Amateur Stage Magazine May 2010 by Amateur Stage Limited

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amateurstagemay10 FROM THE EDITOR Welcome to May Amateur Stage. This month we look at the results from the Olivier Awards. It was great to see two underdogs scoop the pool. Mike Shipley’s Little Theatre Guild round-up is as jampacked with interest news and information as always. We hope you’ll find it as informative as we always do. Finally, make sure you read Robert Israel’s advice relating to “that volcano”. Staff here at Amateur Stage fell foul of it last month and the suggestion is that it will be troubling us for several months to come so make sure you are well informed. I hope you enjoy this month’s magazine. Doug

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NEWS

the play produced

Raymond Haresign looks at Staines Players’ production of A Murder is Announced.

FIRST NIGHT INSURANCE

Robert Israel ASCII looks at the fallout from that volcano.

LITTLE THEATRE GUILD NEWS

Mike Shipley looks at the latest news from the Little Theatre Guild.

PRODUCTION DIARY

News from around the country.

Listings of all the leatest productions from across the UK.

SOUND ADVICE

Theo Holloway talks microphones.

WEST END

Hair is back in the West End.

PLAYSCRIPT REVIEWS

David Muncaster reviews the latest release.

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THE FINAL WORD - DORIS

credits Published monthly by Next Phase Media Limited Suite 404 Albany House, 324/326 Regent Street, London W1B 3HH P: 0207 622 6670 www.amateurstagemagazine.co.uk

Cover: Our House

Publisher - Paul Webster : paul@nextphasemedia.co.uk Editor - Douglas Mayo : editor@asmagazine.co.uk Subscriptions/ Diary Listings : diary@asmagazine.co.uk Advertising : Zoya Berkeley: zoya@asmagazine.co.uk P: 0207 078 4893 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.

AMATEUR STAGE | MAY 2010

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18/05/2010 13:53:39

NEWS

ABTT SHOW 2010 The ABTT Theatre Show moves into 32nd Year with the TEA Conference Theatre is a constantly evolving and growing business, so taking stock of technology and innovations is vital. Each year the ABTT (Association of British Theatre Technicians) Theatre Show gives the ideal opportunity to see the latest products that will shape future productions.

ABTT exhibition itself. Show Director, Roger Fox, commented: “Like any sector of the economy the theatre business has been going through difﬁcult times over the last year, but the 2009 ABTT Show was a great success despite the tube strike, with over 110 exhibiting companies, with several new names alongside long-time supporters of

the event. All the signs are very positive that the Show in 2010 will be even more successful especially if there are no rail strikes at the same time!” The 2010 ABTT Show takes place from 16th17th June at the Royal Horticultural Halls, Vincent Square, London SW1P 2PE.

The ABTT Theatre Show is perfect for theatre practitioners, architects, building services professionals and consultants to learn about the solutions on the market for all performance venues and auditoria, whether it’s an up-grade or new build project. Building on its previous success, the Show will focus its campaign online and again offer a simple registration facility through its enhanced website. This will also boast easy to use facilities for exhibitors and visitors alike allowing fast upload and download features. The ABTT Theatre Show is already 75% sold out for 2010 with an enviable list of key industry players including XL Video, Stage Technologies and Strand Selecon booked to appear at The Royal Horticultural Halls in London from 16th17th June. The Show will be complemented by the Theatre Engineering and Architecture Conference, which takes place every four years. This provides a forum for theatre operators and technicians to examine the big issues in stage engineering, lighting, auditorium design, video and audio, reﬂecting what will be seen at the

AMATEUR STAGE | MAY 2010

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NEWS

WEST END LIVE 2010 West End Live is an amazing showcase of productions currently performing in the West End. Following the success of last year’s event it’s back - bigger and better than ever. West End LIVE, the world’s largest free entertainment festival, returns to the heart of London to showcase the magic of our worldclass West End over the weekend of 19 and 20 June 2010. Crowds can enjoy thrilling performances on a giant open air stage from hit shows Wicked, Disney’s The Lion King, Hair, Legally Blonde, Chicago, Oliver!, Love Never Dies, Avenue Q, Sister Act, Into the Woods, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Burn the Floor, Tap Dogs, Grease, Mamma Mia!, Stomp, Dirty Dancing, All the Fun of the Fair, Thriller Live, The Fantasticks, We Will Rock You and Jersey Boys. At the time of going to press, highlights include Sheridan Smith as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, Kerry Ellis as Nancy in Cameron Mackintosh’s Oliver!, Patina Miller as Delores in Sister Act and Hannah Waddingham as the Witch in Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods. Westminster City Council is also hosting a variety of fun activities for all the family including The Fireman Sam Show, and interactive entertainment from the London Film Museum, the Science Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Forbidden Planet Store. Heart 106.2 is the exclusive media partner for the event, with morning presenter Toby Anstis compering on the Saturday. This summer promises to be bigger and better than ever before with a record-breaking 22 musicals on board. Nearly a quarter of a million people came to West End LIVE last year, with the event winning The People’s Choice Music Event of the Year Award at the 2009 Visit London Awards. Cllr Robert Davis, Deputy Leader and Cabinet

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Member for Special Events at Westminster City Council, said: “We have an excellent line up at West End LIVE this year with a record 22 shows conﬁrmed so far. The weekend promises to be a fantastic showcase of what the West End has to offer, and because it’s free, it is open to everyone to come along to enjoy the shows and entertainment on offer.” Nica Burns, President of the Society of London Theatre, said: “London has the best theatre in the world and West End LIVE is a fantastic opportunity for people to sample some of the West End’s most popular shows for free. We’ve got a stellar line up of numbers

from some of our greatest shows. Join us in celebrating the success of an industry that provides joy to millions of people around the world and contributes more than £2billion a year to the economy. A big thank you to Westminster City Council for hosting this fantastic event.” Saturday 19 June 2010, 11.00am – 6.00pm Sunday 20 June 2010, 12.00pm – 6.00pm Leicester Square, London For more information, visit www.westendlive.co.uk

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18/05/2010 13:56:08

NEWS

YOU’VE BEEN TANGO’ED A director of Welsh amateur theatre is heading to Canada this month to direct a play set originally in Gwent.

suggested they perform Last Tango, and offered to direct its actors – all the way from Wales.

Neil Maidman held auditions from Wales via a webcam for Last Tango in Blackwood.

Auditions were held earlier this month via webcam so that the director could see his prospective cast members read for their parts.

The play was a hit for Blackwood Little Theatre, of which Maidman is chairman, two years ago when it won the Gwent and Wales Festival of One Act Plays. It is now being exported to Liverpool, Nova Scotia. The Winds of Change amateur theatre group, with which BLT has forged strong links, will be appearing in the renamed Last Tango in Liverpool after Maidman stepped in to offer his services. The Nova Scotia group had been on the verge of pulling out of the Liverpool International Theatre Festival after auditions for the play it was initially due to produce failed to attract enough cast members. In what Winds of Change describe as “a daring and generous brainstorm”, Maidman

The two male and two female players are now at work learning their lines until Maidman arrives in Liverpool, to direct the play in just five days before the competition performance on May 22. Maidman has been involved in amateur theatre for 22 years. He has directed more than 20 plays, performed in more than 40, and is chairman of the Gwent Drama Association and vice chairman of the Drama Association of Wales.

Edge of the Woods is a gritty drama based around the harsh realities of secondary school life, and Gentlemen & Players is a comedy based on a meeting of William Shakespeare and Ben Jonson. Both have been written by award-winning BLT stalwart Vic Mills. Maidman said: “While it’s disappointing that Blackwood Little Theatre won’t be attending the festival, I’m looking forward to working with the Winds of Change group on this very funny play. “The audition experience was a little strange, but it’s amazing what freely available technology can do these days.”

Blackwood Little Theatre has been both Gwent champion and Wales finalist in the UK Festival of One Act Plays for the past six years. As well as his Canada commitments, Maidman directed two new plays for performance at the 2010 Gwent Festival which was held at the Congress Theatre in Cwmbran over the weekend.

YOUNG PLAYWRIGHT SET FOR BARBICAN DEBUT A YOUNG theatre entrepreneur is to stage his latest production at one of London’s most respected venues. Alex Turner, 22, of Woodland Road in Loughton, set up the ‘non one zero’ theatre company while studying at Royal Holloway university, and is about to begin a run of its debt show ‘Would Like To Meet’ at the Barbican in central London.

In his younger days he studied with Stage One in Buckhurst Hill, before going on to perform several time at Lopping Hall with the West Essex Rep, and with the Theydon Bois Amateur Dramatics Society.

The piece was devised for Alex’s final examination at university in July 2009, shortly before he graduated with a first-class honours degree in Drama and Theatre.

Alex, who went to Forest School in Snaresbrook, said: “I am particularly thrilled, and very surprised, to be performing my first show in the same season at the Barbican as theatre companies I studied at school and university, and while performing with local amateur dramatic societies it was always my dream to perform my own shows professionally in London.

Alex has a long-standing interest in drama.

“I just never knew it would be doing this sort of

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interactive theatre that breaks down barriers to challenge an audience! “I’m really inspired by the work that my company are creating. ‘Would Like To Meet’ challenges an audience’s perception of theatre and encourages them to take a more active part in their own theatre going experience as they shape the piece which become unique and personal to them.” ‘Would Like To Meet’ is currently playing until May 26, as part of the BITE (Barbican International Theatre Events) season.

AMATEUR STAGE | MAY 2010

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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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18/05/2010 13:57:42

NEWS

GLEE

ON STAGE??

Glee could reportedly be licensed for a Broadway musical and school tour that would visit high schools and elementary schools in the US. According to Entertainment Weekly, Music Theatre International is in talks with show creators and producers to licence the musical comedy series for the Broadway stage. Other MTI-handled projects such as Hairspray, High School Musical and Rent offer ageappropriate school productions with an amateur cast. It is thought that Glee will also go down this route. It is currently not clear whether the stage show will feature professional or amateur performers. We’ll be keeping our eyes and ears out for news about Glee in the UK and keep you informed.

PLEASE READ - URGENT!! GUN AMNESTY ENDING Just as we were about to go to press we received a news blast via the Little Theatre Guild from the Metropolitan Police so cleared some space to include this important announcement.

Further enquiries should be directed to the MPS Film Unit on 020 7918 3032 or to ﬁlmunit@met.police.uk

The Metropolitan Police have re-classified the Olympic .380 BBM revolver. The revolver is commonly used for the purposes of race starting, dog training, and also in the theatre, film and television industry. Previously this model was available without a licence but recently the gun has been idientified as being ‘readily convertible”, which means they can be convcerted to be a lethally barrelled weapon. The police have started an amnesty period which runs until June 4, during which time they hope to retrieve as many of these revolvers as possible. Anyone posessing an Olympic .380 BBM revolver is encouraged to hand it in at the front counter of their local police station. At the end of the amnesty period posessing this revolver will incur a mandatory five year prison sentence.

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AMATEUR STAGE | MAY 2010

18/05/2010 13:59:09

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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9/3/10 10:47:16

NEWS Aneurin Barnard & Iwan Rheon Spring Awakening

OLIVIER AWARDS The 24th Annual Olivier Awards threw up a few suprises this year. Amateur Stage reports on all the results. The winners of the 34th Laurence Olivier Awards were announced recently at a starstudded ceremony held at Grosvenor House, London. The big success story of the night was the triumph of the 28-year-old American playwright Katori Hall. Her play THE MOUNTAINTOP scooped the Best New Play award, beating tough competition from ENRON, JERUSALEM and RED. Hall is the ﬁrst black female playwright to win the award. The play premiered at the tiny 65-seat Theatre503 in Battersea before opening in the West End at Trafalgar Studios 1 where it ran for nine weeks. The production follows Martin Luther King the night before his assassination and is the second play to be written by Hall. The excellence of the Royal Court’s new writing was also recognised on the night. Best New Comedy went to Michael Wynne’s THE PRIORY and Outstanding Achievement in an Afﬁliate Theatre was awarded to COCK at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs. In the other theatre categories, JERUSALEM, which sold out at the Royal Court before going on to its current West End home at the Apollo, took home two awards: Mark Rylance won Best Actor for the second time, this year for his extraordinary portrayal of Rooster and

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the production’s designers Ultz won Best Set Design. Best Director was presented to Rupert Goold, his second Olivier, for his direction of ENRON. The critically acclaimed production, produced by Headlong Theatre, Royal Court and Chichester Festival Theatre, sold out its entire eight-week run before opening at the Royal Court Theatre and is now running at the Noel Coward. The acting strength of the 2009 Donmar season shone through with three awards in the remaining theatre categories. Rachel Weisz’s poignant portrayal of Blanche DuBois in A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE held off Gillian Anderson, Imelda Staunton and Juliet Stevenson, amongst others, to win the Best Actress title. Meanwhile, Weisz’s co-star Ruth Wilson won Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her outstanding performance as Stella. The Donmar’s hat-trick was completed with Eddie Redmayne’s win of Best Actor in a Supporting Role in RED. Eddie is currently reprising his role for the Broadway run of the show. 2009 was an exceptionally strong year for revivals and the Best Revival category had an unprecedented six nominees. The title was won by Debbie Allen’s CAT ON A HOT

TIN ROOF beating A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE, THE MISANTHROPE, ARCADIA and THREE DAYS OF RAIN to the award. Reintroduced for the ﬁrst time since 2002, the Audience Award for Most Popular Show is the only category voted entirely for by the public. Over 60,000 votes were cast and WICKED was crowned winner on the night. The show opened in 2006 at the Apollo Victoria and has been seen by over 2.6 million people. New lead cast members Rachel Tucker and Louise Dearman collected the award. The theatre categories were completed with Best Entertainment which was won by Tim Whitnall for MORECAMBE at the Duchess. The musical awards were dominated by two very different shows. SPRING AWAKENING, the cult hit Broadway musical based on Wedekind’s groundbreaking play, took four awards including the highly competitive category of Best New Musical. Young actors Aneurin Barnard and Iwan Rheon won Best Actor in a Musical or Entertainment and Best Supporting Performance in a Musical or Entertainment respectively. Best Sound Design was awarded to Brian Ronan for the show’s run at the Novello. A wet summer did not stop the Open Air

AMATEUR STAGE | MAY 2010

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www.amateurstagemagazine.co.uk

Jude Law & Katori Hall Theatre winning three awards for its highoctane production of HELLO DOLLY! Best Actress in a Musical or Entertainment went to Samantha Spiro, her second Olivier, and Best Theatre Choreographer went to Stephen Mear. The production also won Best Musical Revival. In the technical categories, PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT – THE MUSICAL, whose divas performed at the awards ceremony, won Best Costume Design and Mark Henderson was awarded Best Lighting Design for BURNT BY THE SUN at the Lyttelton, his fifth Laurence Olivier Award. The Royal Opera House swept the board in the opera categories and won a further award in dance. Their production of TRISTAN UND ISOLDE picked up both Best New Opera Production and Outstanding Achievement in Opera for Swedish soprano Nina Stemme’s glorious performance of Isolde. The venue’s third title was Best New Dance Production for GOLDBERG: THE BRANDSTRUP ROJO PROJECT at ROH2.

