Take Your Seat! Supporting Roedean Theatre 1
The Prologue The Performing Arts have always been integral to the Roedean experience, from Junior House nativity plays in days gone by, to our show-stopping school productions, and the fiercely competitive House Dance, Drama and Music Competitions. After leaving Roedean, many ORs have gone on to excel in careers in the performing arts, such as actresses Jessica Hsuan, Rebecca Hall and Marisa Abela, dancer Jane Chan, and producers Caro Newling and Rebecca Long - to name just a few! Central to this, is our theatre, built in the early 1990s, through the incredibly generous support of our community. With 30 years of almost daily use, the current seating has served us well but is extremely worn and currently many of the seats are in an unusable state of repair. We therefore want to use the opportunity provided by a quieter summer for our theatre lets to move ahead with the refurbishments. These refurbishments will mean that more audience members can enjoy each show, in greater comfort, with improved acoustics, and in a more energy efficient auditorium. However, as you will understand, due to our reduced income over the last two years, we need your support to carry out the works.
Oliver Blond Headmaster
Vivien Smiley (Paulson-Ellis, No. 2, 1988-93), Interim Chair of Council
1
The Scene
In recent years, we have invested over £10 million in improving, updating and refurbishing the teaching facilities and Houses, and with the support of our community, our fantastic new all-weather pitch and cricket facilities.
Whether it be for a whole school production, House competition, assembly, meeting, lecture or performing arts lesson, the Theatre is a space our students, staff, parents and Old Roedeanians can come together as a community.
In the Theatre, we have already invested in our backstage area and stage lighting. We are now planning to invest in updating and improving our auditorium in order to ensure all our audiences and guests have an enjoyable and high quality experience whenever they use our theatre.
It is also an important resource to raise income, and to build links in the local community by making it available for external hire. 2
Artist’s impression
Cast of the Matchmaker on the current seating
The Set List We are planning to: ■
Increase capacity from 320 to 355 seats.
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Improve energy efficiency by replacing all of our lighting with an LED system (which will pay for itself within 7 years).
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Increase the amount of accessible seating.
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Improve the audience experience by facing 40% more seats directly towards the stage.
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Improve the acoustics by installing wooden wall panelling and replacing the metal balustrades with wooden ones.
As well as all of this, the Theatre will receive a long overdue refurbishment with new carpets, re-painted walls and a new stage curtain. 3
These transformations will mean more of you can support our girls as they perform, in greater comfort, with a better view of the stage, and in a Theatre with better acoustics, and that is better for the environment. 4
The Target Our School Council have approved funding from our budget to carry out much of the works, but we need your help to raise the final £75,000 (of the £370,000 project costs) to ensure that we can complete the improvements. If we are able to raise over this amount, it would also mean that we can reallocate the School’s investment into other forthcoming capital projects which have been delayed by the pandemic.
Show Time Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, our external lets are reduced this summer, and so we plan to use this opportunity to complete the works before the new school year begins in September.
The Credits Our Theatre was constructed in the early 1990s due to the incredible generosity of our parents, ORs and Former Staff, who followed in the footsteps of generations of supporters who have helped Roedean develop our incredible facilities, from the very earliest days when the Lawrence sisters fundraised to build the Main School Building. We now need you to help us ensure these facilities last for the next generation of Roedeanians.
“I cannot believe it is now nearly 30 years since the theatre was built. It has worn well but is now definitely in need of some refurbishment and updating. I chaired the fundraising committee that raised the money to build it all those years ago! The parents and alumnae were so enthusiastic and generous that it was a pleasure to be involved. I feel now as I did then, putting on a performance is such a terrific team effort. I had only been at Roedean for a few weeks when I got involved in a school play. If you were ever involved in a production at school in any capacity please buy a seat, and help to ensure that the next generation of Roedean theatrical talent has the most up to date facilities and that the brilliant Roedean theatrical tradition continues.”
Rita Skinner (Oldak, No. 3, 1958-63), Chair of the Roedean 2000 Theatre Appeal 5
Audience Participation
Donations over £5,000 will also mean you become a member of the 1885 Society and a Friend of Roedean Theatre.
Your support, however large or small will help us raise the £75,000 needed to complete the Theatre refurbishment, and so we would like to invite you to Take Your Seat by donating at one of our giving levels.
Act I
There are also naming opportunities available for larger donations, if you would like to talk further about donation options, or for more information on the project, then please contact Grace Chaston on 01273 667398, glc@roedean.co.uk, or by writing to the School address.
Donating up to £200, means you will be thanked in the donor list in the programme for our re-opening gala performances.
Donors at all levels are welcome to arrange a personal visit to the theatre, and donors of £250 and more will be invited to one of our gala opening events.
Act II
How to donate
Donating £200 or more means you can name a seat, or for £250 or more you can also add a short personal inscription, such as a favourite quote, or ‘In Memorium’ dedication.
Donations can be made online by going to https://community.roedean.co.uk/pages/take-your-seat, by returning our Gift Form (available here https:// issuu.com/roedeanschool/docs/take_your_seat__gift_form) or current parents can choose to pay through your school bill across up to three terms.
We also have a limited number of seats to sponsor in rows 2-4 for £500, or in the front row for £1,000. If you sponsor one of these seats, you will also be able to include your personal inscription.
If you are based in the USA, you are able to make a tax efficient donation through the British Schools and Universities Foundation (BSUF) by going to https:// www.bsuf.org/donate.
Act III Gift Aid
If you would like to donate at a higher level, we will include your name on the donor board, noting the item you have sponsored. This could be: ■ ■ ■
With Gift Aid, your gift can go even further, by allowing us to claim an additional 25% of your donation. Higher rate tax payers can also claim tax relief on donations, making a gift to Roedean School even more cost effective.
The new stage curtain for £3,500. The accessible seating area for £4,000 A portion of the new lighting system for £10,000 (or the whole system for £60,000) 6
The Old Roedeanians’ Association is delighted as ever to support the Development Activities of the School. Plays, concerts and performances have long been an essential and enjoyable part of Roedean life, greeted with enthusiasm by girls, staff, parents and ORs. These events bring together girls from different houses and years, and foster in some a lifelong love of the performing arts either on stage or behind the scenes. Mary Henderson (No. 3, 1971-76), President Old Roedeanians’ Association
The theatre at Roedean is a most wonderful and exciting place; A place • • • • • • • • • •
where practical and transferrable skills are learned where imagination is developed and given full rein where confidence grows where teamwork is key, but individuality blossoms where responsibility is given, risks are taken and resilience is built where students can step into the shoes of others where everyone gathers together to share the experience of live theatre where stories are told that make us think, make us laugh, make us cry where all human life is explored where memories are made that last forever
The theatre at Roedean is a place where magic happens Kate Armes, Former Head of Drama (1992-2014)
Roedean School, Roedean Way, Brighton BN2 5RQ https://www.roedean.co.uk/roedean-community/support-us A Royal Charter Corporation,7 Registered Charity 307063