Amateur Stage Magazine July 2010 by Amateur Stage Limited

amateur amateurstage THE INDEPENDENT MAGAZINE FOR AMATEUR THEATRE JULY 2010 www.amateurstagemagazine.co.uk

£2.95

TICKET PRICES Are We Charging Too Little? The Musical Produced SCROOGE THE MUSICAL NDFA Results JUly10_1-11.indd 1

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John Morley’s Pantomimes “The Doyen Of Good Pantomime Writers (The Times 1994)

Cinderella Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Peter Pan Babes in the Wood Beauty and the Beast The Sleeping Beauty Puss in Boots Red Riding hood Humpty Dumpty Wizard of OZ Mother Goose “No one knows more about Panto than John Morley (Sunday Times) From Noda LTD. 58-60 Lincoin Road, Peterborough PE1 2RZ (01733 865790)

Aladdin Robinson Crusoe Goldilocks & The Three Bears Pinocchio Jack and the beanstalk The Wind in the Willows Sinbad The Sailor Dick Whittington “Written byJohn Morley, this is Panto at its best” (The Guardian) From Samuel French LTD 52 Fitzroy Street, London W1T 5JR (020 7387 9373)

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amateurstagejul10 FROM THE EDITOR It’s a time of austerity according to the government. That’s all very well and good but many amateur groups have been reticent in recent years to put up ticket prices despite growing production costs. Looking at the problem I think it’s about time we started looking as a community towards how we can increase our ticket revenues. I’m interested to hear back from groups who have found innovative ways to increase revenues or groups who have particular difficulties or hesitations about increasing prices. I hope that you are all enjoying the barmy warmth of this Summer and look forward to receiving news about your Autumn productions. I hope you enjoy this month’s magazine. Doug

THIS MONTH 5

NEWS

OPINION

Should we hesitate in putting up our ticket prices?

THE MUSICAL PRODUCED

Durham Musical Society presents Scrooge The Musical.

COMMENT

Matt Streuli comments on Martin Bowley QC’s article Play It Again

THEATRE CENSORSHIP

Martin Bowley discusses theatre censorship in the UK.

PRODUCTION DIARY

Comprehensive show listing for the UK

News from around the country.

ndfa RESULTS

Results of the NDFA One Act Playwriting competition.

PLAYSCRIPT REVIEWS

David Muncaster reviews the latest offerings.

BOOKS the last word

credits Published monthly by Amateur Stage Limited Under license from BB Media Suite 404 Albany House, 324/326 Regent Street, London W1B 3HH P: 0207 622 6670 www.amateurstagemagazine.co.uk Editor - Douglas Mayo : editor@asmagazine.co.uk Subscriptions/ Diary Listings : diary@asmagazine.co.uk Advertising : Craig Davies: craig@asmagazine.co.uk P: 0203 006 3094 All rights reserved throughout the world. No part of this magazine may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the written consent of Amateur Stage. The views and opinions expressed by the contributors to this magazine may not necessarily represent the views of Amateur Stage.

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Samuel French Ltd The play publisher

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Prepare To Meet Thy Tomb completes the trilogy of plays about the family that play together and slay together: the murderous Tombs. As night falls on Monument House Hotel and Alternative Health Spa, Hecuba Tomb and her niece Drusilla receive a series of unexpected visitors, who are soon snooping around the secret passages of the creepy old mansion and asking too many questions for comfort. Sure enough, one by one they fall victim to violent deaths by devious techniques. Price £8.95

Twice In A Lifetime

A musical by Ray Cooney. Music by Chris Walker and Keith Strachan Cast 11 Principals 12 Ensemble. sCene Various simple settings When property lawyer Steven Tancred visits a hypnotist to stop smoking, he unexpectedly regresses to a previous existence in 1920s Chicago as Johnny May, a gangster with the notorious Bugs Moran. Returning to the present, Steven is determined not to let his past get away from him, and proceeds to “become” Johnny as often as he can. Soon Johnny has fallen for Ruby, Bugs’s “broad”. When Steven reads in an old newspaper that Johnny and Ruby were killed in the Valentine’s Day Massacre of 1929, he is determined to save them from their fate. A riotous time-travelling adventure. Price £8.95

samuelfrench-london.co.uk French’s Theatre Bookshop 52 Fitzroy St London W1t 5JR Tel: 020 7255 4300 Fax: 020 7387 2161 Email: theatre@samuelfrench-london.co.uk

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22 For over 85 years

Brown, Son & Ferguson, Ltd. have been leading publishers of one act and full length plays for both amateur and professional groups from leading playwrights including:– Agnes Adam Dorothy Dunbar Robert Kemp James Scotland

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HARPENDEN CELEBRATE 60 YEARS

Musical enthusiasts celebrated 60 years of amateur theatre in Harpenden with a huge party which also raised more than £1,000 for two worthy causes.

STOS is searching for a boy who MUST be less than 4ft tall when the show starts on the 16th of November, who can sing and has a strong clear speaking voice. Anyone interested in auditioning for the part in September should contact Judy on 0114 236 2430 or 0797 989 0891 for further information. The show runs from the 16th to the 20th November at Sheffield’s Lyceum Theatre. Tickets are available through Sheffield Theatres Box office or on line at www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk or direct through STOS on 0114 249 6000.

Around 200 members of the Harpenden Operatic Light Society gathered at Harpenden Public Halls to enjoy a variety of music, dancing and comedy sketches from an array of musicals, performed by past and present members, to mark its birthday milestone.

news

One challenge in particular is proving very difficult, the housekeeper Mrs Potts who finds herself transformed into a tea pot has a young son ‘Chip’ now a teacup! As a teacup, chip performs the majority of the time with all but his head exposed whilst sitting inside a clever magic illusion tea trolley. The trolley which is from the West end show is of a specific size and this has placed a height restriction on the boy actor who is required to play this special part.

All the news that is fit to print

The celebration also saw the society’s oldest member Cynthia Southern and Avril Roberts, who was involved since its beginnings, honoured for 60 years of service to the club. A birthday cake was also cut by the society’s newest recruit, 11-year-old Georgia Eagles, and club stalwart Cynthia. The Harpenden Operatic Society was formed in 1949 by a pianist, church organist, composer and a Harpenden resident, Mowbray Maw, who all agreed that the town was lacking a musical theatre club. On June 14, an open public meeting to discuss the possibility attracted more than 100 musical enthusiasts and it was from there that the Harpenden Light operatic society was born. The club’s ﬁrst production, Pirates of Penzance, was staged in 1951. Since its rise, the society has staged two annual productions with generations of the same families joined by new members each year. The club’s ﬁrst production, Pirates of Penzance, was staged in 1951. Members are currently rehearsing for a production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Gondoliers as their 60th year show in October. Proceeds from tickets sales, totalling £1,100, will be donated to Homestart and the Herts Air Ambulance.

WANTED! 4FT SINGING CHIP

Shefﬁeld Teachers Operatic Society has been performing quality musical theatre in the city for 110 years. In November this year they will be taking on the Disney version of the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast. Those who have seen the Disney cartoon will have a good idea of what to expect as the stage musical brings these wonderful two dimensional characters to life.

DRAMA FESTIVALS CONFERENCE 2010 The 2010 Drama Festivals Conference is to be held at the Lighthouse Theatre and Conference Centre, Kettering, Northants on Saturday September 18. The theme of the conference, organised by the Guild of Drama Adjudicaors on behalf of the drama festivals movement, will be “Winning Festivals” and will include sessions, workshops and forums of interest to everyone involved in festivals at all levels. “The facilities are second to none,” says conference organiser Paul Fowler. “The conference amenities are really excellent and in house catering is a real bonus.” In addition, the Lighthouse has a fully-equipped 600 seat theatre that stages a varied programme of local community theatre, touring production and music events. A tour of the theatre will form part of the conference programme, and there will be an optional evening theatre visit as part of the fringe events. For further information please contact Paul Fowler: Telephone: 01536 511308. Mobile: 07973 343158. E: paul @paul-fowler.co.uk

The show is cast and rehearsals are well underway. Telling the tale of a prince who, along with his entire household have been cast under a spell, turning him into a hideous beast and the members of his household into inanimate objects such as clocks, candlestick and wardrobes, posing some interesting costume and makeup challenges for the society.

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NEWS financial straits last year after its production of Anything Goes was performed to half-empty audiences at the flagship theatre. This year the NAOC will instead perform its annual production at the Cripps Hall in Northampton School for Boys. Janice Hilton, chairwoman of the NAOC, said: “We have been performing at the Derngate since it opened, with a few breaks, but we cannot go back there. After making a loss of £26,000 last year we were in dire financial straits and there was a time when we thought we couldn’t carry on. “We have come through it with our reserves but we can’t afford to perform there again. “We put on a very, very good show but we just didn’t sell the tickets. I think with the recession going on, people just didn’t have the money for it. “But the cast love performing at the Cripps and we are looking forward to our next performance.”