NEWS

Rachel Weiss & Mark Rylance

The Outstanding Achievement in Dance award was given to the Rambert Dance Company, who produce more new work than any other dance company in the UK, for an outstanding year of work. The Society’s Special Award, which recognises outstanding contribution to the theatre, was presented to Dame Maggie Smith, one of the UK’s most distinguished actresses, by Margaret Tyzach. Legendary theatre producer Michael Codron was also honoured on the night. He picked up the Outstanding Achievement Award to mark nearly 60 years in the business and the huge effect he has had on British theatre. President of SOLT, Nica Burns says of the winners: “The Olivier Awards reflect a year of outstanding creativity and production excellence which brought the public rushing to the theatre, taking box office and attendance records to an all time high. The London

theatre is a shining light in the continuing recessionary gloom – something we can all be proud of. Congratulations to all the winners and the huge theatre community who collaborated in creating our wonderful productions.” The awards were attended by nominees including: Gillian Anderson, Rowan Atkinson, Derren Brown, Melanie C, Mackenzie Crook, James Earl Jones, Rory Kinnear, Keira Knightley, Jude Law, Maureen Lipman, Mark Rylance, Imelda Staunton, Rachel Weisz, Ruth Wilson and Samuel West. Presenters of the 2010 awards included: Kim Catrall, David Essex, Rupert Friend, Tamsin Greig, Duncan James, Jill Halfpenny, Larry Lamb, Elaine Paige, Arlene Philips, Ben Richards, Lesley Sharp, Penny Smith, Russell Watson and Barbara Windsor. Up-to-the-minute news about the awards can be found at www.olivierawards.co.uk Photos: Charlie Hopkinson

James Dacre, Jude Law, Lorraine Burroughs, Katori Hall and David Harewood

AMATEUR STAGE | MAY 2010

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PLAY PRODUCED THE MUSICAL PRODUCED

A MURDER HAS BEEN ARRANGED

Definition of Ghost – (noun) – apparition of dead person, disembodied spirit, semblance of ----- “there are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy” – One of the most well known phrases relevant to aspects of the para-normal --The Company Staines Players were formed in the early 1950s and for many years performed at the Old Town Hall in Staines, until in the mid 1990s, the local council in their wisdom (!) decided that the Arts in Staines were not as important as another Bar/Cafe outlet and we had to look for other venues. We have since performed in Chertsey Hall, and Magna Carta School in Staines and for the last three or four years have our home at the John Crook Theatre in Halliford School, Shepperton. In addition to that, we have been invited for the last three years to take part in the Riverside Festival of Theatre in Walton-on-Thames. Over the years the company has performed the vast majority of genre plays, ie Comedy, Farce, Thrillers, Straight Plays, rangingt from Shakespeare to Rattigan, Ayckbourn to Shaw, in addition to presenting Pantomime, Murder Mystery, Supper Evenings and the like. The one type of presentation which has so far eluded us is a ‘Ghost Story, Murder’, which is being rectified by our present production.

The Play Emlyn Williams’ play “A Murder has been Arranged” was written in 1930 and is described by the author as a Ghost Story and is set on the stage of the St. James Theatre, London and tells the story of a successful entrepreneur, Sir Charles Jasper, who is giving a fancy dress party for his family and staff. Sir Charles is due to inherit a fortune in a few hours time, unless he dies – in which case his nephew would inherit the money. Sir Charles is also an author and relates a legend which states that if a murder is committed. Then a Ghost would appear shortly afterwards. Within this storyline, and before a murder would happen, the legend also states that a dumb woman would be seen and she also would

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have to die before the Ghost would walk. The nephew duly arrives and contrives the death of Sir Charles, springing the legend into context and menacing the rest of the family and staff.

The Interpretation The Play is one which has always fascinated me, and one which I have wanted to direct for many years, and such wanted to put my own stamp on it. In reviving the play, I endeavoured to bring it up to date and set it i the present day, on the premise that the perception of the unknown is just as prevalent in today’s society as it was when it was written. In describing as above , the fancy dress element, the play was, as I have mentioned, written in 1930, and as such, some of the language was very dated. In bringing it up to the present day and making some judicious dated amendments to the text, I had the choice of being completely true to the script and also to the fancy dress element, which was ‘The Ghosts of History’; the costumes of which were ‘Dante’s Beatrice, Mary Queen of Scots, Marie Antionette and Henry of Navarre’, The alternative would be to look to different aspects of costume, but retaining the overriding content. I decide therefore, to replace ‘Ghosts of History’ with ‘Ghosts of the Silver Screen’ – envisaging that our audience would recognise the images of Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin, Diana Dors and Margaret Rutherford, as being part of the recent past. Some of the costumes came from our own store and the remainder and indeed the wigs came from Kris Benjafield of Guildford Opera Company and Ghosts (another Amatuer Company) Costume Hire.

sessions the following week. I then arranged for the cast and crew to have the script before Christmas and after the festive season, we started rehearsals the last week of January, and progressed through two rehearsals per week, until the week before when I put in an extra rehearsal.

The Set The setting is the stage of the St. James Theatre, London, the time tonight, and the action takes place in real time from 8.30 to 11.00 pm ie the duration of the play! Being staged in a theatre, there is an orchestra pit, but for our purposes, the band is located offstage. In a black-curtained set, the main items of furniture are a refectory table with seating for six, down stage right, a small table centre stage and the focal point is a large alcove upstage left with a small table and chair. The alcove has working curtains across the front, with a large window to the rear. This is part of a ‘set’, which formed the previous set of the most recent production at the St James.

Lighting and Sound For the whole of the first act and half of the second, the lighting is of a general wash across the entire stage. At the start of the fancy dress party , the lights are lowered and the candles are lit on the refectory table. This was achieved by having two large vases with very small tealights at their base. The flickering light gives an eerie feel to the second half of the play heightened by the entrance of the ‘dumb woman’ – I also arranged for a ‘special’ light at the year of the stage. In addition, at her entrance I added atmospheric sound from ‘Tales of Mystery and Imagination’ by Edgar Alan Poe – as played by the Alan Price Project –a record from the Seventies, from which I also selected a track for the entrance of Sir Jasper’s ‘Ghost’ at the end of the play, when Mullins realises his attempt at securing the fortune was foiled.

The Rehearsal Period We held a familiarisation reading for the whole group in November, with two casting

AMATEUR STAGE | MAY 2010

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www.amateurstagemagazine.co.uk

THE PLAY PRODUCED

Marketing We live in an area which has geat competition in Theatre, both Professional and Amateur. Within approx a radius of 20 miles, we have professional theatres at Woking, Windsor, Guildford. London is only an hour away and there are many amateur companies in the Area. ‘Bums on Seats’ is never easy. Posters and flyers were produced and distributed to approx 50 libraries throughout Spelthorne and Runnymede, together with Garden Centres and Local Shops. I approached the local press and managed to achieve an interview, which resulted in a good peice in the local press and also their website. The cast threw themselves into family, friends, neighbours and also took advantage of social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter., the results of which we hope in some part will be apparent at front of house performance nights.

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The Conclusion Our audiences were small but appreciative and for the most part quiet and attentive. It’s fair to say that the genre of play was not everyone’s cup of tea; however the cast and crew worked very hard and we all thoroughly enjoyed the run. As one member of the departing audience commented “ it’s not easy in this day and age to ‘scare’ people in a theatre”. However, as I wrote in my programme notes – ‘if you occasionally find yourselves sitting on the edge of your seat, or feel that curious tingle in the back of your spine, then hopefully, we may just have achieved the playwright’s intention those many years ago’ --- so it was gratifying when someone mentioned – “I did feel the hairs of my neck stand up on several occasions!!” When we first started the rehearsal period, I said to the cast that it would be a challenge for all of us – in the event, some things worked and some didn’t – but we enjoyed the journey. Raymond Haresign for Staines Players.

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AMATEUR STAGE | MAY 2010

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NICK HERN BOOKS Think BIG with these two:

Cast: 6f 10m plus 2 girls plus extras

Cast: 115 characters, cast of 40 possible

Fees: £64+ VAT per performance Scripts: £8.99 each 'A new play that already feels like a classic' Telegraph on Burnt

by the Sun

'Beautiful and memorable' Guardian on A Time To

Keep

Free inspection copies of these and other titles plus our free Guide to Plays for Performance available from: Nick Hern Books, The Glasshouse, 49a Goldhawk Road, London W12 8QP t. 020 8749 4953 f. 020 8735 0250 e. info@nickhernbooks.demon.co.uk

www.nickhernbooks.co.uk

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www.amateurstagemagazine.co.uk

FIRST NIGHT INSURANCE

WHAT A DUST UP! Robert Israel ASCII from Gordon & Co discusses the latest insurance issues affecting amateur theatre. Many years ago, the son of one of our clients was kidnapped and held to ransom. I am pleased to say that there was a happy outcome and the boy was returned. However, once the dust had settled, his father actually asked me why I had never suggested that he effected Kidnap and Ransom Insurance. My response was that, if I had suggested such insurance, my client would have thought that I was doing “a selling job” on him. The experience did, however, leave an impression on me that you can never rule anything in or out in this life. How many of you would have thought that a volcanic eruption in Iceland would have any effect on the lives of UK citizens? I cannot believe that many people effect travel insurance just in case a volcano in Iceland erupts and causes an interruption to their business or holiday plans. Once the initial eruption had taken place, I have to admit that I was somewhat surprised by the UK Insurance Market’s response. From our own perspective, we have had to deal with a significant number of enquiries from our Theatre Production Companies all over the world. The problems centre around 2 classes of insurance: a) Travel Insurance b) Cancellation Insurance Whilst Travel Insurance does not form part of the First Night Insurance Package, it is a class of insurance which we do provide to both our amateur and professional theatre companies when they are touring abroad. It is too early to say exactly what will happen with regard to the incidents which have been reported because, in the majority of cases, the claims have yet to be formulated. One particular theatre company rang from a European capital to say that their flight had obviously been cancelled and there was no way of knowing how long the ban on flights was going to continue. Their problem was that they had an engagement in the UK the following week and, if they were not at that venue on time, then they would not only lose their fee for the performances but they would be subject to a penalty payment to the theatre for non-performance. Their idea, therefore, was to pre-purchase Eurostar tickets for the entire company to make sure they were able to return on time. The issue was whether the Travel Insurers would be prepared to pay for the rail tickets without knowing whether the tickets were actually going to be used. In addition, where theatre companies are marooned, we are being asked if Insurers will pay additional hotel costs. It seems that they may consider these costs but will not entertain food or ancillary costs such as telephone bills. All Insurers are, of course, stating that the first port of call should be to the airline itself as they do have a responsibility to assist their passengers if their flight is cancelled or delayed and, in certain circumstances, are obliged to pay compensation. When I first wrote an article for Amateur Stage some years ago, I spent the first few months going through the different classes of Insurance and making the point that all Insurance Policies are a contract between the Insurance Company and the Client. So, whenever there is an issue, the first thing to do is to refer back to the contract, i.e. the Policy wording, and the dreaded small print! Any claim for cancellation and/or curtailment of a trip will be dealt with under the relevant section of a Travel Policy – in this particular case, almost certainly, the element of the Policy you will be looking for will be headed “Disruption, Cancellation, Alteration, Curtailment, Replacement and/ or Re-arrangement Expenses”. It should be clearly documented at the beginning of this Section what is actually covered. In the case of our Travel Scheme the wording states “If, during a period of Insurance, an Insured Person is forced to (i) cancel any journey prior to the commencement of that journey, or (ii) alter the itinerary or curtail any part of a planned journey, and/or (iii) re-arrange the journey as a direct and necessary result of any cause outside of the control of the Policyholder or the Insured Person, Insurers will indemnify the Policyholder in respect of cancellation expenses, alteration of itinerary or curtailment expenses, re-arrangement expenses or replacement expenses incurred up to the amount shown in the schedule of benefits for any one journey.” Now, on the face of this, it is a clear-cut case that the costs are outside of your control. However, there are specific

