F r i en d s r e t t e l s N e w A U T U M N 2 01 3 ISSUE 8
THIS ISSUE... • Exciting new updates for booking online • New shows on sale • Interview with Merrill Osmond • Family Fun Day news
UPDATES TO BOOKING
ONLINE
On Tuesday 24th September the Wyvern Theatre goes live with its brand bran and nd new n website. The website upgrade will bring with it exciting new features res for for online onl nlin ine in e bookers. boo bo o As a Wyvern Friend, the upgrade means a new login procedure to ensure that you still receive all of your entitled benefi efi fitts. fi ts. s. Here are a few things you will need to k know: now: no w:
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You must login through the Wyvern Friends ds Login button before starting your order. Thi This hiss is a different button to the normal login button. tto ton. n.
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You will be directed to a members only si site ite where you can login to browse through th the e shows and purchase tickets.
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This procedure will allow you to receive allll of your current benefits, including fee-free booking and Friends discounts.
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If you do not login via the special Wyvern Friends Login button you will be charged booking and postage fees and you will not be able to view or access Friends discounts.
We hope these changes are straightforward and mean that you can continue to make the most out of your Friends membership. If you do have any problems with the new procedure, please do not hesitate to contact Friends Administrator Claire Stewart, or any member of the Ticket Office Team who will be happy to help. You can e-mail Claire: cstewart@wyverntheatre.org.uk or call the Ticket Office on 01793 524 481.
K L A T S N E E R G e h T J A CK A N D This summer Wyvern staff have been supporting The Wilts and Berks Canal Trust in re-opening the canal route and providing wildlife habitats, cycle ways and routes for walkers along the restored towpath. Jack and the Beanstalk tells the story of a boy who plants a magic bean which grows into a beanstalk, enabling him to save his community from a terrifying Giant. The story of this year’s pantomime encouraged the Wyvern to consider how the theatre’s staff could have a positive effect on both the environment and our local community. “Swindon’s number one entertainment venue will see a beanstalk grow on stage more than fifty times throughout the festive season,” said Theatre Director Derek Aldridge. “Like the magic bean in this year’s panto, we hope that our seed of support will sprout and, from it, the trust will harvest many new local businesses and individuals who wish to show their support by volunteering their time.” Swindon is mid-point of the waterway which linked the Thames at Abingdon with the Kennet & Avon Canal near Melksham. A variety of members of staff have given up three working days, over a three month period, to step away from the glitz and glamour of theatre and step into the historic canal. “It has been really interesting,” said Ticket Office Assistant Julie Ireland. “It’s really engendered a team spirit, we’ve found a lot of humour in it and it has been so refreshing to be outdoors!”
For more information about Wilts and Berkshire Canal Trust, visit http://wbct.org.uk/
Book tickets today at
wyverntheatre.org.uk
BRAND-NEW SHOWS ON SALE...
PUNT & DENNIS TUE 14 JANUARY
KILLER QUEEN
PAM AYRES
SHAKESPEARE 4 KIDZ
THU 16 JANUARY
MON 20 JANUARY
MOSCOW STATE CIRCUS
THU 13 FEBRUARY
FRI 14 FEBRUARY
SHOWADDYWADDY
ED BYRNE
FRI 21 MARCH
TUE 18 MARCH
PETER PAN ON ICE
PEPPA PIG’S BIG SPLASH
WED 7–SUN 11 MAY
SAT 24–SUN 25 MAY
CIRCUS OF HORRORS WED 29 JANUARY
CHARLIE & LOLA
RUSSELL KANE
TUE 18–WED 19 FEBRUARY
SUN 2 MARCH
PAUL CARRACK TUE 1 APRIL
JOE McELDERRY THU 12 JUNE
THE GRUFFALO FRI 11–SUN 13 APRIL
SALLY MORGAN THU 30 OCTOBER
CURTAIN UP ON... Well I have several but I’ve always liked Love me for a Reason to perform as our audiences always sing that one along with us. They know every word and dance move. Sometimes we’ll just stop singing and the fans will finish the whole song. There’s nothing like being on stage with the whole arena can sing one of your favorite songs back to you.
M E R R ILL O S M O N D
I also like some of the newer songs like Can’t get there without you. That truly is an anthem to our fans as we can’t get to our destiny or stay in business this long without the fans. We’ve all basically grown up together so the fans feel like an extension of our family so that song has real meaning for all of us.
Richard Loftus, Wyvern Theatre Marketing Manager, caught up with the legendary Merrill Osmond to find out about his astounding career and performing with his family. You have written the music and lyrics for a number of hit records – where do you draw your inspiration from? My inspiration comes just from life experiences. My brothers and I would talk about something that happened in our life or something we were feeling and we would just start putting those feelings into music and adding lyrics. I always hear the music in my head first and get the melody down and then start writing the lyrics. Collectively the Osmonds have produced 47 gold and platinum records with record sales topping a 100 million worldwide – do you have a favourite Osmonds song, both to listen to and perform?