EPIC AWARDS ANNOUNCED

If you are part of one of the 50,000 amateur arts groups in the country you may interested to hear about the Epic Awards. The Epic Awards are presented by the Voluntary Arts England supported by Arts Council England to “shine a spotlight on the excellent work taking place within the voluntary and amateur arts” – and to reward it! They are interested in all forms of voluntary and amateur arts from brass bands to basket weaving and are particularly looking for groups that have something to say, approached ways or working differently or moved practice forward in creative ways. There are four categories you can enter your group into. The Engagement category rewards groups that have found ways to increase their membership, their number of volunteers, their audiences or that have broadened the range of members i.e. to include disabled people or the young.

She said the switch there would cut costs considerably and reduce the ticket prices. The NAOC funds it productions through sponsorship, fund-raising and ticket sales. Its members are already preparing for October’s production of Jesus Christ Superstar, with the cast beginning rehearsals at the end of the summer. Mrs Hilton said the NAOC, which has been running for 110 years, is seeking to change its name to the Northampton Musical Theatre Company in an attempt to shake off its amateur image. To follow the society’s progress visit www.naoc.org.uk or to buy tickets from mid-July call 01604 712651. Northampton Amateur Operatic - Anything Goes

The Partnerships category is for groups that work with the private and professional sector, the public centre or the voluntary and community sector. It is also for groups that have found a way to work with a different group - like a jazz band working with a dance group. The Innovation category aims to recognise the collaborative and interdisciplinary work that is taking place in voluntary arts groups. They are looking for people who are exploring ways to do things differently and advancing the voluntary and amateur arts. This includes the use of websites, photography, moving images, audio, social networking sites and other forms of marketing such as newspaper columns. Finally the Creativity category rewards unusual ways of fundraising, organising events and group management as well as creative uses of your art form. It also rewards those that have been on a personal creative journey – such as groups that have attended workshops and conferences to learn new skills. The top prizes in each category are; 1st - £175 cash prize 2nd - £100 technology voucher to be spent on equipment for the organisation 3rd - £165 associate membership pass for nalgao (national association of local government arts officers) Submissions can be sent to entries@epicawards.co.uk and the deadline is Friday 10th September. Please check the website for more information: www.epicawards.co.uk

Amateur operatics group exit Derngate stage

A theatre group which made a loss of £26,000 last year has abandoned the Derngate in a cost-cutting move.

The Northampton Amateur Operatic Company was left in “dire”

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BATS SPECIAL TICKET OFFER

Theatre-goers can benefit from a special ticket offer to see BATS’ next two shows. Basingstoke Amateur Theatrical Society (BATS) has launched two subscription offers so audiences can secure tickets and seats for the company’s next two shows – with the option of changing the ticket date for free – and help the self-funded, not-for-profit society balance their books. The theatre company has secured a licence to stage Disney’s Beauty and the Beast for the first time in November in a production that will cost almost £50,000, followed by Rodgers and Hammer-stein’s South Pacific in May 2011. To get ticket sales rolling, BATS is offering a £25 First Night subscriber deal, which includes a ticket to see both shows on their opening night, and also a £30 Fully Flexible subscriber deal, for which ticket holders can see any performance of both shows and can change their dates free of charge if they wish to. Hannah Williams, BATS’ subscription secretary, explained: “It’s a really

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good deal, and by becoming a subscriber now, it is an enormous help to BATS because they get the bookings ahead of time and get the money in advance. “Beauty and the Beast will cost £50,000. That’s quite something for an amateur theatre company. It is about £10,000 more than they would normally spend but once they have paid for the licence, a professional director, professional musicians, a technician and costumes, it all adds up.” The subscription offer follows on from the success of a similar deal to see My Fair Lady (pictured) last year. This year, BATS hopes to extend the number of subscribe-and-save tickets available, but there is still a deadline for the offer – July 31. Mrs Williams said: “People who don’t subscribe and save will miss out. They won’t get the best seats and they won’t be able to change their tickets for free, so there’s a huge advantage for ticket holders to take up this offer.” More information is available at bats.net, or by calling Mrs Williams on 01256 322529. Basingstoke Amateur Theatrical Society - My Fair Lady

Rip Tide Games, who over the last few months have been working with a bunch of big Hollywood names, including Heroes actor and longstanding techie David H Lawrence XVII, on developing an application to solve the problem of managing and rehearsing scripts for theatrical and film production. Rehearsal allows users to import industry standard script files, in both Microsoft Word and .PDF formats, and then treat them just as they would on their PC or Mac. Once you have a script open you can manipulate it, highlight it and completely block out lines which aren’t in your current part. As well as this, the app offers options to add comments, photos and audio clips to your script, meaning you can get your scene just right. Once you think you’ve got the hang of it, the app allows you to record the part, and allow you to play it back to yourself, while the script scrolls automatically for you. The app is free upfront with your first three scripts coming free in order for you to get a feel of how the app works. After this, the app then offers three subscription-based options. We’re told that individual scripts purchased within the app will normally be priced at $1.99, alongside a monthly subscription of $19.99. If you’d like to opt for the annual subscription this will set you back $199.99. To celebrate the launch of Rehearsal though, they’ve discounted all prices by 50%. So, scripts are just $0.99 each, and monthly and annual subscriptions are $9.99 and $99.99 respectively. An app worth a look? Definitely! www.rehearsaltheapp.com.

LONDON THEATRE WRITING AWARD - WHATSONSTAGE.COM CONDUCTS REALITY TV MUSICAL POLL WIN £500 Do you have an original voice? Does your play have the potential to transform an audience? Be part of history and submit your writing now! Run by the London Playwrights’ Collective for London Fringe, this award is in search of the most promising piece of new writing or devised work by a writer/s or theatre group. Open to all writers it offers a unique opportunity to showacase their work to industry professionals. Please submit plays of any length online via www.londonfestivalfringe. com by 25 July. The winner will receive a £500 cash prize and along with two other shortlisted works, a rehearsed reading in a central London venue with a view to a future production. Readings will be performed between 22 - 25 August 2010 in collaboration with ScenePool and a trophy presented to the winner at a ceremony for the London Awards for Art and Performance 2010 at the Waldorf Hilton Hotel, on 26 August 2010. “London is the major Art Capital of the world and these awards and associated comeptitions bring together and celebrate the many artists and performers who live, work in and visit this great city.” Greg Talent, London Festival fringe Director explained. “The awards recognise artists at the forefront of their art.” For further submission criteria please see:http://londonfestivalfringe.com/general/awards/theatrewriting/

IPOD APP HELPS YOU LEARN YOUR LINES

Andrew Lloyd Webber should cast more of his own musicals via reality television, and preferably ones with male leads, according to a poll on Whatsonstage.com, the UK’s leading theatre website. Following the conclusion of the Lloyd Webber and the BBC’s latest programme Over the Rainbow, which found Danielle Hope to star as Dorothy in next year’s West End revival of The Wizard of Oz, more than 1,000 theatregoers took part in the survey at www.whatsonstage.com. Over half said that Lee Mead has been the most successful star discovered to date via the format. Since being crowned victor of Any Dream Will Do in 2007, Mead proved a critical and popular hit in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, made his dramatic debut on tour in Oscar Wilde’s Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime, and has now returned to the West End to star in Wicked. Any Dream Will Do is the only one of the four Lloyd Webber/BBC programmes so far to cast a male lead, and there seems to be a strong desire for another one, with Jesus Christ Superstar, Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s 1970 follow-up to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, the clear favourite as the musical that voters would most like to see cast via television next. West Side Story, with its star-crossed lovers Tony and Maria, is the second most popular choice for the TV treatment, followed by My Fair Lady, Mary Poppins, Annie and another Lloyd Webber musical, Evita. Other theatregoers suggested the format should be used to ﬁnd new stars for current or upcoming West End productions such as Wicked, Chicago, We Will Rock You, Les Miserables, Legally Blonde, Shrek (due to transfer from Broadway in 2011) and Bridget Jones (still being developed, with a score by Lily Allen).

Anyone in theatre or ﬁlm land can tell you that all those scripts for all those different individual scenes can get messy and hard to keep organized, right? Today, we got a tip off from from one such developer

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opinion Douglas Mayo discusses ticket prices charged by amateurs and wonders if there are simple ways to help increase box office income.

