AS a student nurse in the late Seventies I worked on psychiatric wards similar to those depicted in the play, and the quality of the acting was an excellent portrayal of the characters and also the institutionalised care given at the time the play was written.

Rowntree Players were brave enough to tackle a hard-hitting play. Although Lucy Stephens describes it as dated, the issues the play spotlights are still relevant today.

Judging by the audience's reaction, I was not alone in appreciating the cast's acting abilities as they led us through a roller-coaster of emotions which did not correspond to what she described as "rare comic moments".

Well done to the Rowntree Players for an excellent, and thought-provoking, play.

Elizabeth Lawn,

Park Grove, York.

Updated: 09:38 Friday, March 11, 2005