Of course Crazy Horses is always fun to perform on stage. It helps us to get a little bit Rock and Roll into our show and the fans always love it. Some of the older folks at some of the shows have to fasten their seat belts but it’s a fun song for all of us and is one we wrote about pollution. This song was banned in Germany because they thought we were talking about drugs but the Crazy Horses was about Horsepower and pollution at the time. Another favorite is Let me In. This is a song my brothers and I wrote that was actually has a double meaning. Most people look at this as a love song between a man and a woman but it also has a meaning of letting the Heavenly Father in to take care of your life so it’s perceived in both ways. We like to write songs like that and it’s one of my favorites. What has been one of the highlights of your career so far and why? Oh there has been so many. Truly when you have been in the business and enjoy it as much as we do there are so many. Getting out and meeting the fans means so much to us and that they are still coming to see us after 54 years in the business is always a highlight for
REMEMBER WHEN... The first theatre I remember seeing was a Summer Season Show in Great Yarmouth with Arthur Askey and Dickie Henderson. This was my first real introduction to Variety Theatre, and was great escapism. Ever since then I’ve always loved variety – there’s nothing better than having a good laugh! Talking about having a laugh, why not come along to my show An Evening with Brian Conley at the Wyvern, which is probably as much fun as it’s possible to have with your clothes on!
Brian Conley will be at the Wyvern Theatre on Thursday 3 October. Book tickets today at wyverntheatre.org.uk where you can also download Brian’s autograph.
us. We’ll keep doing it as long as they continue to come and see us. How does touring the UK now compare to your very first UK tour in 1973? Well our first tour caused utter hysteria. There were girls passing out. We couldn’t fly into Heathrow because of all the people that met us there and the potential of people getting hurt. We were kicked out of hotels because of people beating on the doors. We couldn’t go out at all we just had to stay in our rooms so even though we were having great success in our career we really couldn’t get out and enjoy it. Now it’s a little calmer and we can get out and meet the fans and talk to them. We can walk around the cities we visit and be able to enjoy some of the scenery now. So the concerts are still amazing and we have just as much fun as back then but we’re able to now get out and meet with everyone after the show and just get hugs and just have fun. What do you enjoy most about performing with your brothers on stage? Just the fact that we are still doing what we love after 54 years. We can read each other so well. We have performed together so many times that we can change the show in a heartbeat to please the crowd. It’s just fun to still be performing with them for so long. I love my brothers and I am just blessed to still be in this business with them. If you would like to hear Jimmy Osmond talk about his career and upcoming show, visit the Podcasts page of our website wyverntheatre.org.uk/podcasts where you can listen online or through iTunes.
The Osmonds American Jukebox Show will be performed at the Wyvern Theatre on FRIDAY 27 SEPTEMBER. Book tickets today at wyverntheatre.org.uk or by calling the Ticket Office on
01793 524481
COMPETITION
S POT Th e
D I F F E R E N C E ...
FAMILY FUN DAY
Win VIP tickets to the Press Night for Jack and the Beanstalk This year Keith Chegwin will headline, for the third year running, Swindon’s favourite pantomime production. Cheggers will return to the Wyvern, following his sensational skating on this year’s Dancing On Ice, to perform the hilarious role of ‘Silly Billy in the theatre’s 2013-2014 pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk. Giant laughs will be had by the entire audience with ticket prices to suit all pockets – you won’t have to sell the family cow to enjoy the biggest pantomime in Swindon! For your chance to enter into our prize draw simply complete the Spot the Difference below. There are eight differences between the two pictures of Keith Chegwin and Daisy the cow. You could win a pair of VIP tickets to see the Press Night performance of Jack and the Beanstalk and a free programme, as well as attend the Press reception before the show where you can enjoy complimentary drinks and nibbles before taking your seats for some GIANT entertainment. To enter please e-mail the eight answers along with your name, address, e-mail and contact telephone number to
laura@wyverntheatre.org.uk or send your entry to:
Newsletter Competition, Wyvern Theatre, Theatre Square, Swindon, SN1 1QN Closing date is Fri 25 October. A prize draw for all entries will be held on Mon 28th October and the winner will be notified by email, telephone or post.
Alfie the Alligator
Tony De Saulles, illustrator of the award-winning Daisy the Horrible Science series Cow, from this year’s Wyvern Theatre pantomime
On Sat 2 November we’ll be hosting our very first Family Fun Day!! Pop in to the Wyvern with the whole family for five minutes, for an hour or for the whole morning!
Mr Potato
Try your hand at illustrating in the style of Horrible Science’s Tony De Saulles, take a backstage tour or simply sit back and have a coffee whilst the kids join in with the colouring competition, get their faces painted or listen to the story of Jack and the Beanstalk told by a member of this year’s pantomime cast. You may even bump into Daisy the Cow, Mr Potato from Peppa Pig and Swindon Advertiser’s Alfie the Alligator! Plus, staff from Swindon’s LUSH will be demonstrating their Think Pink and Space Girl bath bombs, which will be available to purchase on the day. Visit wyverntheatre.org.uk to watch a video of how the Space Girl bath bomb landed on earth.
This half-term treat for children and families will be a brilliant FREE day out. See you there! “I’ve had some great days at the Wyvern with my three young ones. It’s got it all. Comfy seats, easy parking, friendly staff, superb productions and most importantly of course, top quality ice cream in the interval.” Ben Prater BBC Wiltshire Breakfast Show Presenter