Having spoken to a lot of amateurs of late one issue seems to be coming to the fore again and again especially during the economic downturn. That issue relates to the prices charged by amateurs for their productions. Whilst the costs of production seem to be slowly spiralling (and don’t forget we’re all facing a VAT increase in January) which are affecting groups across the UK. State Of Play Tony Gibbs, Chief Executive and Managing Director of NODA talked about this issue briefly in the latest issue of NODA Theatre Business (Summer 2010) pointing out that the UK average ticket price for an amateur production was a meagre £7.71. Given the amount of time, effort and the risks associated financially with staging productions this amount was a shock to me. Having done some digging through back issues of Amateur Stage it soon became apparent that for many groups their ticket prices seem to have been frozen for many years. Can The West End Point The Way? At the time of writing the Society of London Theatre has released a report into West End ticket prices over the past 15 years. Not surprisingly the report shows that the average ticket price in London last year was £43.07 – a rise of more than 100% from its 1995 level of £21.36. Most of the rises were contributed to the rising costs of production. So if the West End realise the necessity for a price increase why are amateur groups so hesitant to seize the day?

Saturday night – usually the most popular show for many groups. Alternately charge a few pounds more for tickets on a Saturday night. It’s your most popular night so use that popularity to your benefit; • Premium Seats: One of the more recent additions to the West End is the introduction of Premium Seats. A selection of prime tickets are held and sold at a slightly higher price for each performance, particularly Fri and Sat nights. You’d be surprised sometimes that people will pay slightly extra to be able to book a good seat at the last minute. Another possibility is to package your premium seat with a free programme or some other add on that gives it kudos to potential ticket buyers. You don’t have to go overboard remember the idea is to make more money not give it all away. Why not try it during your next production? Hold ten seats back and offer them as premium seats and see if they sell!. I’m not advocating a wholesale and potentially devastating price hike but think that a lot of groups could creatively see their income increase with a little thought and a bit of bravado. These are only three very basic suggestions, there are countless more than involve better pr and marketing and looking at how people attend your season, but they can be saved for another discussion. Don’t underestimate yourselves! Amateur companies across the country are staging some incredible productions with lots of love and effort, it seems a great pity to see so many companies struggling because they are fearful of increasing ticket prices in line with increases in costs.

The Fear Factor

Let me know your thoughts, let’s get a discussion going!

In his article Tony Gibbs speaks of an inherent fear within amateur groups that being “only amateurs” putting up prices will mean decreased audiences. It’s simple business sense that if costs are going up then the selling price must also go up or groups will risk losing money. The decision to increase prices though needs to be one adopted by groups UK wide, no one group can stick their neck out.

editor@asmagazine.co.uk

Ticket Price Rises In an effort to spark debate about ways to put some extra cash in the coffers of struggling theatre groups I’m throwing up the following ideas for debate. I’ve seen some of these measures implemented with great success:• Add a pound. Perhaps the simplest way to add between hundreds and thousands to your income statement is to increase every ticket sold by one pound. In the bigger scheme of things one pound is a meagre increase for individual ticket buyers but would certainly add up for most groups; • Charge a premium for premium nights. In the same way that the West End limits discounts for Sat night performances consider looking at reducing the number of discounts available for a

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PANTOMIMES By JOHN CROCKER The Smaller Cast Versions ALADDIN “PEAK OF PANTO PERFECTION” Exeter Express & Echo MOTHER GOOSE “FUN FILLED SCRIPT” Western Morning News SLEEPING BEAuTy “ A RIP-ROARINg SUCCESS” Exmouth Herald CINDERELLA “TRADITIONAL PANTO AT IT’S BEST” Hampshire Gazette DICK WHITTINGTON “A CRACKER OF A PANTO” Evening Herald, Plymouth BABES IN THE WOOD “WONDERFUL NEW ChRISTmAS PANTO” Herald Express and the latest JACK AND THE BEANSTALK “gIANT ChRISTmAS TREAT” Tiverton Crediton, Culm Valley Gazette PLUS the much loved favourites with music and lyrics by ERIC GILDER CINDERELLA, PuSS IN BOOTS, DICK WHITTINGTON, ALADDIN, BABES IN THE WOOD, SINBAD THE SAILOR, MOTHER GOOSE, ROBINSON CRuSOE, SLEEPING BEAuTy, HuMPTy DuMPTy, QuEEN OF HEARTS, RED RIDING HOOD, JACK AND THE BEANSTALK And a zany potted panto sketch POTTy PANTOMIME Also a Rock Musical THE FRANKENSTEIN MONSTER SHOW By JOHN CROCKER and TIM HAMPTON Music by KEN BOLAM Lyrics by LES SCOTT All obtainable from SAMuEL FRENCH LIMITED Training52course Mar10 11:51 Page Fitzroy St, London11/2/10 W1P 6JR Ph: 020 7387 93731

Professional sound for the amateur stage weekend of 8–9 May 2010 Place theatre sound at the top of your 2010 agenda by signing up for one of our free two-day courses. Theatrical sound can be a demanding subject, but many of its mysteries can be unlocked by learning a few tricks of the trade. Held at our base in Brixton, Orbital Sound’s newly-developed series of training courses are structured to broaden your theatre sound skills, irrespective of previous experience. For more information on our courses and modules, please visit: www.orbitalsound.co.uk/training/

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THE MUSICAL MUSICAL PRODUCED PRODUCED THE

Scrooge

Fred Wharton looks at the challenges associated with his recent production of Scrooge for Durham Musical Society.

The Company Durham Musical Theatre Company (DMTC), (formerly Durham Amateur Operatic Society) was founded in 1908. Currently it has a membership of over 100 members and aims to present two large-scale musicals each year. In January 2002 the Company moved into the brand new, state-of-the-art 510 seat GALA Theatre in the centre of Durham City. This was a considerable advance both in terms of seating capacity and facilities compared with the Company’s previous homes at the Garland Theatre, based in a local technical college (with 350 seats) and the old city Assembly Rooms (with 210 seats). Since 2002 the Company has presented large-scale musicals such as: “Me and My Girl”, “My Fair Lady”, “Camelot”, “Guys and Dolls”, “Titanic”, “Company” and “Mack and Mabel”, usually to 100% capacity. The challenge faced by DMTC is to choose a musical which will be attractive to audiences and also challenging to the Company. DMTC has a very sound membership base and rarely has to go outside its own membership to fill principal roles. Each production has attracted new members as chorus and principals. It is a Company in the true sense of the word, with a wide age range and a large number of members under the age of 35. DMTC usually fields large casts with principals from one show

often appearing in the chorus of another. A social committee organises a number of events throughout the year for members and Friends of the Company. DMTC pays rent for two buildings in which it stores its own supply of costumes and properties.

The Show In March 2009 DMTC presented “Fiddler on the Roof”. It attracted a number of very talented young people to play the roles of the sons and daughters in the show and consequently “Scrooge – the Musical” was chosen as the second show of 2009, in part because it would afford opportunities for these new members. November was a good month to present a show which glorifies the Christmas spirit. Leslie Bricusse wrote the music, lyrics and script for a film musical version of Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol” in 1970 and in 1992 he adapted it into a stage musical. The professional production opened in Birmingham and has since been seen on a number of tours throughout Britain as well as several West End appearances together with productions in America, Australia and Japan. The show has a lively score of toetapping numbers and requires a large cast of adults and children, as well as spectacular scenery and costumes. As with all productions

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www.amateurstagemagazine.co.uk

schedule is published in advance and members are called only to rehearsals when they are needed for specific scenes. In total there were 47 production rehearsals. Chaperones were present at every rehearsal when children were required.

Casting

involving children, trained CRB checked chaperones are required at all rehearsals and performances. DMTC has a team of chaperones organised by our own Child Protection Officer. The ending of the show provides the audience with a ‘feel good’ factor. It seemed to satisfy all the requirements of DMTC.

