Amateur Stage Magazine - February 2011 by Amateur Stage Limited

amateurstage THE UK’S ONLY MONTHLY MAGAZINE FOR AMATEUR THEATRE www.amateurstagemagazine.co.uk

FEBRUARY 2011

PERFORM 2011 RSC OPEN STAGES PANTO SCRIPTS CAROLE TODD PLAYSCRIPTS REVIEWS * NATIONAL LISTINGS * INTERVIEWS NEWS * COMPETITIONS * COMMENT feb11cover.indd 1

UK £2.95 EUROPE E3.50 USA $4.50 28/01/2011 00:42:37

The new event for anyone looking for a future in acting, singing, performance, stage management and technical theatre. The most important step for your career Whether you want to set up your own theatre business, work in technical theatre, be a performer or an educator, take a short course or a full BA/MA/Postgrad degree, a visit to PERFORM 2011 puts you in touch with the right people to ensure you have a fulfilling and exciting career.

Meet over 30 leading exhibitors: • Schools • Colleges • Universities • Casting directories • Associations • Costume & stage designers • Photographers • Full exhibitor list online.

Attend 26 FREE workshops including: • • • • • • • • •

Your audition monologue Life after graduating (by LAMDA Vice Principal) Commercial Casting Screen acting close up (with Eastenders TV Director – Nic Phillips) Creating a character Career paths in Costume Design, Technical Theatre, Lighting Design Preparing your voice Getting the perfect headshot Improve your success in auditions (by Casting Director Richard Evans)

Full programme, tickets and more information at www.performshow.co.uk MEDIA PARTNERS:

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SHOW PARTNERS:

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ort

amateurstagefeb11 FROM THE EDITOR It’s all go here at Amateur Stage. This month saw the culmination of months of work as we announced our joint venture with NODA. Needless to say we are excited about what this venture will bring to both parties and to the wider amateur theatre community. Needless to say your next issue of Amateur Stage will be a slighter larger affair. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the many people behind the scenes who help to bring this magazine to life each month. We are looking forward to enlarging that team of people and to bringing you a whole new world of articles, news and information which you might find beneficial. This year we’re off for our regular visit to Pantoland. We hope that our script guide gives you a starting point when choosing your next panto script. I hope you enjoy this month’s magazine. Doug

THIS MONTH 5

A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

OVERTURE

News, events and information.

PERFORM 2011

A brief guide to this years “must attend” event.

ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE

Ian Wainwright from the RSC discusses the Open Stages project.

PLAYSCRIPT REVIEWS

David Muncaster reviews the latest offerings.

Our Panto Queen

We speak to Carole Todd on her career in panto and her top tips for panto success.

PANTO SCRIPTS

Our annual guide to panto scripts.

THE PANTO PRODUCED

We look at Sidmouth’s recent Dick Whittington

PANTO WRITING

Part one of our quick guide to panto writing.

PRODUCTION DIARY

NODA and Amateur Stage announce a joint venture.

credits Published monthly by Amateur Stage Limited ISSN 00026867 Suite 404 Albany House, 324 Regent Street, London W1B 3HH P: 0203 0062845 www.amateurstagemagazine.co.uk Editor - Douglas Mayo : editor@asmagazine.co.uk

SUBSCRIBE NOW UK Rates - 1 Year £24. 2 Years £40 Subscribe online or by sending a cheque to the address shown above.

Cover: Jack & The Beanstalk. Runway Theatre Co. Photo: Paul Webster

DEADLINE MARCH ISSUE : 15TH FEBRUARY 2011 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. (c) 2011 Amatuer Stage Limited

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LONDONÕSÊBESTÊMUSICALSÊ ATÊLONDONÕSÊBESTÊPRICES

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OVERTURE

STOP PRESS!!! AN EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT FROM AMATEUR STAGE AND NODA

NODA and Amateur Stage Magazine are pleased to announce that they have joined forces on a new joint publishing venture.

amateurstage THE UK’S ONLY MONTHLY MAGAZINE FOR AMATEUR THEATRE www.amateurstagemagazine.co.uk

WHAT A BEAUTY!

The joint venture will bring all of NODA’s regional magazines under the umbrella of Amateur Stage Magazine with each NODA region’s news being published within Amateur Stage three times per year. With a combined history covering some 170 years of service to the amateur theatre community, this joint venture will bring each organisation’s unique expertise in amateur theatre into play, creating an exciting new information service which will benefit amateur theatre enthusiasts across the United Kingdom. Douglas Mayo, Editor of Amateur Stage said: “After months of planning we are delighted to welcome NODA to Amateur Stage. In an age where information is king, we hope that the addition of NODA regional news to Amateur Stage will help develop a national amateur theatre community that is stronger and better informed than ever before.”

JANUARY 2011

DARLINGTON STAGES A SPECTACULAR BEAUTY & THE BEAST

TIM RICE TALKS CHESS PLAYS AND PLAYSCRIPTS PLAYSCRIPTS REVIEWS * NATIONAL LISTINGS * INTERVIEWS WEST END REVIEWS * NEWS * COMPETITIONS * COMMENT jancover.indd 1

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Members of NODA will now receive not only their regional news but the expanded coverage offered by Amateur Stage, whilst readers of Amateur Stage can now enjoy the extra coverage from the NODA regions. Tony Gibbs, Chief Executive of NODA said: “NODA members will now be able to enjoy the additional coverage offered by Amateur Stage magazine, along with the usual news from NODA about developments within their region ”. This exciting new venture will commence in March when Amateur Stage with its new design and larger size goes on sale.

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OVERTURE

AMATEUR RIGHTS Released for 12 months only from 1 Sept 2012

Calendar

Girls by Tim Firth

The professional production will continue to tour through 2011 and amateur groups can get best available seats at select performances for just £25 each for groups of 10 or more. As part of this special offer you’ll be able to meet members of the company after the performance to discuss the production. For tour dates and to book tickets visit seecalendargirls.com

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CALENDAR GIRLS UNLEASHED Calendar Girls has become the most successful play ever to tour the United Kingdom and has taken more at the box office than the original film with ticket sales in excess of £21 million. The rights to this phenomenally successful play are now available for amateurs in the UK from Samuel French. For further information see the advertisement in this magazine.

overture

national news * events * products * competitions * stuff

COUNCIL SAYS NO TO SWEETS!!! Council officials from Kirleee Council refused to let a theatre group sell refreshments at a pantomime on health and safety grounds but then made a financial killing themselves. The amateur dramatics group has sold its own refreshments at its annual pantomime at the town hall for decades, but this year council officials told them they could not sell the goods on health and safety grounds. Collegians trustee Malcolm Kenyon learned of the news when he arrived at the town hall at 6.30pm on Tuesday to prepare for the opening night of Dick Whittington. “I was confronted in the hall by a council official who said we couldn’t sell refreshments.” he said, “We had already bought the goods and they had been in the town halls kitchen for three days. The catering manager told us we couldn’t sell the goods, which upset us greatly. The manager told us that Kirklees had sent a letter to all town hall users way back in September saying this was the new policy on health and safety grounds. What is the health and safety concern about selling a sealed bottle of pop or a sealed packet of sweets? The argument doesnt hold water.” To aggravate the situation further council officials agreed to buy the sweets and pop off the group at cost-price before selling the sweets during the show to the public at double the groups original price. Where will it end?????

MADE IN COVENTRY IS A HUGE HIT!! Youngsters with ambitions to perform on stage flocked to the Belgrade Theatre at the weekend for the Made in Coventry extravaganza. More than 200 children took part in the Made in Coventry extravaganza on Saturday, an event which saw them mingle with costumed actors and participate in fun entertainment. The family event featured performances and activities including free circus skills workshops throughout the day. It was organised by a group of city arts organisations, most of whom were based at The Butts Theatre before it was closed two years ago to make way for the Earlsdon Park development. The aim of the event was to keep amateur dramatics groups active until the theatre reopens. It included a star visit from Liam Doyle, a former Coundon Court School pupil who shot to fame after winning a GMTV contest and is now on tour with Hairspray the Musical. He said: “It’s great to see events like this because I started out in am. dram. “I never had any formal training but they taught me everything I know and I cannot thank them enough.”

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OVERTURE

Southern Counties Drama Festival at Oxted’s Barn Theatre The All England Theatre Festival has a history dating back to 1919 when the British Drama League was formed. It is the only national competitive one act drama festival in the UK and organises an eliminating series of festivals which lead ultimately to the British final. The Southern Counties Drama Festival, (previously The Betchworth Festival), a preliminary round of this festival has been an important part of local amateur dramatics in Surrey and Kent for 60 years, celebrating its Diamond Anniversary in 2011. The result is the return of an exciting week of festival drama in 2011 from 28th February – 5th March, at the Barn Theatre in Oxted, with 14 groups competing against each other and Jill Colby, a member of The Guild of Drama Adjudicators, pressed with the difficult task of deciding who should be declared winner to go forward to the next round of festival. With a mixture of youth and adult teams during the week, most entrants are experienced in festival and the Young Oxted Players have had recent success in the further rounds that lead to the English and British finals. Tenacity and perseverance has ensured that this festival endures and you can support the endeavour by ordering your tickets by telephoning 01959 561811 or ordering online from www.barntheatreoxted.co.uk . General enquiries can be answered by telephoning 01959 561811 or by email at sc.df@btinternet.com. More information is also available at w ww.barntheatreoxted.co.uk/scdf.html This year’s selection of plays is an eclectic and interesting mix of comedy, tragedy and drama and a week not to be missed.

THE ULTIMATE TRANSATLANTIC OPPORTUNITY

Musical star Peter Karrie will share the stage with an amateur theatre group in the south Wales valleys in a warm-up show for a Canadian tour. Shows at Blackwood Little Theatre on 11 and 12 February will raise funds for Bobath Children’s Therapy Centre Wales. The Bridgend-born singer is best known for his portrayal of The Phantom of the Opera in London’s West End. The Blackwood show comes about as a result of the theatre’s strong links with an amateur group in Nova Scotia. Neil Maidman, chairman of Blackwood Little Theatre, had met members of the Winds of Change theatre group in Liverpool, Nova Scotia, through visiting Canada for competitive drama festivals. When he heard of their involvement in Karrie’s tour of Canada, Maidman suggested the singer warm up with a date at the 150-seater venue in the south Wales valleys. “We are thrilled to be hosting the person many consider to be the definitive Phantom of the Opera,” said Maidman. “Peter Karrie’s voice has been showcased in many of the greatest theatrical successes in contemporary musical theatre, and it’s an honour that he’s agreed to come to our little venue.” Members of the theatre will join Karrie on stage to perform songs from Evita, Miss Saigon, The Lion King, Oliver and Les Miserables as well as The Phantom of the Opera. The shows in Canada and Blackwood will raise funds for Bobath Children’s Therapy Centre Wales and several Canadian charities for children with cerebral palsy. “I’m very much looking forward to travelling across Canada,” said Karrie. “The trip will take around a month to complete, when the spectacular snowy sights of a Canadian winter are at their most extreme! “I am also pleased to be debuting the new show in Wales and the welcoming, intimate little venue that is Blackwood Little Theatre.” Tickets for the first scheduled show on Friday 11 February sold out within weeks prompting the company to add a second show the following evening. The theatre group was founded in 1929 and has been based at its present venue since 1956. Maidman says Karrie will be the most prestigious star of musical theatre to have appeared at there.

Photo: Phil Matthews

The Old Vic announced that applications for The 2011 TS Eliot US/UK Exchange will open on Friday 28th January. The Exchange is a unique programme designed to nurture the best young British and American theatre practitioners. Supported by the T.S. Eliot Estate, The TS Eliot US/UK Exchange offers 21-30 year old artists the opportunity to develop their skills by engaging with the theatre communities on the other side of the Atlantic. This May, 50 British actors, writers, directors and producers, will travel from London to New York to engage in a week of cultural activity and artistic development, including a showcase at a high profile Manhattan venue. Following the NY Exchange, 50 American artists will travel to London in May to take part in a similar programme at The Old Vic, the historical home of theatrical legends including Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, and now under the artistic direction of Kevin Spacey. Further information and application details are available via www.ideastap. com (for the direct link, go to www.ideastap.com /community/partners/ ovnv/usuk or simply click on the Old Vic New Voices logo from the IdeasTap homepage). IdeasTap is a creative online network and funding body for emerging artists which offers members a platform to showcase their work. Deadlines for applications are Friday 18th February. The TS Eliot US/UK Exchange ran for the first time last year and was a resounding success. Over 700 artists applied with selections made by transatlantic panels of senior industry practitioners. Throughout the weeklong Exchange, artists participated in a challenging mix of masterclasses, networking opportunities, rehearsals, meetings with senior industry representatives and theatre trips, as well as having the opportunity to create new work with their peers. Participants also met senior representatives from the host city’s major producing organizations: in London, this included The Old Vic, National Theatre, Soho Theatre, the Bush Theatre and Hampstead Theatre; and in New York, this included MTC, Lincoln Center, MCC and New Dramatists. Kevin Spacey, Artistic Director at The Old Vic said: “The TS Eliot US/UK Exchange shows The Old Vic’s dedication to encouraging transatlantic collaboration. Last year’s programme was an extraordinary success and we hope to find another 100 very talented young artists to forge lasting creative partnerships across the Atlantic. There is no doubt that relationships created on the Exchange will bear fruit for many years to come.”

KARRIE WARMS UP FOR CANADIAN TOUR WITH WELSH AMATEURS

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OVERTURE

THEATRE OPENS THEN CLOSES

CORRIE ACTOR LAUNCHES THEATRE PEAKS An actress who has starred in everything from soap to Shakespeare has opened her own theatre company in Glossop. Former Corrie star Tina Gambe is the brains behind Theatre Peaks, which aims to take amateur actors and help them to put on professional-quality productions. The 40-year-old, who is also a qualified drama teacher and taught at the Italia Conti and Sylvia Young stage schools, is currently running a series of youth workshops in the town to nurture the next generation of talent. Tina starred in Coronation Street from 2003-05 as factory worker Sonia Marshall. She has already signed up Julie Hesmondhalgh – fellow knicker stitcher Hayley Cropper – as patron of Theatre Peaks. She said: “When I was in my teens I joined Hull Truck Youth Theatre, where I am from originally. I enjoyed it so much, I think the idea has always stuck with me. “In 2009 I did a community theatre production of Road by Jim Cartwright at the Oakwood pub and it was such a huge success that people asked me why I didn’t do more. “When I finished Corrie I moved to Glossop and one of the reasons I set this up is because it’s so artistically vibrant. My dream is to have a theatre building that could double as an arts centre. “I think what Theatre Peaks does differently is it’s very much about a professional quality performance. People are not just doing shows, they’re getting a professional standard of training.” Tina held the first of her workshops – in drama, stage combat, street dance and martial arts – recently at Bradbury Community House. The six-week course, supported by Derbyshire county council, is open to youngsters aged eight to 16 and will end with students performing part of Romeo and Juliet. Places are still available. Tina, who has also taught at Glossopdale College, said: “People always feel a sense of achievement when they have been involved in a production. “We’re happy to hear from people who may be slightly older and also from people who have an interest in what goes on backstage. Even if you’re not a performer it’s such good fun.” Youngsters can sign up for the workshops by calling Theatre Peaks on 01457 851440.

HAVE YOU JOINED US ONLINE! www.amateurstagemagazine.co.uk Join our fast growing online community. It’s free and a great way to chat to other amateur theatre participants around the country.

A school theatre which reopened just over a year ago after a £60,000 revamp is closing to external productions from the end of August. The Eastwood Theatre, based at Eastwood School, Rayleigh Road, Eastwood, was relaunched specifically for school pupils and independent drama groups. However, the school claims Government cutbacks mean it has received less funding, so it is forced to end the public use of the theatre from August 31. Neil Houchen, acting headteacher, said: “While the school plans for restructured provision, we do not want to make firm committments beyond August that we may not be able to deliver on, certainly on the current scale and in light of the budget cuts. “To be respectful of those bodies or groups wishing to hire the theatre, the school has given a reasonable period of notice, seven months, to allow them to consider alternative local provision.” He added all bookings up until August 31 will be honoured. In a letter to theatre companies the school said: “The school unreservedly apologises for any inconvenience caused and is currently exploring ways in which the operation can be restructured to allow for future provision.” Run as a separate entity from the school, which has been a performing arts school for more than ten years, the theatre’s Kings Concert Hall seats 200 and is also home to the school’s £41,000 white and gold Allen Organ, which is the only one in the UK. The theatre’s website lists two employees, a theatre manager and a senior technician, as well as a lettings administrator linked to the school. It is understood the change to the way the theatre is run will lead to redundancies, although this was not confirmed by the school. The closure of the theatre came as a blow to drama groups, including Starlight Productions, which has just staged its annual panto at the theatre. Group treasurer Steve Volke said: “We got a letter telling us about the change. We were just about to book our next panto when we got the news. “We were told it was costing the school more than they wanted to pursue the drama side of the school. It’s all the sports that they want to go for. “It’s very disappointing news.”

London theatre buoyant in 2010! London theatre bucked the trend of economic gloom with excellent box office performance in 2010, the Society of London Theatre (SOLT) announced today. Strong ticket sales led to record revenues and near-record attendances for the capital’s plays, musicals, opera and dance. For the seventh year running, total Box Office Revenues posted a new record level at £512,331,808, up 1.46% on a like-for-like basis on 2009 and topping £500 million for the second time ever. The year also saw a record number of performances (18,615), and continued success for Plays which saw audiences grow by 2%. Commenting on the figures, Nica Burns, President of the Society of London Theatre said: “Another great year for London theatre. Despite economic woes, volcanic ash, and huge transport disruption notably during our busiest time of the year at Christmas, we have managed our seventh successive year of growth at the box office. A huge range of superb productions ensured that a visit to the theatre was a must-do for large numbers of the public. London theatre is something for everyone to be proud of and is a great ambassador for UK plc.” It remans to be seen whether this trend will be reflected in the audiences attending amateur productions.

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OVERTURE www.amateurstagemagazine.co.uk

PLAYSCRIPTS

and understanding to the dialogue. The first meeting between the newly elected Mrs Thatcher and her Queen is awkward until they find common ground: their mutual admiration for Ronald Reagan.

NEW FOR 2011 However, it is Reagan that introduces the first note of conflict. His invasion of Grenada ARTHUR MILLER over concerns that Russia and Cuba were planning to use the island as a re-fuelling stop were highlySTUDENT criticised by the British EDITIONS monarch, Head of State of the island, and her government. However, it was Mrs Thatcher that Reagan chose to apologise to by telephone. “Why didn’t he ring me?” asks Queen Elizabeth.

After this episode the relationship between the two women begins to break down. The monarch’s concern for the commonwealth conflicted with Mrs Thatcher’s desire to do what was best, in her opinion, for Britain and Britain alone. Disagreements over sanctions against South Africa, the government’s handling of the miner’s strike and an agreement with the USA to allow missiles to be launched against Libya from our shores led to newspapers carrying stories that the Queen was dismayed with her government’s policies. It was the Queen’s Press Secretary, Michael Shea, who paid the price for the public squabble between the elected government and the House of Windsor and his fate was sealed with just three words from Mrs Thatcher as he sought to apologise for the trouble he had caused. These words were “Never mind, dear”.

