HAROLD PINTER MOURNED IN BRUM

Members of Friction Theatre were have been in mourning this weekend following the death of playwright Harold Pinter on Christmas Eve. He was 78.

Birmingham's newest professional theatre company put on The Homecoming at the Crescent Theatre in November.

And then it staged two more Pinter productions, The Lovers and Landscape, at the Old Joint Stock in December.

Member Geoff Poole says: "I am so glad that I was in The Homecoming and that our little company did those two one acters.

"Pinter was a British force in the various screen plays that he did and I think he will be a great loss on many levels."

Harold Pinter was nominated twice at the Academy Awards, in 1982 for The French Lieutenant's Woman and two years later for Betrayal.

These two films also earned BAFTA nominations along with Accident, The Quiller Memorandum and The Servant.

He did win two BAFTAS, in 1972 for The Go-Between and in 1965 for The Pumpkin Eater.

Perhaps if he hadn't done so much theatre work, acting and campaigning, he might have won an Oscar.

But, if you're good at both, why not do both - especially as you are more likely to be in control of a stage play than you ever are working in the movies.