Rehearsals The show was to be presented at the GALA Theatre in Durham City for 7 performances commencing on 17th November 2009. Planning by the production team (director, musical director and choreographer) began in December 2008. In April 2009, the Company hosted a Presentation Evening at which the director outlined the origins of the show, told the story and talked about the casting requirements and characterisations of all the roles. Some music from the show was also played to give everyone a taste of the score. The evening ended with refreshments. Singing rehearsals (1 per week) for the full company commenced the following week and auditions for principal parts took place in June. Singing rehearsals continued, with principals now singing in their parts, until the end of July. After a short summer break production rehearsals started in early September. A detailed rehearsal

“Scrooge – the Musical” is a big company show having a cast of 33 named parts as well as a large chorus. Some of the principal parts are small, enabling the actor to also appear in some of the chorus numbers. The main part is huge and is rarely off stage. It requires a good actor/ singer who can act as the ‘driver’ of the show. At DMTC most of the parts had a number of applicants at the auditions. Casting is conducted by the full DMTC committee (14 members). Readers are brought in and applicants act and sing specified scenes. Many applicants bring their own props and costumes. The director and musical director advise the committee and then discussion and if necessary voting takes place to complete the casting. For “Scrooge” all parts were cast from DMTC members at these auditions. Principals were then asked for their nonavailability dates and a detailed production schedule was arranged around these dates. A read-through was then organised for all the principals, at which the director gave further information about their characterisations. Costume plots, chorus plots, props plots and stage plans were also issued at this time. It had been decided that the set changes would take place during the show by the cast in full view of the audience. As the set was fairly complicated, pictures of the sets were projected to show the cast precisely how it operated.

Staging Following the auditions for principal parts, a Production Meeting was organised. This was attended by the production secretary, props team, wardrobe department and stage manager who met with the director to discuss the show’s requirements.

Scenery The set for “Scrooge” was hired from Scenic Projects. It was a very effective set with 23 scene changes. There are a number of ‘magic’ effects incorporated into the set to allow spectacular appearances by the ghosts. These occur through a floor-length mirror, hidden doorways

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THE MUSICAL PRODUCED and a revolving high-backed chair. A large four-poster bed on a truck is an important component of the set. At the end of Act One it opens up to reveal the Ghost of Christmas Present surrounded by Christmas gifts inside the bed.

“Scrooge” requires an extensive array of props no props needed to be hired for the show; they were all provided from the DMTC props store or newly made by the props team.

The GALA Theatre

Flying

Scrooge, Marley and the Ghost of Christmas Present all flew in this production. The equipment was hired from Hi-Fli and Mike Frost, the company manager, came to give the principals the necessary training. This took place one afternoon in the GALA Theatre. DMTC members provided the flight crew (3 people are needed for each person flying, 2 to lift vertically and the other to traverse across the stage) under the control of a Flight Director.

Costumes

For decades, DMTC hired its costumes from W. Homburg in Leeds. The DMTC director had a close relationship with Homburg’s, who were always ready to make new costumes to suit his specific requirements. Unfortunately for DMTC, Homburg’s went out of business in 2008 and so a new costume supplier had to be found. After much searching, the director settled on Molly Limpet’s Theatrical Emporium based in Sheffield. They were very co-operative, made new costumes and took a personal interest in the production. Their commendable approach to dealing with amateur societies and a desire ‘to get things right’ pleased DMTC and its director. The costumes were singled out for great praise. DMTC’s own wardrobe department provided the working-class costumes. It was an equal split with 50% of the costumes being hired and 50% coming from the Company’s own costume store. The show requires very careful planning by the wardrobe department as the main part of the story takes place in Victorian times (1843), but some scenes take place in the Regency period, requiring a completely different style of costume.

DMTC hires the GALA Theatre for a week. On Sunday morning the scenery arrives and is erected through the morning and early afternoon. Lights are rigged. On the Sunday evening there is a technical run through/piano dress rehearsal. The cast wear costume but no makeup, to practise costume changes. Microphones are used to set levels. During the day on Monday, work is completed on the set and lights are focussed and cued. There were 115 LX Qs for “Scrooge”. DMTC greatly benefits from the help, advice and support given by the backstage staff at GALA under its technical director Brian Dunn. He arranged the lighting design according to the wishes of the director. He also made the 28 sound effects. DMTC hires a professional DSM and sound engineer (21 microphones were used in this production, with several exchanges occurring during the interval between acts one and two). There were also 17 stage effects (pyrotechnics, smoke, etc.). On Monday evening a full dress rehearsal with orchestra takes place and the show opens on Tuesday.

Finale

The final company consisted of 54 adults and 15 children on stage, an orchestra of 12 and 46 backstage personnel and chaperones. The show was a total sell out and the ‘house full’ notices were out every night. “Scrooge – the Musical” is well-suited to large amateur groups with a wide age range of members and it requires some good singing and sympathetic characterisation. More details of this production and the work of DMTC together with press reviews of the performances can be found at www.dmtc.co.uk Scrooge The Musical is licensed in the UK by Samuell French Limited.

Props DMTC has an excellent collection of properties, built up over many years and lovingly tended by a dedicated props team. Although

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comment Matt Streuli from Iver Heath Drama Club responds to Martin Bowley’s article “Play It Again”

Play It Again! The Next Generation Space... the final frontier... A frontier I would of known nothing about if it wasn’t for Picard and his gang in the nineties. I was born in 1989, way after Shatner’s adventures but because of this new series, I discovered Star Trek in all its glory. As I entered my twentieth year, David Tennant did exactly the same for me and opened my eyes for Shakespeare. I am sure there have been numerous Hamlet’s, but it was David Tennant’s portrayal that grasp my mind as well as those of Doctor Who fans across the UK and the USA. The joint adaptation by the BBC and RSC was one the highest ratings over the Christmas period and it made me read and search out more. At school I was forced to read the ‘Scottish play’ and even study Romeo and Juliet – albeit the Baz Luhrmann movie and not the script – but even at that age the reasoning behind a character and the way the actors deliver that message fascinated me. Shakespeare means something different to the adult me than the GCSE me. He is no longer a bore who wrote a sonnet about a bed, he is a lover and a social commentator whose stories, or variances of, are repeated daily on Trisha. The Doctor’s visit to the Danish court maybe the millionth time it has been performed but it did draw a future audience. I wonder, how many teenagers turned off the TV thinking ‘maybe Shakespeare can be interesting and cool’. There are many deserving plays that need to have the dust blown off them and brought alive again but the reason for the ‘repeat’ culture in the theatre is the repeat culture of our televisions. This is clearly seen in the way stage is copying television with repeats of Fawlty Towers and Allo’ Allo’ suddenly appearing across the listings of the Radio Times and Amateur Stage. Many small amdram groups cannot draw anyone to see a hidden gem – and theatres with a following surely find that their seats sell faster for the tale of Ophelia and her sweet Hamlet. As a director with a tiny community group I’ve found that even family refuse to see an unknown play or non-traditional pantomime and with the recession being felt by local councils we’re finding that even a big name like Bugsy Malone is struggling to draw the interest it may have done just ten years ago. Children and teenagers do need to be taught the meaning and cause but they also need to be drawn into the theatre by its magic. Perhaps until we have weaned our children and teenagers from the goggle-box to our local theatres and then to our West End, we cannot financially afford to display these gems due to the empty ticket hall and the lack of people to understand and adore it. My summary; every King Lear, John Procter and Pozzo has fantastic tale to tell – which should be told over and over again – because there will be the next generation to hear it and to be awoken to this magical intelligent world that we all can take for granted.

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AMATEUR STAGE | JULY 2010

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www.amateurstagemagazine.co.uk For more years than I care to remember my bedside reading pile has always included a copy of No Bed For Bacon by Caryl Brahms and S J Simon. Long out of print it received a new lease of life after it provided much of the inspiration for Tom Stoppard’s Oscar winning screen play for Shakespeare In Love. Among its leading characters is one Polonious Bounce, the Master of Revels, who describes his duties as “supervising the amusements of the realm, extracting fees from rascally players, devising distractions for the Queen and listening to every tomfool who thought he could help him do it.” Four hundred years later we are all only too aware of the problems of extracting fees from rascally solicitors, though fewer of us I suspect are involved in devising distractions for Her Majesty! For the last seven years I have been Master Of the Revels for the Inner Temple - probably the first person to hold that office since Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, in the reign of the first Queen Elizabeth. The best theatre has always been subversive. It is certainly arguable that all the best theatre has been political whether the Greek tragedies - Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides - or Shakespeare in his Roman and history plays, or the Tricycle Theatre with its staging of the Scott, Lawrence and Hutton enquiries and its recent pieces “Guantanamo: honour bound to defend freedom “ and “Called to Account” the trial of Tony Blair. And for centuries kings and chancellors, cardinals and archbishops saw a political imperative in controlling the players. So long as their public activities were largely confined to the mystery plays of the Middle Ages, the church was able to exercise the necessary control. But with the development of a secular theatre in the 16th century in the schools, universities and the Inns of Court, it became a matter of state rather than just a problem for the church. MASTER OF THE REVELS POWER The first master of the revels was appointed by Henry VII in 1494 with responsibility for court entertainments. The office was extended by his son in 1545, and in 1551 his grandson required the licensing of all plays by the King or the Privy Council. In 1574 the Earl of Leicester’s players were permitted to perform in London on condition that their players should first be “seens and allowed” by the Master of the Revels. In 1581 a royal patent was granted to Edward Tilney, then holder of the office, giving him sweeping powers “to order and reform, authorise and put down as shall be thought meet into himself or his deputy” any play considered to be prejudicial to the interests of state. The Master of the Revels retained his authority to license plays well into the 18th century, although it was successfully challenged by Sir Richard Steele in 1715at least as far as plays mounted by the “patent” theatres in Drury Lane and Lincoln’s Inn Fields. But it was Henry Fielding - later author of “Tom Jones” - who eventually brought the issue to a head with a series of political plays, attacking Robert Walpole culminating in “The Historical Register of 1736”, a sustained attack on the Prime Minister and his administration which was staged in 1737. WALPOLE’S REVENGE Walpole had his revenge. He persuaded Parliament at the tail end of the session to pass the 1737 Licensing Act by 185 votes to 83. It receieved the Royal Ascent on 21 June. It required the Lord Chamberlain’s approval of any play intended for public performance. At a stroke it effectively extinguished the use of the stage as a forum for public controversy. For 230 years these powers of theatrical censorship exercised a stultifying influence of theatrical innovation and freedom of expression. Theatre history is littered with stories of the absurdities which resulted. In one of Joan Littlewood’s Theatre Workshop Productions the Lord Chamberlain even sought to control the angle at which a ladder was carried by one of the characters! My own favourite - a true story - is of a play called “Vasco”, which the Oxford Theatre Group took to the Edinburgh Festival in 1960, in which