1984 and Helen, a heavily pregnant young mother, describes the effects of radiation on human beings. The imagery continues as a young child decorates the fence with ribbons before turning to the audience to reveal her bleeding gums. Then, in the midst of the horror, comes humour. Two protesters, Margaret and Lorraine, discuss the problems of trying to keep everyone happy: the difficulties in arranging the cooking roster, how to avoid upsetting delicate emotions and how to remain ‘politically correct’ years before the term had even been invented. Within the first few pages the author has presented us with the both big picture and the practicalities of organising a protest. When Helen is the victim of an attack by local residents, angry at the notoriety caused by the campaign, she returns home to a confrontation with her husband. For seven weeks she has been away ‘registering her protest’ leaving him feeling inadequate and unable to cope with running the house on his own. In an allusion to the cold war the arguments leads them both to threatening to unleash their weapons, the power to hurt one another, unless the other backs down. They don’t want to use these weapons, they just want the other side to know that they have them.

THE MAKE-UP SCHOOL &

Make-up Hair Prosthetics Ai Suddenly it is 2009. Another protest but now the participants are slick, choreographed for Fashion / TV / Film / Theatr and breathtakingly efficient. They have people responsible for talking to the press, to Short courses the police even, and the arguments are not about who is going to cook, but whointensive is going

This is a very absorbing play about a fascinating period in recent history and another piece of quality drama from a highly acclaimed writer.

to appear on Newsnight. The child Helen was carrying in 1984 is James, a product of Greenham Common and very much his mother’s son who is dismayed at how things have changed, but it is Lillian, a woman already in her fifties at Greenham, who brings info@greasepaint.co.uk home why it is important that ordinary people continue to stand up for what they believe in, and why protest is still relevant.

PLAY OF THE MONTH

Having read some of Lucy Kirkword’s work before I expected to enjoy Bloody Wimmin and I was not disappointed. This is another fine play from a remarkably gifted writer.

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Bloody Wimmin Lucy Kirkwood CAST 7M 8F

Lucy Kirkwood excels in strong imagery. Even her description of the set is powerful: an angry barbed wire fence – we know exactly what she means. Bloody Wimmin is about the legacy of the Greenham Common protests and as the action begins it is

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ONSTAGE

PERFORM 2011

PERFORM 2011 is the new exciting show for anyone looking for a future in acting, singing, performance, stage management & technical theatre (11-13 March 2011, London’s Olympia).

PERFORM 2011 is a one-of-a-kind event, where you can attend 25+ free workshops, meet over 30 leading exhibitors and network with 3,000 likeminded visitors. Workshops on offer are for any level from beginners to experienced including ‘Create the perfect headshot’, ‘Networking – a guide to how to make connections’, ‘Acting for the camera’, ‘A Simple Guide to Post Graduate Acting Courses’, ‘Panel Discussion: Theatre Casting’, ‘Career paths in Costume Design & Make Up’, ‘From Script to Stage: Ten things you need to know about putting on a performance’, ‘Stamina and vocal technique for singers’, ‘Creating a character’ and ‘Backstage careers’. You can find the full workshops’ programme at www.performshow.co.uk. Workshops are given by top industry personalities. For example, Rob Young (Head of Technical Theatre at LAMDA) will lead ‘Guides to Careers in Technical Theatre’. Also on offer is ‘Screen Acting auditioning, key skills and business advice’ with Nic Phillips (TV Director Eastenders & My Family). At PERFORM 2011 you can find 30 exhibitors including schools, colleges, universities, associations, costume and prop providers, casting directories, agents, magazines, photographers and artists’ accountants. This is your once-a-year opportunity to meet industry figures face-to-face and get all the help, information and advice you need for your career. Already participating are Equity, NODA, Spotlight, Contacts, London School of Musical Theatre, Actors Studio, Central School of Speech and Drama, Conference of Drama School, PCR, Pineapple Performing Arts School, Primoatto Productions, Royal Scottish Academy of Dance and Drama, The Bridge Theatre Training Company, The Stage, Fourthwall Magazine (Drama Student Magazine), London School of Film, Media and Performance, Stagecoach, CPA College, Surviving Actors, CastingCall Pro, Visualeyes, The Rep College, Routledge Publishing and many more. 3,000 people are expected at the show. This is a great opportunity to find new exciting people to work with or learn from. For more information visit www.performshow.co.uk. Dates: 11th to 13th March Address: Olympia, Grand Hall, Hammersmith Road, London W14 8UX Opening Hours: Fri 11th : 10am-7pm / Sat 12th : 10am-7pm / Sun 13th : 10am-5pm Tickets: Adults – £12 in advance; £17 on the door, Child (5-15 yrs) - £9 in advance; £13 on the door, Under 5s – FREE Website – www.performshow.co.uk

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ONSTAGE

RSC OPEN STAGES

The RSC is inviting amateur companies across the UK to take part in the UK’s biggest amateur theatre project and produce your own RSC, Shakespeare themed production. Ian Wainwright, producer of Open Stages gives Amateur Stage readers an overview of the project. RSC Open Stages is a new project that aims to embrace, develop and celebrate amateur theatre, re-forging the bond with the world of professional theatre while opening up access to Shakespeare for performers and audiences alike. Over 2011/2012 the RSC, in partnership with a number of regional theatres and amateur theatre associations, will run a national programme of skills sharing events and showcases, with amateur societies from across the UK invited to produce their own RSC branded Shakespeare themed production. ‘The RSC wants to lead a step change in the relationship with the amateur sector; to celebrate its rich traditions, open our doors to its work and collaborate with partners nationally to leave a significant legacy.’ Michael Boyd Artistic Director RSC Ian says “My first, possibly second, maybe even third experience of theatre was at Dewsbury Town Hall sometime in the early Seventies watching the annual amateur pantomime. What made the most impact on me at the time, quite literally in fact, was that at one point the actors actually hurled sweets into the audience, a practise underrated in modern professional productions for livening up a dull moment. Asking around the RSC, similar experiences abound. Greg Doran, Chief Associate Director claims: ‘I became enthralled by theatre, when watching the finale in the Longton Women’s Institute annual elderly people’s concert. It was a garden scene lit by UV light, and two white statues came magically to life and danced, while Mrs Moss from the local garage sang

“in an English country garden”!’ Our reminiscences, though often nostalgic, and not a particularly accurate reflection of the modern amateur scene, remind many of us working in professional theatre that amateur theatre was where we first fell in love with the art form, as either participants or audience. Yet it seems, like many a first love, we in professional theatre have moved on and if we do look back we chastise ourselves for our foolish infatuation, convincing ourselves that we have now moved on to more ‘serious’ relationships. Over the past 30 years it does seem that amateur and professional theatre have indeed grown apart. From a time when many theatres would share their spaces regularly with amateur societies, and some of our greatest actors sprang from the amateur stage, we find ourselves in parallel yet separate universes, with little communication between the two. With receiving house theatre’s pricing out the possibility of hire by amateur companies, and producing house theatres uninterested in amateur work, it is not surprising that when contact does occur mis-understandings abound. Yet over a similar period professional theatre’s participation work with young people has developed to a level of quality, quantity and status previously unimagined. In turn theatres have become more interested than ever before in the communities that surround them. It is this engagement with the community that has led us to rediscover this huge movement of grassroots theatre makers that have always been there.

With over 5000 groups, and over a million participants in amateur theatre, professional theatre practitioners can no longer ignore this enormous group of passionately committed individuals, the quality of the work they do and the even larger audience they serve. RSC Open Stages comes about after over a year of working with representatives of the amateur sector, including NODA, Voluntary Arts, the Little Theatre Guild, Scottish Community Drama Association, National Drama Association of Wales and the All England Festivals. A process that has seen the RSC embark on a serious learning curve, with us often surprised at the breadth and depth of the work taken on by amateur companies, as well as the quality. This was brought home to us most recently when working with thirteen local amateur companies in Stratford as part of the opening season of the newly re built Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Under the banner of the Bear Pit they were amongst the first performers to tread the boards of the new RST stage. More recently the RSC has brought on board several partner theatres to deliver the project including National Theatre of Scotland, The Lyric Theatre Belfast, Contact Theatre Manchester, the Sage Gateshead, New Wolsey Ipswich, the Nuffield in Southampton and Hall for Cornwall, as well as Questors, one of the UK’s leading amateur theatres. All of which are as keen as the RSC to transform the relationship between professional and amateur theatre. RSC Open Stages will offer amateur companies from across the country opportunities to perform, learn new

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ONSTAGE skills, and showcase their work in collaboration with professional theatre. While this will benefit the amateur companies involved enormously, it will also transport many of us in professional theatre back to where our love of theatre began and remind us of the energy, passion, and commitment it takes to create theatre where ever you’re doing it.

TAKING PART IN RSC OPEN STAGES To be part of the RSC Open Stages project: • The production should be performed by an amateur or community group, defined for the purposes of this project as a group run by volunteers, and whose participants are volunteers • The production must be a Shakespeare, or Shakespeare-themed. Possibilities include: • A performance of a Shakespeare text in whole or cut form • An existing Shakespeare adaptation e.g. West Side Story or Kiss Me Kate • A new Shakespeare adaptation written for the group • A new Shakespeare version devised by the group • One of the back catalogue of new plays commissioned or produced by the RSC which was inspired by one of Shakespeare’s plays • An evening of Shakespeare extracts or Shakespeare related scenes or music • A site specific event involving the performance of Shakespeare, or related theatre or music. *(See the RSC website for a list of suggested plays for RSC Open Stages) Participating in RSC Open Stages We will accept all applications that fulfil the above brief. Successful applicants will: • Attend a regional Open Stages Skills Exchange Event, hosted one of 8 regional theatres across the UK. At which practitioners from the RSC, the regional theatre and amateur organisations will run performance, technical,

design and directing workshops. The aim of these events will be to inspire ideas and pass on new skills for use in the group’s productions. It will also be an opportunity for amateurs and professionals to share experience and problem solve. • Be ‘badged’ as part of RSC Open Stages i.e. they will receive and have permission to use the RSC Open Stages logo on all publicity materials for the production. • Be part of a national campaign run by the RSC profiling the project. • Receive a marketing pack, including PDF’s for posters, press releases, quotes etc. • Become member contributors of the Open Stage site, where groups may share photos, films and blogs of their productions. This will act as a forum for ongoing debate and exchange of ideas.

RSC Open Stages Performances Under the badge of RSC Open Stages groups perform in their own venue, hired space, festival or site at any point within 2011/ 2012, with each production forming part of a national network of Open Stages productions across the UK. Groups will be encouraged to see each other’s work, as well as post production extracts and experiences on the website.

RSC Open Stages Regional Showcases The eight regional theatres will host a showcase of Open Stages work from amateur and community groups. The groups performing will be selected from the range of amateur Open Stages productions in their region. The showcase will be selected to show the variety of groups and their approaches to performing Shakespeare. It will also take particular account of how much groups have embraced the idea of challenging themselves and their audience.

and audiences. RSC Open Stages partner theatres are... National Theatre of Scotland The Lyric Theatre, Belfast Contact Theatre, Manchester The Sage, Gateshead Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon New Wolsey, Ipswich Hall for Cornwall Nuffield Theatre, Southampton Questors Theatre, London RSC Open Stages at the World Shakespeare Festival in Stratford 2012 A number of productions from across the regions will be invited to perform at the World Shakespeare Festival in Stratford in 2012, performing alongside professional Shakespeare productions at the RSC.

Deadline for applications now extended to March 2011! TO APPLY TO TAKE PART IN RSC OPEN STAGES OR FOR MORE INFORMATION GO TO http://www. rsc.org.uk/openstages OR EMAIL openstages@ rsc.org.uk OR WRITE TO: RSC Open Stages, Events Department, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Waterside, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire CV37 6BB

The showcases aim is to celebrate the work of amateur and community groups, as well as demonstrate the universal accessibility of Shakespeare for performers

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ONSTAGE

SO, YOU THOUGHT CARDENIO WAS LOST? by Michael Shipley

ike 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. Then in April 2010, most excitingly, the Arden Shakespeare published 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 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 his collaborator 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 at that time were that the RSC would 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!” wrote Gerald Baker at the time. After the public reading held at the Mary Wallace Theatre, Twickenham by members of Richmond Shakespeare Society, he reported: “In the end we did two performances, both concert-style readings, one at our own theatre, the Mary Wallace, the other at the Temple in Hampton that Garrick built in honour of Shakespeare. The first managed ‘play of the week’ preview slot in our local paper! The issues around provenance and authenticity are quite complex (I summarised the main ones in an introduction whose substance you can read on the RSS website) and therefore any reaction on authorship based on performance one might have thought would be very simplistic: I am fairly sure there is a 17th century original behind Theobald’s script and it certainly is compatible with the work Shakespeare and Fletcher were doing around 1612/13, together and separately. How much remains visible, and what the original was like: these are far more doubtful questions. Most importantly, the play is largely stageworthy and can excite an audience’s involvement and amusement, certainly for the first three-and-a-half acts (out of five). But somewhere in the middle of Act Four, the plotting becomes really perfunctory, one has the impression that hereabouts there is material maybe being left out, and there is some very flat writing towards the end. There are also some very dodgy gender politics in the final big reconciliation-----though that in itself is no argument against its distinguished authorship! I would be interested in seeing a full production - I don’t feel a need to do one myself or urge one on the RSS. If anyone in the LTG was thinking of doing it for its newsworthiness (and thus potential box office appeal) I would say that almost any of the other rare Shakespeares, considered simply as a script and dramatic opportunities, has more of a claim for being done. If anyone is considering it, however, I’d be happy to share my experiences more deeply. Yes, there are problems with the last one-and-a-half acts being quite perfunctorily written much of the time, but before that there are good comic exchanges with the lovers’ tetchy elderly fathers, a very effective mid-point-of-play dramatic scene with a halted wedding and a swooning heroine, and an earlier scene with the two lovers where neither is sure of the strength or constancy of the other’s feelings, which I would like to be able to prove is Shakespeare in origin, because of the complexity of emotions and power and forcefulness of expression (in the nature of the case, it’s not provable though). My overall feeling, I guess, is that it was an experiment well worth making, which I

believe most of those involved - cast and audience - found intriguing and enjoyable.” Keen London theatergoers were told that they would have a chance to see what they make of Shakespeare’s ‘lost’ play Cardenio when Aporia Theatre company presented it at the Warehouse Theatre, East Croydon from 3rd to 21st November. But it transpired that this production of Cardenio was NOT of the much publicized Shakespeare ‘discovery’ previously known as Double Falsehood , but was of another Jacobean rarity The Second Maiden’s Tragedy, which is now being attributed not only to Fletcher and possibly Middleton, but also to Shakespeare as in reality the ‘lost’ play Cardenio. Michael Billington felt that he could not detect the hand of Shakespeare in the text; he was much more impressed by the stylistic similarities to the works of Thomas Middleton, and found the play luridly enjoyable. “I’m sceptical about its Shakespearean authorship. The verse is fluent, but at no point do you detect, as in Pericles, the sudden eruption of the Bard and his matchless ability to move from the cosmic to the minutely particular. But what finally convinced me that the play is more Middleton than Shakespeare is the macabre climax in which the tyrant commits what is tantamount to necrophilic rape on Luscinda’s corpse: that stems plausibly from the author of The Changeling or Women Beware Women. All this is speculation, as collaboration was common in Jacobean theatre. The Croydon Cardenio strikes me as an extravagant curiosity.” In January Phil Willmott presented Double Falsehood at the Union Theatre, London. For The Guardian, Lyn Gardner wrote: “Part of the fun is making up your own mind whether Shakespeare really is guilty of having a hand in this controversial text, which last year was unexpectedly included in the Arden Edition of collected works. It’s an enjoyable evening, but more of a curiosity than a classic. Shakespeare? You’ll have to decide for yourselves, but if it is, then I’m Virginia Woolf.” The Cardenio mystery remains possibly to be solved when the RSC revives Lewis Theobald’s Double Falsehood in the Swan Theatre in the Spring in a production by Greg Doran. Before that, however, new LTG member Maddermarket Theatre, Norwich have announced a production of Double Falsehood “by William Shakespeare” for March 2011. For the background to this story, really keen Shakespeareans will want to get the Arden Shakespeare edition of Double Falsehood with its comprehensive introduction and notes, while those seeking a précis should go to an article by Charles Nicholl in The London Revue of Books on 2nd December 2010, and an article by John Wolfson in the Spring issue of Around the Globe.

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BACKSTAGE

David Muncaster reviews the latest playscript offerings.

H T N O M E H T F O Y PLA

UNDERWRITTEN Joe Graham Publlished by J Garnett Miller ISBN NO: 9780853436706 3M 1F

Mr Clitheroe is a building society manager who delights in telling his customers that their mortgage application has been turned down. This morning he is on a roll! After telephoning a Mr De’Ath, to advise that the senior underwriter has declined the loan, he is looking forward to disappointing a number of other customers but is interrupted by a telephone call from his wife. This allows us to see another side of Mr Clitheroe: the bombastic sadist will do anything to keep the domestic peace. Marital affairs completed, he is about to return to his favourite part of the job when in walks Mr De’Ath himself. Oh dear! Trouble! Mr De’Ath would like to discuss the possibility of his loan decision being reversed. He has brought a gun with him, for good measure. The ensuing dialogue between Mr Clitheroe and Mr De’Ath is most enjoyable. Witty and ingenious, the underlying peril gives it

FIRST PERSON SHOOTER Paul Jenkins Nick Hern Books ISBN NO: 9781848421417 3M 1F £8.99

We are at the SAS training camp in the Brecon Beacons. Captain Jones completes the briefing of his troops then introduces a newbie, Ade, except Ade is not in the Brecon Beacons and neither is Captain Jones. Ade is in his bedroom playing a simulation game on his computer. As the instructions flash up on the screen Ade’s mother, Maggie, enters with dinner, but lure of food, even his favourite pizza, is not enough to distract Ade from his game. So we know we are in for a play about a mother’s relationship with her son. At work she is the manager of Tom, a computer geek, and before long she is confiding in him about her need to connect with her son and he offers to teach her the lingo. Whilst Tom enjoys shoot ‘em up type computer games himself, in real life he is something of a pacifist. So when an IT application that he developed for the rail network is picked up by the Ministry of Defence he is initially opposed to the sale. Meanwhile, in a case of virtual reality becoming reality, Ade is applying to join the army. But things are not what they seem. Ade has learnt that the army uses a simulator to evaluate new recruits and this simulator is about to be released on to the market as the latest must have computer game. Ade wants to steal a march on other gamers by getting in a bit of practice before it even hits the shops. Back to Tom, and it is no longer the Ministry of Defence interested in his application, but the American military. Maggie is off to the States to do the sales pitch but a last minute domestic crisis - Ade has gone missing - means that Tom has to go in her place. The new computer game is released and it is revealed that Ade has been camping outside the store to buy it. At home he overdoses on the game and ends up in hospital with exhaustion. Tom completes the deal in the US and Maggie loses her job. The dialogue between Tom and Maggie throughout the play is witty and the changes to their relationship kept me interested. However, the interruptions from Captain Jones within the computer game, although accurate of many a domestic scene, became distracting after a while.

a Pythonesque feel and Mr De’Ath’s Robert De Niro impression should have the audience in stitches. Mr Clitheroe’s mounting panic is beautifully balanced by Mr De’Ath’s control and we are hooked by how the story might develop. In the world of the Bedford and Bogley Building Society, company policy is all important and Mr Gogently, the senior underwriter, is adamant that his decision must stand even if the branch staff are being held hostage. Mr De’Ath decides that he needs to move things along a bit and shoots Mr Clitheroe. Then, with the help of Deirdre, the secretary, Mr Clitheroe is bundled into a cupboard and the two of them engage in a game of I Spy to pass the time whilst they wait for Mr Gogently to arrive. The author uses this part of the play to bring some depth to Mr De’Ath’s character so that, when the play reaches its tragic climax, the audience are likely to find themselves unexpectedly affected by his fate. Underwritten does not push at the boundaries of modern theatre and we are unlikely to come across anyone quite like Mr De’Ath or Mr Clitheroe in real life, but as a piece of entertainment this one act play is top notch. Thoroughly recommended.