exclusions applicable to this Section and one of the exclusions states “Any expenses incurred as a result of regulations or order made by any Public Authority or Government.” Obviously, different Insurers will have different phraseology and it is therefore very difficult for me to comment generally. However, our particular Insurers have issued a Notice to all Brokers stating that in respect of the unusual circumstances relating to the recent volcanic eruption Insurers will waive the relevant exclusion relating to Public Authority or Government Order on the Disruption Section of their Travel Policy. They go on to say that they will settle claims in line with the Policy wording, with any such payment being dealt with on what is called an ex gratia basis. This is just to make sure that, should they pay any claims, it would not be held as a precedent for any future incident. It also confirms their feeling that the exclusion in the Policy would technically rule out any claim. They go on to say that this relates only to those customers who had been due to travel between and including 15-21 April for all trips booked prior to or on 14 April. In other words, they would not entertain a claim where the travel was booked after the initial eruption. Other Insurers have also sent us notification that, due to the exceptional circumstances, they are prepared to look favourably upon the situation. One particular Insurer has confirmed that, although volcanic eruptions are not usually covered under a Travel Policy due to being outside an Insurer’s control, which is often referred to as Act of God, they will on this particular occasion refer to this event as adverse weather conditions, which would then possibly allow customers to claim under their Policies. Turning now to Cancellation Insurance issues, again, looking at the basic wording, this states that Insurers will pay claims where the incident is beyond the control of the Insured and the participants, subject, of course, to the standard exclusions in the Policy. However, an eruption of a volcano in a different country is not, in my opinion, an excluded event, primarily because nobody ever thought the such an incident could ever occur. When the eruption occurred, we had a number of Cancellation Policies in place. At the time of writing this article, we have 2 potential claims, one involving an artiste in Australia, who is struggling to return home in time to fulfil his contractual obligations in the UK, and a second incident where an artiste was in a European country and had to return to the UK in order to give performances the week after the event occurred. The Production Company in this particular event took the decision to purchase tickets on a ferry in order to guarantee the artiste’s return in time for the performance. We approached the Cancellation Insurance Underwriters to ask them whether they would be prepared to cover the cost of the ferry under an extension to a Cancellation Policy which covers additional costs incurred with the prior agreement of Insurers in order to save the event. As far as this situation was concerned, it was a very simple decision for the Underwriters to make because the ferry crossing cost was not going to exceed £1,000 whereas the loss of the performance, had it not taken place, would have cost many times more than this amount. The Underwriter actually congratulated the Production Company in their foresight because they reacted immediately they thought there was going to be a problem and were fortunately able to purchase the ferry tickets as they very quickly sold out. During my conversation with the Lead Underwriter, he indicated to me that I was not, in fact, the first person to ring that particular morning regarding this problem and that he had had a conversation with another Broker where they were discussing the exclusion relating to Act of God and what would have happened had the Client and/or Artiste been an atheist! So my advice to anybody who has had their travel plans disrupted is submit a claim to your Insurers. Even if you have already rung and they were fairly negative, you may now find, following all the publicity, that their initial stance has mellowed. As for the future, be aware that Travel Policies may well carry an exclusion as it is, of course, now a known event and, as far as Cancellation Policies are concerned, Underwriters are now imposing a very specific exclusion as the volcano could go on erupting for years.

AMATEUR STAGE | MAY 2010

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LTGnews > LTGnews > LTGnews > LTGnew Michael Shipley looks at what’s been going on recently around the country recently. New National Secretary At the AGM in March we elected our new National Secretary following the resignation of Barbara Watson. She is Caroline Chapman (Royalty Theatre, Sunderland) Satley House Satley near Bishop Auckland County Durham DL13 4HU Tel: 01388 730042 Email: carolinechapman@dsl.pipex.com

New National Committee The 64th AGM of the Guild was held on 27th March 2010 at The Miller Centre, Caterham. The Conference was very well attended, with some 95 delegates from 49 theatres negotiating the M25 and coping with the BA industrial action to get there and back home. The committee for 2010/2011 is – Chairman: Eddie Redfern (Archway Theatre, Horley) Vice Chairman: Ian Thompson (Crescent Theatre, Birmingham) National Secretary: Caroline Chapman (Royalty Theatre, Sunderland) Treasurer: Brian Stoner (Wilmslow Green Room Club) PRO: Michael Shipley (Bolton Little Theatre) NLO: Tom Williams (Chesil Theatre, Winchester) Theatre Representatives: Keith Thompson (Barn Theatre, Welwyn) John Foreman (Market Harborough DS) Kevin Spence (Doncaster Little Theatre) Regional Secretaries: Margaret Mann (Northern Region – Southport Little Theatre) Jackie Blackwood (Midlands Region – Crescent Theatre, Birmingham) Rosie Shaw (Southern Region – Wharf Theatre, Devizes) Why not take a peep at the Guild’s newly revamped website – www.littletheatreguild. org

Two new Honorary Associates At the recent AGM, the assembled members endorsed with great enthusiasm the award of Honorary Associateship to two stalwarts of the Guild – BARBARA WATSON and ROSEMARY SHAW. Barbara Watson has been the Guild National Secretary, and indicated her intention to retire last summer, after some 15 years in the role. She has suffered from very poor health over the last 15 months, but now appears slowly to

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be regaining strength, which is gratifying news to all her many friends. As well as steering the Guild all these years, she doubled with the role of Secretary to the Carlisle Green Room Club, and was an indispensable leader during the tough period when they were buying and converting the present West Walls Theatre in the late 70s. Rosemary Shaw has been the LTG Rep for Wharf Theatre Devizes since her theatre joined the Guild in 1988, and for the last fifteen years she has served as Southern Region Secretary, during which time she has in particular built up a wonderful relationship with Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre on Bankside, regularly helping to organise the annual workshops there. On accepting her framed certificate, Rosemary said that she had been gobsmacked to learn of the honour and was glowing with sheer pleasure to receive it. It is hoped that Barbara will be well enough to receive her certificate at the Committee meeting in July.

Children in Performance Chairman of the Guild, Eddie Redfern of Archway Theatre, Horley, recently wrote to the Guild membership on this currently very important topic: There has been a lot going on recently in relation to Children in Theatre, particularly with a number of LTG member theatres having taken the decision not to present plays using children as a result of current legislation and the proposed barring and vetting scheme. There are a number of misconceptions around these issues and the purpose of this letter is to very briefly explain some of the work that the LTG has been carrying out over the last few months in this area. The LTG always recommends best practice in the running and management of our theatres, in particular where we have youth groups or use children in productions. I would like to take this opportunity to highlight some of these areas and explain some of the difficulties. Child Protection Policies: Theatres should have a child protection policy in place and a named Child Protection Officer. The LTG has a model policy available. Youth Groups: The LTG strongly recommends that all Youth Leaders are CRB checked to an enhanced level. This can be done via the Guild arrangements with NODA, where it is free for volunteers, except for a small administration fee of £15 payable to NODA. Any Youth Leaders that are employed would have to pay the full rate. In the future Youth Leaders will be expected to be registered with the ISA barring and vetting scheme which is explained later in this letter. Children in Performance: The current legislation requires any theatre that is using children in a production to license those children in accordance with the Children (Performances) Regulations 1968, as amended by the Children (Performances) (Amendment) regulations 2000. The regulations take effect at dress rehearsals and performances, but do not cover early rehearsals. Licences are issued by the Local Education Authority (LEA). There are some exceptions to the licensing requirements

where the performance is on for 4 days, and the child has not performed in the last 6 months. Additionally for licensed performances the theatre must have registered and licensed chaperones. To avoid the need for individual performance licences amateur theatres can apply for a Body of Persons Exemption, but in reality very few LEAs recognise or issue a Body of Persons exemption. Confused? Yes it is not straightforward and many LEA’s have interpreted the regulations in different ways across the country. It is a fact that some theatres will avoid using children living within a particular LEA area as it is virtually impossible to get them licensed. This is neither right nor fair and is denying youngsters the opportunity to take part in theatre activities; in other words a postcode lottery. The whole situation is a mess, but unfortunately it is the current law and we have to work with it. (But see the comments on the Sarah Thane review, below) The Independent Safeguarding Authority, Barring and Vetting scheme: The regulations come into force in November of this year for new persons working with children and applies very widely across the spectrum from schoolteachers and caretakers to volunteers working or transporting children. Anyone currently working with children will be added to the scheme between 2011 and 2013 where up to 9 million individuals are eventually expected to be registered. Registration with the ISA starts in July 2010 for new persons meeting the criteria. At first glance on reading the regulation any theatre that uses children in a performance could be required to ensure that all adults connected with the production should be registered with the ISA and vetted - the worst case scenario. At the other end of the spectrum amateur theatres might seek exemption from the regulation and not have anyone registered, but this is a wholly unlikely scenario. I have been in discussions with officials from the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), I am pleased to report that I have been told that they are anxious to clarify and simplify the requirements to reduce the apparent burden on amateur theatre. I believe that there is a pragmatic way forward and the LTG will continue to work with the DCSF and DCMS to produce sector specific guidance to theatres. In this we are working alongside NODA to ensure that the interests of the amateur sector are fully taken into account. Once registered a person can use his or her registration number to undertake a number of activities with children, so unlike the current CRB clearance it is fully portable, with no need to renew every two or three years. The cost of registration with the ISA is free for volunteers and £64 for paid positions. Sarah Thane review: In February of this year the Secretaries of State for Children and Culture asked Sarah Thane to review the Children in Performance legislation. I took part in that review on behalf of the LTG. The review was published on 19th March with a joint letter from both Secretaries of State supporting the recommendations made; in particular supporting the recommendation that Amateur Theatre should be removed from the Licensing requirements

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news > LTGnews > LTGnews > LTGnews > contained within the Children (Performances) Regulations. This is a significant step forwards and is also supported by the current Shadow Minister. Once the general election is over we will lose no time in pushing for the necessary legislative changes to move forwards. I do hope that the above explanations, of the effect of the vetting and barring scheme alongside the significant potential to remove the children in performance licensing barriers, will create the right conditions that will enable LTG member theatres to feel able and comfortable to use children in their productions. It will take time, but I firmly believe there is light at the end of what has been a very long tunnel.

Some Useful Local Statistics The archivist for the ILKLEY PLAYERS has been collating the stats – in over 80 years of existence, the group by the end of 2009 had presented 578 main house productions, and 63 (at least!) studio productions. At least 40 members are still acting there after 20 years! Over 500 actors have played on the boards, and admin and off-stage helpers are too numerous to be counted. For the AGM at Talisman Theatre, Kenilworth the DoP produced the following figures: The season 2009 saw 8 main house productions, 2 studio productions, and 1 Youth Theatre production. This involved •130 acting roles for adults (64F, 76M) •50 acting roles for children & young adults •11 Directors (including 2 debuts) •3 musical directors •2 choreographers •5 set designers •5 lighting designers •4 sound designers •5 wardrobe masters/mistresses •7 props masters/mistresses •5 stage managers And of course one mustn’t forget the countless members building sets, operating sound and lighting, assisting wardrobe and props, prompting, not to mention those working FoH. All very useful statistics for anyone wishing to stress the value of an amateur theatre in its community. And this is just for one small town, which also supports another Guild theatre!

Work never stops on our buildings! Maintaining the fabric of our theatres is always a major task for Boards of Management up and down the land. Irrespective of the financial state of the nation, work has to go on, and new projects are always needed, if only to stimulate the enthusiasm of the members. At WOKINGHAM THEATRE, plans have been submitted to amend permission granted in 2008 to build a single storey extension to the rear of the theatre, so as to provide rehearsal space with ancillary dressing room/ sewing room facilities, and to increase the workshop area with a new toilet and lobby. At TOWER THEATRE, FOLKESTONE, the new home of FHODS, alterations and improvements to the church premises are continuing. Augmentation of the heating

system last year with the aid of substantial fund raising and local grants paid handsome dividends during the severe winter weather. A Portacabin has now been donated for use as an office so that there can be a daily presence on the site. Volunteers however are required if it is to be open every afternoon for the public. In the theatre, grants exceeding £2,000 have been obtained from Kent County Council to enable a loop system for the deaf to be completed, as well as a theatre communication system. Meanwhile at PLAZA THEATRE, ROMSEY both Romsey Town Council and Hampshire County Council have provided equal grants to enable a platform stair lift to be installed for access to the upstairs circle area. At CAXTON THEATRE, GRIMSBY there are now target dates to complete the refurbishment of the ground floor and front façade by 17th September – the scheduled Northern Region Conference in early October will clearly be a spur to achieving everything on time! Fund raising is being concentrated on a big event on the front at Cleethorpes on Monday 31st May – a mile of smiling 50p pieces is the target! NOMAD THEATRE, East Horsley, following the substantial bequest in the will of member Bob King, is now making serious plans to extend the bar area, and to build above to create a new multi-functional space, with the needs of young people particularly in mind. A feasibility study is under way to consider all the ramifications of this decision, and of course fund raising will be needed if the coffers are not to be completely depleted! The ABBEY THEATRE, ST ALBANS, built in 1968, is now under threat of being totally surrounded by a building site for the construction of a leisure and cultural complex by the local authority. Lack of consultation over the plans seems to be the main present complaint, as the plans would seem to affect rights of access, and seriously disrupt the use of the theatre by patrons, particularly older members and the disabled. Helpful suggestions and representations are being ignored by the planners it is claimed.