MASTERS OF THE REVELS

the line “I should know, I’ve had plenty of women in my time” had to be changed to “I should know, I’ve been with plenty of women in my time” before we were allowed to perform the script.

CLUB PERFORMANCES But the Lord Chamberlain’s authority only extended to public performances. The club theatres - like the Questors at Ealing - which began to develop in the 1920’s and 1930’s were always outside his jurisdiction. And it was through the use of this loophole that his powers of censorship were eventually bought into such disrepute that reform became inevitable. For decades the Lord Chamberlain and his ofﬁcials did everything they could to prevent any discussion let alone any depiction, of homosexuality on the English stage. But with the establishment of the Wolfenden Committee in 1954 it became increasingly clear that a subject which was being openly debated in Parliament and the press could not for much longer be barred from the stage. In 1956 the New Watergate Theatre Club was formed to present at the Comedy Theatre in Panton Street sequence of three gay plays which could not then be staged publicly. When buying their tickets the audience had to pay a nominal subscription to become members of the club. The plays were Robert Anderson’s Tea and Sympathy, Tennessee Williams’ Cat On A Hot Tin Roof and Arthur Miller’s A View From the Bridge. It was the year of Suez and Hungary: the year of Look Back In Anger; the year of the Berliner Ensemble’s ﬁrst visit to London. It was a very different age.

Martin Bowley QC looks at the history of censorship in British theatre history

END TO CENSORSHIP But it still took another 12 years before theatre censorship in this country was finally ended by the 1968 Theatre Act. As late as 1964 Osborne’s A Patriot For Me was restricted to club performances at the Royal Court because it was considered to be too explicit in its depiction of homosexuality. The Act was piloted through the House of Commons by Michael Foot. It received the Royal Ascent on 26 July and came into force on 26 September. Together with the abolition of capital punishment, the first Race Relations Act and reform of the divorce and abortion of homosexual laws, it was an integral part of the liberal revolution of the late 1960’s. At the end of No Bed For Bacon Polonius Bounce is enjoying himself at the first performance of Twelfth Night in middle Temple Hall while the rest of the court is desperately trying to distance itself from the Essex rebellion. The next morning Shakespeare is at work on a new play “Love’s Labour’s Wunne” Act 1 Scene 1. the Garden Of Eden. Enter a Serpent. But he is suffering from writer’s block so he reaches for another sheet and begins to write again “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day....?”

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SHOWdiary>>SHOWdiary>>SHOWdiary>>SHOWdia 40 Years of Christchurch Theatre Club 03 - 04 September 2010 Christchurch Theatre Club Loughborough Town Hall Loughborough, Leicestershire 01509 231914

Bare - The Musical

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Guys and Dolls

19 - 21 August 2010 Giselle Academy St. Peter’s Theatre Southsea, Hampshire 023 9264 3385

14 - 18 September 2010 Triple Threat Theatre Court Theatre Tring, Herts 01494 778884 www.triplethreattheatre.co.uk

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Bazaar and Rummage 42nd Street 31 August - 04 September 2010 Bridport Musical Theatre Co. Bridport Arts Centre Bridport, Dorset 01308 424204

84 Charing Cross Road 18 - 25 September 2010 Cheltenham O & D S The Playhouse Theatre Cheltenham, Gloucestershire 0779 4487822

Abigail’s Party 16 - 20 September 2010 Harrogate D S Harrogate Theatre Studio Harrogate, North Yorkshire 07770 630299

Allo ‘Allo 02 August - 14 September 2010 Kidz R Us St Ives Theatre St Ives, Cornwall 01736 797007

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American Way, The

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Fame 22 - 25 September 2010 Hillingdon Musical Society Compass Theatre Ickenham, Middx 01895 639769

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Ladies Down Under 30 September - 20 October 2010 Swaffham Players Sacred Heart Convent Barn Theatre Swaffham, Norfolk 01760 721 899

Last of the Red Hot Lovers 08 - 11 September 2010 Havant Dynamo Youth Theatre Spring Arts Centre Havant, Hampshire 023 9247 2700 www.pad.hampshire.org.uk

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01 - 04 September 2010 Athelney Productions St. Peter’s Theatre Southsea, Hampshire 023 9282 8282 www.pad.hampshire.org.uk

Little Night Music, A 18 - 21 August 2010 Revellers Music & Dramatic Society The Peterborough High School Peterborough, Cambs 01733 755176 01 - 04 September 2010 PH Productions The Mill Studio Guildford, Surrey 01483 440000

AMATEUR STAGE | JULY 2010

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Wdiary>>SHOWdiary>>SHOWdiary>>SHOWdiary>> Little Shop of Horrors

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Mack and Mabel

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Music Hall 31 August - 04 September 2010 Croydon Stagers Wickham Hall West Wickham, Kent 0208 776 1064

Oh What a Night 16 - 18 September 2010 Axis Youth Productions Hampton Hill Playhouse Hampton Hill, Middx 0208 8890 6826

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Round and Round the Garden 14 - 18 September 2010 Sleaford Little Theatre The Playhouse Sleaford, Lincs 01529 410348 www.playhouse.sleafordevents.co.uk 21 - 25 September 2010 Sharnbrook Mill Theatre Trust Mill Theatre Sharnbrook, Bedford 01234 269519

08 - 11 September 2010 Clifton A O S Lowther Pavilion Lytham St Annes, Lancashire 01253 658666

Thoroughly Modern Millie 15 - 18 September 2010 Clevedon Light Opera Club Princes Hall Clevedon, N Somerset 01275 340805

Titanic 21 - 25 September 2010 Quarry Bank A O S Netherton Arts Centre Netherton, West Midlands 01384 820902

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AMATEUR STAGE | JULY 2010

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Trap for a lonely Man 23 - 25 September 2010 Leighton Buzzard Drama Group Leighton Buzzard Theatre Leighton Buzzard, Beds 0300 3008125

War of the Worlds (musical) 07 - 11 September 2010 Carnon Downs Drama Group Trelissick Gardens Truro, Cornwall 08454 500296

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ndfa

NDFA ONE ACT PLAYWRITING COMPETITION 2008-09 The results of the 2008-09 One Act Playwriting Competition, administered by the National Drama Festivals Association, are as follows: The winner of the George Taylor Memorial Award is THE DOOR by Tony Earnshaw, recommended by Leatherhead Festival. The runner up is IMMACULATE by Stefan Dubois, recommended by Leatherhead Festival. Highly Commended: REMEMBRANCE DAY by Bev Clark, recommended by Leverhulme Festival. And THE GARDEN OF FALLEN TALES by Tom Penn, recommended by Cambridge Festival. We are indebted to our three voluntary Judges, Colin Dolley GODA, the Playwright Gillian Plowman and Angela Heslop NDFA. We also thank the One Act Festival Organisers for the time and trouble they have taken in making the recommendations. Festivals are asked to put forward scripts which they believe show a high standard of writing – they are recommending the written work not the performance seen at their Festival. The object of the competition is to encourage new writing for the theatre.