First Person Shooter is well written with believable characters, but nothing very much happens. In the endAde swaps his obsession with games for one for fitness, but I was left with the impression that it is all just part of growing up and he was going to be all right. I was rather hoping for something more dramatic.

BUNNY

Jack Thorne Nick Hern Books ISBN NO: 9781848421349 1F £8.99 Katie is eighteen and still at school. She plays the clarinet, badly, in the school orchestra and has Guardian-reading parents of the type that would, and did, march their daughter back to shops, where she’d done a bit of shoplifting, to return the goods and ask the shopkeeper if they wanted to press charges. Katie has an older boyfriend, Abe. He works at Vauxhall in the offices but prefers the people who work in the factory. Abe is black. That doesn’t matter in a middle-class oh-that-doesn’t-matter kind of way. Katie tells the story as a monologue. Abe has waited for her to finish orchestra practice and is walking her home from school when a kid on a bike knocks Abe’s ice cream from his hand. There is a fight, which Abe considers himself to have won, but when two pals who have seen the fight stop their car, the testosterone levels rise alarmingly. They chase after the kid and find the address but when they get there Asif, the driver, sends Abe and the other man away so that Katie is alone in the car with him. Katie insists that she is in control: she knows what she is doing, but the fact that Asif is just teasing her, gets her to expose herself and then rejects her, proves that that she is out of her depth. The play has humour: Katie’s peculiar dereliction is to restrict her shoplifting to cleaning products, “I could nick them J-cloths and no would notice”, but its strength is the insight into the agonies of coming-of-age. Shortly after Katie’s humiliation she finds herself in a position of power over the kid on the bike and revenge is hers. Bunny is a rousing drama that is bound to appeal to lovers of TV programmes such as Shameless and Skins.

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BACKSTAGE www.amateurstagemagazine.co.uk

HYPOTHERMIA

CoMEdIES BY IAn hoRnBY nEWLY PUBLIShEd

Vanessa Brooks Josef Weinberger ISBN NO: 9780856763229 3M 2F Hypothermia is set in a mental hospital and on the frozen lake on its doorstep in 1940s Germany. Osker is a patient and a favourite amongst the staff as well as the other inmates. He jokes, sings and looks after the plants in the conservatory. Nominally in charge of the hospital is Dr Erich, but he is barely in control. He refuses to speak to the patients’ families and seems more concerned about the plants than the inmates. As he says, he really ought to allow the weak ones to die so that the healthy ones can thrive but, as a doctor, it is his instinct to do his best for all of them. He is, of course, talking about the plants. His administrative assistant is Lisa who is harassed and put-upon but very capable, and there is also Dr Katscher, a charming and athletic man who likes to exercise by swimming between the holes in the ice. Dr Katcher is a member of the SS. Tension bubbles away under the surface: Dr Katcher seems about to explode with testosterone; Dr Erich is losing control; and then in walks Frau Poppendick. She is the mother of a patient recently deceased and an ardent supporter of the Nazi party. Knowing what we now know about the Nazi party’s attitude toward the mentally ill, and of the experiments carried out in the name of research, the truth about what really happened to Frau Poppendick’s son is a nagging concern and, when she returns later in the play to confirm our fears, our attention is concentrated on what is to become of Osker. Hypothermia is not without humour but, as the story reaches its symbolic climax, it will leave the audience grieving for man’s inhumanity to man.

ThE Ex FACToR CoMEdY 3M 4F, SInGLE SET

(No, nothing to do with the game show!) Imagine it - you and your wife-to-be are struggling to open your bed and breakfast. The B&B inspector is due any moment. So it is for Phil and Jane. Except the imminent inspector is Phil’s ex-wife Felicity, and there never was any love lost between the two women. And there’s a rumour that Felicity’s latest beau used to be a Chippendale - not good when your first guests - two matronly women - are also due to arrive. And the place is almost - but not quite - finished, the rising wind threatening to blow the roof off the barn. The stage is set for misunderstandings, jealousy, women at war and even a burglary. That all-pervading scent of the farmyard doesn’t help either.

ConFEREnCE PAIRS CoMEdY 2M 5F, SInGLE SET

Each and every year, the members of the national sales team of JW Roberts Ltd. meet in a hotel for their sales conference. And each and every year they continue their “liaisons” with other members of the sales team. Afterwards they will go back to their everyday lives, but this weekend they’re out to enjoy each other. Peter and Eve have conveniently-opposite rooms in the hotel, but just about anything that can prevent their continued relationship actually does prevent it, including fire alarms, falls, difficult hotel staff, visiting bosses, lost keys, two pairs of handcuffs and a surprise visit from Peter’s wife.

I AM HAMLET Richard James Lazy Bee Scripts ISBN NO: None 2M

An Am Dram company is preparing to put on a production of what, to many, is Shakespeare’s greatest play but, unfortunately, their Hamlet has fallen down the stairs and broken his leg! Needing to re-audition, Tom, the producer, arrives at the theatre to gather his thoughts when in walks Simon who is a newcomer to the area. He is brimming with confidence and very keen to take on the role. The problem is that he does not seem to know anything about the play, or indeed any play or anything at all about the theatre in general. He has seen the film though. Well, he has seen The Lion King which he says is based on Hamlet. After a while we begin to wonder what Simon is doing there. What started as a funny little sketch about someone totally ignorant of the theatre auditioning for Hamlet, has become somewhat darker. There is menace in the air. What is Simon’s motivation? Does he have a connection with Tom? Given the Hamlet connection, the climax of the play may not come as a complete surprise but it is satisfyingly done all the same. This play requires two very good actors: once Simon gets going his performance as Hamlet should be spellbinding and there are large chunks of Shakespeare that the audience have to realise are relevant to the story. I Am Hamlet is a very good one act play. It is clever and witty and with the right performers it would make a great festival piece.

And not forgetting the very popular favourite

hELLo, IS ThERE AnY BodY ThERE? FARCE 4M 5F, SInGLE SET

All is dull and peaceful at Squire Grange. Lady Amelia searches for new ideas for her latest mystery novel as Sir Malcolm sleeps off the excesses of another idle day. Family friend Freddy is persuaded to try and think of new ideas. Meanwhile the hapless Vic Tim arrives and is promptly dispatched by an unknown assailant. Everyone tries really hard to discover the murderer, but not in time to prevent the Producer being murdered. And someone else. This hilarious farce steadfastly refuses to take itself (or anything else) seriously.

MORTE D’ARTHUR

Adapted by Mike Poulton from Sir Thomas Mallory Nick Hern Books ISBN NO: 9781848420953 15M 6F £8.99

www.scripts4theatre.com Free evaluation copies on request. Visit our for details of these and the rest of Ian Hornby’s 36 published plays.

Thomas Mallory’s epic tale of the Knights of the Round Table was first printed in 1485. Said to be England’s first ‘best seller’, it comprised twenty-one volumes of often incomprehensible prose which Poulton himself describes as a rambling page turner. His task, therefore, was one of interpretation and selection in addition to adaptation. The resulting stage play was first performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company at Stratford upon Avon in 2010 and is now available for amateur theatre

Contact ian@scripts4theatre.co.uk tel: 01925 485605 Or write to Ian at 2 Hereford Close, Warrington, Cheshire WA1 4HR www.amateurstagemagazine.co.uk | 17

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BACKSTAGE companies who are fortunate to have a plethora of young men. We begin with the pulling of the sword from the stone and this is followed by the establishment of the round table, the quest for the Holy Grail and, finally, the death of the king. I don’t know the running time but at 115 pages I can be certain that an audience would be in for a long evening. The sprawling adventure, with Lancelot and Guenever’s love story thrown in, has seventy-five named characters with dialogue that is sometimes a peculiar mix of ancient and modern. Mike Poulton is acclaimed for his adaptations and he must be congratulated for making sense of this monster, but I’ll admit that I did find it rather hard going and felt that he might have been even more selective about what to include. Either that or adapt the tales into two or even three plays. It would certainly be an ambitious director on the amateur or professional stage who considered taking on a production of Morte D’Arthur.

Swimming Against The Tide Danny Kilpatrick Published by Alan Ogden ISBN NO: 1869813243 4M 4F

We are in a holiday flat in Cornwall and Tracy Penhallow and her mother are cleaning up after the last lot of rather mucky tenants. The next lot should be OK though. The Pattersons used to be regulars, though they haven’t been for about five years. But, before the clean up is complete, the Whittington-Bell’s have arrived. One time best friends of the Pattersons, they are sharing the flat in an attempt to relive the happy memories of their friendship of twenty-five years ago. The Whittington-Bell’s are used to rather more salubrious surrounding so we know straight-away that we are in for a comedy of manners; what follows is a tale of mid-life crises, infidelity and yearnings for lost youth. Sadly, it is all rather predictable and not particularly funny. I feel that Swimming Against The Tide will struggle to achieve any productions in our competitive market place.

TWICE IN A LIFETIME

Ray Cooney with music by Chris Walker and Keith Strachan Samuel French ISBN NO: 9780573180422 8M 6F plus Chorus Twice in a Lifetime is a time travel musical from the master of the sixties farce, Ray Cooney. Our story begins in nineteen-twenties Chicago and that can only mean one thing: gangsters! Johnny and Fingers enter a barber’s shop and “let them have it” with their automatic machine guns. The customers slump in their chairs, their white towels turning red with their blood. It may sound a little clichéd, but it is very real to Steven. Back in the present day, we are in a doctor’s consulting room in Putney. Steven is there because he wants to quit smoking and it is under hypnotism that Steven has witnessed the Chicago bloodbath. As Dr Patel explains, it is common for the subject to ‘regress’ to a previous existence. In plain language, Steven was Johnny the gangster in a previous life. Horrified, Steven returns to his office to face the pressures of modern life, but the Monday morning meetings; evicting little old ladies from their properties,; not to mention his imminent marriage to the boss’s daughter, cause Steven to hanker after the excitement of his previous life. He regresses to become Johnny whenever he can. Then, when he learns that Johnny dies in the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, he vows to re-write history. There is a lot of fun to be had with characters from the past appearing in the present and on Steven’s wedding day the church seems to be full of faces from Chicago and, as the two worlds collide, Steven/Johnny is finally together with his true love Actors will enjoy the opportunity for doubling that this musical offers and the script has plenty of wit and pace. Twice in a Lifetime has a number of production challenges but, if these can be overcome, I imagine it would make a very successful production Plays for review should be submitted to: Amateur Stage Limited Suite 404 Albany House, 324 Regent Street, London W1B 3HH Whilst all efforts will be made to review scripts received the publisher cannot guarrantee reviews. We regret that scripts cannot be returne1

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LONDON PALLADIUM

ARGYLL STREET, LONDON W1. A REALLY USEFUL GROUP THEATRE.

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

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

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

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ONSTAGE

PANTO QUEEN Carole Todd has been staging pantomimes around the UK for many, many years. She has worked on some of the biggest panto with some of our greatest panto stars. Amateur Stage spoke to her about her career and her tips on what makes for a great panto.

alking to Carole, is like opening an encyclopaedia of panto history and tradition. “My first foray into pantomime was assisting Lionel Blair on the pantomime for Wimbledon with Jimmy Tarbuck.” She says. “Then I did many years with Paul Elliott at E & B, as his sort of right hand man mainly at the Birmingham Hippodrome. That was over 19 years ago. That was back at a time when we had what I’d call the real stars, people like Les Dawson, John Nettles, and Matthew Kelly. I remember there was one Cinderella we did where we had Rolf Harris, Robin Cousens (with the very first ice rink anyone had ever used on stage), and Gary Wilmot as Buttons.” “In those days you’d get two weeks rehearsal, but I would go into the office three months prior with our musical supervisor, the late Paul Jury, and we’d work out everything from scratch. Then we’d have a read-through the script, so by the time we got to rehearsals everyone had a general idea about it.” “That was an amazing time. I followed the shows at the Birmingham Hippodrome by working with Paul O’Grady on his first pantomime as Lily Savage in Snow White. After that I moved around with Paul quite a bit putting on the show each year and we played venues all over the country”. When Carole talks about panto you can tell it’s something she really loves. She quips about maybe writing a book to help keep certain traditions alive and is quick to point out “It’s a very funny thing panto, you really have to keep it fresh and alive. As an artform, there are certain things you need to do and have experience of, but also it has to be a living thing that develops. It’s important to follow what the audience want whilst also doing what has to be done to stay true to form. It’s a fine line to tread. The most important thing is having the time to dedicate to making it right.” “You certainly need the directors who know what they are doing and there is a tendency to say “we’ll use younger people to bring something fresh to it” which is great but what you aren’t doing is keeping that element of Commedia del’arte, which is where panto originally comes from”. “One thing I miss is the declines of the specialty acts in panto. You used to have acts like Pavlov’s puppets, which were little string marionettes who would come on stage and talk to the fairy. We tend to look at things like that now and think it’s all a bit kitsch, but actually for a three year old it’s quite magical. We’re on the verge now of youngsters being used to bigger effects and that’s being shown in places like Hull where this year their panto Aladdin, featured a 3D genie. It’s really terrific. It draws a line between keeping it traditional and not allowing kids to get

bored. You all get given 3D glasses and when you get to the cave, it goes into 3D, the flying bats, the genie, it’s quite brilliant. In effect it’s a modern day speciality act. You can’t really do what those old guys used to do. You can try to recreate it, you can cheat it by numbers but it’s a skill that is being lost”. “Ultimately though, the success of a panto comes down to whose putting it on. You can have a pop star who is terrifically good. I had Chico in Aladdin, and it’s all too easy for people to rubbish him, but he was terrific. He had a load of energy and was so easy to guide him. It’s not a form though where you can just wing it and much around.” “Of course, the script is hugely important and it makes me so angry when people dismiss how crucial it is to have a good panto script. If you have a good script as your base and then you layer on all the extras you have a winner, but having a bad script as your base is a recipe for disaster. There is a huge number of people who don’t take panto as a form seriously, it’s not an easy thing to pull off but you have so much responsibility. In many cases this is the first time that most children will be going to a live theatre event and we need that to encourage them to want to see something else. Also, in these times, it’s disrespectful to an audience, who let’s face it pay out good money to come along with their kids.” “Even the smallest panto on the smallest budget can be utterly brilliant. It’s important to carefully match your resources and cast to the script you choose. Take the time to choose your script and the music carefully. Musically, try to pick a mix of something from the charts, musical theatre and possibly an older number so you please the kids, parents and the grandparents. It is family entertainment.” Given her experience are there any top tips that she can pass on to our readers:1. “Make the story clear and truthful.” 2. “Get the right people doing the comedy. Paul Elliott always used to say to me that you should never let the principal girl do the gags. Leave that to the dame or the buttons character. “ 3. “Make sure it’s not overly long.” 4. “ Don’t let your effects overshadow what’s going on.” These are rules that I’ve lived by when working on panto over the years. For me they are Golden Rules.

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David Wood

“ ... the national children’s dramatist ... ” (The Times) Plays, pantomimes and family musicals, including: • Aladdin •

Lady Lollipop

“this Aladdin sets kids alight.” Romford Recorder

• Babes in the Magic Wood • “a magic confection.” Romford Observer

• Cinderella •

“perfectly updated ... fantabulous” Thurrock Gazette

• Dick Whittington and Wondercat •

“just magic ... master of the panto David Wood has done it again.” Advertiser

• The Gingerbread Man • Jack and the Giant • Lady Lollipop • • Mother Goose’s Golden Christmas • “the perfect family Christmas entertainment” Thurrock Gazette

• Old Mother Hubbard •

“... a classic - lots of participation, witty, catchy songs ...”

Roald Dahl Adaptations:

• The BFG • Danny the Champion of the World • • Fantastic Mr Fox • James and the Giant Peach • • The Twits • The Witches • And just published:

George’s Marvellous Medicine!

Further details available from:

Samuel French Ltd 52 Fitzroy Street London W1T 5JR Tel: 0207 255 4300 Fax: 0207387 2161

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BACKSTAGE

Y L L U F E R A SE C

CHOO

IPT R C S O T N A AP G N I T C E L E S

ometimes it’s not so much about just choosing a pantomime as choosing one that’s right for your society. If another society or professional panto within a certain radius of you is staging Cinderella, then you really should choose something different. The fact that your Secretary’s husband, Peter, has won awards for his mammoth pumpkins this year is not a reason to choose Cinderella. Audiences will only pay to see one show. The best way to choose a panto is to check your locality to see recent productions by other groups. Okay so another group are staging Mother Goose this year, performed Aladdin last year, Sleeping Beauty the year before, and Dick Whittington ten years ago. Logic tells you to go with Dick Whittington. But hold on? Dick Whittington? London Town? A voyage? Morocco? You’ve only got a small stage and very limited funds and resources. Nil desperandum! There are ways around that for a competent production team. You can narrow your panto choice down further by reading different scripts. Several publishers will let you have scripts on loan so that you can check if it is the right one for you, or some larger towns have a scripts section in their reference library. So what are your options? Buy a professional pantomime script or write one?