Looking Back! Many LTG member’s Newsletters carry a nostalgia column based on their archives. The Guild’s 64 years of archives are not exactly in tip-top order, but since I started to produce the quarterly Newsletter for the Guild in the summer of 1987 (gosh – as long ago as that!) I have kept copies in ring binders, and so can dip back into the past, and give you a few snapshots of what we were doing in days of yore! Winter 1989/1990 – The plays at the Topof-the-Pops were The House of Bernarda Alba and Noises Off. Alan Ayckbourn and William Shakespeare topped the list of most frequently performed authors – of course! There were reports on a Seminar for Directors held at Grove Park Little Theatre, Wrexham and run by Geoff Bennett; and on the English Amateur Theatre Week held at Questors Theatre, Ealing, when Lewes Little Theatre, Leicester Little Theatre and Bradford Playhouse presented their own productions for two nights each. At a meeting in Nottingham,

the membership made it clear that the Reps did not want to be called Correspondents, or Communicators, but preferred to stick to the traditional title of Representatives. The forthcoming AGM & Conference was announced for Bolton Little Theatre, with the theme being the plays of Strindberg, and the need for Studio Theatres. The death of Lord Olivier was recorded, with the Guild and Hall Green Little Theatre (whose President he had been) represented at the memorial service. Winter 1994/1995 – John Sheppard’s three year service as Chairman was drawing to a close, and he commented: “Perhaps we could be more adventurous in our choice of programme and certainly we could, if determined enough, be presenting much more in the way of new work”. Carl Hayhurst announced the start of the LTG Script Service, still of course running from his computer in Lancaster! The top play of the preceding year had been Peter Whelan’s Shakespeare Country followed by Run for your Wife, and Peter Whelan topped the author’s list, reflecting perhaps the high point of the BT Biennial experiment in the 90s. The Newsletter also included a major feature on ITE, the UK centre for IATA, promoting international involvement, one of the principal aims of the Guild from its inception nearly 50 years before. Winter 1999/2000 - the big event ahead was announced, the Millennium Conference at Crescent Theatre, Birmingham, in their new theatre. The major topic to get to grips with was The Disability Discrimination Act of 1995, now applying to theatres. Other topics included smoking, equal opportunities, rehearsal discipline, and the lack of support given by members to their fellows! Meanwhile Ayckbourn and Shakespeare continued to battle it out in the popularity stakes, and Alan Bennett’s Tallking Heads had very clearly been the most popular choice of play of the last season.

The Cultural Olympics After many months of talk and indecision at the top, the UK’s Cultural Olympiad has at last announced that it is in business. There will be a Festival running from 21 June to 9 September 2012 called Festival 2012. In charge is Ruth Mackenzie, answering to a board under the chairmanship of Tony Hall. With some £75.5m to spend, and a board containing members with impressive pedigrees in the Festival Management world, we can expect to hear some exciting news of a possible programme later this year. “There

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LTGnews > LTGnews > LTGnews > LTGnew will be no political interference. If you look at the people on the board, we’re not going to be told what to do!” We shall have to wait and see what this festival holds in store for the amateur sector. Meanwhile the Royal Shakespeare Company is currently working on its OPEN STAGES project. The objectives are outlined: a) To bring about a step change in the relationship between the amateur and professional theatre sectors and raise the profile of the amateur sector in the UK b) To work so that amateur work is an integral part of the World Shakespeare Festival and the on-going work of the RSC c) To share skills between the amateur and professional sectors to gain knowledge and long-term understanding d) To celebrate the amateur sector as part of the World Shakespeare Festival in 2012 with a series of high profile and high quality collaborations and commissions across different platforms. The World Shakespeare Festival (WSF) 2012 is currently being planned. The amateur sector partnership is being developed through VAN and its various members. The RSC is also working with 12 hub venues (not specified) across the UK and will be engaging with local amateur groups through them. The RSC has a new initiative “which will see us redefining our small and middle scale touring programme to tour to RSC network schools with performances in the day to school groups and in the evenings to their communities. This would be part of a longer term community engagement residency at each venue. Through this we will be able to build on relationships with the amateur groups nationally, provide new connections between schools and their local amateur groups and create a genuine long-term engagement between the RSC and communities across the country”. (see below) There are various activities planned for 2010 – 2012. Ones relevant to the LTG and other drama groups are outlined below: National Shakespeare-themed competition – working with existing amateur festivals and competitions, with performances of Shakespeare plays or devised responses. Finals to take place in Stratford. Shakespeare festivals: organized through the 12 hub-venues to be announced, collaborating with local amateur sector and state schools. Highlights to be showcased at Stratford in 2012. Seen as a close collaboration between the hub theatre, its local amateurs and schools. National Shakespeare Challenge: to open up opportunities to participate in areas beyond the reach of the 12 hub theatres. Skills exchanges: between professional and non-professional artists. Still under evaluation, but sounds promising. (No general funding is available for individual projects as far as I can see.) The meeting I attended in March was a consultation about Young People’s Shakespeare productions touring to schools and small scale venues. The RSC are keen to expand their schools touring programme, looking at new venues and expanding into wider communities. I explained what Guild

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theatres might have to offer, with our theatre buildings and existing Youth Theatre groups. The RSC idea is for its portable theatre group (say a team of no more than 20 operating from a large van) which would take up a week’s residency somewhere (obviously the priority would be to find a venue well off the usual beaten track!) to reach out to schools and communities otherwise starved of experiencing Shakespeare live. A full plan of seminars/ training sessions would be included. Also, prior preparation visits would be needed to maximize impact. All this was very much at the discussion stage, ideas floating around freely, with contributions from RSC theatre director, stage management, marketing and development support contributing. The RSC left the meeting promising to put these ideas into a considered form by the late summer, so that a more practical meeting could then be convened to make further progress. I would like to think that our branch of the “amateur sector” will be strongly considered, because I told the meeting that the people running our theatres would in all likelihood be very keen to participate, as long as the planning was forward, and our theatre venues were free to be used. I pointed out that already some LTG theatres had their plans well advanced to the summer of 2011!

Some IATA/ITE News At the very last minute the Stanislavski Seminar in Moscow scheduled for late April was cancelled because of the International Volcanic Ash Flights crisis. LTG delegates from Bolton Little Theatre and Nomad Theatre, East Horsley were bitterly disappointed, but hopefully will be able to get the money for their flights refunded. Not so their very expensive Russian Visas! The conference fees were only payable on arrival in cash Euros! Anne Gilmour reports that at the next World Congress and Festival, in Tromso, Norway in July 2011, the UK will be represented by Wales. The following world meeting will be again in Monaco, in 2013, and this time it will be England’s turn to carry the flag. Any group which fancies taking on this exciting international role has plenty of time to be planning! Ambitious Youth Theatre Group leaders should click on to http://www. weltkindertheaterfest.de/symposium to have a look at what is going on at the World Festival of Children’s Theatre which is taking place this June in Lingen Ems, Germany between 18th and 25th June. This is an annual event, moving around Europe usually, and so in 2011 there might be some opportunity to participate!

Is Drama the new Journalism? Martin Bowley’s piece on “Political Plays” in the April issue highlighted the growth and strength of Political Theatre recently in London and around the country. The 2010 election has perhaps highlighted the failure of journalists to understand the mood of the country in a way to match the recent contribution of dramatists. David Hare weighed in recently in The Guardian: “In the west a journalistic culture which takes

in both the internet and television has now become both tiring and ubiquitous. It has also led to a curious deformation in society. As citizens, we consider our family, our friends and, most of all, our children as likeable and virtuous. But we are encouraged to consider everyone we don’t know – and most especially those we know only through newspapers – as ridiculous or vicious. To this tendency, this desire to bundle people and thereby to dismiss them, art and death are the most powerful antidotes. Art frequently reminds us that things are never quite as simple as they seem. Nor are people. Journalism is life with the mystery taken out. Art is life with the mystery restored. Put people on the stage, in all their humanity, propel them into a course of events, and in even the most savage satire or preposterous farce, characters may acquire a sympathy, a scale, a helplessness, all of which draw forth feelings eerily reminiscent of those elicited by people you actually know. We are living through curious times and they demand curious art – in both senses of the word. “Aren’t you telling us what we already know?” is the last question, always aimed between my eyes, potentially lethal in the questioner’s view, but not even causing a skin wound when fired. “No, I am not. You may think you know something. But it’s one thing to know, and another to experience.” The paradox of great factual work is that it restores wonder. Thinly imagined work takes it away. “I never knew that, I never realized that, I never felt that” is what you hear from the departing audience when their evening has been well spent. Because we think we know, but we don’t.” David Hare’s plays Stuff Happens and The Power of Yes have both enjoyed enormous success, both during the political crises they explored, and afterwards. The snag is that, unlike the offerings of journalists, they only reach a limited number of people. Releasing the texts and the performing rights immediately might have a much wider and greater impact!

Health & Safety Issues Tom Williams reports: “HSE statistics for reportable incidents relating to theatres in 07/08 and 08/09 show that the three areas in which most accidents occur are with handling, slips or trips, and being hit by moving or falling objects. Accidents involving falls from height or contact with machinery are on the rise! The Theatre Safety Committee is planning a poster campaign on these issues, which I am sure we will wish to support. A Code of Practice for Get-ins and Getouts is currently being tested in professional theatres before being promulgated. It is a very sensible document which we should support, though from the amateur theatre point of view, it is unlikely that our stage volunteers could even contemplate the rigorous and expensive regime of ABTT training for a certificate of competence that the Code envisages as normal in professional theatres. The Government in their White Paper The Learning Revolution is looking for free or low cost learning spaces to be available to local self-help groups. The LTG has been approached to discover whether member theatres might wish to place themselves on the

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news > LTGnews > LTGnews > LTGnews > register of such spaces. Should any theatre be so interested, please contact me.”

Hosting the Guild Conference The Host Theatre’s Experience Ever since the founding of the LTG in 1946, the members have kept together through regular meetings at member theatres. In this way we meet fellow practitioners, form friendships and establish contacts, and learn a great deal! The Annual Conference and AGM was held this year in late March at THE MILLER CENTRE, CATERHAM. The following piece appeared in their Newsletter “On Stage”: LTG delegates – 95 of them from all over the UK – descended on the Miller Centre at the weekend for their AGM, to be welcomed, fed, watered, entertained and enlightened. And, to judge from their comments as they left, a fine time was had by all. Star of the weekend was the marquee in the William Hill car park, which seated them all and housed a bar which did brisk business throughout. We served meals on Friday night, Saturday lunch and supper, and took them for a Chinese on Sunday. Six widely differing workshops were held in the theatre and the studio – on stage combat, baroque dancing, child protection, make-up and wigs, laser and lighting safety, and sound and acoustics. All were well attended, as was the AGM itself, and the Discussion Forum held in the theatre on Sunday. But as well as work there was the play. After a champagne reception, delegates saw the last night of The Circle. Dealing with such numbers called for maximum effort – and it came. Members installed lighting, cooked food, manned the bar, led tours, laid tables, stacked chairs, washed dishes, took questions, served meals – and kept smiling. “Hosting so many over a long weekend was a huge challenge,” said Chairman Niall Monaghan, “but we rose to it magnificently. I think we can be truly proud of ourselves.”

must be taken seriously as substantially part of the Shakespeare canon. He admits it is “a flawed play, a version that has been doctored. Theobald cut out material he didn’t think appropriate, but this was quite common. Shakespeare was very frequently rewritten in the 17th and 18th centuries.” The play apparently is much shorter and more bitty than a normal Shakespeare play, and there are no long speeches. But there is plenty of action. Professor Hammond and Arden Shakespeare believe that any balance of doubt lies in favour of its claim to be authentic rather than a complete fabrication of 1727. An extra point of interest is that Cardenio is a major episode in Don Quixote; so here is Shakespeare, the greatest poet of the age adapting Cervantes, the greatest novelist of the age, so very soon after the publication of the novel in England. With some help from John Fletcher of course! Richmond Shakespeare Society as the name indicates, is the leading LTG theatre for the presentation of Shakespeare, and over the weekend of Shakespeare’s birthday gave a public rehearsed reading of Double Falsehood, or The History of Cardenio, using the new Arden text. Unconfirmed rumours are that the RSC will present the play at The Swan when the new theatre complex at Stratford is ready in 2011. Recent studies in this whole area of early 17th century drama have already caused a total revision of the work of Thomas Middleton and John Fletcher, and in particular the nature and extent of their collaborations with Shakespeare at The Globe theatre. No definitive breakdown of which were the actual

words of Shakespeare is likely to emerge, but there is no doubt that bringing the texts to life on the stage in performance is of vital importance. So, all credit to Richmond Shakespeare Society for tackling this important new development so promptly! “It’s more than a curiosity, but less than a towering masterpiece. The cast of avid Shakespeareans are giving their all to welcome this lost sheep back home!”