NDFA ONE ACT PLAYWRITING COMPETITION SYNOPSES Winner of the George Taylor Memorial Award THE DOOR This is an original, imaginative and powerful script, which has its own sense of theatre. It is a fascinating drama which subtly reveals its secrets, drawing us into the world of the two male protagonists and their very different backgrounds. The setting is a waiting room where the two men prepare to go before an investigation into a wartime incident. It is an intriguing and shifting relationship between the ex Corporal and the ex Captain, and the mind games they play grip throughout. The repeated banging of the door reflects the repetitive gun fire of war and its effect on soldiers. The dialogue is sharp and real, and the characters are extremely well drawn. There are some punchy examples of black humour, and the politics of war are not far from the two men’s minds. As ex army Captain Ryan says “it’s not politics Boyd, it’s life.” The tension builds slowly and powerfully to an explosive climax. This is a tautly written drama, which is both thought provoking and never contrived. GT 2M, 50mins. Recommended by Leatherhead Festival. Tony Earnshaw, Fonthill Cottage, Coldharbour Lane, Dorking. Runner Up IMMACULATE This well structured drama explores in a most human way, the psychological effects of grief. The writer links the past and present in an effective and powerful way,

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and there are many twists and turns before the moving denouement is revealed. The characters are strongly drawn and the dialogue is sharp. There are other themes which are explored in the play, including Parenthood, Conception and Religion, but never does the drama hammer home points or preach. The writing is creative and original and the play has clearly been written with great understanding. GT 2M 1F, 50mins, Recommended by Leatherhead Festival. Stefan Dubois, 8 Dunwood Court, Boyn Valley Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire. Highly Commended THE GARDEN OF FALLEN TALES This is an unusual and imaginative piece of writing, with its own unique style. The playwright has created a fable on the subject of the power of stories to fire the imagination and help us through the dark times of life. The simplicity of the script is part of its appeal, yet behind that simplicity are quite complex themes. There are many touching moments and some lovely lyrical passages. This thought provoking drama could appeal to an adventurous company and skilled director. GT 3M 2F, 45mins, recommended by Cambridge Festival. Tom Penn, 43 The Brook, Sutton, Ely, Cambridgeshire. Highly Commended REMEMBRANCE DAY This story of fathers and sons sees five generations of one family explore their inner demons against a background of global conflict, from World War One, to the present day. The writer uses clever flashback scenes to bring the characters together; and through their attitudes to war, look at the male relationships in this family. There are some touching moments. GT 5M, 50 mins, recommended by Leverhulme Festival. Bev Clark, 23 Nelson Street, Wallasey, Merseyside. Remaining Entries: BAD RECEPTION A two hander comedy set at the scene of a recent wedding reception. GT1M 1F, 39mins, recommended by Avon One Act Festival. Len Colbourne, 22 Squires Court, Longwell Green, Bristol. WILL THE REAL JONATHON DAVIS PLEASE STAND UP? This drama explores identity and how we present different aspects of our characters depending on the situation we’re in. GT 3M 2F, 25mins, recommended by BFAME Birmingham Festival. Peter Bridges, 94 Jerry’s Lane, Erdington, Birmingham. RAGS TO RICHES An amusing drama set in a shop where the clothes have a life of their own. GT 15, 40mins, recommended by Leatherhead Festival. Richard Roberts, 96 Beeleigh Road, Morden, Surrey. JUST THE TICKET A humorous play about a dysfunctional family in a

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www.amateurstagemagazine.co.uk permanent state of warfare. GT 3M 4F, 45mins, recommended by Thurrock Festival. Carol Hayes, 189 Trinity Road, Southend-on-Sea. GOODBYE FOR NOW Set just after a funeral this is a drama about relationships with some twists and turns along the way. GT 2M 1F, 35mins, recommended by Leverhulme Festival. Phyllis Brighouse, 31 Grosvenor Road, Prenton, Wirral, Merseyside. ROXY KRASNER AND THE CASE OF THE DANCING GERMAN AVIATOR A stylish and exuberant comedy set in New York in 1937, where a Private Investigator’s PA dreams of being a theatre or movie star. GT 3M 3F, 42mins, recommended by Waltham Forest Festival. Nicholas Wilkes 148 Grosvenor Drive, Hornchurch, Essex. SEASONS A journey through a marriage from the early joys of passion to more turbulent times and finally reconciliation. GT 2M 1F, 45mins, recommended by Leatherhead Festival. Maria Holden, 61 Hart Road, Byfleet, Woking, Surrey. IT’S ALL IN THE MIND A play offering creative opportunities for youth drama groups, and tackling the powerful subject of mental illness. GT 6M 6F, 38mins, recommended by Bedfordshire Festival. Andra Bishop, 66 Park Leys, Harlington, Bedfordshire. A DOCTOR BY PERSUASION A play inspired by Moliere’s one act classic ‘A Doctor In Spite of Himself’. Coemdy through the farcical humour and rhyming couplets. GT 5M 4F, 48mins, recommended by Glamorgan Festival. Graham J. Evans, Charnwood, Underwood Avenue, Maescwmmer, Hengoed, Mid Glamorgan, Wales. THE BIG WORLD OF LITTLE DON CARLOS A larger than life comedy with a certain Latin sparkiness, set in a village in the Italian countryside that is suffering from a recession. GT 8, 40mins, recommended by Glamorgan Festival. Jo West, 1 Cardiff Road, Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales. OUR AMY Set in 1974, this drama uses flashback to tell the story of Amy’s experiences in the war years where the fun and laughter were not on ration. GT 5M 12F, 50mins, recommended by Leverhulme Festival. Jacqueline Miles, 21 Fernlea Road, Heswall, Wirral.

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23 20/07/2010 15:06:23

playscri pts David Muncaster reviews the latest playscript offerings.

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Play Of The Month ARTHUR AND GEORGE AUTHOR: David Edgar from the book by Julian Barnes PUBLISHER: Nick Hern Books ISBN NO: 9781848420960 CAST: 5M 2F (with doubling) RECOMMENDED RETAIL PRICE: £8.99 In 1903 George Edalji, a Birmingham solicitor, was convicted of maiming horses and sentenced to seven years imprisonment. The crime of Horse Slashing involves hideous mutilation and the police were convinced that, in this case, the purpose was a sacrifice to alien gods. George Edalji was the eldest of three children of an Indian father, Shapurgi, and a Scottish mother, Charlotte. They had never been accepted into the village of Great Wyrley, where they lived, and once the injured animal was discovered the police went directly to Edalji’s house. The fact that the family were Christian, Shapurgi was even the vicar of the parish, did nothing to dissuade the investigation that the animal was maimed by George Edalji as part of a Hindu ceremony. Convicted, but never proven guilty, Edalji was released in 1906 on ‘compassionate grounds’. Determined to establish his innocence he wrote to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes stories, to ask for his help in obtaining a pardon. The initial meeting of these two men is where our play begins. Edalji recounts the history of the case and this is acted out by the cast who assume the roles of police officers, court officials and other parties. Conan Doyle, meanwhile, becomes convinced of the man’s innocence through a piece of deduction worthy of Sherlock Holmes himself. Edalji’s extreme myopia is evidenced by his need to hold a newspaper just a few inches from his

AN ACTOR’S LIFE FOR ME AUTHOR: Ron Pearson PUBLISHER: Jasper Publishing ISBN NO: 9781905993833 CAST: 7M 7F + extras Plays about amateur theatre companies are often very popular with amateur theatre companies. Perhaps this is because both the audience and the production team clearly have an interest in the subject and enjoy recognising themselves or their associates amongst the characters. Keen thespians will hope that no one likens them to the lead character in this play! Reg is the actor that you only call if you are absolutely desperate. Everyone else has given you a polite, but ﬁrm, ‘no’ and it is either call Reg or cancel the play. It isn’t that he lacks enthusiasm or conﬁdence. Nor is he is likely to let you down. It’s just that, sadly, he can’t act for toffee. Reg is joined by a host of other characters: there is the miserable caretaker; the society vamp; the mostly absent President and the ‘professional’ director. Act one concerns itself with the rehearsal period and concludes with the opening night of the play-within-a-play, some of which I thought we might see in act two but it wasn’t to be. In fact, given that the premise of this play is Reg’s lack of ability, we see very little of him acting, though I did enjoy the scene at the after show party when he gets out of his depth.

face in order to read; whilst the fact that his spectacles are a recent acquisition is evidenced by the realisation that he has no indents in his nose. Conan Doyle concludes, therefore, that Edalji cannot be guilty of creeping around in the night mutilating horses simply because he wouldn’t be able to see what he was doing! The next piece of evidence comes from an unlikely source: the Doctor, whose testimony helped convict Edalji, meets with Conan Doyle and suggests a most fruitful line of enquiry. Conan Doyle is ecstatic and act one ends with a glorious pun from Woodie, his faithful secretary. In act two Conan Doyle and Woodie become more and more like Holmes and Watson as they work on the case. This is a matter of great concern to Edalji who, as a solicitor, is more accustomed to dealing with hard facts. Conan Doyle, like his famous detective, only succeeds in gathering circumstantial evidence but in this case no one is prepared to hand themselves over to the police and confess that they ‘dun it’. Nevertheless, when Conan Doyle publishes his ﬁndings in the Daily Telegraph, the enquiry that follows not only results in Edalji getting his pardon, but is also instrumental in the creation of the Criminal Appeals Court. With a running time of about two and a half hours Arthur and George is long by modern standards but the pace and the charm of the play make it time well spent.

