Belgrade Theatre Friends Newsletter Autumn 2013

What’s On Diary As part of your Friends of the Belgrade Membership, you are entitled to 20% off the following shows. * Discount is valid on 1 ticket if you have a Single Membership and 2 tickets if you have a Joint Membership.

Show

Dates

Venue Description

The Prodigals

Fri 30 Aug – Sat 14 Sept

MS

After being nominated Best Production at the Edinburgh Festival, this highly-energised new musical comes to the Belgrade.

Cymbeline

Sat 14 – Sat 21 Sept

B2

Based on the play by William Shakespeare this Bollywood version of Cymbeline follows the story of Princess Innogen who marries without her father’s permission, risking her reputation and family honour.

Talon: The Best of Eagles

Tues 17 Sept

MS

Talon return with their latest tour, cementing their status as the world’s definitive Eagles tribute show.

Three Phantoms

Thurs 19 Sept

MS

Nine performers present a thrilling evening of musical theatre featuring songs from the world’s greatest musicals.

One Night in November

Sat 28 Sept – Sat 19 Oct

MS

This gripping wartime love story set during the Coventry Blitz is back by popular demand having received an overwhelming response from audiences and critics alike.

Issue Seventeen Autumn 2013

We’re turning 50 (again)!

Check our What’s On guide or visit www.belgrade.co.uk for more details.

Whilst the Belgrade Theatre is technically 55 years old, the Belgrade Theatre Trust (Coventry) Limited, the charity that runs the theatre, turns 50 this month.

The Belgrade Bulletin

Development The Development Team are busy planning fundraising activities for the next season to increase the awareness of the Belgrade’s charity status; ideas include a talk with Hamish Glen (Artistic Director), a community flashmob and a gala evening. The team are also organising the VIP nights for the upcoming Belgrade productions.

themselves creating pieces based on Hansel & Gretel and a devised piece of theatre along the theme of ‘the future’.

The team is planning an exciting programme of work during 2013/14; this will kick off in the Autumn with a series of residencies for visiting companies and artists during which they will work with all the Theatre’s community groups, giving them a taste of a wide variety of professional practice. Also in the Autumn rehearsals for the next Young Company show will begin, alongside the Critical Mass playwriting course for which the Theatre recently received a record breaking number of applications.

The team has also received the last of the donations for the Fun Run that our team ran in June; we are delighted to announce that £905.31 was donated. Thanks to the Catalyst Arts Fund match funding and Gift Aid the total amount raised increased to £1,723.25, which will give around 50 families facing financial hardship the opportunity to attend a performance of a family show, giving them a much needed morale boost, and the chance to spend some quality time together away from their worries.

Production

Communications Even though there are no shows on, the summer is a busy time for the Communications Team as they plan all of the marketing and press activity for the coming season. In July some of the team went to the Arts Marketing Association’s annual conference and returned inspired with lots of new ideas for promoting the Theatre and its shows in Coventry and beyond. The team had a stand at this year’s Godiva Festival where they spoke to new and existing audiences about the work of the Belgrade and some cast members of The Prodigals performed a song from the show on the community stage. In September they will have a stand at the Coventry University Fresher’s Fair to entice the newest batch of students to visit the Theatre.

Front of House

On 31 August 1963 we became a registered charity (number 219163) and since then we have fundraised for our work on stage and in the community.

In recent years the arts have been affected by the recession and by funding cuts from both local councils and the Arts Council England, and of course we have been affected by this too. Last year we were lucky enough to be awarded a grant of £280,000 from the Arts Council England Catalyst Arts Fund to help increase our fundraising potential and attract

The Production team has been busy during the summer carrying out maintenance and preparing the stage and equipment for the new season. With rehearsals well under way for the forthcoming production of The Prodigals, the workshop has constructed a set fit for the army, and the theatre technicians are now using military precision to ensure all the lighting and sound equipment is in place ready for opening night.

The Operations Team are looking forward to the new Autumn Season. In addition to exciting new Belgrade productions, we are contacting visiting companies ahead of their visit to obtain information about their show and to ensure they receive a warm welcome when they are sent to Coventry! We are also actioning various annual routine maintenance tasks, including a servicing of the audio description kit for both auditoria. We have met with our pantomime merchandise supplier (oh yes we have) to organise toys that patrons can purchase during Jack and the Beanstalk. We are also pleased to confirm that eleven staff members recently passed an Emergency First Aid at Work course.