So, you thought that Cardenio was lost? Like most keen theatregoers I have been told for years in commentaries and books that Shakespeare’s play Cardenio, known to have been performed in 1613, was now lost for ever! It was not included in the Folio of 1623, but then other plays of Shakespeare we know missed that collection. Pericles and The Two Noble Kinsmen to name but two. Now, most excitingly, the Arden Shakespeare is publishing a text which it claims is a re-working of Cardenio. In 1727 poet and playwright Lewis Theobald presented a new play at Drury Lane entitled Double Falsehood, or The Distrest Lovers, claiming that it was based on Cardenio, three original copies of which he said he possessed! Although the play went down well with audiences, critics and experts of the time, not seeing the alleged original scripts, dismissed Theobald’s claim as a hoax, and this opinion has prevailed – until now. Professor Brean Hammond of Nottingham University after years of research is now trying to convince the world that Double Falsehood

AMATEUR STAGE | MAY 2010

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LIFE BEGINS AT 70 Knutsford Little Theatre

18/05/2010 14:19:49

SHOWdiary>>SHOWdiary>>SHOWdiary>>SHOWdia 18th One Act Play Festival w/c 21 June 2010 Preston Playhouse Preston, Lancs 01772 463122

A Masked Ball - Verdi 01 - 03 July 2010 Southgate Opera Wyllyotts Theatre Potters Bar, Herts 020 8372 2383

A Midsummer Nights Dream 28 July - 08 August 2010 Eastbourne O & D S Italian Gardens Holywell Meads Eastbourne, E. Sussex 0871 663 0031

Aladdin Jr

08 - 09 July 2010 New Directions Theatrical Society Theatr Elli, Llanelli Entertainment Centre Llanelli, Carmarthenshire 0845 226 3510

Alice In Wonderland 17 July 2010 Centre Stage North East Sunderland Empire Sunderland, Tyne and Wear 0844 8472499

All that Jazz

14 - 17 July 2010 Runnymeade Drama Group Riverhouse Barn Theatre Walton-on-Thames, Surrey 01932 253354 www.rdg.org

Alls Well That Ends Well 07 - 10 July 2010 Castle Players Grounds of the Bowes Museum Barnard Castle, Durham 0800 074 7080

And Then There Were None 14 - 17 July 2010 Shawbury Village Players Acton Reynald Hall Shrewsbury, Shropshire 01743 281287

Annie

02 - 05 June 2010 Cowbridge A O S Llantwit Major School Llantwit Major, Vale of Glamorgan 01446 713110 01 - 02 July 2010 Glow Theatre Group Barn Theatre Oxted, Surrey 01883 720167 www.barntheatreoxted.co.uk 29 - 31 July 2010 Bradford Stage and Theatre School Lord Kalms Theatre Bradford, W Yorks 0871 230 0010

Annual Concert

07 - 12 June 2010 Blaenau Gwent Young Stars - Youth Musical Beaufort Theatre Ebbw Vale, Gwent 01495 301049

Apollo Players Back to the 60’s

Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story

Disney’s High School Musical 2

Bad Girls

Bugsy Malone

Don Giovanni

Bakers Wife, The

02 - 05 June 2010 Iver Heath Drama Club Iver Heath New Village Hall Iver Heath, S. Bucks 01753 652616 www.ihdc.co.uk

Dracula Spectacula

Beauty and the Beast

17 - 19 June 2010 Billboard Ensemble Barry Paget Rooms Penarth, Vale Of Glamorgan 01446 733625

Dresser, The

05 June 2010 Whitby’s Apollo Players Whitbys Pavilion Theatre Whitby, N. Yorkshire 01947 60485

13 - 17 July 2010 HUMDRUM New Theatre Royal Portsmouth, Hampshire 023 9264 9000

09 - 12 June 2010 Felixstowe Musical Theatre Spa Pavilion Felixstowe, Suffolk 01394 285893

04 - 05 June 2010 Margate O S Winter Gardens Margate, Kent 01843 292795

09 - 12 June 2010 CCADS New Theatre Royal Portsmouth, Hampshire 023 9264 9000 23 - 26 June 2010 Young Inspirations Theatre Co Pomegranate Theatre Chesterfield, Derbyshire 01246 345222 29 - 31 July 2010 Billboard Ensemble Barry Memorial Hall and Theatre Barry, Vale of Glamorgan 01446 733625

Betrayal

15 - 26 June 2010 Formby Little Theatre Formby Little Theatre Formby, Merseyside 01704 875821 www.formbytheatre.com 17 - 19 June 2010 Witham Dramatic Club The Public Hall Witham, Essex 01621 892404

Beyond a Joke

23 - 26 June 2010 Wellington Arts Association Arts Centre Eight Acre Lane Wellington, Somerset 07725 420758

Bill Naughton Centenary Festival 12 - 20 June 2010 Bolton Little Theatre Bolton, Greater Manchester 01204 334400 www.boltonlittletheatre.co.uk

Boyfriend, The

23 - 26 June 2010 Spotlight Musical Theatre Co. Compass Theatre Ickenham, Middlesex 01895 430031

Breezeblock Park

24 - 26 June 2010 Curtain Up A D S Totland Church Hall Totland, Isle of Wight 01983 754654

03 - 05 June 2010 Harlequin Theatre Harlequin Theatre Northwich, Cheshire 01606 353534 www.harlequinplayer.co.uk

Anything Goes

Brigadoon

Anybody for Murder

09 - 12 June 2010 Walkerville Musical Society Walkerville Community Hall Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear 0191 236 2647

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09 - 12 June 2010 Bexhill Light O & D S The De La Warr Pavilion Bexhill-on-Sea, E. Sussex 01424 229111

09 - 12 June 2010 New Directions Theatrical Society Theatr Elli, Llanelli Entertainment Centre Llanelli, Carmarthenshire 0845 226 3510

01 - 05 June, 29 July 2010 Kidz R Us St Ives Theatre St Ives, Cornwall 01736 797007

02 - 04 July 2010 The Nomads Nomad Theatre East Horsely, Surrey 01483 284747 www.nomadtheatre.com 15 - 17 July 2010 Musicality Academy of Performing Arts Penyrheol Theatre Gorseinon, Swansea 01792 897039

Calamity Jane

09 - 12 June 2010 Lochgelly & District A M A Carnegie Hall Dunfermline, Fife 01592 780723 09 - 12 June 2010 The Nomads & Bookham Light Opera Nomad Theatre East Horsely, Surrey 01483 284747 www.nomadtheatre.com 15 - 20 June 2010 Andover M & O S The Lights Andover, Hants 01264 368368

Cash on delivery 22 July - 02 September 2010 Whitby A D S Whitby Pavilion Theatre Whitby, N. Yorkshire 01947 604855

Come and Sing the Mikado 30 June 2010 Ipswich G & S Society New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich, Suffolk 01473 624333

Company

07 - 12 June 2010 St Augustine’s Musical Theatre Co. Solihull Arts Complex Solihull, West Midlands 0121 705 2789 09 - 12 June 2010 Stratford Upon Avon O S The Civic Hall Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire 01789 296123

Crazy For You

22 - 26 June 2010 East Surrey O S Harlequin Theatre, Redhill, Surrey 01737 276500

Curtain Up On Murder 11 - 12 June 2010 Magpies Drama Group Matfield Village Hall Matfield, Kent 01892 834365

15 - 17 July 2010 The Kings Lynn Players Springwood High School King’s Lynn, Norfolk 01553 765260

13 - 17 July 2010 Somerset Opera King’s College Taunton, Somerset 01823 336344

08 - 10 July 2010 Thornton Cleveleys A O S The Little Theatre Thornton Cleveleys, Lancashire 01253 860856

07 - 12 June 2010 The Progressive Players Little Theatre Gateshead Gateshead, Tyne& Wear 0191 478 1499 www.littletheatregateshead.com 14 - 17 July 2010 Rustington Players Village Memorial Hall Rustington, West Sussex 01903 774849 www.rustingtonplayers.org.uk

Fawlty Towers

02 - 05 June 2010 Whitley Bay Theatre Co. Playhouse Whitley Bay, Tyne & Wear 01670 531604 12 - 17 July 2010 South Shields Westovian Theatre Society Westovian Theatre, Pier Pavilion South Shields, Tyne & Wear 0191 456 0980

Fiddler on the Roof 01 - 05 June 2010 Chester O S Clwyd Theatr Cymru Mold, Flintshire 0845 330 3565

25 June 2010 Livewire Opera Co. Wymondham High School Wymondham, Norfolk 01953 851543 02 July 2010 Livewire Opera Co. Queen Hall Watton, Norfolk 01953 851543

Fings Ain’t Wot They Used T’Be 28 - 31 July 2010 The Nomads & Mid Surrey Theatre Co. Nomad Theatre East Horsely, Surrey 01483 284747 www.nomadtheatre.com

Footloose

01 - 05 June 2010 Norfolk & Norwich Threshold Theatre Group Playhouse Theatre Norwich, Norfolk 01603 598598 08 - 10 July 2010 Footloose Musicals Civic Hall Ellesmere Port, Cheshire 07712 674862

Gilbert and Sullivan 14 July 2010 Tunbridge Wells O & D S The Opera House Tunbridge Wells, Kent 01732 355363

AMATEUR STAGE | MAY 2010

18/05/2010 14:20:06

Wdiary>>SHOWdiary>>SHOWdiary>>SHOWdiary>> Godspell

Guys and Dolls

High School Musical

Gondoliers

15 - 17 July 2010 Erewash Musical Society Duchess Theatre, Chatsworth Centre Long Eaton, Notts 01332 875350

High Society

22 - 26 June 2010 Concordia Youth Theatre Concordia Theatre Hinckley, Leicestershire 01455 637700

09 - 12 June 2010 Tynemouth G & S Society The Playhouse Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear 0844 277 2771 28 July - 01 August 2010 Opera Options Festival Theatre, Hever Castle Hever, Kent 01732 866114

Grace Darling, The Musical

30 June - 03 July 2010 The York Stars Joseph Rowentree Theatre York, N. Yorkshire 01904 623568

Graduate, The

15 - 19 June 2010 Western College Players The Drum Theatre Plymouth, Devon 01752 267222

Grand Night For Singing, A 16 - 17 July 2010 Tynemouth A O S Kings Hall School Tynemouth, Tyne and Wear 0191 252 1827

02 - 05 June 2010 Denmead O S Park Comm Theatre Havant, Hampshire 023 92838683

Half A Sixpence

13 - 17 July 2010 St Andrews Players Ashville College Harrogate, N Yorks 01423 883070

02 - 05 June 2010 Dover O & D S St Edmundâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Catholic School Dover, Kent 01304 824400

03 - 05 June 2010 Phoenix Arts Company Mick Jagger Centre Dartford, Kent 01322 221840

09 - 12 June 2010 Sidmouth Musical Comedy Society Manor Pavilion Theatre Sidmouth, Devon 01395 514413

Hay Fever

23 - 26 June 2010 Clacton Musical Theatre Society Westcliff Theatre Clacton-on-Sea, Essex 01255 436656

01 - 04 July 2010 John Lewis Partnership D S Odney Club Maidenhead, Kent 07977 070211 26 - 31 July 2010 Marlowe Players Darley Abbey Village Hall Derby, Derbyshire 07961 607372

Heavens Below!

22 - 26 June 2010 Spotlight Musical Theatre Group Public Hall Beccles, Suffolk 07887 750846

HMS Pinafore

30 June - 03 July 2010 Aycliffe Musical Theatre Greenfield School Community & Arts Centre Newton Aycliffe, Durham 01325 379048

Hollow, The

16 - 19 June 2010 Waterloo & Crosby Theatre Co. Little Theatre Southport, Merseyside 0151 924 0231

Honk!

22 - 26 June 2010 Avalon Theatre Co. Cryer Studio Theatre Carshalton, Surrey 020 8770 6990 www.avalontheatrecompany.co.uk

Hot Mikado

09 - 12 June 2010 Maghull Musical Theatre Co. Little Theatre Southport, Merseyside 01704 530521

Importance of Being Ernest, The 12 - 19 June 2010 HIADS Station Theatre Hayling Island, Hampshire 023 9246 6363

James and the Giant Peach 02 - 03 July 2010 HIYA Station Theatre Hayling Island, Hampshire 023 9246 6363

Jesus Christ Superstar 08 - 12 June 2010 Great Horton Theatre Co. Town Hall Cleckheaton, W. Yorkshire 01274 423824

20 - 24 July 2010 Day 8 Productions The Playhouse Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear 0191 253 0466

Dollar Drama Club - The Thwarting of Baron Bolligrew

AMATEUR STAGE | MAY 2010

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SHOWdiary>>SHOWdiary>>SHOWdiary>>SHOWdia

Darlington OS - Jesus Christ Superstar

Jesus Christ Superstar 20 - 24 July 2010 Wisbech A O & D S St Peter & St Pauls Church Wisbech, Cambs 07857 887059

Journey Around the World 16 - 18 July 2010 Combined Companies St. Peter’s Theatre Southsea, Hampshire 0845 293 9350

Ladies Day

15 - 19 June 2010 Workington Playgoers Club Theatre Royal Workington, Cumbria 01900 603161

Les Miserables 02 - 05 June 2010 Stage One Youth Theatre Ferneham Hall Fareham, Hampshire 01329 231942 24 - 26 June 2010 The Harlequins The Palace Theatre Redditch, Worcs 01527 65203

Lieutenant of Inishmore 02 - 03 July 2010 Portchester Players Ashcrodt Arts Centre Fareham, Hampshire 01329 223100

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Likes of Us, The

23 - 26 June 2010 Handsworth & Hallam Theatre Co. University of Sheffield Drama Studio Sheffield, S. Yorkshire 0114 247 6179

Little Shop of Horrors 16 - 19 June 2010 Nailsea Musicals Backwell Playhouse Backwell, Somerset 0845 224 7429

18 - 21 June 2010 Dryburn Theatrical Workshop Park View Theatre Chester-le-Street, Durham 0191 388 9709 22 - 24 July 2010 The Quay Players Edward Alleyn Theatre Dulwich, London 020 8690 4925

Love’s a Luxury

10 - 12 June 2010 Theydon Bois Drama Society Theydon Bois Village Hall Theydon Bois, Essex 01992 812250 www.theydondrama.org

Man of No Importance, A 14 - 17 July 2010 Good Company Barn Theatre Oxted, Surrey 07583 035709 www.barntheatreoxted.co.uk

Michael Frayn Comedy Double Bill 28 - 31 July 2010 Forest Players Parish Hall East Grinstead, W. Sussex 01342 323640

Midsummer Night’s Dream 28 July - 07 August 2010 Eastbourne O & D S Italian Gardens Eastbourne, E. Sussex 0871 6630031 www.eodsinfo.co.uk

Mikado, The

02 - 05 June 2010 Bath G & S Society King Edward’s School Bath, Somerset 01225 833349 28 June - 03 July 2010 Havant Light Opera Spring Arts & Heritage Centre Havant, Hampshire 023 9247 2700

Murdered to Death 17 - 19 June 2010 Skegness Playgoers Embassy Theatre Skegness, Lincs 01754 765506

Music Hall

03 - 05 June 2010 Haslemere Players Haslemere Hall Haslemere, Surrey 01428 643334

Musical Mayhem

01 - 03 July 2010 The Orchard Players The Village Hall Chapel St Mary Ispwich, Suffolk 07761 782456

My Fair Lady

09 - 12 June 2010 Wimbledon Light O S Wimbledon Theatre Wimbledon, London 0870 060 6646 15 - 19 June 2010 Springers Civic Theatre Chelmsford, Essex 01245 356106 08 - 10 July 2010 Havering Music Makers Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, Essex 01708 762256 www.haveringmusicmakers.co.uk

Night at the Movies, A 18 July 2010 Starzmarkerz Theatre School Barn Theatre Oxted, Surrey 07771 595171 www.barntheatreoxted.co.uk

Oklahoma!