WRITING A PANTO – THE PROS AND CONS

How many amateur dramatic societies have thought

about writing their own pantomime to save money on royalties or to accommodate a large cast? There is an aspiring writer in most of us and there may be people in your society who would love to ‘give it a go’. So how can you get a panto script off the ground? There are many pantomime writing books on the market that suggest the easiest pantomimes to write are the best known titles such as Aladdin and Cinderella. Hold on! Before you even think of keeping Peter’s prize pumpkin on standby you need to be aware that writing the best known panto is not as easy as you think. The fact that Aladdin and Cinderella are so well known can prove a stumbling block. As an author you’ll have less room for manoeuvre, it may be more creative to try lesser known subjects such as Babes in the Wood or Puss in Boots. However your committee have chosen Dick Whittington, and in a moment of complete recklessness you have volunteered to write it. You have Googled it to get some background material, come up with lots of ideas and gags, used contemporary references, a few local and topical jokes, and have a clear image of your set. You now take it further, your enthusiasm has rubbed off onto most of the society and now you have been told by the committee that 36 members want to take part in this year’s extravaganza. Maybe Ali Baba would have been easier, and you’re sure you’ve seen 41 large pitchers in Peter’s garden… It is important to remember who you are writing for. Who are your audience? Not just children, but parents and grandparents who will be bringing them along to the show and also need to be entertained. What is the attention span of children? (What is the attention span of grandads?) How long should this panto be? Think about timing. You have had to write parts for 36 people, just

how much dialogue have you got? Are your characters as clearly defined as you hoped? Does it make sense? Suddenly this isn’t as easy as you first thought.

TO BUY OR NOT TO BUY? THAT IS THE QUESTION.

But what is the answer? No matter how funny your script or well defined your characters, writing your own script can prove difficult if you are not familiar with stage craft, panto traditionalism, or production. Purchasing a professional script is so much easier in the long term. Firstly it has been tried and tested by others. It works. Secondly most professional panto scripts have production, character and costumes notes. The home grown writer has to work harder to stage their panto as these important points are not in place. Go to publishers such as NODA, Lazy Bee scripts, and Jasper Publishing to find out exactly what they have on their books and you will have a pantomime to win the audiences over. Whatever you do, the most important thing is to enjoy yourselves.

Bob Heather and Cheryl Barrett are both Writers and directors of pantomime in their own right. They are at present engaged in writing an all-encompassing book on writing, directing and acting in pantomime for the amateur theatre.

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BACKSTAGE

S T P I R C S TO 011

PAHANT’S ON OFFER 2 W

s from

fering test of

t the la a s k o tage lo o writers. S r u e t Ama t pant a e convoluted rhyming couplets, tried and tested Panto r g ’s K U Routines and a chance for Groups to get their teeth into e h t a bit of “straight” acting. As Alistair always says, “Make

AA Pantos

“AA Pantos” launched their website just over ten years ago, but co-authors Alan Richardson and Alistair Ferguson actually started collaborating on Pantomime Scripts back in 1973 with their version of “Sinbad”. Since then they have scripted, either jointly or individually, sixteen Pantomimes and Children’s Plays – from their latest offering - the traditional “Babes in the Wood” - to the brand new “The Amazing Adventures of Sherbert Dipp”. Other titles include a Cinderella inspired by Celtic myths, a Little Red Riding Hood steeped in legend and folk tales, a Sinbad inspired by tales in the Arabian Nights and a Robinson Crusoe with a distinctly green and environmentally friendly feel-good factor. Originally written for the Scottish amateur market, now all their Pantos have been adapted for UK-wide audiences and have been continuously performed by Groups from the South of England to the North of Scotland! All their scripts have a very strong storyline, a few cheeky plot twists, packed with daft comedy, appalling puns,

‘em laugh and make ‘em cry”. Alistair and Alan have had nothing but praise from the Groups that have performed their scripts - “We started a read-through last evening but didn’t get past Scene 5 due to the laughter! - their audiences - “That was the silliest, funniest Panto I’ve ever seen”- and from the local Press – “Packed with all the ingredients of traditional pantomime... Wacky characters... Delightful and memorable scenes” More details of their scripts (including sample scenes) can be found on their website at www.aapantos.co.uk

BEN CROCKER PANTOMIMES.

Libby Purves, giving a rave review in The Times this year, summed up Ben’s new version of Beauty & the Beast as “A perfect, proper panto”. So, if you want a professionally crafted script which will make your audience “go nuts” i.e. laugh a lot, shout a lot and maybe cry a little bit, go straight to Ben’s website at bencrockerpantomimes.com Ben’s pantomimes have all been premiered at either

the exquisite tiny Theatre in Chipping Norton, or the Northcott Theatre in Exeter. They are intimate, modern and have a great feel good factor, which is absolutely ideal for companies with a strong local following. They are extremely funny and specifically written to be performed in small to medium sized venues. Dominic Cavendish in the Telegraph described the same production of Beauty and the Beast as “A Beauty of a Beast… One of the most rejuvenatingly good natured pantos anywhere in the country.” Michael Billington and Lyn Gardner in The Guardian listed the show number one in “The Best Pantomimes for Christmas 2010”. If you want to find out why the cream of the national press is flocking to a 213 seat theatre in the Cotswolds, then have a look at the tightly written and hilarious scripts which drive the shows and delight all audience members from 3 to 103! A whole new generation of bang up to the minute traditional pantomimes is now available at www.bencrockerpantomimes.com.

BOB HEATHER

Bob Heather has been writing traditional family pantomimes for many years now and they are performed all over the UK and in may ex-pat areas abroad including Canada, USA, Australia and New Zealand. He has written four pantomimes on his own – Aladdin, Jack and the Beanstalk, Dick Whittington (All published by NODA), and The Pied Piper (Published by Lazy Bee scripts). He has also written Mother Goose, Babes in the Wood, and recently, Robinson Crusoe with Roger Lamb, Cinderella with Stuart Ardern, and The King’s New Clothes with Peter Bond (All published by Lazy Bee Scripts). Bob fully believes in the magic of traditional family pantomimes with something for everyone from the smallest child to the eldest grandad. You can find more details on Bob’s web-site www.dublar.co.uk

ALAN P FRAYN

Alan Frayn has reaffirmed his reputation as one of the most popular present day writers, with well over

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 52 Fitzroy St, London W1P 6JR Ph: 020 7387 9373

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100 productions using his pantomime scripts again this season. Aimed firmly at audiences of today, Alan’s recently written scripts are original, fast-moving and packed with comedy, whilst still retaining all the fun of traditional pantomime. They are also amazingly flexible, being suited to straightforward staging, but offering plenty of scope for the more ambitious. Every aspect is well explained in full production notes and each script is revised and updated annually. Available from Stage Right Creative Ltd, this new generation of pantomime scripts includes Cinderella, Jack & the Beanstalk, Aladdin, Dick Whittington, Mother Goose, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs, Sinbad the Sailor and Humpty Dumpty, together with a true pantomime adaptation of Ali Baba & the Forty Thieves. Recently released, Alan’s new “Treasure Island the Pantomime” is sure to be a popular choice for next season, especially with the next Pirates of the Caribbean film out this summer – not to mention his renowned “Robinson Crusoe & the Pirates”, which also has the benefit of an unusual and vibrant South American opening and finale. For something a little different, why not try “The Twelve Days of Christmas” – a totally original, but traditional style pantomime or “Adventure in Pantoland” – a celebration of pantomime, ideal for an anniversary production. Also, shortly to be released is Alan’s brand new pantomime version of Beauty & the Beast. For further information, please visit www.stagerightcreative.com or contact 01889 502222 or email sales@stagerightcreative.co.uk

JOHN OWEN SMITH

It started, as these things so often do, by getting someone out of a hole. His local Am Dram club were short of a panto script, so John Owen Smith was persuaded to write them one. That was in 1988. Since then his Puss

in Boots has been translated into Spanish and staged in New York and he has written ten other pantomime titles, half a dozen historical plays and a smattering of murder mysteries and other short plays. Operating as a one-man industry out of his house in Hampshire, John’s main line of business is in publishing local history books, and many of his scripts include a historical theme – for instance in his Robin Hood we find King Richard and his queen returning from a Mediterranean crusade, getting closer as the show goes on, until they arrive at Nottingham just in time to put paid to the dastardly Sheriff. He writes his scripts to allow for local variations, and in particular is happy to release the text in electronic form for directors to make their own amendments and print their own scripts. As a publisher himself he sees that the profit from printing, stocking and selling paper scripts is small compared with the royalties received from performance. He would prefer to get a script used rather than put barriers in the way of potential directors, and this seems to be borne out by the enthusiasm of his customers to receive scripts in this form. Having become known locally as ‘Jo who writes pantomimes’, he was asked by his District Council to write a community play based on a historical theme. Thus began a new theatrical challenge, to portray nonfiction on the stage. [see ‘Bringing Local History to Life’ — Amateur Stage, January 1994] The result was not only a success for John as a playwright but also helped to develop a spirit of co-operation between a number of local amateur dramatic organisations who were involved in the project – a bonus which has continued in his part of East Hampshire to the present day. John has continued to write for the community in parallel with his pantomimes – a play to celebrate the centenary of the National Trust in 1995 [see ‘A Balance of Trust’ — Amateur Stage, February 1996], a dramatisation of ‘The Broomsquire’ set in the Hindhead area [see ‘To Promenade or not to Promenade’ — Amateur Stage, December 2000] and a pair of plays telling of the life

of Flora Thompson (author of Lark Rise to Candleford) before she was famous, when she lived near to John’s home in Hampshire. With eleven traditional pantomime scripts under his belt, John is turning towards other theatrical forms, such as the open-air ‘dramatic walk’ on Hindhead Common for the National Trust which will take place on August Bank Holiday Sunday. And his most recent offering? MacHamlet – the pantomime that dare not speak its name! To be premiered by his local Am Drams at a ‘Bard’s Night’ feast on St George’s Day this year. After that, you’re welcome to try it yourselves. For further info see www.johnowensmith.co.uk

STEPHEN DUCKHAM

Stephen has been involved with Pantomimes both professional and amateur for over thirty years. Having directed every major title he turned to writing in the early 1990’s and has had his scripts performed all over the British Isles, Southern Ireland, Europe, Australia and the USA. In fact his first script, Cinderella, was written for an American production in Los Angeles and starred Zsa Zsa Gabor as the Fairy Godmother. For the last six years he has had a script of his performed in London’s West End – this year was the brand new Pinocchio. Also new this year is The Pied Piper of Hamelin and in preparation for next Christmas – Robin Hood, which will be his sixteenth script. Also a director of musicals Stephen has well over 150 productions to his credit including six European Premieres and four World Premieres. He has also cowritten a number of original musicals, the most recent being a new free adaptation of Charles Kingsley’s ‘The Water Babies’ retitled ‘Tom and the Water Babes’. This was work-shopped last year and hopefully will have a full production this year. 2008 saw the premiere of ‘Valentino’ a musical based on the life of the first screen superstar. Combining the settings of on and off screen

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BACKSTAGE romances, together with the turbulent private life of the silent film star, this musical has a large amount of parts and company work plus choreography that includes the 20’s sultry new dance ‘the tango’. Stephen’s writing and directing work has taken him all over Great Britain and to many parts of the USA. Stephen’s first-hand knowledge of all aspects of theatre has proved invaluable when writing and adapting scripts for every type of venue. Each of his pantomime scripts comes with a full set of production notes and can be performed simply or lavishly, depending on the facilities available to individual companies. Story lines are strong in every case combining adventure, comedy and always a little romance! Both traditional and modern sequences are found throughout each script, together with a large amount of audience participation. As most of the scripts were originally written and performed by a small theatre company, special attention is always given to the confines of limited theatre space. Musical items are clearly indicated with plenty of scope for chorus and choreography work for companies of all sizes. In many cases Stephen has written the music and lyrics for situation songs and song sheets with may be used if required. Stephen is constantly revising and rewriting his pantomime scripts to update the characters and parts of the plot lines. All his scripts contain sequences where an individual company can personalise and localise the dialogue. In many cases his advice is asked for on how to approach a certain sequence or if something could be altered to fit a particular stage. This he is more than happy to give and if it is possible he will meet with a company or attend a performance. All of Stephen’s pantomime scripts, pantomime songs and original musicals are published by NODA Ltd. For perusal copies contact: Dale Freeman, NODA Ltd, 58 – 60 Lincoln Road, Peterborough PE1 2RZ Tel: 01733 865690

SAMUEL FRENCH

From Aladdin to The Wonderful Story of Mother Goose, Samuel French Ltd has more than 90 pantomimes available to perform at www.samuelfrench-london. co.uk. Browse the full list of synopses and details of setting and casting requirements of pantos from a range of popular authors including Norman Robbins, Paul Reakes, David Wood, Richard Lloyd, David Cregan and Brian Protheroe and John Crocker and Eric Gilder. Choose ‘Pantomime’ in the genre field of Select-a-play, the unique search facility created for drama groups to tailor their show to their individual requirements. You can also specify the number of male, female and total roles, depending on the cast size available. Non-traditionalists can find a range of alternatives to pantomimes under the ‘Seasonal’ genre, which includes family plays and musicals for children and young people such as J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, Willis Hall’s A Right Christmas Caper, Paul Thain’s Papa Panov’s Magic Christmas and John Morley’s Pinocchio. Other seasonal alternatives include Tim Firth’s Flint Street Nativity, which sees a class of seven-year-olds (played by adults) tackling a school nativity play with hilarious results: Herod won’t stop waving at his Mum and Dad and the subversive innkeeper is determined to liven up the traditional script. Original lyrics are set to the tunes of well-known Christmas carols. Alan Ayckbourn’s new musical Awaking Beauty with music by Denis King imagines what would happen if Sleeping Beauty finally woke up in the 21st Century. The Prince awakens Princess Aurora and the happy young couple are about to embark on their first night of passionate love when ugly Carabosse, the wicked witch, butts in having taken a fancy to the Prince. But which one will be the Awaking Beauty? On a slightly less festive but equally entertaining note, Ayckbourn’s Season’s Greetings, a recent hit at the National Theatre, sees a dysfunctional family Christmas descending into rows and rivalry, climaxing in a potential crime scene. The site also allows you to check fee codes and apply for a licence quotation for performance. Leaflets

providing further details of pantomimes and seasonal plays are available to download and print.

DARREN’S SCRIPTS

Darren’s Scripts offers a wide range of quality family pantomimes catered specifically for amateur theatre. We have all the traditional favourites such as Dick Whittington, Aladdin and Sleeping Beauty and we also have scripts for groups with less traditional tastes, such as The Three Musketeers and Hercules. Our pantomimes are written for all age groups and they are not just a bunch of tired old gags strung together around a thin plot line, they have strong stories told by even stronger characters that are as fun to watch as they are to perform, so much so that soon your biggest worry will not be whether you can cast a show but which of your group’s members you have to disappoint by telling them they do not have a part. Established in 2004 with a small catalogue of six scripts we have steadily grown to have a total of fifteen pantomimes available to purchase, including our latest pantomime Puss in Boots that was launched in 2010 and had its premier performed by Penarth Operatic and Dramatic Society in South Wales. This pantomime is an excellent choice for groups regardless of your budget and the audience will fall in love with characters like the noble Will and his cunning feline companion as they battle to save the beautiful Princess Katy from the clutches of the evil ogre and the duplicitous, and not to mention gorgeous, knight, Sir Darcy Dashing. Refusing to be fazed by the fact that we’re running out of traditional titles, we are still working on new pantomimes. We now have two versions of Jack and the Beanstalk and will have a second version of Cinderella available by the spring. This is an ongoing project and we will continue to produce full length versions of all the major titles and will soon be moving onto a collection of one hour long productions. With nearly thirty years of experience in amateur theatre doing acting, directing, building scenery and sitting through those fun-filled committee meetings

AA Pantos

Panto scripts with all the traditional elements blended in strong story lines and laced with an original twist

from Alistair Ferguson and Alan Richardson “All the necessary ingredients of traditional laughfare... Brings originality to tradition”

New for 2011 BABES IN THE WOOD Also available ALADDIN & HIS WONDERFUL LAMP LITTLE BO PEEP THE ADVENTURES OF DICK WHITTINGTON SINBAD ALI BABA & THE CAVE OF DOOM HUMPTY DUMPTY SLEEPING BEAUTY & THE BEAST LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD THE GOLDEN FLEECE THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF SHERBERT DIPP THE SNOW QUEEN THE NEW ADVENTURES OF ROBINSON CRUSOE THE LEGEND OF CINDERELLA

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BACKSTAGE are perfect for your group. His treatments of nearly every unusual subject are still the first choice for societies worldwide. Scripts are available through Samuel French or NODA.

we are perfectly placed to see what works with both the audience and the all important volunteers both on and off the stage who are needed to put a performance on. We are also aware of just how much it can cost to produce a pantomime. In support of amateur theatre we endeavour to keep our prices as low as possible by doing our business via email. Reading copies are free and royalties are a mere £30 per performance. Script costs are as cheap as you can make them, we email you the printing copy and you print as many copies as you need for your group. So why not check us out at www.darrenscripts.co.uk, have a look at our online script samples and if you see anything you fancy then contact us via the website to request your free reading copies.

John’s pantomimes have been performed all over the world. John and his son Ben have worked on keeping the scripts modern and current. Whether your requirements are for larger casts or smaller casts John’s scripts cover your requirements. If you want to veer off the more traditional subjects you are advised to look at his Potted Panto and the Frankenstein Monster Show - both hugely entertaining. John Crocker’s scripts are available through Samuel French.

Colin Wakefield and Kate Edgar

DAVID WOOD

Colin and Kate have established a popular reputation over the past twenty years for strong, witty characterand plot-led pantomimes, all with original music - and they are still writing new scripts. This year’s Pinocchio at Theatre Royal Margate was described as “a kaleidoscopic delight”.Their scripts were first commissioned by Salisbury Playhouse, then by Winchester Theatre Royal and now start at Theatre Royal Margate. They are proving hugely popular with amateur societies throughout the country.In 2007 Kate and Colin received their first amateur commission, The Snow Queen, from the Merlin Theatre, Frome, and this large-cast Christmas musical is published by Josef Weinberger Plays, who also publish eleven more of their scripts. For full details of these and other shows, please visit Colin and Kate’s website: www.traditionalpantomimes.co.uk

JOHN MORLEY

Britain’s pantomime king, his scripts are classics of their kind, based on his magnificent London Palladium originals. Then, of course, there is the Guiness Book of Records entry for Babes In the Wood at Nottingham Theatre Royal which ran until June! If old fashioned tradition is what you look for in a panto, John’s scripts

JOHN CROCKER

Introducing children to theatre must be the most rewarding thing we can do. Theatre-loving parents who take their offspring to see plays and pantomimes, especially at Christmas time, hope that the magic will excite and inspire them towards a life-enhancing and lifelong activity. And nowadays more children than ever have the chance to learn and develop their own performance skills. Drama in schools is flourishing and numerous training organisations have sprung up, offering Saturday and after-school classes. This bodes well for the future of live theatre. Fears that the television and computer game generation might never leave their homes are, I believe, groundless. But they need encouragement. Amateur dramatic and operative societies, as well as professional producers, have a real responsibility to present quality family shows that don’t bore the adults and don’t patronise the children. It makes commercial sense, too. Family theatre appeals to a very wide age-range and therefore offers greater box office potential. Not only that, family theatre acts as an advert, to encourage young performers and technicians to join the society or club.