There is plenty of potential for humour but I feel that this play fails to capitalise on this, and when the gags do come they often feel out of place as though they were inserted after the script was complete in order to add a few laughs. I also found the stage directions excessive: one page in act two is almost entirely directions. There is no need for them to be so descriptive. What works in the author’s imagination will not necessarily work in the theatre, so he would be better leaving that for the director to decide..

EVERYONE AUTHOR: Jo Clifford PUBLISHER: Nick Hern Books ISBN NO: 9781848420915 CAST: 3M 3F 1Child plus Dancers RECOMMENDED RETAIL PRICE: £8.99 From the outset we know we are in for something different with Everyone. Once the actors have gone though the preliminaries: ‘you ﬁrst’, why me?’, ‘it’s your play’, much of the dialogue is direct to the audience and we are reminded on more than one occasion that we are watching a play rather than eavesdropping on real people. There is even a description of the theatre in which the play is being performed, something that the author has helpfully offered to adapt to your own particular circumstances should you choose to perform the play. I have read many scripts that have the actors address the

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www.amateurstagemagazine.co.uk

PLAYSCRIPTS

audience and they often feel artiﬁcial and too artistic for their own good. Everyone does not come into that category: the characters are likeable and it feels as though they are speaking to a friend. Having got to know a little about Mary, her husband, children and mother, the story begins. While the husband, Joe, is shopping and complaining about only being able to get Anya potatoes that are small and knobbly and taste like soap, Mary is home, doing the ironing, when she suffers a brain haemorrhage. Death calls, literally, and what an irritating person he is! Jo Clifford is not afraid to exploit the humour but the story is predominantly moving as the characters come to terms with what has happened, grieving not for the pain that they currently feel, but for the good times of the past that will never be relived. Everyone is an impressive piece of theatre from an innovative writer.

ME, AS A PENGUIN AUTHOR: Tom Wells PUBLISHER: Nick Hern Books ISBN NO: 9781848421042 CAST: 3M 1F RECOMMENDED RETAIL PRICE: £8.99 Stitch has left the stiﬂing small town atmosphere of his home in Withernsea to stay with his very pregnant sister, Liz, and her husband in Hull. Here he has met Dave, a gay friend of his brother-in-law, and become a bit infatuated with him. As an excuse to see him again, Stitch takes his nephew to the aquarium where Dave works and, as a treat, they are allowed to feed the penguins. As the play begins Stitch is explaining to his sister that she cannot use the bathroom because their nephew fell into the penguin pool and is now having a bath to warm himself up. Then the phone rings and it is their nephew on the line, so he can’t be in the bathroom. In that case why doesn’t Stitch want anyone to go in there? Kidnapped penguins aside, this is essentially a play about growing up. Liz and her husband are having to adjust to the idea of becoming responsible parents, whilst Stitch is on a steep learning curve as he dips his toe into Hull’s gay scene. Me, As A Penguin is a very funny play with some brilliantly funny lines, but it is also tragic and thought provoking. I believe that Tom Wells is a young playwright that we will see a lot more of in years to come.

PIECES AUTHOR: Hywel John PUBLISHER: Nick Hern Books ISBN NO: 9781848421110 CAST: 1M 2F RECOMMENDED RETAIL PRICE: £8.99 Jack and Beatrice are twin brother and sister whose parents have recently died. They have no grandparents, aunts, uncles or cousins: a fact that they explain in a rather laboured fashion to Sophie, their Godmother in the ﬁrst few moments of the play. Sophie has been away; she hardly knows the children as she hasn’t seen them since they were very young, but now they are going to have to get to know one another rather quickly. The script instructs us that the children must be played by adults so, as a result, we do not know the precise age of the children. They are old enough to make themselves beans on toast, but not old enough to know the difference between fasting and eating fast. On the other hand, some of the words that they use make them sound very grown up and they are, as Sophie points out, nearly as big as their parents. When they appear wearing their parents clothes, talking and behaving like adults, this is just the start of a disturbing twist in the tale. Gradually Jack begins to take control, humiliating Sophie and revealing his knowledge of past events. Pieces is full of black humour and is an interesting début from this actor turned writer.

AMATEUR STAGE | JULY 2010

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PLAYSCRIPTS

RETURN TO VARDIA AUTHOR: Keith Passmore PUBLISHER: www.productionscripts.com ISBN NO: none CAST: 10+M 10+F 10+Other Return to Vardia is a large cast play for young people set in the Transalvanian Alps. Simon, Ralph and Algie are archaeologists who have lost their camping gear and have no idea how to read a map. On top of that, Algie is seeing shapes in the mist but the three of them have no choice but to ﬁnd somewhere to shelter for the night. They stumble across a chalice and accidentally summon Marlinus, advisor to the people of Vardia. This is where the story really begins as Marlinus takes the three to a safe place for “food, drink and an interesting story” There is a multitude of roles to be played in this story of how the people of Vardia fought against the Gorans, who lusted after gold in the mountains, and of the Romans with their thirst for territory, until in the end, good triumphs over evil. Return to Vardia is indeed an interesting story and, though some of the ﬁner points may be lost on a young audience, it is very suitable for all ages.

THE GOLDFISH BOWL AUTHOR: Joe Graham PUBLISHER: J Garnett Miller ISBN NO: 9780853436690 CAST: 1M 2F 2 Voices Some years ago I read a news story about a reality TV show that never was. I forget the details but the gist is that a number of contestants were put into Big Brother style house for six weeks and they played to the cameras in the hope that they were carving out a career in TV. Unfortunately for them the cameras were fake. The only bit that was filmed was their reaction when they were told, at the end of the six weeks, that none of their antics had been screened. The Goldfish Bowl is a new reality TV show in which the contestants must keep a group of goldfish alive in order to win a share of the prize money. As the play begins the three contestants are attempting to create a domino rally, using fish fingers, in order to win the food for their evening meal. Forgetting that the cameras are on them, they talk openly about their reasons for being on the show, then quickly adjust their behaviour once they remember that every word is being heard by the viewers. This joke is repeated several times during this one act play until all is revealed. It seems that viewers have not been voting for their favourite contestant but have, in fact, been voting off their least favourite goldfish! There are some good moments in this play. I quite enjoyed the fun had with the fact that the fish had been named after the Spice Girls but I fear that this type of reality show, like the Spice Girls, has had its heyday.

THE LAST REEL AUTHOR: Ron Pearson PUBLISHER: Jasper publishing ISBN NO: 9781905993574 CAST: 5M plus voices

so it is intriguing that when Jack has a telephone call and then a visitor, neither of which he seems happy to receive, there appears to be a suggestion of a somewhat murky past. The truth is that Jack is a happily retired assassin who is being badgered by two old associates to do ‘one last job’ – each other – but Jack is too much of an old movie buff, and knows that doing one last job inevitably leads to being caught. However, once both of them are in his house, he knows that he is going to have to make a decision, whether he likes it or not. Jack is an amiable enough character, and there are plenty of amusing lines, but I feel that The Last Reel would beneﬁt from a bit less back story and a bit more tension between the two adversaries.

VISITING TIME AUTHOR: Melville Lovatt PUBLISHER: New Theatre Publications ISBN NO: 9781840947731 CAST: 3M 2F Sam had to bring up Tim, Norman and Conny when their mother, Stella, walked out on them when they were very young. Now in his seventies, Sam lies in a hospital bed recovering from a minor operation whilst his now grown up children gather round him. From the off, the play has pace and humour and the author wastes no time in establishing the relationships. As Sam snores, Norman leaves the room and Tim and Conny become more intimate, revealing their close relationship. Then, when Conny and Norman are left alone, the atmosphere suddenly becomes confrontational. The comedy of manners reminded me a little of Harold Pinter’s The Homecoming so it is highly appropriate that Stella’s arrival really upsets the apple cart. The mystery around why she left, and why she has come back, is overshadowed by an accusation that has the family taking sides and it isn’t until the very end when, with both parents now gone, Tim, Norman and Conny ﬁnally become united. Visiting Time is a clever play that proves that one should never take anything for granted.

