Playwright thrilled with '˜first class' Syston QT Theatre Group cast

But they were even more thrilled when she wrote to the director, Judith Latham, expressing her thanks.

Judith said: “It was abit scary, on the last night of the play, to know that Janet was sitting in the audience.

“We didn’t want to know where she was sitting, or what she was wearing, so that we couldn’t look out into the audience to see how she was reacting.

“She sent me a lovely email afterwards.” It said: “I’d like to send my sincere thanks to you and the cast and crew of One Day I’ll Fly Away for the hospitality shown during my recent visit. I was surprised at the sheer professionalism of your production.

“The acting was first class, the scenery superb and the attention to detail impressive. I could see the amount of hard work put into the play and it was well rewarded by the finished product.

“I was charmed by the audience as they audibly responded to ‘Nora and Kylie’s’ cutting remarks, proving how enthralled they were in the action on stage. It was a well presented piece of theatre and you and the whole crew should be immensely proud of the result.”

This is the first time that the group has played to packed audiences every night and had almost old out of tickets three weeks before the show started. They supported four charities linked to the theme of the production by displaying information leaflets and donation boxes.

Dementia UK, The Alzheimer’s Society, Young Carers UK and The Stroke Association will all benefit from audience donations and additional donations from QTs.

Judith added: “Janet suggested that we look at another one of her plays, Pretzels for Dinner, for a future production. She thinks it will suit our group very well so I shall certainly be looking at that.

“If this production is anything to go by, I’m guessing that our audiences will love it once again!”

Anyone interested in joining the group, in any capacity, should contact Judith on 07702 879006, or checkout www.qttheatregp.co.uk