By concentrating on writing plays for children and families, I have been lucky enough to regularly witness the generous way in which children are so much more willing than many adults to enter into the spirit of the performance. They happily join in audience participation. They are open. They lack cynicism. They get very excited. If we tell a good story, and tell it engagingly and with commitment, the rewards are heartwarming and memorable. Family and children’s theatre is not an easy option, but it’s exhilarating in the extreme when we get it right. If you have never tried it, you are really missing a treat. When I started writing pantomimes, I wanted to avoid the rather fragmented, variety-style pantos I remembered from my childhood. The story was often rather thin, peppered with pop songs and speciality acts. Comedy, even well-performed slapstick, didn’t always stem from character, and the individual talents of the star performers sometimes belonged to the cabaret circuit rather than family theatre. I shall never forget, as a student, witnessing a famous comedian performing to a matinee full of children, cracking an off-colour joke and saying, ‘Let’s get the kids out of here, then we can get started!’ What I try to do is write a family musical, in which the specially written songs help tell a strong story. I don’t write star vehicles, I aim for an ensemble company feel. Hopefully it works and hopefully the actors enjoy being given meaty character roles to play. Many panto traditions are followed, including the use of a Dame, animal characters, comedy scenes and audience participation. Every Christmas, in recent years, it has been heartwarming to see more amateur companies also putting on my children’s plays, which are not overtly seasonal, but which offer an entertaining alternative to panto. THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT WENT TO SEE …, THE PLOTTERS OF CABBAGE PATCH CORNER, THE GINGERBREAD MAN, as well as my adaptations, including seven Roald Dahl titles, TOM’S MIDNIGHT GARDEN (Philippa Pearce) and BABE, THE SHEEP-PIG

Pantomime Scripts

by Stephen Duckham Aladdin : Babes in the Wood : Beauty and the Beast : Cinderella : Dick Whittington : Goldilocks and the Three Bears : Jack and the Beanstalk : Mother Goose : The Pied Piper : Pinocchio : Puss in Boots : Robinson Crusoe : Sinbad the Sailor : The Sleeping Beauty : Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Two new scripts for 2011 of ‘The Pied Piper’ and ‘Pinocchio’. (Recently seen in London’s West End). Each script comes with a full set of production notes and can be performed simply or lavishly, depending on the facilities available to individual companies. Both traditional and modern sequences are found throughout each script, together with a large amount of audience participation. All scripts are being updated regularly. ALADDIN ‘Writer Stephen Duckham’s version was a feast – a great family show which has something for everyone’ Warwick Times CINDERELLA “Well-delivered gags flew thick and fast and credit must surely go to Stephen Duckham.” Leamington Observer MOTHER GOOSE “Stephen Duckham’s script skilfully combines traditional panto and contemporary themes.” Isle of Man Newspapers ROBINSON CRUSOE “Does everything a panto should.” Leamington Courier SINBAD THE SAILOR “Stephen Duckham’s action-packed panto was a real Christmas cracker” Coventry Evening Telegraph DICK WHITTINGTON “Written by Stephen Duckham, this show had everything you would expect from a traditional panto.” Kenilworth Weekly News SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS “… an enchanting show which combines panto classics with audience participation.” Evening Sentinel, Stoke on Trent PUSS IN BOOTS “So good was Stephen Duckham’s script – the story flowed effortlessly” Leamington Courier Perusal scripts now available from: NODA, 58-60 Lincoln Road, Peterborough PE1 2RZ Tel: 01733 865790 Email: dale@noda.org.uk www.noda.org.uk

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o PANTOMIMES p —refreshingly different— —tested in performance— —reading copies available— Ali Baba – Scheherazade introduces her very last Arabian Nights tale Cinderella – Baron Hardup’s household as tradition tells it—with immortal lines Dick Whittington – and his cat—the tale as recorded by Fred Chaucer Humpty Dumpty – the Muffet Mob’s on the loose—can egghead save the day? Jack and the Beanstalk – Witch Whey’s wicked wheeze won’t work – will it? Nutcracker, the script Tchaikovsky might have set to music, if only he’d known Puss in Boots – that talking cat gets everywhere—and gets his just desserts! Red Riding Hood – there can be a fete worse than death—ask the Wolf! Robin Hood – a cricket match in Sherwood Forest? There’s Nun Better to play Sleeping Beauty – the show with an interval of a hundred years Snow White and 7 Dwarfs – the mirror’s off the wall in more ways than one!

Other plays by the same author RIOT! – the Selborne & Headley workhouse riots of 1830 Flora’s Heatherley – the ‘sinister street’ years of Flora Thompson Flora’s Peverel – when Flora Thompson ‘won the fight to write’ The Broomsquire – a dramatisation of Sabine Baring-Gould’s classic novel MacHamlet – the ‘Scottish Play’ vies with the Danish Tragedy – at football! Twelve Minute Night – the best bits of ‘Twelfth Night’! Cinderelder – What has happened to Cinderella, 20 years after the wedding? Bleeding Moody – Can you imagine Sleeping Beauty as a teenager of today? John Owen Smith, 19 Kay Crescent, Headley Down GU35 8AH Tel: (01428) 712892

E-mail: wordsmith@johnowensmith.co.uk Website: www.johnowensmith.co.uk

(Dick King-Smith) are all available. And lots more! Via Samuel French. Please have a read. And please consider helping to create a whole new generation of theatregoers – as well as offering your set, costume and lighting designers a festive chance to stretch their creative imaginations – by announcing a family show this Christmas!

NEW THEATRE PUBLICATIONS

NTP, perhaps better known for plays, can offer over 30 pantomimes ranging from traditional to modern, and benefits from the possibly unique situation of being a publisher with a membership, most of who are in regular touch, and most willing to tailor their pantomimes to suit your cast and location. On many occasions the authors will turn up to see a performance, and the associated media interest can have a very beneficial effect of ticket sales. There are four Cinderella’s in the list (plus a modern sequel), two Robin Hoods (plus modern sequel), Goldilocks (also with a modern sequel), and the usual assortment of Babes in Woods, Beauties and Beasts, Whittingtons, Red Riding Hoods and so on. Basically something to satisfy most theatres’ needs. All are available in acting editions and NTP offers free evaluation copies so you can assess the scripts’ suitability before you spend any money. There is a constantly updated catalogue of the website www. plays4theatre.com – just click on Catalogue, check the Panto button and press Search to give you a list of what’s available, with cast size and synopses. You can order copies, evaluation copies and performing licences from there. Alternatively, the New Theatre Publications paper catalogue is available free on request. Contact info@ plays4theatre.com or call 0845 331 3516.

TLC Creative

“Why does everything have to keep changing? People keep on mucking about with things – and they were perfectly good enough when I was a lad…” And so on. Pantomimes are a fantastic Winter tradition, but as culture and tastes change you need to adapt to

TRADITIONAL PANTOMIMES by COLIN WAKEFIELD and KATE EDGAR (Published by Josef Weinberger Plays)

ALADDIN “Traditional to the tips of its turned-up toes… has the Playstation generation screaming with delight!” The Independent

CINDERELLA “One of the finest Christmas shows I have seen for years” Romsey Advertiser DICK WHITTINGTON “An absolute joy” The Punter THE SLEEPING BEAUTY (3 Versions) “Another mini-masterpiece of mirthfulness” Western Daily Press

JACK AND THE BEANSTALK “You won’t see a better performance this side of the moon” Blackmore Vale Gazette

ROBIN HOOD AND THE BABES IN THE WOOD “Children seeing this show as their first visit to pantoland are lucky indeed” Salisbury Journal MOTHER GOOSE (2 Versions) “This could well be the mother of all pantomimes in a fine blend of old and new” Southern Evening Echo LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD “Sheer joy from start to finish” The Stage PUSS IN BOOTS “A marvellous show” The Stage THE SNOW QUEEN (Small and Large Cast Versions) “A magical adaptation” Somerset Guardian

ALI BABA AND THE FORTY THIEVES “This energetic explosion of a pantomime” Isle of Thanet Gazette

NEW for 2011: PINOCCHIO “It was great to have a beautiful, funny, clever and moral family-friendly play” (Happy punter)

www.traditionalpantomimes.co.uk

modern demands if you’re going to get bums on seats! And that’s one of the strengths we think we have here at TLC Creative. We’re a trio of writers (Damian Trasler, David Lovesy and Steve Clark), and we’ve been writing pantomimes since 2002. We currently have fourteen pantomime titles in our canon - from the traditional titles (Cinderella, Aladdin, Jack and the Beanstalk), to something a bit different (“1001 Arabian Nights”, “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” or the Arthurian “Knight Fever!”). We mix up modern material and set pieces with all the traditional elements of pantomime – ensuring that all ages have something to enjoy! We supply rewritten lyrics to popular songs that fit the storyline, and all the tunes we suggest have backing tracks available through our music partners at www.sound-board.com We’ve recently celebrated the 2500th performance of one of our scripts, which have been performed by hundreds of groups around the world, and many of our customers return year after year to our titles – so we’re obviously doing something right! As performers ourselves we understand the needs of the production team, and are happy to field email queries from drama groups that have issues with staging particular elements – we like to build a relationship with all our user-base. We’re also familiar with the need to localise the script, and we make provision for this as well as offer the freedom for groups to adapt the script as required – within reason, of course! And it doesn’t stop there! Alongside the scripts, we also offer little extras all designed to enhance the theatre experience for families. On our publisher’s site, www. lazybeescripts.co.uk, you can buy downloadable Kids’ Fun Packs and spoof fairytale adverts which you can put into your show programme, or even recorded spoof adverts and audience announcements you can play between the tunes in the foyer. It’s all designed to get people in the mood to have a bit of fun before the curtain even rises. 2011 promises to be a busy year for us. Amongst our other creative endeavours (comedy sketches, one-act plays and theatrically-themed merchandise) we have just released our spooky full-length “Pantostein” and our take on “Sinbad the Sailor” will be available shortly. We just starting our next pantomime – I won’t give anything

away, other than it’s a cool slant on a traditional popular pantomime title! We love to hear from groups and individuals, whether it’s good (or bad!) feedback on performing one of our scripts, or suggestions or requests for which titles we should have a crack at. Please visit our website at www.tlc-creative.co.uk/as.htm and send us a message or you can email david@tlc-creative.co.uk. How else are we going to know what we should do next?

NODA PANTOMIMES

NODA have a range of beautifully crafted scripts by many of today’s top authors, as well many traditional favorites, including the ever popular John Morley, Leonard Caddy & Ron Hall to name but a few. You can make your choice for your future productions from over 128 titles written by over 17 quality authors and most are regularly updated. NODA have unrivalled experience in the pantomime sector and can guide you painlessly through the licensing process, as well as supplying your scripts in good time for rehearsals. Amateur Dramatic groups have been buying their panto scripts from Noda decade after decade, and year after year they return to see what other delights they have to offer and are never disappointed! NODA are continuously evaluating new titles and authors to add to their already impressive portfolio and all works given the NODA stamp have been rigorously checked to ensure they meet their considerably high standards giving you the widest choice and freshest scripts, whilst maintaining the traditionalism aspect of pantomime. NODA have in excess of 128 pantomime titles on offer including many versions of the traditional favorites of Aladdin, Beauty & the Beast, Christmas Carol, Cinderella, Dick Whittington, Peter Pan, Puss in Boots and so on. Alongside the traditional titles NODA have a selection of ‘something different for pantomime’ titles which since their recent release have proved extremely popular for those groups who want to try something completely new. Titles such as Treasure Island, Prince’s Quest, Alice Through The Looking Glass, Father Christmas &

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BACKSTAGE not just some twisted quirk of my personality. I only mention this because if you don’t laugh out loud while you are writing a panto script you’re not doing it right. And yes, I still do chuckle or snort or bark when a funny bit appears on the screen in front of me. Why not, I’ve never heard the joke before. That is one reason why people should write their own. This may seem odd coming from me. I am proud to have the most successful Panto Script website on Earth (at least according to Google)( at least in the English language – which seems a fairly safe bet; not many pantos in French or Croatian or Japanese I suspect). My shows have won Noda awards and my scripts are sent off all over the UK, plus – and I love this bit – all over the world including Africa, America and Asia. It is so cool to get photos or reviews from bizarre places.

Frankenstein, yes Frankenstein! These titles although perhaps ‘alternative’ still retain the traditional pantomime look and feel and are proving extremely popular with audiences throughout the land. The perusal hire service is of course a valued service to the theatrical community and as well as offering the traditional hard copy for hire, via NODA’s new website you now have the option of downloading and printing between 50-75% of the original script allowing you to evaluate the work with no cost or waiting for the post to arrive! Furthermore you don’t have to be a NODA member to delve into the website and download these samples. (www.noda.org.uk) Of course if you need further information on any of the titles and for licensing, then you should contact NODA on 01733 865790 or email info@noda.org.uk. Also, by visiting the NODA website you can download the full ‘NODA Guide to Musicals, Plays and Pantomimes’ in which you will find full synopses for all NODA licensed works. So, for the perfect panto production, look no further than NODA Pantomimes and make your next show the talk of the town!

Josef Weinberger

In addition to the wide variety of musicals and seasonal plays such as Gordon Steel’s A Kick in the Baubles, Peter Whelan and Bill Alexander’s version of the Nativity, Daniel Wain’s backstage peek at a pantomime in distress Look Behind You and Stephen Sharkey’s adaptation of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Josef Weinberger offer a range of pantomimes - some traditional in style and content and others offering more contemporary interpretations of classic favourites. The pantomimes written by Colin Wakefield and Kate Edgar have been professionally staged at the Salisbury Playhouse, Theatre Royal Margate, Theatre Royal Winchester, Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds and the Royal Theatre Northampton alongside productions by non-professional societies throughout the UK, gaining in popularity with each passing year. All are written for mixed casts of between eight and eleven, with flexible chorus numbers and ample opportunities to include children. This year their latest adaptation of Pinocchio

Watch out, boys and girls - it’s Your wish, my master?

joins Aladdin, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Cinderella, Dick Whittington, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, Mother Goose, Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood, The Sleeping Beauty and The Snow Queen as another traditional holiday entertainment containing all the elements for a successful production. Each piece has music written by Kate Edgar and is scored for three musicians or a single piano/keyboard. Peter Webster has authored four popular pantomimes that are full of spectacle and comedy, and each has been written leaving the choice of music to the director. While traditional in their ingredients, Peter’s pantomimes cover stories and subjects that make a change from the normal fare, including Babes in the Wood, Dick Turpin, Peter Panto and his latest, The Pied Piper. Josef Weinberger are also pleased to offer the collection of pantomimes co-written by Chris Denys and Chris Harris (the grandest pantomime Dame of them all), each premiering at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre with many transferring triumphantly to the Cheltenham Everyman Theatre. They feature all the fun and enjoyment you would expect from traditional pantomimes and can be performed as simply or elaborately as resources allow. Each pantomime comes with detailed notes on props, sets, music suggestions and lighting designs to assist producers and directors with their production plans. Denys and Harris titles include the classic tales of Aladdin, Babes in the Wood, Cinderella, Dick Whittington, Jack in the Beanstalk and Mother Goose, with a principal cast between 7-9 and flexible chorus allowing roles for youth groups and children. Please visit our website for more detailed information on any of the pantomimes and other titles available from Josef Weinberger – www.josef-weinberger.com

CHRIS LANE

I still remember writing my best ever panto joke (from Robin Hood – and no, I’m not telling it to you!) It was 20 years ago; I was sat with my co-writer on our doorstep in the sun and suddenly came up with the conclusion of a piece of dialogue. We wept with laughter and couldn’t even get breath to tell our wives the punchline. I’m relieved to say that it always gets the same response from audiences whenever the show is performed and is Genie! Make me irresistible to girls!

Pantomimes, playscripts, sketches and theatrical merchandise

So why do I feel passionately that people should write their own? Firstly because I am being a bit deceitful here – the main reason to write your own is that bought scripts don’t fit all clubs. Only if you tailor it for their limitations can it possibly work. If you write for your own club it is usually going to fit. The reason I am being a bit devious is that part of my panto-selling success is because I actually rewrite the scripts to fit different clubs – and at no extra expense! Whether you are a major club or just a dozen people in a works canteen there is always a panto that can fit. The second reason that you should write your own is even more wicked – it is so you will find out that it is not easy to get it right and so you will be more likely to buy one of mine! Well, not entirely true but certainly a very common event. If you are just writing for your village or the office party you might get away with it and probably won’t be shunned or even sacked for the constant ‘comedy’ abuse that seemed so hilarious when you wrote it. I still enjoy finding new twists on the ancient format and have written ten full pantos (Cinderella, Red Riding Hood and the 3 Pigs, Jack and the Beanstalk, Three Men in a Tub, Robin Hood, Hansel & Gretel, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Dick Whittington, Son of Aladdin) plus shorter versions of the most popular ones suitable for schools, small clubs, offices and venues with no stages, plus adapted ones with no dame, one dame or two dames! Even version with no children (bizarre but true). It may be time-consuming with a full time job (teacher) and a family and also directing, but so very rewarding. I would be delighted to hear from any of you by the magazine website or via my own website (just Google ‘pantoscripts’) if you have any problems or questions that I can be of help with. (No charge!) www.pantoscripts.me.uk

Spotlight Publications

Simon Rayner Davis’s pantomime, Ali Baba & The Forty Thieves, due to be published this month, is the 122nd script published by Spotlight since its inception in 2001. The company offers fifty five full-length pantomimes and sixty seven plays, from its writing team of thirty three authors (excluding a co-operative scriptwriting venture A Hollywood Fairytale by Aberdour Players Youth Theatre). The writing team features working directors such as Craig Hewlett, whose suite of pantomimes includes Aladdin, Cinderella, Jack & Jill & The Beanstalk, Snow White (cowritten with Eddie Goddard), and Young Sherlock Holmes & The Case of Dick Whittington’s Cat. Craig produces for his local club in Gloucestershire (Dursley), and his works continue to sell strongly. Granted.

