This is a rare opportunity to see Miss Maureen Beattie, one of Scotlands foremost performers, in a rehearsed reading of the one woman play, Acting Up - or Tales From a Troublesome Trouper by Frederic Mohr . It is 1755. The scene is set in a wretched hovel in London. The notorious Charlotte Charke, once a celebrated actress, has fallen on hard times, and is desperate to interest speculators in buying the copyright to her new novel. She invites them to a private auction and solicits bids whilst revealing secrets from her own life in a captivating and often comedic chronicle. Charlotte Charke was a real person of infinite interest. Her father, Colley Cibber, was the leading British actor of his age. He was also a playwright and Poet Laureate. Charlotte herself managed some success and fame in the establishment theatre of her father but gave way to spells in the fringe theatre of her day, moving swiftly from tour de force to forced to tour as her career and life of privilege descended into destitution. She took to wearing male clothing and became publicly known as Charles Brown. She unsuccessfully tried various jobs associated with men such as valet, sausage maker, farmer, and tavern owner. Eventually, under her own name Mrs Charlotte Charke, she found success as a novelist and memoirist until her death in 1760. Her indomitable spirit is remembered here in Frederic Mohrs one woman play which paints an enthralling picture of 18th Century British Theatre and the wider society of the time, with a powerful and timeless tale of survival at its core. But beware. This piece pulls no punches and, as Charlotte herself attests, it is a moral tale, good wholesome stuff, but covered over with more piquant sauce than a Frenchmans banquet; warm and pungent as a doxys bush. The trustees of The Friends of Britannia Panopticon are exceedingly grateful to Miss Beattie for re-creating the role, gratis, in order to help raise funds for the Britannia Panopticon Music Hall. Representative Review "Must not be missed It is stunning Maureen Beattie positively dazzles in this cracker of a one-woman show which is a powerful affirmation of the strength of the word, especially when given live representation by a talented, committed performer Beattie positively revels in Mohr's beautifully turned script The atmosphere generated becomes electric, as we witness one of Scotland's finest actors working at her best, getting her teeth into a meaty role." (The Scotsman)