01 - 03 July 2010 Tipton ARTS Dormston Mill Theatre Sedgley, West Midlands 01384 816389

AMATEUR STAGE | MAY 2010

18/05/2010 14:20:49

Wdiary>>SHOWdiary>>SHOWdiary>>SHOWdiary>> Iver Heath Drama Club - Jack & The Beanstalk

Thoroughly Modern Millie - Stockport Operatic Society

Oliver!

20 - 24 July 2010 Weymouth O S The Pavilion Theatre, Weymouth, Dorset 01305 783225

Our House

07 - 19 July 2010 Whitworth A M & D S The Curtain Theatre Rochdale, Lancs 07947 609277 08 - 12 June 2010 Derby Opera Company Derby Theatre, Derby, Derbyshire 01332 255800 www.derbyartsandtheatre.org.uk

Out of Focus 14 - 19 June 2010 Keighley Playhouse Keighley, W. Yorkshire 08451 267 859

Outside Edge

22 - 26 June 2010 East Berkshire Operatic Society EBOS Pinewood Theatre Wokingham, Berks 01189 733464

Pack of Lies

09 - 12 June 2010 Clacton A D S West Cliff Theatre Clacton-on-Sea, Essex 01255 433344

Pastiche & Last Bread Pudding 01 - 02 July 2010 HATS Mechistoun Hall Horndean, Hampshire 023 9259 7114

Phantom

Rent

Roses of Eyam, The

Pirates Of Penzance Jr

Romeo and Juliet - a Rock and Roll Musical

Ruddigore

08 - 12 June 2010 Farnham A O S The Maltings Farnham, Surrey 01252 722233

16 - 17 July 2010 The Elizabethans A O S Town Hall Ossett, W Yorks 01924 265248

14 - 16 July 2010 Crigglestone Theatre Co. Lupset Lodge Social Club Wakefield, W Yorks 0795 600 1834

Play in a Week

19 - 25 July 2010 The Nomads Nomad Theatre, East Horsely, Surrey 01483 284747 www.nomadtheatre.com

06 - 10 July 2010 Gallery Players New Wolsey Theatre Ipswich, Suffolk 01473 295900

08 - 10 July 2010 Henfield Theatre Co. St Peterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Church Henfield, W Sussex 01273 495220

09 - 12 June 2010 Littleport Players Littleport Village Hall Littleport, Cambridgeshire 07799 604209

Rose and Crown

03 - 05 June 2010 Adur Theatre Company Shoremham Community Centre Shoreham-by-Sea, W. Sussex 01273 463730

16 - 18 June 2010 Hull Savoyards A O S The Middleton Hall Hull, E. Yorkshire 01482 876918

Salad Days

24 - 26 June 2010 Wolverton G & S Society MadCap Wolverton Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire 01908 262250

Producers, The

09 - 12 June 2010 Bournemouth & Boscombe Light Opera Co. Pavilion Theatre, Bournemouth, Dorset 07864 166299

Prometheus

09 - 10 June 2010 Side By Side Theatre Group Stourbridge Town Hall Stourbridge, W Mids 01384 395350

Rehearsal for Murder 24 - 26 June 2010 Watson Players Guildhall Theatre Derby, Derbyshire 01332 345848

AMATEUR STAGE | MAY 2010

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SHOWdiary>>SHOWdiary>>SHOWdiary>>SHOW Salad Days

15 - 17 July 2010 Sunningdale Savoy Chorus St Mary’s School Ascot, Berks 01344 297347

Sauce for the Goose 13 - 17 July 2010 Carlton D S New Wimbledon Studio Theatre Wimbledon, London 0844 871 7646

Seussical The Musical 17 - 19 June 2010 BOS Musical Co. The Regent Centre Christchurch, Dorset 01202 499199

Seven Brides For Seven Brothers 28 June - 03 July 2010 Newmarket O M & D S Kings Theatre Newmarket, Suffolk 01638 663337

Showstoppers

15 - 17 July 2010 South Downe Musical Society Ferneham Hall Fareham, Hampshire 01329 231942

Showtune: Jerry Herman 20 June 2010 Forest Musical Productions Kenneth Moore Theatre Ilford, Essex 020 8553 4466

Singin In The Rain 29 June - 17 July 2010 Torbay O & D S Princess Theatre Torquay, Devon 0844 8472315

Something to Hide 10 - 12 June 2010 Rowlands Castle A D S Parish Hall Rowlands Castle, Hampshire 023 9241 3124

Stages and Hens

28 May - 05 June 2010 Woodhouse Players Welsh Church Hall Leytonstone, London 020 8504 3872 www.woodhouseplayers.co.uk

Strange Orchestra 02 - 05 June 2010 Southside Players Chestnut Grove School Balham, London 07914 657524 www.southsideplayers.org.uk

Streetcar Named Desire, A 12 - 19 June 2010 Halifax Thespians Halifax Playhouse Halifax, W. Yorkshire 01422 365998

Suddenly Last Summer 07 - 10 July 2010 The Harrogate D S Harrogate Theatre Studio Harrogate, N Yorks 07770 630299

Summer Holiday

07 - 10 July 2010 Highbury Little Theatre Highbury Little Theatre Sutton Coldfield, W Midlands 0121 373 2761

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21 - 24 July 2010 Starlight Theatre Co. Loughborough Town Hall Loughborough, Leicestershire 01509 231914

Summer Revue

West Side Story 02 - 05 June 2010 Nottingham O S Youth Grp Nottingham Playhouse Nottingham, Notts 0115 941 9419

25 June - 03 July 2010 Hemel Hempstead Theatre Co. The Boxmoor Playhouse Hemel Hempstead, Herts 01442 234004

07 - 12 June 2010 Pershore O & D S Community Arts Centre Pershore, Worcestershire 01386 555488

Sweeney Todd

22 - 26 June 2010 Morecambe A O & D S Lancaster Grand Theatre Lancaster, Lancs 01524 64695

02 - 05 June 2010 Richmond O S Georgian Theatre Royal Richmond, N. Yorkshire 01748 825252

That’s Life

30 June - 03 July 2010 Stage Door Theatre Co. Windmill Theatre Littlehampton, West Sussex 01903 716759

Toe in the Water 17 - 19 June 2010 Crofton A D S Theatre Hall Stubbington, Hampshire 01329 661143

Trial By Jury & The Zoo 09 - 12 June 2010 Swaffham Bulbeck Summer Theatre Downing Farm Swaffham Bulbeck, Cambridgeshire 01638 508171

Twelfth Night

24 June 2010 Mikrokosmos Theatre Co. Bodelwyddan Castle St Asaph, Wales 01691 777074 www.mikrokosmos.co.uk 25 June 2010 Mikrokosmos Theatre Co. Whittington Castle Nr Oswestry, Wales 01691 777074 www.mikrokosmos.co.uk 26 June 2010 Mikrokosmos Theatre Co. Erdigg Wrexham, Wales 01691 777074 www.mikrokosmos.co.uk 30 June - 03 July 2010 Mikrokosmos Theatre Co. Theatr Clwyd Mold, Wales 01691 777074 www.mikrokosmos.co.uk

Utopia Limited 16 - 19 June 2010 Sheringham Savoyards The Little Theatre Sheringham, Norfolk 01263 822347

14 - 17 July 2010 Upstagers Ilkley Albanbra Theatre Bradford, West Yorkshire 01274 432000

Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf 15 - 26 June 2010 Highbury Little Theatre Highbury Little Theatre Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands 0121 373 2761

Wizard of Oz, The 02 - 05 June 2010 Cheltenham O & D S The Everyman Theatre Cheltenham, Gloucestershire 0779 448 7822

16 - 19 June 2010 Kaleidoscope Players Guildhall Theatre, Derby, Derbyshire 01332 281900 17 - 19 June 2010 Nuneaton Panto & Revue Society Civic Hall, Bedworth, Warks 024 7637 6707

Every two weeks you can read the complete, unabridged reviews of all the major national drama critics, reprinted with photos in Theatre Record. Send for a free specimen copy to:

Theatre Record PO BOX 445 CHICHESTER, W. SUSSEX

COSTUMES COSTUME HIRE, SHOWS KING & I, PHANTOM, LES MIZ, OLIVER, FIDDLER, KISS ME KATE, FOLLIES, PINAFORE, ANNIE, ALL PANTO SUBJECTS, ORIENTAL COSTUMES www.bpdcostumes.co.uk P: 01273 481004

01 - 03 July 2010 Our Lady Star of The Sea A O & D S Our Ladys Social Centre Lytham St Annes, Lancashire 01253 721060 07 - 10 July 2010 College A O S Kenneth More Theatre Ilford, Essex 020 8553 4466

Wyrd Sisters

27 - 31 July 2010 Really Necessary Travelling Actors New Theatre Royal Portsmouth, Hampshire 023 9264 9000

Yeoman of the Guard 08 - 10 July 2010 Downland Singers Station Theatre Hayling Island, Hampshire 023 9261 7097

Waiting in the Wings 05 - 11 July 2010 The Progressive Players Little Theatre Gateshead Gateshead, Tyne and Wear 0191 478 1499 www.littletheatregateshead.com

Wannabe

07 - 09 July 2010 Formby Youth Theatre Formby Little Theatre Formby, Merseyside 01704 875821 www.formbytheatre.com

Wedding Singer, The 08 - 12 June 2010 Great Barr Musical Theatre Co. Crescent Theatre Birmingham, West Midlands 0121 680 3525

AMATEUR STAGE | MAY 2010

18/05/2010 14:21:32

Life Begins at Seventy - Knutsford Little Theatre

Studio 7â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s production of Our House. Photos: Garry Vaux

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18/05/2010 14:22:03

TECHNICAL TALK THE MUSICAL PRODUCED

PROFESSIONAL SOUND FOR THE AMATEUR STAGE Article Three – Microphones “It looks just like a Telefunken U47”

In this article, we are looking at the use of both wired and wireless microphones. By covering the basic techniques, the aim is to dispel some the mystery surrounding this kit, and help you get the most out of what are relatively straightforward devices. Both types of microphone are often sold on the basis that model X or Y has some essential fairy dust that will improve the quality of your work. This simply isn’t true – studio engineers might obsess over getting exactly the right ex-Soviet military-surplus valve for their 50-year-old museum-piece, but it’s pretty irrelevant to our line of work – microphones are tools and, if understood correctly, simple ones at that. However, they sit at the critical point where our signal chain begins – mistakes in selection or placement can be very difficult to correct further along the chain. Wired Microphones. There are three basic varieties: • Ribbon Microphones – much beloved of the vinyl-sounds-better brigade, they’re far too expensive and fragile to find much use in theatre. • Dynamic Microphones – these are loudspeakers in reverse, with current generated by a coil moved by sound waves in a magnetic field. They tend to be more rugged, and better suited to very loud and close sources. • Condenser/Capacitor Microphones – these rely on a voltage applied across two plates (normally 48 volts, supplied by the mixing desk as “phantom power” – remember to switch it on!) to generate a signal when one of these plates is moved by sound waves. These will tend to have higher dynamic range, and better fidelity at high frequencies, but are more expensive and fragile. However, while these distinctions are undoubtedly of interest, irrespective of how the microphone works, the important questions to ask when selecting a microphone for an application are: • Does it have the right sensitivity? Are you picking up a human voice at a range of three metres, or will the microphone be sat right next to the head of a snare drum? • Does it have the correct frequency response for its application? Although most microphones will respond to most frequencies, they are usually geared to a specific task, like picking up the sizzle from a hi-hat or sitting in front of a bass guitar amplifier. This is the point where people often stop – but there are two further equally important factors: • Does it have the correct pick-up pattern? All microphones have an associated directivity, from omni-directional (does what it says on the tin), through cardioid, to super-cardioid (very directional). Will your chosen microphone pick up the maximum of what you want, whilst rejecting the background din? This is especially important in crowed orchestra pits. • Is it the right size, with the right mounting options to place it where you want it? A mini-