More bad jokes (but good panto scripts)

available from:

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BACKSTAGE The late Jack Burgess, also from Gloucester (Painswick) left only two pantomimes, but what gems: The Magic Shoes and Snow White & The Seven Not Particularly Tall People. Both are still widely performed. Spotlight pantomimes continue to be popular throughout the UK, and the rest of the world. Space Youth Theatre of Episkopi, Cyprus, put on Mark Rees’s Teen-People, the KL Players a group of expats in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia put on Treasure Island by Hales, Hogan & Wright, and the SMP Dramatic Society of Vancouver put on Dave Buchanan’s Mexican romp, Viva Mexico! Ron Nicol writes pantos too, but is rapidly gaining a reputation for quirky one-act plays which are popular with both adult and youth groups. His Pig Tale has proved a great success, and the follow-up, Wolf Tale, is due out shortly. His play The Edge, on the controversial subject of teenage suicide, was put on by Evolve Theatre in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In the same festival was the award-winning drama, The Door, by Tony Earnshaw. In the year since the first performance at the Leatherhead Drama Festival, the production has won no fewer than eight awards including best new writing, best actor (for both actors) and best director; has played to packed houses in Dorking, Bracknell and Ascot. The Fringe audiences and critics were also enthusiastic and the team came back with 5 star reviews, positive audience feedback and the memory of sell out shows. Mark Rees, who now works for Hull Truck Theatre, founded Lochside Youth Theatre, in Castle Douglas, Dumfries & Galloway, in the mid-nineties, and wrote and produced a series of youth plays. Titles such as Rain On Me, Remembrance, The Blues Sisters and Mrs Worthington’s Daughters remain popular favourites today. Spotlight’s motto has always been, and remains quality scripts at competitive prices, with unbeatable customer service. The discount package deal offers a 15% discount for clubs taking fifteen scripts or more, and putting on at least three performances. New services include downloadable sample scripts and A4-size scripts for producers. Contact details for enquiries, especially reading scripts as follows: Spotlight Publications, 259 The Moorings, Dalgety Bay, Fife, KY11 9GX. Telephone 01383 825737 www.spotlightpublications.com Email: wwpanto@aol.com

NEXT MONTH OUR PANTO DAMES REVIEW THE LATEST PANTO SCRIPT OFFERINGS

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BACKSTAGE

Samuel Ltd Samuel French Ltd play publisher leasing agents The playand publisher

Just Google

PANTOSCRIPTS to find the most hit website of its type on the planet.

Want to know why these award winning scripts are in demand everywhere from schools to major Drama Clubs and international businesses? In production all over the world for almost 20 years yet all totally up to date (no ancient TV jokes) The price beats everyone else, and so does the quality. Customised to fit your needs at no extra cost. Unlimited printing. Self-editing friendly to add local colour. Unlimited number of scripts. Chris Lane

www.pantoscripts.me.uk

From Aladdin to The Wonderful Story of Mother Goose, choose from over 90 pantomimes available:

samuelfrench-london.co.uk • Use Select-a-play to search according to your cast requirements • Apply for a licence quotation

Or visit us in store: French’s Theatre Bookshop 52 Fitzroy St London W1T 5JR Tel: 020 7255 4300 Fax: 020 7387 2161 Email: theatre@samuelfrench-london.co.uk

Now open late every Thursday until 7pm

samuelfrench-london.co.uk

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ONSTAGE

Dick Whittington anudth his Cat reach Sidmo

ick wasn’t to know that many years later his descendants would be so captivated by the town that they would decide to settle here in 1923. And who could blame them? Sidmouth, as John Betjeman remarked, is “a town caught in a timeless charm”. It’s a beautiful seaside town, set in the green hills of the glorious Sid Valley in Devon, and nestled beneath majestic red cliffs. It is a thriving town too with many diverse societies and organisations, one of which is the Sidmouth Amateur Dramatic Society (SADS) founded in 1922. Our annual pantomimes began in 1978 with great success, and, together with our three other annual productions, have always been performed at the local Manor Pavilion Theatre. We are very fortunate in having a really great theatre in Sidmouth. It has tiered seating for up to 278 people, an orchestra pit, a large scenery bay, a really good sized stage and seven dressing rooms on two levels. The theatre was built in the early 1900s and was originally a dance hall. Due to the financial success of our pantomimes, the Society was able, in 1986 to re-build our headquarters/workshop. The new building was designed specifically for drama production, and is situated within ‘The Byes’ in Sidmouth, on land owned by the National Trust. Although we built the hall and maintain it, the building remains the property of the National Trust to whom we pay an annual rent for use of the facilities. The building proudly boasts a rehearsal room, and a large scenery dock for construction, painting and storage. We have a small kitchen, toilet facilities, and a store room for our props. The upstairs section of the hall is home to our extensive wardrobe department. We also hold a tremendous amount of lighting and sound equipment which is stored at the Manor Pavilion Theatre.

interest Alice, Fitzwarren’s daughter, and a chorus of citizens, rats, sailors, guards, and palace attendants. This gave me a lot of scope to use both our adult and junior members. We have our script. Next comes the team you need behind you. You can’t manage without them – stage manager, production assistant, set designers, set construction and painters, wardrobe, publicity, lighting and sound, D.S.M. on the book, props and musical director. Into July and the auditions. If you are lucky you get the cast you have imagined every time you have read the script, which by now you almost know inside out. Now that the actors and team are in place, rehearsals must start. We began with music and choreography. Opening in London, it had to be a medley of well known London songs. We moved to Lord Mayor’s Day and had a ‘Supercalafragelistic’ day. We went to sea with ‘All the Nice Girls Love a Sailor’ and ‘Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat’, and on to Morocco with a bit of Bollywood, ending with ‘The Bells Are Ringing for Me and My Girl’. The Society was extremely fortunate to have Ben Crocker hold a master class for all the pantomime cast early on in the rehearsal period. This was held in our rehearsal rooms and he divided everyone into small groups and gave each group an extract from a pantomime script to work on, and they had to produce a piece of theatre from it by the end of the day. It proved to be very worthwhile, and it goes to show that you are never too told to learn, and even cast members with many years of experience learnt new things from this workshop. It’s October and rehearsals start in earnest. We rehearsed twice a week, putting in music and choreography with the acting, and the script that you have pored over for months comes alive. Of course, as the actors get into their characters, you have to adjust and tweak some of your ideas, because the pantomime grows and evolves naturally.

The Director’s story

It’s May 2010, and I have been asked to direct SADS’ annual pantomime. First there are meetings with the play reading committee, a vital step – you can’t direct without a script. We looked at and read several, but I knew right from the start that I wanted one of Ben Crocker’s scripts. Why? It was mainly because I knew of him through reputation from the Northcott Theatre, Exeter. A script is like a book for me. It has to grab you within the first couple of pages, which his did, and fired my imagination. I chose Dick Whittington and his Cat because the characters leapt out. They were funny without being silly, as well as strong. The whole script flowed effortlessly from one scene to another. It was modern and up to date, but still traditional, which to me was important. The script had all the standard characters – Sarah the Cook (the Dame), Dick Whittington, Tommy the Cat, Idle Jack, King Rat (the evil part), Fairy Bowbells, and the wonderful parts of Alderman Fitzwarren, Horatio Fitzwarren and the Emperor of Morocco - the twist is that all three parts are played by the same actor, and throughout the script this leads to increasingly frenetic costume changes. We also had our love

November comes and goes, full of rehearsals and meetings with your production team, checking things off your list of ‘to dos’. Moving into December, and the panic sets in. We have extra rehearsals because of weather disruption (you can’t control that) and Sunday rehearsals to run everything together, and all this time the team is working away behind and with you; wondering whether we are going to be ready for that move into the theatre. It’s nearly Christmas and we take a short break. After the Christmas break, full steam ahead. We have the dress rehearsal. It goes well. The day of our opening performance arrives. When you hear the laughter, people joining in, see happy faces, feel the magic, you know it has been worth it and that’s what it’s all about. All pantomimes tend to have their problems. Last year, we had to cancel a performance because of heavy snow and ice, but we could not have predicted what actually happened this year! A fire - not at the theatre itself, but in a derelict hotel nearby. This meant the entire area was cordoned off, and the fire chiefs told the theatre that they would not allow the show to go ahead that night. This was at 6.15 p.m. with a curtain up of 7.30 p.m.! It’s not until something like this happens that you realise just how many people are involved in a production such as this, and just how long it takes to call everyone - and this didn’t even include the audience, for which we had a full house. Everyone rallied together, and we decided to re-schedule an extra performance for those who were unable to attend that evening. This involved ensuring that the lighting and sound crew were available, the SM and DSM, crew (a minimum of six required), orchestra, children, chaperones, dressers, front of house and of course the cast. Could the theatre get staff in to cover? It was a mammoth task but between the director, SM and the theatre manager, we managed to get it all sorted. Without staging this extra performance, it could have meant that we lost over £2,000 in tickets sales for that night but, fortunately, most people re-booked.

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ONSTAGE

Our Youth Group

We have a thriving under 18 section, but being a Society that puts on plays (vs. musicals) there is little opportunity for the children to get involved in a fully staged adult production. The pantomime is one production where under 18s can be involved – and they jump at the chance! This year 30 children created a junior chorus of rats and a teenage chorus of cats and dancers working in two teams, performing in alternate performances. We were also fortunate to have three 14 and 15 year old boys who were keen to help backstage. Negotiating rehearsals can be complicated, as children have to finish at 9 p.m. and this year the Director chose to rehearse the child chorus in the early evening, rather than alongside the adult cast. Once we move into the theatre, chaperones must be involved, and we rely on parents and Society members to go through the licensing procedure for us; we usually have enough parents to organise a rota of three/four performances each per run. The children learn many valuable skills (from listening for the cues/call to the stage, leaving the dressing room tidy for the other team, waiting in silence in the wings, to applying stage make-up) and have a brilliant time in the process.

The Set

Soon after the panto and its director were selected by the Committee, initial ideas for the set were laid out in graphic form, and discussed by a sub committee representing the set designers, construction team and sound and lighting specialists. It was decided that, as opposed to previous years, the colouring of the set would reflect a greater use of pastel colours; this in turn would enhance the choice of colours to be adopted for the costumes. The lighting options would highlight the total effect. The stage layout obviously formed a major consideration in the location of scenery, and the best use of available lighting. The latter of these considerations was dealt with by SADS’ consultants on lighting who are fortunate enough to have available at the theatre a full range of lighting options, helped by a recent upgrade of facilities in the provision of a new, over auditorium, lighting bar. The stage at the theatre offers a wide option of bars for the suspension of lights as well as curtains, cloths and gauzes. In fact about ten bars were brought into use during the production. These included SADS’ starcloth, two full width cloths, double silvers, a black gauze and main curtains. All of these were put to good effect in creating the correct atmosphere and facility for scene changes. In previous years we have adopted the use 12’ 0’’ high flats to create the correct scene, these being in four sets of three or four flats stacked in a racking system and slid in and out for scene changes, as is widely used in amateur productions. The design this year called for the flats to be mounted on four trucks in a triangular formation. This provided for all scene options allowing a fast and quiet transformation during blackouts. The use of these trucks meant that consideration had to be given by the Director to the stage access by the cast in setting out movements. This could only be done once on stage rehearsals had begun. The set called for a shop exterior and interior in adjacent scenes and we achieved this by using a castor mounted truck allowing rotation through 180 degrees. Subsequent scenes called for a ship’s hull in dock, and later the ship’s deck complete with ships wheel and 12’ 0’’ high mast. During a most dramatic storm with thunder and lightening, the ship was demasted but lived to provide for further performances. The storm scene was created by use of moving projection onto the cyc wall with realistic sound effects. After all, we are based in a wonderful part of the Devon coastline, and understand the sea. Our painters achieved some very dramatic effects and a sense of reality. In particular, the scene depicting the royal palace of the Sultan of Morocco gave a dazzling backdrop to so many colourful costumes. The use of scrap lighting foils on the flats provided some wonderful stained glass effects. In addition to the full use of fixed facilities of the stage and very colourful costumes, set painting and lighting, we were able to enjoy the use of pyrotechnics, a smoke

machine and bubble producing machines to provide a memorable underwater scene. A minimum of six crew (including the stage manager) is required to run this show. Many willing assistants of mixed age and gender all helped make the various scene changes as slick and as quiet as possible. To make something like this work well requires good team work, and the confidence that you can trust everyone on that team to do exactly what was required, when it was required, quickly and efficiently. It is therefore vitally important that the crew are all involved from the start of rehearsals onwards so that they have a good understanding of exactly what is involved. Regular meetings with the Director are essential, as things have a habit of changing as rehearsals progress. Although this new set design was a challenge for the team this year, everyone worked hard to ensure its success.

Costumes

This pantomime called for a variety of costumes in scenes that started in London and moved, via a shipwreck, to the colourful Moroccan court with harem dancers, and ended in a black, white and silver finale. The wardrobe team was able to source a large number of costumes from the Society’s wardrobe, and then hire some from Bath Theatrical Costume in Frome. Of course, there are always those costumes that need to be made – this year they included two special dame’s dresses and the outfit for King Rat. King Rat’s outfit was in the Georgian style and made from dark grey fur fabric and velvet – it worked well, and the actor who wore it was delighted. The children from our Youth Group played the parts of the rats, and the director chose their make up design which enhanced their costumes.

Publicity

As soon as we had chosen a pantomime and director, the publicity team swung into action. Tickets were ordered and an advert placed in the theatre’s What’s On guide at the beginning of August. Publicity activity included the display of colourful posters, features and advertisements in the local press, flyers in shops, guest houses and hotels, information sent to TICs, schools, clubs and societies and display boards in the local library and theatre foyer. Even the hotel fire gave us additional publicity.

Conclusion

Dick Whittington and his Cat has been a great success for SADS, and enjoyed by all involved. Audience reaction throughout the 11 performances has been very positive. We were fortunate in having near full houses for each performance, and the panto should prove to be a box office success.

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BACKSTAGE Photo: James Harris

A Short Guide to

O T N A P N W O Part One WRITING YOUR

know it says Part One up there but I am going to start with the last part because it is most important. Before you even start to write you have to answer a lot of questions. Feeling put off already? Just want to start writing that really funny cucumber gag you thought of in the car last week? Tough. Audiences are fed up with sitting through tedious twaddle that just doesn’t work and is often downright embarrassing. Sorry to start off being crabby but it is people like you that are driving audiences away, so stop it at once and read this right to the end (I will be watching!). The LAST bit of the writing and production process is the performance (oh, alright, clearing the stage and washing costumes is, but now you are being picky; just let me write this in my own way). So start with the performance (not literally, that is just silly) and answer these basic questions. They are not hard so actually do it rather than skim to the ‘How to write a good cucumber joke’ section. I don’t expect you to have a pen and paper at this stage but you will need one if you are going to do this properly at some stage. And don’t say “I don’t do this particular bit of the show; I don’t need to know these answers.” You do. Just be told. Here goes: THE VENUE: 1. Do you have a venue in mind? (No, not everybody does at this stage, honest) 2. Does the venue have a stage? (No, it doesn’t have to have one) 3. How big is the performing area? 4. Can you extend the performing area with a stage extension or rostra or by building scenery on the floor at either side? (Both very easy, effective and something you must consider)

5. Is there any way you could have any scenery? (you will have to have something, even if it is just a cardboard spinning-wheel) 6. If so, what is the minimum needed to tell the story, how much can you realistically make, what size, and where will you prepare and store it? (Now this is NOT a trivial question so don’t skip past it with “I’ll find somewhere”. 7. Who is going to make, paint, transport and move it around on the stage? (“I’ll find someone”. I don’t think so!) 8. Can you afford the venue you had in mind? Local town-halls have put their rates up hugely recently – find out now (yes now, it’ll be online somewhere). And don’t assume you will sell out for 2 weeks at £15 a seat. You won’t. Get real) 9. What sort of scenery can you physically fit in the venue. 99.99% chance you won’t have big wings or a fly-tower. Don’t write in a full size gingerbread house that offstage fits exactly into the wings so that the actors have to go through the cottage door every time they want to go down to the dressing rooms! (I did) 10. Do you have a production team with a history of musicals or pantos? No? Write short comedy plays and have a fun evening that way. Yes? Super – but how good are they really? (you don’t have to write this bit down, just in case) What scene changes or special effects can they realistically take on? Are they strong enough or bright enough to make a “fully working fountain” slide offstage through a wall with a fairy riding on it? (Mine were!) I will stop at ten or you will get depressed. But take heart – even if you say NO to much of that lot it doesn’t mean you can’t DO a panto – just that you can’t write stuff like “The wall pulls apart to reveal a white carriage pulled by two white ponies, in which the princess rides off the stage”. Sorry.

THE COMPANY: 1. How many people want to be in it? No – REALLY. Again experience with sending scripts out shows that a lot (repeat A LOT) of would-be directors cannot get the cast who had “promised” to be there. Expect a half to two thirds. Some shows just have to cancel. 2. OK – now how many of them … a. Can speak loud enough to be heard? b. Can sing? c. Can be relied on to come to more than 30% of rehearsals? d. Are male or female (if not sure find them on Facebook) e. Are prepared to be opposite of their usual gender (i.e. Dame or Principal Boy) Only 2 questions there but VITAL. The key to writing a good script is to write to strengths. That means don’t write anything you and the company can’t realistically do! BUT that does not mean you cannot push the boundaries – set challenges! Amazing things are possible with scenery and special effects on the amateur stage, even in limited spaces. Less amazing things are possible with amateur performers – so check out the talent (I’m sure that is probably rude but just don’t care). I will outline the cast issues first. Mostly this is stating the blooming obvious but bear with me: ACTING: OK – decide now – everybody gets at least one line to make them fell wanted OR only those with the chance of being heard beyond the front row get to say anything? I know this is cruel but: • Some people hate having lines anyway and you might

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BACKSTAGE Photo: James Harris

not fill those tiny roles if too many. • Some people are very loud at the bar but shrink away to pitiful whispers on the stage. • The audience have paid to be there – the actors haven’t (not directly anyway) so it is only fair they can hear what is going on. The commonest complaint about am-dram panto – by a mile - is not that the acting was rubbish or the scenery fell over (they actually enjoy those bits) or even that the singing was ropey but that THEY COULDN’T HEAR IT! The choice is up to you, and possibly the club policy but you could argue actors should just be grateful to be in your show at all, even if they don’t say anything. You decide – and if you don’t really want to take the risk don’t write a part for ‘Friend 3’ or ‘Pirate 8’. On the other hand you may be stifling hidden talent and you will certainly not be encouraging self confidence in your youngsters, and bored people may actually leave your club in disgust. Tough choices, matey! How about writing a FEW parts in – but not for ‘drunken old man’ if you know the only old bloke in the club is a mute. How about a few lines for newcomers and then helping them get braver and louder? (I knew you would see sense) So – how many males and females do you have? This does not give you a licence to find out for certain but a close guess will certainly affect your writing BUT the trick is to write as many parts as possible for EITHER and call the character something sexless like Robin or Piggy and avoid using the words he/she him/her (not as easy as it sounds) but worth the effort. How many old blokes? You do need to know. You can’t write parts for the two kings in Sleeping Beauty if you only have one older bloke. And don’t even think about slapping a sticky beard on a woman. It is second-best and is needless if you write it properly. How many kids? Enough for 7 dwarfs? (Though one club I wrote for used 7 rugby players to very good effect.) Yes – it does matter at this stage. It could completely change which panto you actually write! No point writing in a Dame character if nobody is prepared to shave off their moustache and have a go, and consider carefully if writing a Dame part when the only volunteer is known to enjoy wearing dresses outside of the club. Nothing wrong with it in itself but a dame has to be basically ‘blokey’ to make it funny. Perhaps now would be a good time to phone someone else in the club and talk things over?