Community & Education The Community & Education Company have just hosted a Summer School during which over 30 young people thoroughly enjoyed

BOOK NOW 024 7655 3055 or via www.belgrade.co.uk

In order to increase donations, our development team have been working hard to increase people’s awareness of the Theatre’s charitable status. Fundraising activities have included a “Pantastic” Pancake Race in Broadgate, a Ghost Hunt across the city centre, the Coventry Fun Run and of course the Belgrade Theatre Unplugged events, which saw scenes of plays from our Autumn Season performed in venues across Coventry and Warwickshire.

can make its vision become a reality.

You can help support the Belgrade by: • Upgrading your membership to become a member of the Writers’ Circle or Producers’ Circle • Leaving a gift in your Will • Making a donation when booking tickets online, over the phone or in person. If you would like to make a separate donation towards a specific aspect of our work, see the ‘Play your Part’ section of our website.

• Making a text donation of £1 by texting BELG22 £1 to 70070 (terms and conditions are on our website) • Playing the Weather Lottery online • Naming a Seat in either auditoria in person or over the phone.

Over the next few months we are planning more fundraising activities, including Belgrade Theatre – the vision, an event in which Artistic Director Hamish Glen will talk about the work of the Belgrade Theatre, the plans for the future and how the Belgrade

Exclusive Friends of the Belgrade Theatre Events The Belgrade Theatre is a registered charity, no. 219163

Now you know everything that’s happening on stage, here’s an insight into what’s going on backstage with an update from the various departments that comprise the Belgrade team.

new money to invest in additional artistic work. Some of the grant is dependent on our fundraising - if we raise an additional £180,000 in 2013-15 we will be able to access over £140,000 from Catalyst meaning that gifts made during this period will be greatly increased and will enable the support to go much further.

Invite your friends to Our House Date: Monday 28 October Time: 7pm We are inviting Friends of the Belgrade to share the gift of friendship and invite a guest to attend the performance of Our House*. Both you and your guest will receive a complimentary drink and ticket for the show, which won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical. Pre show there will be a talk about the Friends of the Belgrade scheme and if your guest decides to become a Friend you will receive a 50% discount on your renewal price. *Tickets are subject to availability.

To book for any of these events please contact friends@belgrade.co.uk or call 024 7684 6758.

Friends of the Belgrade Theatre benefit from receiving 20% off individual tickets.

See back page for season diary.

A look ahead to Spring 2014

Meet the Team

The Alchemist

Mary Tobin – Front of House Usher

Our Spring 2014 Season kicks off with a riotous adaptation of Ben Jonson’s classic comedy The Alchemist in B2 from 1 to 22 Feb 2014. We caught up with the director Paul Burbridge to find out more.

The Alchemist was first performed in 1610; why do you think the play has remained relevant to audiences over the years?

As writers of topical TV comedy or cartoonists like Steve Bell would tell you, good satire is only really enjoyed by audiences if it is effective in hitting its targets, so I suppose the reason why The Alchemist has had a long stage history from the 17th to the 21st century is because its targets are ones which continue to crop up. They are the familiar obsessions, vices and foibles of human nature, brilliantly displayed here in some wonderfully funny characters. And we recognise them in any society, mainly because we recognise the same traits in ourselves (though perhaps only admitted privately!).

In contrast to many other plays from the Shakespearian age, there’s a definite urban reality to The Alchemist which takes little adjusting to make it feel modern – quite similar in fact to the kind of satirical ‘sketch-based’ comedy which we are used to on television… except that here there is a great story-line which holds it all together.

How long have you worked here?

The play was originally set in London; to what extent will this new version be adapted for Coventry audiences?

I have worked as a paid Usher for 9 months, and as a Volunteer for 12 months

Ben Jonson wrote The Alchemist for a specific audience who knew the location and the community of the Blackfriars area of London where the play was first performed. The ‘now’ factor of the play is intensified by a sense of Neighbourhood Watch – with everyone enjoying the jokes and the references to pubs, streets and businesses which they might have been in only yesterday. The nervous laughter which the play creates is increased when you realise that the gang of rip-off merchants has moved into your city and you might be their next victim if you don’t watch out. So the production and the text will reflect a strong sense of place in Coventry and a resonance with characters and events which have hit our own headlines.