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ature lavalier microphone on the bridge of a violin will sound pretty horrible without radical eq’ing, but it’ll give you brilliant isolation from other sources – very important if you have an over-enthusiastic brass section sat behind the violinist. Getting a microphone in the right place is often more important than getting exactly the right-sounding microphone. So, with all those options in mind, are we now ready to browse the microphone catalogues? Absolutely not! With all the above information in mind, the next stage is to become used to getting good results with the cheapest microphones available. You can get really quite acceptable results from a humble selection of mics – once you’ve got used to doing this, moving on to more expensive options will be a positive decision, and you’ll have a very concrete idea of what you’re looking for. The usual starting point is to use a mixture of Shure SM58s and SM57s, which, between them, will do pretty much everything to an acceptable standard (with the possible exception of areamic’ing choirs). To give you an example, one of the best drum sounds I’ve ever achieved came from two SM57s that I’d set up (one over the drummer’s head, one behind the kick drum pointing at where the beater hit the drum head) just to pass some drums as foldback to a very large horn section. Having assumed that the drums would be loud enough on their own (it was a swing band in a 300-seat venue), I started thinking a couple of songs in that the mix was rather drum light. So, I edged the mics in to the front-of-house system, and was very pleasantly surprised with the results – I was only reinforcing the acoustic drum sound, but the mics added definition to the drummer’s playing, and I was able to give the kick drum some wallop. Since then, I’ve heard many standard multi-mic setups (with a rack-full of processing on top) sound rather worse. To summarise – if you get to know your kit well, you’ll be surprised by the results you can get from it. If you go looking for magic microphones to do your job for you, you’ll be disappointed. Wireless Microphones Whenever I run a training course that includes a focus on wireless microphones, I ask people to stick their hands up if they’ve used wireless microphones, and then take them down if they’ve never had problems with them. Nobody ever takes their hands down. Around ten years ago, certain companies began to mass-produce cheap wireless microphones – this produced many opportunities for people who had never had access to them before, but it also created a new set of problems. Before that time, if you were using wireless microphones, you could be sure that you were part of a large enough operation to have someone on board who was, up to a point, a specialist in their use. Now, everyone’s got them, and they keep going wrong! There isn’t enough space here for me to turn everyone into an expert, but I can give you some

pointers that will help you stay out of trouble. • Wireless microphones aren’t evil – when you’re confronted with some high-tech boxes and something goes wrong, you’re often temped to think that “the technology” has gone wrong. More often than not, the problems with wireless systems are physical – cables not plugged in to the right places, and sockets on the packs getting broken. If you learn the patch of your receiver rack and get used to looking after the microphone and antenna sockets on the packs, you’ll avoid the vast majority of problems. • There IS such a thing as being too cheap – entry-level systems aimed at karaoke and fitness instructors simply aren’t up to being strapped on an actor. It isn’t worth even trying – trust me! • Know your frequencies – frequency selection for wireless systems is non-trivial. Whenever you’re going to be using a system, make sure that you’ve been given a known good set of frequencies by whoever is supplying the system (and that they’ve supplied all the appropriate licenses), and make sure that you have a hard copy of those frequencies with the receiver rack. • Remember that the packs have gain controls – this goes back to our overview of gain structure in the previous article. Wireless microphones do all sorts of weird and wonderful things to the audio they transmit, to get decent sound quality out of the 200kHz channel that each one uses - this can be thought of as an analogue equivalent of mp3 compression, and it won’t work efficiently if the transmitter is not seeing the level of audio it’s expecting. • Treat your receive antennae like loudspeakers – you want them to cover the playing area in the same way you want loudspeakers to cover the audience area. Likewise, you want the difference between the “loudest” coverage (i.e. the point at which an actor will be closest to the receivers) and the “quietest” to be minimised. You don’t want an actor waiting in the wings to overload your receivers’ front ends whilst you’re trying to pick up a heartfelt ballad from someone on the opposite side of the stage. Also, bear in mind that bodies tend to absorb a lot of the signal, so it’s better to ensure that the receive antennae are on the same side of the actor as their transmitter pack. Bits of rigging also tend to act as antennae, so mount the antennae as far away as possible from anything metal! To make sure that the diversity on the receivers works properly – the two antennae double the chances of picking up a good signal – the antennae should be at least half a wavelength apart (more than a foot will be fine in most cases). I hope that some of the above gives you a good starting point; for more in-depth information about this and other topics covered in these articles, Orbital is running a series of training courses aimed at amateur theatre groups – see http://www.orbitalsound.co.uk/ training for more information. Theo Holloway

AMATEUR STAGE | MAY 2010

18/05/2010 14:14:20

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ADVERTORIAL FEATURES THE MUSICAL PRODUCED

MAKING A SONG & DANCE FOR CANCER RESEARCH In May 2002, a new musical called Below Stairs was premiered in Chesham’s Elgiva Theatre. Starting from a lib written by his friend Trevor Pilling, Alan Lewis had composed the score to help keep his mind off successive cancers of the colon, liver and lung. The result was beyond their wildest dreams and the obvious fun and joy of the cast captivated audiences and the press alike. Since then, they have been trying to encourage other theatre companies to stage the show, the stumbling block being that society treasurers are reluctant to risk money on an unknown musical – the bums-on-seats syndrome that explains why so few new musicals see the light of day. Nevertheless, their efforts have produced results and 2010 has already seen the eighth and ninth productions. Significantly, reviews over the past eight years have been consistently good, with one paper saying “The show is jam-packed with loads of tuneful, toe-tapping (and sometimes cheeky) numbers. There wasn’t a duff song in the whole thing. Below Stairs is a timeless piece of musical theatre that certainly deserves a wider audience and if some kind entrepreneur or impresario wants a sure-fire hit, they need look no further.” To celebrate Alan’s recovery from the three cancers, Trevor agreed to abandon royalties early on, asking instead that money be raised for Cancer Research UK, something that not only helps budgets but can also help swell audience numbers. Of course, most societies continue to plump for the well-established repertoire: for some of them, a stumbling block is the lack of a ready-made principal set for hire, the nearest perhaps being the kitchen for Me and My Girl available from Albemarle. But Alan and Trevor point out that there are

ways around the problem. For example, the Isle of Wight’s Apollo Players – who put on ten performances in December 2009, treating the show as a play with music simplified scene changes by keeping the below-stairs kitchen on view most of the time and relying on the audiences’ imaginations to do the rest. It worked well and director Michael Arnell found more humour than any other production to date. More recently, the April production by the Hitchin Young Thespians showed how very simple use of flats can also work superbly.

So, if you fancy staging a royalty-free, feel-good, toe-tapping musical set in 1914, visit www.belowstairsshow.com for further information. Societies in Glasgow, Blairgowrie, Middlesbrough and Newquay are already evaluating the lib and score, while one in High Wycombe has already said yes for 2011....

ALL YOUR COSTUME NEEDS Situated in the busy small town of Dartford on the London/Kent borders, Stage Costume is a friendly, efficient theatrical costumier catering mainly for local and southeast societies and some as far afield as Glasgow and Gibraltar!. Since purchasing the stock of a small costumier some 10 years ago, we have hugely increased our hire stock and now have around 12,000 costumes. We are especially proud of our mens wardrobe in which we have invested heavily, which is as good if not better than many longer established costumiers. We are able to costume many period plays, including A Man For All Seasons, The Crucible, Pride and Prejudice and other Jane Austen plays, Daisy Pulls It Off, The Oscar Wilde Collection, Dickens and many more. We are able to provide costumes for the larger figure and can dress up to a 54” bust/chest for many

32 WEST END.indd 2

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AMATEUR STAGE | MAY 2010

18/05/2010 14:16:00

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WEST END

Photos: Joan Marcus

HAIR Gielgud Theatre

It’s a musical that once empowered a generation, but following an award winning season on Broadway it was recently announced that the production, with full Broadway cast intact, would head to the West End. Would it pack the same punch as it did all those years ago? London’s original production was the first production to be staged following the abolition of the Lord Chamberlain’s draconian theatrical censorship. So does it still hold up after all these years? The answer must be a resounding YES. Diane Paulus’ production under the auspices of New York’s Public Theatre is slick, heartfelt, and brilliantly performed. Scott Pask’s set and Kevin Adam’s lighting provide this modern tribe with a kaleidoscopic palette of colour and the ability to bring all the action into the audience on nearly every level of the theatre. There are some standout performances in this production particularly from Caissie Levy as Sheila, whose rendition of Easy To be Hard ranks as one of the best I’ve heard in any production of Hair. Will Swenson’s

Berger is as loud and ebullient as any Berger ever, his swaggering non-conformism makes him immensely likeable although perhaps a tad misguided when viewed from a modern standpoint. This production of Hair though allows Gavin Creel as Claude a chance to shine. Creel’s Claude is in fine voice, his tenor voice soaring above the tribe in numbers including Manchester, England. Claude is likeable, thought provoking, and a real star in this production. Cameron Mackintosh is to be commended for bringing this entire production to the UK. It must be an expensive exercise but well worth every penny as for the first time an American cast is allowed to present such an iconic musical from a very specific point of view. At the end of the production, though, cast and audience are one as everyone is invited to dance and celebrate on stage. This is truly the dawning of a new age of Aquarius.

AMATEUR STAGE | MAY 2010

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PLAYSCRIPTS

PLAYSCRIPT REVIEWS - MAY

David Muncaster reviews the latest playscript releases.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

AUTHOR: Adapted by Stephen Sharkey PUBLISHER: Josef Weinberger ISBN NO: 9780856763212 CAST: 6M 4F plus chorus. My ﬁrst thought on picking up this script was, ‘Does the world really need another adaptation of A Christmas Carol?’ but as Stephen Sharkey has an impressive track record of adapting classics for the modern stage, I had high hopes that this reworking of the Dickens’ tale would be worth reading. I am pleased to say that my time was not wasted. The author has taken a fresh look at the story and focussed on what made Scrooge the man that he was, thereby adding depth that is usually missing from modern interpretations. A Christmas Carol is a dark tale and Sharkey has remained faithful to the original, which means that this version is probably not suitable for a very young audience. However children over seven, and adults, will enjoy the contrast of the doom and gloom of Scrooge’s existence compared to the simple pleasures enjoyed by the Cratchit family. A quick search on an on line bookseller revealed over two hundred versions of A Christmas Carol in the drama section alone, but if your theatre company is considering putting it on then I would highly recommend this adaptation.

ABOUT DOG

AUTHOR: Shannon Murdoch PUBLISHER: www.productionscripts.com ISBN NO: None CAST: 1M 1F About Dog is the story of two disturbed people. Nell is a woman worried by ghosts; Owen a visitor who seems to be a participant in her nightmares. I wasn’t entirely sure whether the dog of the title was real or imaginary. In fact I wondered if the dog was Nell, Owen or all of the above, such is the Aburdist nature of the play. At ﬁrst, Nell, troubled though she is, exercises control over Owen. Then the balance of power shifts as the play develops and I started to wonder if we were heading for a happy ending but, in the end, I wasn’t really sure of anything. Having ﬁnished the script, I read the synopsis and it all made a bit more sense but I don’t feel that the play conveys the story clearly enough to hold one’s attention.

BEWARE THE JABBERWOCK AUTHOR: Ron Nicol PUBLISHER: Bakers Plays ISBN NO: 9780874402155 CAST: 1M 3F 12 Other

Beware The Jabberwock is set in the fantasy world created by Lewis Caroll in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Emma and Lucy are lost in the mysterious Tulgey Wood where they encounter a myriad of strange creatures as they try to find their way home. Full of nonsensical language, confusion and bewilderment the play is a delight from start to finish. The ridiculously authoritarian Borogroves had me laughing out loud as I read the script. Their insistence that, if one knew where the Lost Property Office was, then it wouldn’t be lost, is typical of the humour that comes thick and fast from page one. Many authors of family plays will put in something for the adults alongside the action that is primarily aimed at children. With Beware The Jabberwock, Ron Nicol has created a piece of theatre that will have the adults and children laughing along to the same thing, and family entertainment doesn’t get better than that.

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AMATEUR STAGE | MAY 2010

18/05/2010 14:28:28

www.amateurstagemagazine.co.uk

PLAYSCRIPTS

CAFÉ BROSSE

AUTHOR: Jean McConnell PUBLISHER: Samuel French ISBN NO: 9780573115424 CAST: 3M 3F 2 Other George and Seraphine are an English couple who, for the last fifteen years, have run the Café Brosse in rural France. The trouble is that Seraphine has had enough: Enough of France, enough of the Café Brosse and, most particularly, enough of George. What can a man do? This is the question that George puts to his best friend, Aramis, who has the answer ready: if a man’s wife is unhappy, discontented, dissatisfied and restless, the best thing a man can do is to have an affair! The thing is that George is already having an affair; it has been going on for the last five years. Seraphine knows all about it and she approves. So, Aramis has another suggestion: why don’t Seraphine and George’s mistress swap places? Jean McConnell has written more than two dozen stage plays, including the immensely popular ‘Deckchairs’ series, in a career lasting fifty years. Her experience shows in the creation of a set of engaging characters and a plot that chugs along nicely enough. Audiences will probably see the end coming but it is of no matter. Café Brosse is a classic style comedy that should afford them a pleasant, if not especially memorable, evening’s entertainment.