SINGING: Pantos are musicals with gunge and running about. You need a song at the start and end of both acts and a love duet; you probably need a comedy song as well. You have to write in spaces for songs in your script so you have to do your research first as you really have to decide on them up front so that they can fit in the script without being as obvious as a Hollywood star’s facelift. Now this really is obvious. If you know they can’t sing don’t give them something you love from Tosca. Less obvious – do you have a good DUET (i.e. two people who cab both sing)? No? Then why did you give the romantic couple three duets to sing in your wonderful new script? REALLY embarrassing to cut out a song AFTER you’ve heard them murder it (trust me on that one). However, most people can sing in a team so choose something fast and noisy rather than slow and emotional. ‘Holding out for a Hero’ is far more like to succeed than ‘Anthem’ from Chess. ‘Flash Bang Wallop – what a picture’ will be fun for everyone while anything formerly by Barbara Streisand or Beyoncé and much-loved by self-imagined ‘divas’ is likely to cause mass suicide in the audience. Top Tip – cut the songs to the bone. Intro–verse-chorusverse-chorus-STOP. Never have one soloist when three can sing together (and I don‘t mean harmony; this is going to be hard enough for the director without you adding that) When you have chosen your song (and You Tube is brilliant for finding and researching ideas) you must write down the titles, find the words off the internet (put them IN the script or they will lose them!), and constantly bear in mind how you can fit them seamlessly into the action. Try to be natural, don’t repeat the classic: “I’ll just sit here, no folks about; I think I’ll get my trombone out”. Do you have hidden talent? My drama club in Axminster had a Clog Dancing Society. No. don’t mock, they were brilliant! But there are just so few ways you can get them into a panto year after year. “So the Cellar of Doom; just the place to practice our clog dancing!” By all means get them in at least once but do plan to write them in properly. So – you have to have songs, but exactly which character sings them, what and for how long. Decide now.

Me? Yes you. Are you writing this with the hope of being in it yourself? No – seriously. It does make a difference. Presumably you won’t be directing as that is the thin end of the wedge called Dictatorship in a club. Been there, done that; hated it. And what if the Director and casting committee (And don’t tell me you haven’t planned one! You just must, or YOU will get the obscene texts at 2 a.m. saying what sort of person you are, from failed applicants! And yes, I have.) – what if the committee don’t give you the part you wanted (romantic lead with operatic solo and snog with princess) but something else (Chinese policeman who goes in washing machine). Will you sulk? Advice: write it for others, direct it and don’t plan to be in it. For one thing you are the last-minute understudy. Secondly you will write the best bits for yourself, which shows. Thirdly you are the cast’s ‘mirror’ – just like in a ballet class looking at their reflection to be perfect, you have to give them feedback about what you can see and hear (or not). You wrote it – it is in your head – you need to make it happen. Sorry – have I spoilt your plans? Tough – it will be more than hard enough producing the ruddy thing without trying to remember lines and dances as well. Move on. FINALLY: Plainly I have had to miss out a lot of important things you need to consider before writing, such as the audience – what do they want, what are they used to, do they know the cast, are they regular theatre goers? Where are you performing it – is there a curfew so the show has to stop before ten (as it did in Nigeria for one production), can you say and wear anything you like? Is the humour appropriate for the age of everyone in the audience (a big one that – so many ‘professional’ writers get that one so horribly wrong.) It is endless. Do your research now! So now you have a lot of facts: how many people or what gender and ability; what resources can you call upon; what sort of panto is it going to be? Now the fun part. Writing it! Chris Lane www.pantoscripts.me.uk

YOU:

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With our new wesbite you can:* Establish your own personal profile; * Establish a group page for your theatre company, special interest or company. * Post photographs and video from your productions; * Write blogs about items of interest; * Post details about your productions and invite friends to attend; * Read previous issues or research past articles of interest; * Chat online to friends using our chat service. You can also:* Subscribe to the magazine online and purchase past issues; * Buy tickets to West End plays and musicals and greatly reduced prices; * Join our Facebook group; * Join our email mailing list to receive latest news, special offers and competition details each month.

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27/01/2011 22:29:12

BACKSTAGE

FIRST NIGHT INSURANCE

YOU DON’T WANT TO FACE THE MUSIC Robert Israel ACII talks about insurance updates relating to amateur theatre.

here has been a lot of publicity recently about lost and damaged musical instruments, the most high profile of which was when, unfortunately, a young lady lost her very, expensive violin in a coffee shop.

Musical instruments are automatically covered within the description of Scenery, Props and Wardrobe under the First Night Insurance Scheme. However, we have had a couple of issues recently which I think are well worth drawing to your attention. The big issue is whether, when the Treasurer of your Amateur Society decides on the sum insured for your equipment, they take into account the value of any musical instruments that are brought into the production and are expected to be covered by the Amateur Theatre Insurance Policy. As an example, let us assume that the Amateur Society value their Scenery Props and Wardrobe, Sound Lights and Video Equipment at £10,000 and that is the sum insured shown on their Policy. However, during the Insurance year, one of the productions mounted is a musical which necessitates the use of an orchestra. Even if there are very few members of the orchestra, the musical instruments need to be included within the sum insured. The problem is that some musical instruments can be quite valuable. This effectively increases the value of equipment at risk and it is necessary for the Treasurer to take certain steps. Either the Treasurer has to notify the Insurers of the Society that a temporary increase in the sum insured is required for the period of the production. If the Treasurer fails to do this, then there is a high likelihood that the Society will be Under-Insured at the time of the loss. Alternatively, the musical instrument itself might be insured by the owner and it is therefore necessary for the Treasurer to find out whether this is indeed the case.

The estimated repair costs were significantly more than the musical instrument was insured for under the Personal Policy. This led to a great deal of aggravation, which was eventually settled because the overall sum insured for the production was adequate to cover the instrument. However, had this been a normal Amateur Society Policy then the figures could have been catastrophic. So the moral of the story is, if you are mounting a musical which involves a number of musical instruments then you must: a) Find out the value of all of the instruments; b) Find out if the owners have their own Insurance; and c) If necessary, temporarily increase the sum insured under your main Policy. Just as a word of warning, if any of the musicians tell you that their instruments are covered under their Household Policy, and they are earning a fee from you, you should just check with them that their Household Insurers are aware of this fact because there is normally an exclusion in a Household Policy relating to property used for business purposes.

In this connection we would certainly expect any valuable musical instrument to be insured by the owner on a twelve month basis and not just when it is being used in the Society’s production. Now let us assume that the Society have decided to pay a professional musician to provide their services for the production. Even in these circumstances it is certainly worth the Treasurer checking with the musician to make sure that their instrument is adequately insured under their own Policy and they are not expecting the item to be covered by the Amateur Society’s Policy. The main problem is that a specialist musical instrument such as a harp can be worth tens of thousands of pounds and if the owner is making you, the Society, responsible for that then you must tell your Insurers because otherwise all of the figures under your existing Policy will be wholly inadequate. In addition, there is one other problem which has recently occurred. A musical instrument belonged to a professional musician, who had had it insured for a very low amount for a number of years and had not bothered to have it re-valued. Unfortunately, whilst working for a Professional Theatre Company, the instrument was severely damaged. www.amateurstagemagazine.co.uk | 37

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SHOWdiary>>SHOWdiary>>SHOWdiary>>SHOWdia 39 Steps, The

09 - 12 March 2011 Knutsford Little Theatre Knutsford Little Theatre Knutsford Cheshire 01565 873515

42nd Street

06 - 16 April 2011 Darlington Operatic Society Darlington Civic Theatre Darlington Durham 01325 244659 30 April - 07 May 2011 Portrush Music Society The Riverside Theatre Coleraine Londonderry 02870 323232

Aladdin

10 - 13 March 2011 Bingley Amateur Operatic Society Bingley Arts Centre Bingley West Yorkshire 01274 562988

All Shook Up

12 - 16 April 2011 Selsig Amateur Operatic Society Park and Dare Theatre Treorchy Rhondda Cnon Taff 01443 438053 26 - 30 April 2011 Waveney Light Opera Group Public Hall Beccles Suffolk 01502 712329

And Then There Were None 12 - 19 March 2011 Rugby Theatre Society Rugby Theatre Rugby Warwickshire 01788 541234

Annie

Bobby Gould In Hell 11 - 19 March 2011 Woodhouse Players Welsh Church Hall Leytonstone London 020 85043872 www.woodhouseplayers.co.uk

Boogie Nights 11 - 16 April 2011 Hyde Musical Society The Festival Theatre Hyde Cheshire 0161 301 2253

Brassed Off

29 March - 02 April 2011 Ulverston Outsiders Concordia Theatre Ulverston Cumbria 01229 587140

Cabaret

13 - 16 April 2011 North Staffordshire Amateur Operatic Society Thistley Hough High School Newcastle-Under-Lyme Staffordshire 01782 336129

Calamity Jane

13 - 16 April 2011 Ipswich Operatic & Dramatic Society Regent Theatre Ipswich Suffolk 01473 433100

Carousel

21 - 26 March 2011 Harpenden Light Operatic Society Harpenden Public Halls Harpenden Hertfordshire 07817 331150 12 - 16 April 2011 Parish Players Parish Hall Tockington Bristol South Gloucestershire 01454 613482

14 - 16 April 2011 Wootton Bassett Light Operatic Society Memorial Hall Wootton Bassett Wiltshire 01793 613963

13 - 16 April 2011 Selsey AC & Operatic Society Manhood Community College Selsey West Sussex

Anything Goes

13 - 16 April 2011 Stage Door Theatre Company Windmill Theatre Littlehampton West Sussex 01903 722224

15 - 18 March 2011 Carnoustie Musical Society Carnoustie Hihg School Theatre Carnoustie Angus 01241 410337 22 - 26 March 2011 Penistone Centre Stage Musicals Paramount Penistone South Yorkshire 01226 370121 12 - 16 April 2011 Driffield Musical Theatre Driffield School, North Hall, Driffield East Yorkshire 01377 253149

Bad Girls The Musical 29 April - 07 May 2011 Shinfield Players Theatre Shinfield Players Theatre Reading, Berkshire 01189 758880

Blackadder The Third for Comic Relief 09 - 19 March 2011 Chelmsford Theatre Workshop The Old Court Theatre Chelmsford Essex 01245 606505

Cemetery Club, The

Charleys Aunt

11 - 16 April 2011 Tynemouth Priory Theatre Tynemouth Priory Theatre North Shields, Tyne and Wear 0191 292 9292

Chess

01 - 05 March 2011 Dundee Operatic Society Whitehall Theatre Dundee, Tayside 01382 643868 14 - 19 March 2011 Loughborough Amateur Operatic Society Loughborough Town Hall Loughborough Leicestershire 01509 231914

Copacabana

05 - 09 April 2011 Zodiac Amateur Operatic Society The Brindley Theatre Runcorn Cheshire 0151 907 8360

09 - 10 April 2011 Llandudno Musical Productions Venue Cymru Llandudno Conwy 01492 872000

30 April - 07 May 2011 Huddersfield Light Opera Company The Lawrence Batley Theatre Huddersfield West Yorkshire 01484 430528

Crazy For You

Drowsy Chaperone, The

01 - 12 March 2011 York Light Opera Company York Theatre Royal York, Yorkshire 01904 623568 15 - 19 March 2011 Carlton Operatic Society Nottingham Playhouse Nottingham Nottinghamshire 01159 525721 28 March - 02 April 2011 Maidstone Amateur Operatic Society Hazlitt Theatre Maidstone, Kent 01622 761998 06 - 09 April 2011 Devizes Musical Theatre Dauntseyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s School West Lavington, Wiltshire 01380 725965

Crucible, The

24 - 26 March 2011 Richmond Amateur Dramatic Society The Georgian Theatre Royal Richmond North Yorkshire 01748 825252

Deckchairs & Womberang 07 - 12 March 2011 Talisman Theatre Kenilworth Warwickshire 01926 856548 www.talismantheatre.co.uk

Die Fledermaus

08 - 12 March 2011 Astwood Bank Operatic Society The Palace Theatre Redditch, Worcestershire 01527 546569

Disneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Beauty and the Beast 01 - 05 March 2011 Starmaker Theatre Company The Wilde Theatre Bracknell, Berkshire 01189 789238 07 - 12 March 2011 Knowle Operatic Society Solihull Arts Complex Solihull, West Midlands 0121 704 6962 09 - 12 March 2011 Elgin Amateur Dramatic Society Town Hall Elgin, Moray 01343 542088

22 - 26 March 2011 Hebden Bridge Light Opera Society Little Theatre Hebden Bridge West Yorkshire 01422 842371

Edge of Darkness, The 14 - 16 April 2011 Portishead Players Somerset Hall Portishead, Somerset 01275 843169

Fame

06 - 08 April 2011 Murton & East Durham Theatre Group East Durham College Peterlee, County Durham 0191 526 2532

Fanfare to Hollywood 08 - 12 March 2011 Good Companions Stage Society Guildhall Theatre Derby, Derbyshire 01332 721108

Fiddler on the Roof

15 - 19 March 2011 Redruth Amateur Operatic Society Trust (RAOST) Hall for Cornwall Truro, Cornwall 01872 262466 12 - 16 April 2011 Leamington & Warwick Musical Society Royal Spa Theatre Leamington Spa Warwickshire 01926 334418 12 - 16 April 2011 Studley Operatic Society The Palace Theatre Redditch, Worcestershire 01527 525699 12 - 16 April 2011 Lewes Operatic Society Lewes Town Hall Lewes, East Sussex 01273 480127 13 - 16 April 2011 COS Musical Theatre Hawth Theatre Crawley, West Sussex 01293 553636

Fiddler on the Roof Jnr 24 - 26 March 2011 Erewash Musical Society Youth Group Duchess Theatre Long Eaton, Derbyshire 01332 875350

15 - 19 March 2011 Alnwick Stage Musical Society The Playhouse Alnwick, Northumberland 01665 510785

Footloose

15 - 19 March 2011 Yeadon Amateur Operatic & Dramatic Society Yeadon Town Hall Yeadon, West Yorkshire 01132 503032

Full Monty, The

22 - 26 March 2011 Romiley Operatic Society The Plaza Theatre, Mersey Square Stockport, Cheshire 08456 009186 12 - 16 April 2011 Bury St Edmunds Amateur Operatic & Dramatic Society Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk 01284 769505

16 - 19 March 2011 Marlow Amateur Operatic Society Shelley Theatre Marlow, Buckinghamshire 01628 473577 11 - 16 April 2011 West End Operatic Society The Journal Tyne Theatre Newcastle Upon Tyne Tyne and Wear 0191 262 2342

Gaslight

14 - 19 March 2011 Exmouth Players The Blackmore Theatre Exmouth, Devon 07905 761485

38| www.amateurstagemagazine.co.uk

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Wdiary>>SHOWdiary>>SHOWdiary>>SHOWdiary>> Gigi

Grand Hotel

18 - 23 April 2011 Ripley & Alfreton Musical Theatre Company Alfreton Grange Arts College Alfreton Derbyshire 01773 745082

22 - 30 April 2011 Sidmouth Arts Club Operatic Society Manor Pavilion Sidmouth, Devon 01395 5152749

Godspell

Grapes Of Wrath, The

26 - 30 April 2011 Bath Operatic & Dramatic Society Theatre Royal Bath 01225 425509

15 - 19 March 2011 Derby Shakespeare Theatre Co Derby Theatre Derby, Derbyshire 01332 255800

12 - 16 April 2011 Oxted Operatic Society Barn Theatre Oxted, Surrey 01883 712241

09 - 12 March 2011 Hinchley Manor Operatic Society The Adrian Mann Thetare Epsom, Surrey 0208 942 6867 05 - 09 April 2011 Willenhall Operatic Society Dormston Mill Theatre Dudley, West Midlands 01902 607355 19 - 23 April 2011 Falkirk Operatic Society Town Hall Falkirk, Stirlingshire 01324 636663

Gondoliers, The

03 - 05 March 2011 Kirkcaldy Gilbert & Sullivan Society Adam Smith Theatre Kirkcaldy, Fife 01592 595824 23 - 26 March 2011 Worthing Light Opera Company Pavilion Theatre Worthing, West Sussex 01903 206206

09 - 12 March 2011 Durham Musical Theatre Company Gala Theatre Durham City, Durham 0191 332 4041

19 - 26 March 2011 Bolton Little Theatre Bolton Manchester, Lancashire 01204 334 400 www.boltonlittletheatre.co.uk

Guys and Dolls

01 - 05 March 2011 St Andrews Amateur Operatic Society Byre Theatre St Andrews, Fife 01334 475000 30 March - 02 April 2011 Ellesmere Operatic Society Montgomery Theatre Sheffield, South Yorkshire 01142 364487

Gym & Tonic

18 - 23 April 2011 Louth Playgoers Society Riverhead Theatre Louth, Lincolnshire 01507600350 www.louthplaygoers.co.uk

Half A Sixpence 01 - 05 March 2011 Lyric Club The Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Theatre Glasgow 08448 717627

04 - 09 April 2011 Swanage Musical Theatre Company Mowlem Theatre Swanage, Dorset 01929 422229

29 March - 02 April 2011 Ingatestone Musical Operetta Group Ingatestone Community Theatre Club Ingatestone, Essex 01277 234581

12 - 16 April 2011 TAB Operatic Society Civic Hall Brierley Hill, West Midlands 07722 417962

06 - 09 April 2011 Curtain Up Youth Theatre Maesteg Town Hall Maesteg, Bridgend 01656 732855

13 - 16 April 2011 Blackpool Operatic Players The Grand Theatre Blackpool, Lancashire 01253 700912

13 - 16 April 2011 HEOS Musical Theatre Questors Theatre Ealing, Middlesex 0208 567 4075

Hamlet

Hay Fever

09 - 12 March 2011 Breakaleg Productions Unicorn Theatre Abingdon, Oxfordshire 01235 821351

Hello, Dolly!

30 March - 02 April 2011 Tamworth Arts Club Tamworth Assembly Rooms Tamworth, Staffordshire 01827 709618 12 - 16 April 2011 Ruislip Operatic Society Winston Churchill Theatre Ruislip, Middlesex 07905 932366

High School Musical

15 - 19 March 2011 Wolverhampton Musical Comedy Company Grand Theatre Wolverhampton West Midlands 01902 429212

HURSTPIERPOINT PLAYERS - DICK WHITTINGTON

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SHOWdiary>>SHOWdiary>>SHOWdiary>>SHOWdia

LANE END PLAYERS - ROBINSON CRUSOE

History Of Mr Polly, The 01 - 05 March 2011 Nomad Theatre Nomad Theatre East Horley, Surrey 01483 284747 www.nomadtheatre.com

HMS Pinafore

06 - 09 April 2011 SIMADS St Ivo Centre St Ives, Cambridgeshire 01480 300409

HMS Pinafore & The Zoo 12 - 16 April 2011 Dore Gilbert & Sillivan Society The Unversity of Sheffield Drama Studio Sheffield, South Yorkshire 01142 680773

Honk!