How did you get into your job?

Are there any particular challenges in staging this play?

The main challenges are to do with keeping up all the levels of tension on which its success depends. For instance, in spite of its ‘medicinal’ purpose, the play feels like an early example of farce, where keeping up a fast, furious pace is essential to the comedy, as well as keeping the audience fully aware of each twist and turn in the plot - who’s in disguise, who’s locked in the toilet because they must not meet the person who’s coming up the stairs etc.

However ridiculous or absurd the scams are which the tricksters offer, everything has to be believable or the comedy falls flat – we have to believe that at any moment the gang will finally deliver for their customers that recipe of recipes which will turn a frying pan into bankable gold.

Sum up this production of The Alchemist in three words…

Topical, explosive, hilarious.

The Spanish Golden Age Season Next year we’re teaming up with London’s Arcola Theatre and Bath Theatre Royal to co-produce three brand new translations of rarely performed plays from The Spanish Golden Age. The productions, Don Gil of the Green Breeches by Tirso de Molina, Punishment Without Revenge and The Lady of Little Sense by Lope de Vega will play at the Belgrade from Weds 26 March to Sat 26 April 2014.

Take a look behind the scenes in these rehearsal photos, taken of the cast as they prepare to open the show at Bath Theatre Royal.

Tickets for both of these shows are on sale now.

I made enquiries about a voluntary position, as I like going to the theatre.

What are the most exciting and challenging parts of your job?

I most enjoy watching all of the new shows and seeing the patrons have a good time. The biggest challenge for me is making sure that audience members are not taking photos or videoing parts of the performance which can be difficult when it’s a full house Have you ever experienced any real disasters?

There have been no life threatening experiences, but the air conditioning did break down during a full house on one of the hottest nights! As a result lots of cold drinks and ice creams were sold.

What are your favourite shows that you have seen at the Belgrade Theatre?

acting and singing was fab! Birds of a Feather was very good too and I also enjoy the ballets and many of the plays staged in the B2 auditorium.

What shows are you most looking forward to seeing in the new season?

The Prodigals, looks very good, I have already got my tickets for that and Blood Brothers. There’s a great mix of one night shows coming up and Kindertransport looks very gripping.

Can you tell us something we might not expect about your job?

What I can say is that no two shows run the same, which makes the job very interesting.

Volunteers get the opportunity to work in an exciting, vibrant atmosphere whilst at the same time enhancing the theatregoing experience for our patrons. They will assist in meeting and greeting patrons, checking tickets and helping patrons find their correct seats.

If you would like to volunteer at the Belgrade Theatre please call Eamonn Finnerty, Operations Manager on 02476 846 742 or visit www.belgrade.co.uk/about-us

My favourite was 20th Century Boy as I’m a fan of Marc Bolan, the

Eat. Drink. Relax We’re excited to announce that our restaurant will be reopening this September as the B4 Grill. Situated on the first floor, the B4 Grill will be serving an exciting selection of sharing platters, delicious home-made burgers and a mouth-watering range of Tex-Mex style food. We’re open B4 performances from 5pm until curtain-up. Main courses start from just £7. There’s no need to book, just turn up! Remember as a Friend of the Belgrade Theatre you are entitled to a 10% discount at the B4 Grill, Signatures Café and Theatre bars.

Continued success for The Father We’re very pleased to announce that our production of Strindberg’s The Father has been recorded as a radio play

by BBC Radio 3, to be aired on 22 September. Director Joe Harmston (who recently directed The Prodigals) assembled the original cast for the recording, which included Joe Dixon, as the troubled Captain, and Katy Stephens, as his wife Laura. We’re delighted the show will get to reach new audiences in this way.

The Father has become one of the most successful productions from the Belgrade Theatre, with Joe Harmston, being nominated as Best Director in the Theatre Awards UK for the production and Holly Earl receiving a commendation from the prestigious Ian Charleston Awards for her portrayal of Bertha.

This was Holly’s first stage role, meaning she is able to join the likes of Sir Ian McKellen and Clive Owen, who also began their stage careers at the Belgrade.

If you missed it live on stage make sure to tune in to the BBC Radio 3 version on 22 September.