CCTV

AUTHOR: Derek Webb PUBLISHER: New Theatre Publications ISBN NO: 9781840947649 CAST: 3M 1F We are in the security control room of The Oaks, a large shopping centre. The forth wall is covered in CCTV monitors which means that this is one of those very rare plays where it is absolutely natural for the actors to face the audience throughout the action. The play opens with the arrival of Rick, here to start the night shift, taking over duties from Alex and Jane, the latter having just nipped out for a bit of last minute shopping. The banter between the two men is most entertaining and the author skilfully uses this to establish the scenario for the audience. The dull routine of life in a security ofﬁce is blown away with the arrival of Keith, who has a stocking over his head and a gun in the back of the apologetic Jane. The horror of the situation is somewhat diluted by the fact that neither Rick nor Alex can make out a single word that Keith is saying, due to the afore mentioned stocking. The humour comes thick and fast. Alex unwittingly tells Keith all he needs to know, whilst Rick insists that people adhere to the correct use of grammar, whatever the circumstances. CCTV is a well written, very funny one act play that is sure to please.

ROMEO AND JULIET: PART II AUTHOR: Sandra Hosking PUBLISHER: www.productionscripts.com ISBN NO: None CAST: 2M 1F

Romeo and Juliet: Part II takes as its premise that the star-crossed lovers did not die in that tomb. The dagger has missed its mark and the poison was from a disreputable apothecary and failed to do its duty, and so they lived; but not happily ever after. Juliet’s ﬁrst line sets the tone: “Romeo! Romeo! Where art thou Romeo? Get your arse in here” and we soon learn that the unfortunate pair have fallen on hard times. He fancies himself as a poet, though he seems more adept at fathering children than producing lines of verse. Juliet has decided that she must go to work if she is to feed the dozen hungry mouths that Romeo has to date provided and declares “Better to be industrious than feeble minded. I’ll not dwell in the kitchen as my

Samuel French Ltd The play publisher

NEW RELEASES! Calling a comedy in one act by Colin and Mary Crowther Cast F6. sCene A room in an old boarding school Six very different young women (17 - 35) have come on a residential weekend to see if they have what it takes for the most difficult job in the world. They are all convinced they are up to it, but as we sit in on their awkward interviews, disastrous attempts at teamwork and revealing private conversations, we begin to understand why so few women really have the calling ... to be a nun. Price £5.00

Tusk Tusk A play for young people by Polly Stenham Cast M4 (one aged 7 and one aged 15) F3 (one aged 14) sCene A living room Three children, Eliot, Maggie and Finn, are alone in a new flat, surrounded by boxes. Their mother has gone missing, not for the first time. Fifteen-yearold Eliot teases and torments his sister Maggie, leaving the flat to get Chinese food and to flirt with girls. Little Finn dreams of boats made out of golden syrup cans and spills paint everywhere trying to paint the walls his mother’s favourite colour. Hiding from the world, needing to be found, they wait for a mobile phone to ring. Price £9.99

Now you can choose from these and over 2000 other plays to perform at:

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 AMATEUR STAGE | MAY 2010

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35 18/05/2010 14:28:41

PLAYSCRIPTS husband wanders as a feckless ﬂy.” The dialogue throughout is a lot of fun; perhaps not authentic sixteenth century, but it bobs along nicely and is sure to put a smile on the lips of any audience. I felt the storyline got a bit lost for a few pages about two thirds of the way through, but this is a nice one act play which I am sure would do well in a festival.

SALT

AUTHOR: Fiona Peek PUBLISHER: Nick Hern Books ISBN NO: 9781848420694 CAST: 2M 2F RECOMMENDED RETAIL PRICE: £8.99 Is it possible to make someone a gift with no strings attached? Is it inevitable that they will feel indebted to you? Can you stop yourself from watching them, ensuring that they use your gift wisely? This is the premise of Salt. The play is described as a modern morality tale about the corrosive effect of money and is the ﬁrst full length piece from former actor and director Fiona Peek. All the action takes place around the dinner table in a state-of-the-art kitchen. In an interesting piece of staging, the actors themselves set the props making this part of eachscene. The description of the actors’ movements is very precise, leaving little scope for a director to put their own stamp on the production, but there is much comedy in the action as described. The dialogue is fast paced, conversational and, at times, a little obscure. All the characters are quite uninhibited in their use of very strong language and, as we learn more about them, we begin to understand the circumstances that have shaped their personalities. Things have gone well for Amy and Simon: they have started a family and are ﬁnancially comfortable. Their good friends Nick and Rachel are not so fortunate. They are childless and they constantly have to rob, or as Nick puts it, ‘beat the living shite out of’, Peter to pay Paul. They would love to have a child, if only they could, but the cost would be the ruin of them. It therefore goes without saying that it is not long before Rachel reveals that she is pregnant. And so we come to the crux of the story. Amy and Simon cannot stand by and watch their friends go under, so they make them an offer: a gift. Salt is a very accomplished piece of writing. At times it is funny, at other times, challenging but I fear that the circumscribed nature of the storyline, together with the very strong language could mean that it will have limited appeal within amateur theatre.

TALES FROM DARKEST SUBURBIA

AUTHOR: Edward Crosby Wells PUBLISHER: www.productionscripts.com ISBN NO: none CAST: min 2M 2F 1 other Tales from Darkest Suburbia consists of seven interconnected stories that give us a glimpse of what the author describes as ‘typical’ American life. You know the sort of thing: murder, adultory, blackmail, kidnapping. Oh yes, and cannibalism, dismemberment and a flesh eating poison. All very much the sort of thing that passes for normal in American suburbs. Well, it does in the the mind of Edward Crosby Wells anyway. The first of our stories explores friendship: the kind of deep, personal friendship that is built on a mutual contempt for each other, where the only thing that bonds is the ‘love of the game and the taste for blood.’ Across a tablecloth that features a rubbing of Tallulah Bankhead’s gravestone, Sissie exploits her knowledge of something that Minnie is desperate to keep secret. The seemingly pleasant chatter is full of veiled threats and a deal is done. In the next tale a judge discusses with an attorney the outcome of a murder trial, involving Minnie’s husband, before it has been heard in court. Having enjoyed the first tale I found the second even better, and so this continued as each of the tales

36 playscripts.indd 4

www.amateurstagemagazine.co.uk surpassed the previous for ingenuity and humour. What I really like about this play though, is that the characters, however surreal, are still believable. Their conversation ﬂows naturally and we gradually become embroiled in their extraordinary lives. Tales from Darkest Suburbia is remarkable achievement. Although each story works very well on its own and could be presented independently as a short play, as a complete piece, it comes together very well, is most satisfying and very funny.

THE WAR ON TELEVISION

AUTHOR: Derek Routledge PUBLISHER: Drama Association of Wales ISBN NO: 1898740879 CAST: 3M 1F Jimmy and Des are brothers growing up in the early 1950s. The naïve Jimmy is an example of how the British education system could fail people at the time; his difﬁculties with reading and writing leading to him being labelled as ‘stupid’ by the system, something which is far from the truth. He has been held back at school for two years, but Des has now left and works on a building site. As the play begins the two of them have cycled into the town centre to gawp at a marvel of modern technology proudly displayed in a shop window. A television. They are joined by Annette, a boarder at a local school for girls who has sneaked out of cello lessons. There is an immediate attraction between her and Des, and on their next meeting they begin to smooch in the way that Annette has seen people behave on television, until they are disturbed by the threatening presence of Malla. This is an intelligent play about love, desire and conﬂict, in which the characters anticipate their own futures through what they see on the television screen until reality takes over and the title of the play is neatly explained.

WHO KILLED THE HOLIDAY REP

AUTHOR: Chris Martins PUBLISHER: www.murderplays.com ISBN NO: None CAST: 4M 3F Min 3 Others RECOMMENDED RETAIL PRICE: £55 for a performance pack Murder mystery evenings became enormously fashionable around ten years ago but their popularity was short lived. My own experience, of witnessing under-rehearsed performances of confusing, unconvincing plots, (though, to be fair, I also saw a few very good shows) suggests that the reason they fell from favour so quickly was that the need to meet the sudden demand resulted in disappointing evenings for the audience. Indeed, as a murder mystery evening was for many people their ﬁrst and only experience of live theatre, the fad may have done a lot to damage the reputation of amdram as a whole. The good news is that the drop in demand means that the opportunistic ‘entertainers’ have moved on and proper theatre groups can re-claim the genre and raise the bar as a result. I hope, therefore, that the author’s recommendation in the information pack that accompanies this script,that the cast do not bother learning their lines, is aimed at non theatre groups who wish to arrange their own entertainment rather than readers of this magazine. The action is set in Benidorm at the end of the Eighties giving us plenty of opportunity to have fun with the fashions of the day. There is a pleasing exchange where most of the dialogue is made up of lines from popular songs from the time but, overall, I felt that there could have been more humour. By necessity the script is rather heavy handed. The clues and red herrings have to come thick and fast in order for the audience to get their money’s worth of detecting but, when the murderer is revealed, it all makes sense and the audience should be satisﬁed with the conclusion. TO HAVE YOUR SCRIPT REVIEWED SUBMIT A COPY TO PLAY REVIEWS -NEXT PHASE MEDIA SUITE 404 ALBANY HOUSE. 324- 326 REGENT STREET LONDON W1B 3HH

AMATEUR STAGE | MAY 2010

18/05/2010 14:29:00

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After nine productions in eight years, Below Stairs has shown canthedo. This productions: believable show is We can what help youit with following about life below stairs in a large London Oh What a Lovely War • Journey’s End home in Theladies Accrington • ‘Allo 1914 where maidPalsLucy has‘Allo ideas above her Army toe-tapping • Private Peaceful station. TheDad’s tuneful, songs reflect the South Pacific • My Boy Jack DO YOU THINK YOUR AMATEUR DRAMATICS GROUP COUL time and the closing chorus of When our boys come Chips With Everything ENTERTAIN THE NATION? marching homePrivates rings especially on Parade true today.

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COSTUME DRAMA

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Uniforms, various era’s... Dragoons for “Patience”, American Civil War WW2 British & German and many more Medieval, Tudor and Quakers Restorations, Regency, Victorian, Edwardian and beyond - Day and Evening Wear Musicals, G & S, Pantos, Plays, etc Fancy Dress, Murder Mystery Contact Stage Costume

01322 311787

Email: enquiries@stagecostume.co.uk Unit 2 Victoria Industrial Park, Victoria Rd, Dartford, Kent DA1 5AJ

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DO YOU THINK YOUR AMATEUR DRAMATICS GROUP COULD ENTERTAIN THE NATION?

Gogglebox Entertainment is currently developing a brand new, exciting prime-time television series about the world of amateur dramatics. We are looking for existing groups of charismatic, energetic and passionate amateur performers to send in or upload a short video about their group and why they think they could entertain the nation. The video must be no more than 5 minutes long and should include at least 3 separate interviews with members of your group and a short improvised dramatic performance which can include singing and dancing. We are looking for great characters that really stand out from the crowd!

15/04/2010 18:33:28

Please contact emma@goggleboxentertainment. co.uk for more details of where to send and upload your videos.

18/05/2010 14:48:46

THE LAST WORD

Wisteria Cottage Garrick Road Campton Royal

My dear ones, This month my apple cart has been well and truly overturned! Easter was my signal to start thinking about another of my little productions for Campton Royal Amateur Players. After the success of Blithe Spirit, I decided to take on another charming classic ‘When We Are Married’. It would be something of a challengette to find the requisite number of men, but being short of a male member has never stopped me before. I duly booked the church hall, I didn’t think the reverend could find anything to object to this time, and anyway after my sterling work on his Becket debacle, I think he owes me a favour. I put my usual postcard in the newsagent’s window and on the appointed night went to the hall and waited. I was not expecting a stampeding horde, but after half an hour I was still twiddling my thumbs. I had almost given up hope when the door creaked and in came Jean Pollack, the vicar’s beleaguered housekeeper waving a rolling pin. (I always thought Pollack was an excellent name for someone who had the staring eyes and demeanour of a wet fish.) ‘I thought you were a burglar.’ she said and lowered her weapon much to my relief. I explained that I was hoping to hold an audition for my next offering. ‘You’ll be lucky.’ she said. I was taken aback and, I have to say, somewhat insulted, but I kept my composure and asked why. Then came the bombshell. It seems that the dear, dear vicar had expressed a desire to hold an outdoor Shakespeare in the local park. As it happened, he was overheard by one of his parishioners, the Rt Hon Crispin Featherstonehaugh, who had not only stolen the idea, but had completely run away with it at a high rate of knots. It appears he had dabbled in theatre when up at Oxford. (That phrase has always puzzled me. Surely, if one lived in, say, Staffordshire, should it not be ‘down’ at Oxford?) I digress. The long and the short of it was that he had offered the magnificent grounds of his mansion as a venue, on the condition that he could direct, and tonight was his audition for The Tempest. It appears that the combination of the Bard, the church and the aristocracy had blinded would-be thespians to the charm of Mr Priestley and my obvious expertise. I was fuming. I threw the key at Jean and stormed home for a medicinal sherry. The gauntlet has been well and truly thrown among the pigeons. There is only one thing for it, I must infiltrate the opposition. Tomorrow, I would root out my black straw with the velvet trim in readiness to mingle with the congregation next Sunday. Desperate times call for desperate measures don’t you know? Must dash, the Bristol Cream is running dangerously low.

Regards

Doris Richardson-Hall 38 38-39.indd 2

AMATEUR STAGE | MAY 2010

18/05/2010 14:18:50

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Churchmill House, Ockford Road, Godalming, Surrey GU7 1QY Telephone: 01483 423600 Fax: 01483 418486

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08/03/2010 14:46:36