10 - 12 March 2011 Axis Youth Productions The Playhouse Walton on Thames, Surrey 0208 890 6826

Hot Mikado

02 - 05 March 2011 Doncaster Amateur Operatic Society Civic Centre Doncaster, South Yorkshire 01302 344865

I Remember You

14 - 16 April 2011 Curtain Up Amateur Dramatic Society Memorial Hall Freshwater Isle of Wight 01983 752956

Into The Woods

Jane Eyre

22 - 26 March 2011 Canterbury Operatic Society Gulbenkian Theatre Canterbury, Kent 01227 769075

Jesus Christ Superstar

21 - 26 March 2011 The Tinhatters Concordia Theatre Hinckley, Leicestershire 01455 610010

23 - 26 March 2011 Whitefield Amateur Operatic & Dramatic Soc The Paragon Theatre Prestwich, Greater Manchester 0161 278 8178

Iolanthe

22 - 26 March 2011 Hessle Theatre Company Hull New Theatre Hull, East Yorkshire 01482 226655

07 - 12 March 2011 Galashiels Amateur Operatic Society Volunteer Hall Galashiels, Selkirkshire 07754 588688

23 - 26 March 2011 Young Inspirations Theatre Company The Pomegranate Theatre Chesterfield, Derbyshire 07970 962292

07 - 12 March 2011 Leicester G & S Operatic Society The Little Theatre Leicester, Leicestershire 01162 551302

04 - 09 April 2011 Glastonbury & Street Musical Comedy Soc Strode Theatre Street, Somerset 01458 441442

22 - 26 March 2011 Birmingham Savoyards G & S Society Old Rep Birmingham, West Midlands 0121 303 2323

26 - 30 April 2011 Tunbridge Wells Operatic & Dramatic Society Assembly Hall Theatre Tunbridge Wells, Kent 01732 355363

11 - 16 April 2011 Tenbury Amateur Operatic Society The Regal Theatre Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire 07837 381537

King and I, The

13 - 16 April 2011 Rochdale Phoenix Opera Society Heywood Civic Centre Heywood Lancashire 01706 842785

12 - 16 April 2011 Haywards Heath Operatic Society Clair Hall Haywards Heath, West Sussex 01444 455440

Kiss Me Kate

06 - 09 April 2011 Nomad Theatre in assoc Bookham Light Op Nomad Theatre East Horley, Surrey 01483 284747 www.nomadtheatre.com

Knutsford Little Theate International One Act Play Festival 01 - 09 April 2011 Knutsford Little Theatre Knutsford, Cheshire

Lark Rise

16 - 19 March 2011 Beaconsfield Theatre Group The Beacon Centre Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire 01628 524127

Legends

19 - 23 April 2011 Dalziel High School FPA Easter Egg Club Clyde Valley High School Wishaw, North Lanarkshire 01698 322867

Lettice and Loveage 12 - 14 March 2011 Henfield Theatre Company Henfield Hall Henfield, West Sussex 01273 492204

Likes of Us, The

09 - 12 March 2011 Andover Musical and Operatic Society The Lights Theatre Andover, Hampshire 01264 368368

40| www.amateurstagemagazine.co.uk

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Wdiary>>SHOWdiary>>SHOWdiary>>SHOWdiary>> Little Shop of Horrors 31 March - 03 April 2011 Hemel Hempstead Theatre Company The Boxmoor Theatre Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire 01442 234004 04 - 09 April 2011 Coleshill Operatic Society Solihull Arts Complex Solihull, West Midlands 0121 603 9781

Lucky Sods

17 - 19 March 2011 An-Other Theatre Company Peterborough School Peterborough, Cambridgeshire 01733 315684

Macbeth

19 - 26 March 2011 Wilmslow Green Room Society Green Room Theatre Wilmslow, Cheshire 01625540933 www.wgrsoc.org.uk

Mack and Mabel

21 - 26 March 2011 Markinch Amateur Operatic Society Markinch Town Hall Markinch, Fife 01592 758478 19 - 23 April 2011 March & District AOS Neale-Wade Community College March, Cambridgeshire 01354 692 048

Me and My Girl

Music Man, The

10 - 12 March 2011 Eyemouth Variety Group Eyemouth Old High School Eyemouth, Berwickshire 01890 750585

My Blessed Uncle

08 - 12 March 2011 Central Operatic Society Landau Forte College Derby, Derbyshire 01332 366279

12 - 16 April 2011 Telford & District Light Operatic Players Oakengates Theatre @ The Place Telford, Shropshire 01952 382382

Men Of The World 07 - 09 April 2011 Halifax thespians Halifax Playhouse Halifax, West Yorkshire 01422 365998 www.halifaxplayhouse.org.uk

Mikado, The

09 - 12 March 2011 Alton Operatic & Dramatic Society Alton Assembly Rooms Alton, Hampshire 01730 827200 22 - 26 March 2011 Edinburgh Gilbert & Sullivan Society The Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Theatre Edinburgh, Mid Lothian 0131 529 6000 11 - 16 April 2011 Boston Operatic Blackfriars Arts Centre Boston, Lincolnshire 01205 363108

29 March - 02 April 2011 Stirling & Bridge of Allan Operatic Society Macrobert Theatre University of Stirling Stirling, Stirlingshire 01786 472756

13 - 16 April 2011 Tiverton Dramatic Society The New Hall Tiverton, Devon 01884 259734

01 - 05 March 2011 Grange & Dist Amateur Operatic Society Victoria Hall Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria 01539 534308

17 - 19 March 2011 Skegness Musical Theatre Company Embassy Theatre Skegness, Lincolnshire 08456 740505 30 March - 09 April 2011 Peterborough Operatic & Dramatic Society Key Theatre Peterborough, Cambridgeshire 01733 207239 20 - 23 April 2011 Kings Lynn Operatic & Dramatic Society Kings Lynn Corn Exchange Kings Lynn, Norfolk 01553 764864

03 - 06 March 2011 Mansfield Amateur Operatic & Dramatic Soc Mansfield Palace Theatre Mansfield, Nottinghamshire 01623 633133 07 - 12 March 2011 Newcastle Glees Musical Society Annesley Hall Newcastle, County Down 02843 723491

06 - 09 April 2011 Sounds Musical Theatre Company The Davenport Playhouse Plymouth, Devon 01752 510934

Oliver!

My Fair Lady

Oklahoma!

16 - 19 March 2011 Thurrock Operatic Society Thameside Theatre Grays, Essex 01375 675591

07 - 12 March 2011 Stockton Stage Society ARC Stockton on Tees, Cleveland 22 - 26 March 2011 Peterbrook Players Solihull Arts Complex Solihull, West Midlands 0121 704 6962 29 March - 02 April 2011 Paisley Musical & Operatic Society The Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Theatre Glasgow 08448 717648 12 - 16 April 2011 The Western Opera Players Redgrave Theatre Bristol 01934 513236 18 - 23 April 2011 Crediton Operatic & Dramatic Society Queen Elizabeth Community College Crediton, Devon 01363 777968

THE YOUNG THEATRE BEACONSFIELD - ALADDIN

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SHOWdiary>>SHOWdiary>>SHOWdiary>>SHOWdia Orpheus In the Underworld

09 - 12 March 2011 The Savoy Singers The Camberley Theatre Camberley, Surrey 01252 834380

Our House

22 - 26 March 2011 New Rosemere Amateur Operatic Society Alberrt Halls Bolton, Lancashire 01204 520395

29 March - 02 April 2011 Epsom Light Opera Company Epsom Playhouse Epsom, Surrey

23 - 26 March 2011 Eldorado Musical Productions The Bob Hope Theatre Eltham, London 0208 850 3702 19 - 23 April 2011 Northavon Youth Theatre Company Armstrong Hall Thornbury, South Gloucestershire 01454 884154

Outside Edge

09 - 11 March 2011 Bourne Players Bourne Corn Exchange Bourne, Lincolnshire 01778 393787 www.bourneplayers.co.uk

Pajama Game, The

07 - 12 March 2011 Wombwell & District Amateur Operatic Soc Operatic Centre Wombwell, South Yorkshire 01226 758375

Panda’s Pirates of Penzance 09 - 12 March 2011 The Panda Players Elgiva Theatre Chesham, Buckinghamshire 01494 794399

Patience

04 - 05 March 2011 Godalming Operatic Society The Leatherhead Theatre Leatherhead, Surrey 01252 703376

Pirates Of Penzance, The 02 - 05 March 2011 Plymouth G & S Fellowship The Devonport Playhouse Plymouth, Devon 01566 775557

09 - 12 March 2011 Knaphill & St John’s Opera Group Rhoda McGaw Theatre Woking, Surrey 01483 473657

30 March - 02 April 2011 Melbourne Operatic Society Castle Donigton Community College Castle Donnington, Derbyshire 01332 863030 26 - 30 April 2011 Scarborough Musical Theatre Company YMCA Theatre Scarborough, North Yorkshire 01723 506750 26 - 30 April 2011 The Cotswold Savoyards Everyman Theatre Cheltenham, Gloucestershire 01242 572573

Ruffian On The Stair, The 11 - 19 March 2011 Woodhouse Players Welsh Church Hall Leytonstone, London 020 85043872 www.woodhouseplayers.co.uk

Seven Brides For Seven Brothers 12 - 16 April 2011 Long Eaton Operatic Society May Hall Trent College Long Eaton, Derbyshire 01332 874352

Shakers

23 - 26 March 2011 Wick Theatre Company Barn Theatre Southwick, West Sussex 01273 597094 www.wicktheatre.co.uk

Shell Seekers, The

Prepare to Meet Thy Tomb

23 - 26 March 2011 Cuffley Players Cuffley Hall Cuffley, Herts 01992 425775

Prescription for Murder

05 - 09 April 2011 The Wellingborough Technical Players The Castle Studio Wellingborough, Northamptonshire 01933 270007

07 - 09 April 2011 Avenue Theatre Sittingbourne, Kent 01795 471140

09 - 12 March 2011 Shinfield Players Theatre Reading, Berkshire 01189 758880

Producers, The

29 March - 02 April 2011 Pendle Hippodrome Theatre Company Pendle Hippodrome Theatre Colne, Lancashire 01282 612402 26 - 30 April 2011 Bristol St. Mary’s Players Redgrave Theatre Bristol 01179 652303

Robinson Crusoe and the Pirates 16 - 19 March 2011 Polden Production Edington Village Hall Bridgwater, Somerset 01278 723095

Singin’ In The Rain

23 - 26 March 2011 Berwick-upon-Tweed Amateur Operatic Soc The Maltings Theatre Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland 01289 330999

Six-Days World, The

24 - 26 March 2011 Loughton Amateur Dramatic Society Lopping Hall Loughton, Essex 0208 502 5843

Snake in the Grass 23 - 26 April 2011 Brookdale Theatre Brookdale Theatre Bramhall, Cheshire 0161 439 0505

Sorcerer, The

28 March - 02 April 2011 Melrose Amateur Operatic Society The Corn Exchange Melrose, Roxburghshire 01835 822425

30 March - 02 April 2011 Wakefield Gilbert & Sullivan Society Theatre Royal Wakefield Wakefield, West Yorkshire 01924 211311

South Pacific

15 - 19 March 2011 Flookburgh Amateur Operatic Society Lower Holker Village Hall Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria 01539 559200 05 - 09 April 2011 Ashton-Under-Lyne Operatic Society Oldham Coliseum Oldham, Greater Manchester 0161 456 6560

Spring Awakening

22 - 26 March 2011 Stoke Youth Musical Theatre Company Stoke Repertory Theatre Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire 01785 815540

Sugar

04 - 08 March 2011 Brookdale Theatre Brookdale Theatre Bramhall, Cheshire 0161 439 0505

Sweeney Todd

15 - 19 March 2011 Croft House Operatic Society The Lyceum Theatre Sheffield, South Yorkshire 01142 496000

Sweet Charity 12 - 16 April 2011 Garforth Musical Society The Miners Welfare Hall Garforth, West Yorkshire 01132 863534

Tempest, The 29 - 30 April 2011 Guildford Opera The Electric Theatre Guidlford, Surrey 01483 444789

Thoroughly Modern Millie 09 - 12 March 2011 The Heckmondwike Players The Town Hall Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire 01924 492671

21 - 26 March 2011 Evesham Operatic & Dramatic Society The Arts Centre Evesham, Worcestershire 01386 765966

BELVOIR PLAYERS - ROBINSON CRUSOE

42| www.amateurstagemagazine.co.uk

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Wdiary>>SHOWdiary>>SHOWdiary>>SHOWdiary

ORPEN PLAYERS - LAYING THE GHOST DANBURY PLAYERS - JACK & THE BEANSTALK

23 - 26 March 2011 Hillingdon Musical Society Beck Theatre Hayes, Middlesex 01895 639769

Those Were the Days

17 - 19 March 2011 Ferryhill Stage Society Mainsforth & District Community Centre Ferryhill Station, Durham 01740 652551

3 Harold Pinter Plays 14 - 16 April 2011 Lion & Unicorn Players The Studio Petersfield, Hampshire 01730 821491

Titfield Thunderbolt, The 15 - 19 March 2011 Halifax thespians Halifax Playhouse Halifax, West Yorkshire 01422 365998 www.halifaxplayhouse.org.uk

21 - 26 March 2011 Abbey Musical Society The Forum Barrow-in-Furness Cumbria 01229 820000

Wizard of Oz, The

West Side Story

Wizard of Oz, The (RSC Version)

08 - 12 March 2011 SCAMPS Youth Company Evans Theatre Wilmslow Leisure Centre Wilmslow, Cheshire 01625 527593

When The Lights Go On Again 23 - 26 March 2011 The Garrick Singers The Duthac Centre Tain, Ross-shire 01862 842311

Whistle Down the Wind

Wedding Singer, The

Winslow Boy, The

09 - 12 March 2011 Cygnet Players London Oratory School Theatre West Brompton London 07941 448689

01 - 05 March 2011 Melyncrythan Amateur Operatic Society Princess Royal Theatre Port Talbot, Neath 01639 763214

DIARY SUBMISSIONS Diary submissions in the form shown in our listings should be sent to editor@asmagazine.co.uk Please ensure listings are sent well in advance to ensure publication.

12 - 16 April 2011 Garforth Musical Society The Miners Welfare Hall Garforth, West Yorkshire 01132 863534

Troubador

17 - 18 March 2011 Glow Theatre Group Barn Theatre Oxted, Surrey 01883 720167 www.barntheatreoxted.co.uk

30 March - 02 April 2011 Newtown Musical Theatre Company Theatre Hafren Newtown, Powys 01686 625007

11 - 16 April 2011 Chelmsford Young Generation Amateur Musical Society The Cramphorn Theatre Chelmsford, Essex 01245 606505

21 - 26 March 2011 Louth Playgoers Society Riverhead Theatre Louth, Lincolnshire 01507600350 www.louthplaygoers.co.uk

www.amateurstagemagazine.co.uk | 43

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BIRTHDAY ISSUE

the musical produced

FORBIDDEN PLANET special feature

SUMMER SCHOOLS interview

JERRY MITCHELL PLUS: INSURANCE, PLAYSCRIPT REVIEWS, UK PRODUCTION DIARY, NEWS & SOUND ADVICE Feb10_1-11.indd 1

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NATIONAL NEWS ROSS SUMMER SCHOOL NATIONAL SHOW DIARY SELLING YOUR SHOW WEBSITE REVIEWS SCRIPT REVIEWS

tech talk

BETTER THEATRE SOUND costumes

MAMMA MIA PROFILED

The Musical Produced JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR

feature

Special Feature AETF England Final 2010

POLITICAL PLAYS

TICKET PRICES Are We Charging Too Little? The Musical Produced SCROOGE THE MUSICAL NDFA Results

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www.plays4theatre.co.uk www.amateurstagemagazine.co.uk | 45

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comment Douglas Mayo ponders the effects of the spending review.

WILL ECONOMIC CUTS HIT AMATEUR GROUPS?

few weeks ago an article appeared in the The Stage under the heading “Amateur Groups Fear For Their Future”. I was interested to see that one of our online community had posted a link to the article shortly after publication asking for thoughts from other individuals and groups. This article had come as a result of a poll of NODA members and non members with an interest in amateur theatre, asking whether they felt more or less optimistic about the future because of last year’s spending review. It found that 49% were less optimistic, with only a third being more optimistic. Although amateur companies do not receive government funding, and are therefore not directly affected by spending cuts, NODA was concerned that the sector would still suffer a negative impact with claims that people will have less money generally to pay to see amateur productions or take part in an amateur theatre society, which in turn puts the number of companies operating at risk. Tony Gibbs, Chief Executive of NODA stated “As all amateur societies rely on annual subscriptions from their individual members, this may have the result of depleting some societies in the future”. Tony, rightly claimed that amateur theatre is a vital part of the UK theatre scene, providing aspiring actors with their first onstage experience. Amateur Stage ran a similar comment piece from Tony back in November 2010 which looked at some of the new ways that amateur groups could work with companies such as the RSC. The article asked readers to look beyond traditional set ups and encouraged co-production amongst other means of survival. The discussion was made all the more poignant this week when the Society Of West End Theatre announced that 2010 had been yet another bumper year with box office taking and attendances breaking further records. Would one sector suffer as a result of the other? Would amateur theatres thrive as a more cost effective means of entertainment? Would people abandon amateurs in favour of bigger spectacle or bigger stars? The answer still remains to be seen. It is true that in past months we have been reporting an increased number of theatre on the brink of closure, but it’s also interesting to note that in quite a few cases determined amateurs are stepping into the brink with management plans that would see many former council venues managed and run by the amateur groups who were former hirers. Tony Legat, in our online forum commented “I would be surprised if it made any difference to my society, or to any of the others in our part of the country as membership fees are generally very low. I cannot think of a cheaper hobby. Of course, this may not be the case everywhere.” Playwright, Michael Starr added “People will, without question, have less money to spend, that goes without saying. The main issue with that in my mind is a potential ticket sales slump for group productions and possibly an increased challenge sealing local business sponsorship.

Tony Gibbs

I very much doubt a slight dip in membership will impact too many societies. Well run organisations will survive this period by being flexible and intelligent, particularly when it comes to marketing and cost cutting without losing that quality.” It remains to be seen what impact the review will have. My own gut feeling is that along with the rest of the country, amateur groups will find themselves in a position where by necessity they will have to look at their operations with a keen financial eye and come up with new and interesting ways to operate. There is no doubt with the success of reality based TV theatre shows and other hits such as the American musical sitcom Glee, that interest in performing in the younger sector is at it’s highest for quite a while. Our challenge now is to capitalise on that interest, utilising and mobilising our biggest resource – our members! I am interested in hearing thoughts from all comers on how you think the spending review will affect our community. Join in the online debate or contact us directly.

AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM AMATEUR STAGE

Doris has had a nasty bout of flu and has gone to Torquay to recuperate. we wish her a speedy recovery. Never fear, she’ll be back next month. 46| www.amateurstagemagazine.co.uk

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