatment and phrasing of the piece, so ably penned by TW, helped to create and add a rich layer to the immediacy of the performance space. Nicole brought just enough vulnerability and sympathy to her character to make her believable, so the audience were left with no choice but to feel her anguish.

There was plenty of light and shade as well as authenticity during the unfolding drama, allowing space for a skilful delivery of sub-text by the supporting cast, with particularly strong performances by Jamie Hill who played Steve, Tara Dominick played Eunice with tremendous confidence and assurance.

To be able to bear witness in the provinces to such a professional cast and sparkling performance was a privilege to behold. If you missed this opportunity and you enjoy watching great theatre bring to life the best manuscripts, plays or adaptations from literature and marry these with original theatre, then watch out for future performances by Dramatic productions. You can visit their website or sign up to the regular newsletter web-listings via Lighthouse newsletters.

Rosie Jones, Founder of the Prequel and Sequel to Cannes

Most people will know Tennessee Williams' play "A Streetcar Named Desire" from the film starring Marlon Brando as the sexually overpowering Stanley Kowalski. But Sasha Paul's production for Dramatic Productions at Poole Lighthouse Studio shifts the audience's sympathies back to that of his sister-in-law, the delusional, mentally fragile Blance Dubois. In this production Kowalski is played with a grown up, intelligent intensity by Leigh Hayward that distances him admirably from the brutish Brando image and, while there is yet much chemistry to be explored between him and Blanche, last night there was enough simmering tension to make this relationship begin to pop and spin. The setting of the piece, the lower working class area of New Orleans adds to the heat and tension and the whole cast works hard to underline this atmosphere of claustrophobic intensity particularly the ebullient Tara Dominick as Eunice, Celeste Engel as Missy and the members of Stanley's poker school:Jamie Hill, Sean Pogmore and Steve McCarten who plays the disappointed Mitch with an effective puzzlement.

But at the heart of the play is the character of Blanche. Nicole Faraday portrays her to aching effect with a desperation that shows the lines under the makeup of the woman fast approaching middle age and with a hinterland of failed marriage and a long trail of affairs. This part is one of the great challenges for an actress in portraying a woman who is in such denial about her past that we in the audience cannot decide whether she is an accomplished liar or completely mad and Nicole drags us through that experience with consummate skill. The final scene in which she is led off to an asylum is chillingly gripping. The other protagonist is Blanche's sister and Stanley's wife Stella played here with spirit by Emma Stephens. This another challenging role as Stella has to appear timid and supportive whilst providing enough reality and power to balance the fizzing emotions of the rest of the characters. Her wretchedness at the denouement is heartbreaking.

The cast took a little while to get going and, initially, some of the vocal production was not crisp enough in the unforgiving acoustic of the Studio but once it was underway this production had the power to shock. Sasha has assembled a hard working and effective ensemble including stalwarts Frank Holden and Julia Savill delivering fine cameos as the Doctor and Nurse who come to lead Blanche away and Peter Fellows as the Young Collector. In these straitened times we will see fewer of the classics that require this size cast and Dramatic Productions must be congratulated for tackling this big play head on.

Read review on Peter's blog

Peter John Cooper, Writer/Director Spyway Projects

Sympathy for Blanche Dubois is the order of the day in Sasha Paul's production of Tennessee William's classic, reworked here by Dramatic Productions. The often taut atmosphere between Blanche, whose vulnerability and delicacy are played up beautifully by Nicole Faraday, and the brutish, primal Stanley Kowalski, given real menace by Leigh Haywood, puts the audience firmly on her side. The obvious culture clash between the two is one of the most notable features of the play, a fading relic of the Old South with pretentions of virtue, Blanche, almost crashes headlong into Stanley, a rising member of the industrial working class, and the two are thrown together when Blanche arrives to stay with her sister Stella Kowalski, Stanley's wife, a fragile buffer between the two, played by the charming Emma Stephens.

Blanche claims she has been given leave from her job as an English teacher because of upset nerves, having just lost her southern plantation due to the debauchery of her ancestors, but she has in fact been fired for having an affair with a seventeen-year-old boy, which is by no means the only sexual relation she has engaged in, with a series of various suitors since her failed marriage.

The more the suspicious Stanley digs into her affairs, the more Blanche's pretence of splendour begins to fade and her delusions of grandeur become more obvious. While Faraday consummately sustains Blanche's fragility, she also brings out the character's stubbornness and strength, determined to stay proud and keep her slightly deluded self together as the world around her attempts to unravel her past and break her down. The precarious balance between the two is skilfully achieved.

We are often perhaps wondering whether Blanche is deluded or just pigheaded, but the vague mystery is one of the most intriguing aspects of her character, and played on very well here. We never stop feeling sympathy for Blanche, as she in vein defends her troubled past and bravely faces up to Stanley's questions. And the audience are taken with her all the way.