WOMEN ON THE EDGE AUTHOR: Karoline Bethea-Jones PUBLISHER: www.productionscripts. com ISBN NO: none CAST: 10F 3M 1M Voice Karoline Bethea-Jones has adapted Women on the Edge from her own collection of short stories in which ten women articulate a signiﬁcant point in a past or present relationship. Employing poetry, song, dance and prose, each of the women share their stories of breakthroughs and breakdowns. The stand out piece is Wedding Day in which Felicia receives a telephone call from a former partner and she is able to describe how she turned from victim to victor. This is the author’s ﬁrst stage play and it is a bold attempt at demonstrating that by standing together and learning to know oneself there is no need to live life on the edge.

It is Christmas Eve. We are in Yorkshire and it is snowing outside, but we are cosy and warm in the barn conversion. No roaring fire though. Jack Quarmby has all mod cons including underfloor heating and a TV that recedes into the wall at the touch of a button. As the play begins Jack is happily watching the closing moments of Casablanca on said TV and, once that has ended, is just choosing a Laurel and Hardy DVD when his friend Greg arrives. Greg is on the brink of being promoted to Detective Inspector in the local constabulary and it is clear that Jack is a firm family friend,

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At St Paul’s Catholic College. Burgess Hill

7.30pm - 18th September 2010 Only £ 5.00 - Box Office will be on the door £ 2.00 - St Paul’s and Ariel Drama Academy Students

For the Queen Elizabeth II Special Needs Drama Project Charity

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is for those who think that a night of old Musicals leads to little other than sugar-coated despair! Pulling on the latest of the modern musicals that have taken the West End & TV by storm over recent years, “Musicality” presents a collage of all that’s best from shows such as “Wicked”, “GLEE” and “We Will Rock You”, to name a few. This is a evening not to miss if you like your show tunes with attitude.

for more information contact

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books We look at the latest offerings from the publishers.

THEATRE MONEY - A GUIDE TO LONDON’S WEST END By Steve Rich Published by Red Squirrell Publishing ISBN: 9780955215988 RRP: £9.99 Fans of the Theatre Monkey website will welcome this printed edition of the helpful information contained on the site. Theatre Monkey is probably the most comprehensive guide for any West End theatregoer. This nifty little book has seating plans for each venue colour coded to show you were to get the best value for money, practical tips for saving money on your theatre visit, venue information and advice from theatregoers. If you go to the theatre more than twice a year this book is a real must have. Don’t play hit and miss when buying tickets, at upwards of £60 per ticket for big musicals you’ll recoup the £9.99 cover price in a few visits and get a substantially improved seating experience as a result.

SO YOU WANT TO GO TO DRAMA SCHOOL? By Helen Freeman Published by Nick Hern Books ISBN: 9781848420168 RRP: £9.99 This book is one of a series of informative books published by Nick Hern of late relating to all aspects of theatre and drama. The title is self explanatory, and the book is packed with essential information and sound advice for young people who want to train as actors and performers (both in drama and musical theatre). Helen Freeman has gathered up a lifetimes worth of practical experience working industry and applied her knowledge to subjects such as researching and selecting an appropriate drama school; preparing yourself to be the best candidate; selection and preparation of audition material; coping with the stress of the audition day and looking at your options if you do or don’t get in. Freeman has also provided helpful suggestions about choices of material, the major UK schools that you might consider, funding options and a helpful glossary of theatre terminology for the unititiated. All in all this is a great value guide that should be the ﬁrst point of call for anyone considering either full or part time study at drama school.

STAGE MANAGEMENT THE ESSENTIAL HANDBOOK By Gail Pallin Published by Nick Hern Books ISBN: 9781848420144 RRP: £14.99 The stage manager is at the core of every successful theatre production. He or she organises, manages and runs rehearsals and performances; researches and procures the props and furniture; and provides a creative information ﬂow between the production and design departments. Pallin’s handbook is aimed at students, graduates and all those who aspire to stage management, whether amateur or professional, on a large or small scale. Complete with illustrations, diagrams and helpful checklists, it takes the reader through a typical

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production, week by week. Having worked as a stage manager and director at rep companies around the country Pallin is ideally placed to offer a unique insight into the world of stage management. We recommend this to not only would be stage managers but to directors and producers who want to get an idea of the type of support that can be forthcoming from efﬁcient stage management.

THE REAL KATE - A PERSONAL BIOGRAPHY OF KATHERIN HEPBURN By Charlotte Chandler Published by J R Books ISBN: 9781907532016 RRP £20 Drawing on a series of recordings made over many years, beginning in the mid-seventies, acclaimed biographer Charlotte Chandler has written a compellingly intimate and personal biography of Hollywood legend, Katherine Hepburn. In an acting career that spanned six decades, Hepburn won a record four Best Actress Academy Awards and was nominated twelve times. She was universally acknowledged as one of the finest actresses in film history and her range was enormous: acting in screwball comedies and serious drama with equal skill. Introduced by George Cukor, who directed Hepburn in such classic films as The Philadelphia Story and Adam’s Rib, Chandler socialised with Hepburn at the Cukor estate when the star was living in a cottage in the grounds. Hepburn agreed to allow Chandler to tape their conversations, speaking candidly about her personal and professional life. In these conversations she reveals details of the suicide of her older brother, her affair with Howard Hughes and how she enjoyed diving nude of the wings of his seaplane, and, of course, her 27-year affair with Spencer Tracy. The Real Kate is a must for any Hepburn fan and a fascinating read from start to finish.

WIN A COPY OF THE REAL KATE To win a copy of The Real Kate just answer this question:Q. Name the ﬁlm which featured both Katherin Hepburn and Henry Fonda in their later years? Send your name and address by email to editor@asmagazine.co.uk or post to: Amateur Stage Magazine Suite 404 Albany House 324 Regent Street London W1B 3HH

AMATEUR STAGE | JULY 2010

20/07/2010 14:59:25

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the last word

Hail and well met,

Fakenham Towers Upper Camton

Actually, we have not met before, though I am now awarethat Ms RichardsonHall has kept you informed of my theatrical activities –not always in a favourable light. I called upon her to reclaim the shag pile, such as was left of it and found the lady wearing a hideous straw hat with what resembled a dead bird on one side. She did not seem pleased to see me, so, before she could rebuke me for the costumes, the script, the weather or anything else, I told her she looked a picture but privately thought ‘no oil painting’. She thanked me grudgingly and informed that she was off on holiday. Perhaps when she returns The Tempest will be water under the bridge, so to speak. She went in search of my floor covering and I took the opportunity to browse. In moments, my eye fell upon a copy of AS magazine, which naturally, I flicked through. Imagine my dismay when I found her letter about MY production on the back page. Something would have to be done to restore my considerable reputation. Ms R-H re-entered the room and had the decency to flush with embarrassment when she knew that I knew. She hastily poured two glasses of sherry, I presumed as a pathetic peace offering. Naturally, since it was 9.30 in the morning, I declined. She drank both then hustled me out saying that she had to complete her epistle, get to the post office and catch a train. Ever the gentleman, I poured her another sherry in the hope that the epistle and the posting would go be the board, made my excuses and left with the magazine under my blazer. As you see, my strategy worked and the well-spoken AS editor has allowed me to put my side of the story. For the record, I am a retired English lecturer with considerable experience of theatre at a university level, which is of course far superior to Mrs R-H’s village hall background. I took early retirement following a misunderstanding with a young graduate who did not appreciate that my enactment of Othello smothering Desdemona was purely educational. The money was an accident of birth, or rather death, since my extended family drowned on their yacht. I subsequently purchased the Towers and moved to this cultural desert. My love and talent for theatre, Shakespeare in particular, is second to none. Who else would have set King Lear in the heart of the Rainforest, or Much Ado in the Wild West complete with horses? And my Dream was spectacular, set in a nursery, not the White Box, but Toy Box. In R-H’s absence, I propose to begin rehearsals for Pygmalion with a futuristic spin, with Higgins as a Captain Kirk figure and Eliza will be played as an alien, probably green. I’m glad we had this bijou chatette, perhaps there may be another opportunity. I have acquired a number of back copies of AS and will read R-H’s letters with interest. They say, ‘know your enemy’ do they not? Kind regards

Crispin Featherstonehaugh 30 38-39.indd 2

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