The performance as a whole was very strong, well-paced and progressed smoothly between scenes, with only the occasional jarring sound effect upsetting a normally fine flow.

In the opening minutes the Studio's noisy steps were over-used, which often proved distracting to the action, creating a rather congested walkway and making the busy opening a little messy. But I shan't criticise the production itself for the restraints of its venue. Besides, there was a sharp and seamless recovery from the cast, bringing us instantly into a gritty and charming depiction of the French Quarter of New Orleans in the late forties, as we immediately grow to love the characters.

Emma Stephens gives Stella an energy and likeability hugely effective for the hard task of marshalling the cold tension between her sister and her husband.

Frank Holden and Julia Savill deliver powerful if not brief performances as the Doctor and Nurse in perhaps this production's most effective scene, the grim climax in which Blanche is led sombrely away amidst some quietly distressing and genuinely haunting moments.

Tara Dominick brings a homely feel to the setting as Eunice, giving her warmth and a maternal instinct whilst not neglecting a necessary sternness.

And Peter Fellows is both charismatic and funny in an amusing cameo as the Young Collector.

All in all, a skilfully put together and engrossing re-working of a classic. Dramatic Productions deserve credit for a terrific night of theatre.

Samuel Hutchinson, Writer/Reviewer for thephantomzone.co.uk

One Step is a new play written by award winning playwright Sasha Paul of the Lighthouse-based Dramatic Productions. Last night saw the play's world premiere try-out at Poole's Lighthouse Studio. It comes at a time when to our amazement and admiration amputee soldiers have broken records tramping to the North Pole, proving anything is possible. From its imaginatively, surreal opening robotically introducing characters and the trappings of a newly disabled person, One Step is based on the true story of a family falling apart, falteringly finding their balance, then coming together again; deeply affected by a young man's motor bike accident, the subsequent amputation of his right leg, and a change of personality as he and they adjust to what lies ahead. The lead role of Matt is played with gritty truth by amputee actor Sean Gittins whose story this is based on; his howls in reaction to phantom pain palpable. Matt along with his fiancé Daisy – captured beautifully and sensitively by Sasha Paul - explore the ugly reality coming to terms with broken, imperfection after knowing near perfection. The mainly physical scene where the couple confront Matt's shivering, naked leg-stump is harrowing and yet sensually beautiful. Julia Savill inhabits the amputee's home-maker mother who struggles with the natural desire to wrap her son in her all embracing arms knowing in reality she must give him the confidence to conquer his brave new world. The younger brother Simon who carries the guilt of being at the controls of the crashed bike is played with cheeky bravado by Lewis Till providing much needed humour, learning quicker than the rest of the family not to tread on glass. Although this powerful docu-drama, a multi-media mix of film and gritty on-stage action is harrowing, emotional, and even mundane it deals sensitively and at times graphically with traumatic injury. There is a sensible age restriction of 15 plus for this play. The episodic nature and traffic of the stage needs a little more pace but this will come with the performers easing into the flow of dozens of mini-scenes interlaced with pauses for reflection. Some of the play repeats itself in images and word and could do with a trim. But overall a powerful, brave piece of theatre, directed with vision and sensitivity by Tara Dominick.

Jane McKell, Artistic Director for AsOne Theatre.

SADLY, the loss of a limb is no longer something that only happens to older people as a result of illness. Many young servicemen, caught up in bomb blasts in places like Afghanistan, are facing a future that they could never have imagined, and motor bike accidents can also cause irreparable damage.

This powerful play, written by Sasha Paul and directed by Tara Dominick, focuses on the latter and is largely based on the experiences of Sean Gittins, who at the age of 18 lost his right leg as the result of such an accident.

Using both still photographs and film to complement the action, One Step paints a picture of this young man's very ordinary life and interaction with his girlfriend, mother and brother prior to his accident, then the tragedy of the accident itself and the struggles all of them go through to eventually regain some sort of normality.

It is superbly acted, not least by Sean Gittins himself. I can only imagine that it must have been a real double-edged sword for him to play Matt, with the knowledge of the way he felt throughout his 'recovery' giving clear realism to the character's initial unwillingness to adapt to his situation, his despair at being thought of as a freak, his selfishness and ultimately his acceptance - at which point, and with the acquisition of a prosthetic limb, normality rapidly returns.

Sasha Paul (Daisy, his fiancée), Lewis Till (Simon, his brother) and Julia Savill (Mildred, his mother) all portray their characters' emotions brilliantly and movingly. The scene where Daisy finally agrees to see Matt's stump, something she has not previously found the courage to do, was, I think, the highlight of the evening despite being almost entirely non-verbal.

Whilst there are some extremely harrowing scenes there is also a surprising amount of humour to redress the balance, and the play's overall message that amputation does not have to mean the end, but the beginning of a new way of living is positive and totally inspirational.

Linda Kirkman, SceneOne.