F r i en d s r e t t e l s N e w A u t u m n 2 01 4 ISSUE 10
THIS ISSUE... • Joseph’s dreamcoat on display • New shows on sale • Interview with Katherine Ryan • Free things to do at your local theatre
Dreaming of a Technicolor Christmas Throughout December (from Sat 6 December) visit Swindon Designer Outlet and take a look at one of the original costumes from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
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The golden coat on display has been worn by many Josephs, including Any Dream Will Do finalists Craig Chalmers and Keith Jack, and Ian ‘H’ Watkins from Steps. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat will return to Swindon in May 2015.
. . . s u Join This year’s pantomine press launch will take place at one of the best riverside locations along the Thames, The Riverside in Lechlade. This pub, owned by Arkell’s Family Brewers, is the perfect destination for good food so why not book a table for lunch on Tuesday 23 September and arrive from 11am to see this year’s cast strike a pose for the local press. To reserve a lunch table call (01367) 252534.
Catch up with Claire Welcome to all our new members! We now run the Arts Centre too, and your membership covers all our shows across both venues. This year we have been lucky enough to have several popular comedians booked in to the Wyvern Theatre and Arts Centre with Friends benefiting from priority booking in the short hours before they have sold out! We have some fantastic week-long shows coming up offering our Friends 2 for 1 on the opening night including Copacabana, Dreamboats and Miniskirts and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. We have also undergone a renovation in our Café in the main foyer, which will be ready for our Autumn season, so don’t forget to take advantage of your membership when it comes to ordering our fresh, home-cooked hot food present your card and receive 20% off. We look forward to welcoming you back through the doors of the Wyvern Theatre and Arts Centre very soon.
FR EE THIN GS TO DO
AT YOUR LOCAL THEATRE FA MILY FU N DAY SAT 1 NOVEMBER
W Y V E R N T H E AT R E
Wedding Fayre
Following the huge success of last year’s FREE Family Fun Day, the Wyvern Theatre is preparing to welcome many more families. With character appearances and free events taking place, there will be something for everyone to enjoy – bringing the whole family together!
SUN 7 SEPTEMBER
The guys and girls from HSBC Swindon have taken the day off from their normal banking duties to have fun with you. Your friendly banker also has a surprise gift for your little ones, so they can turn their pennies into pounds. Places are extremely limited for the Mini Movers taster session, from Dance Plus. Come and enjoy fun movement sessions for developing babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers.
From 11am
Come and meet some of the best local suppliers at the Wyvern Theatre’s first ever Wedding Fayre on Sunday 7 September. Gain inspiration for your special day from local wedding shops, to caterers and entertainment providers - plan your Wedding in the amazing atmosphere of the Wyvern Theatre.
DA M E FROM DAVID TO
Punch and Judy performances, from Professor Peter Dann will make an appearance too! The show follows the Punch and Judy tradition and has all the expected characters including Mr Punch (the undoubted star of the show), Judy, the baby, the policeman, Joey the Clown, the crocodile and the devil – plus, to complete the fun, you’ll also find Mr Punch’s slapstick, Joey the Clown’s sausages and his sausage machine!
TUE 30 DECEMBER
E LS M A C G N I Z A M A ’S H P JOSE
11:45AM - 12:15PM Watch David Ashley transform into Sarah the Cook as he applies his make-up and answers your questions in The Place. This event is FREE when purchasing tickets for Dick Whittington – limited availability – book early by calling the ticket office on 01793 524481
BRAND NEW SHOWS ON SALE...
FESTIVAL OF REMEMBRANCE SUN 2 NOVEMBER
AUSTENTATIOUS SAT 21 FEBRUARY
DEAD SIMPLE TUE 21 - SAT 25 APRIL
10AM - 1PM
WED 20 MAY Joseph’s Amazing Camels is the only company in the UK specialising in camels and two of their finest will be in Theatre Square on Wednesday 20 May (after the matinee and before the evening show of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) for audiences and general public to pet and photograph.
RUMOURS OF FLEETWOOD MAC MON 9 FEBRUARY
RIGOLETTO TUE 3 MARCH
FROZEN
SUN 22 MARCH & SUN 3 MAY
BEYOND THE BARRICADE
BARBARA DICKSON
THU 12 FEBRUARY
SAT 14 FEBRUARY
ELKIE BROOKS THU 5 MARCH
JOSEPH & THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT TUE 19 - SAT 23 MAY
COPACABANA MON 16 - SAT 21 MARCH
HISTORY BOYS MON 1 - SAT 6 JUNE
DREAMBOATS & MINISKIRTS Mon 23 – Sat 28 February
LEE NELSON SAT 18 APRIL
MAGIC OF MOTOWN Sat 27 June
CURTAIN UP ON... people will attack you in some way. I’m so lucky because I actually take comfort in people not liking me; I think it’s lovely that we all like different things? When people come after me on Twitter, it’s fine: why would I expect everyone to like me? I do think it’s a bit weird that you would go out of your way to tell me how much you don’t like me, though.”
K ATH E R I N E R Y A N
Katherine Ryan’s new touring show, Glam Role Model, will be at Swindon’s Arts Centre on Sat 11 October. Ryan’s gained a reputation on the circuit for someone whose onstage persona was one of a wide-eyed innocence being broken apart by a spiky edge, a style that can be traced back to her early public appearances in pageants. “Even in the talent round, I’d do this weird thing that nobody understood or I’d always want to sing a man’s song or do a funny sketch. I always had this different way of presenting information, I guess.” Her stage success has led to other opportunities within TV, and Ryan seems pretty content with her level of celebrity. “Mathematically it would seem harder to get success because everybody has the opportunity and access now, and so fame actually becomes less likely. Not too long ago it was just Coronation Street and Hollyoaks on TV and three channels and a few people were famous. Fame doesn’t really work out for many people; it’s nicer to just think that we are all contributing.” This relentless pursuit of celebrityhood which arrived with the explosion of reality TV and the new kind of talent show carries its own inevitable dark side, a side effect to fame which Ryan has been determined to protect herself from. “People don’t realise that putting yourself out there, whether it’s as the most popular girl at school or the weirdo (and I have been both), makes you very vulnerable and more likely that
It’s not just ordinary people hiding behind an anonymous user name who can go on the attack. Ryan has been in the UK long enough to have lived through one or two media storms when comedians have said things deemed offensive by journalists looking for something to fill their next column. While some comics may have taken a step back and a deep breath before writing their next potentially contentious gag, Ryan sticks to a sound philosophy. “If you can sleep at night and stand by everything you said, I don’t think you should have to censor yourself because of something that’s going on in the media. More and more in my comedy career, I do celebrity stuff or talk about the news and I don’t think I’d say anything that I wouldn’t say to his or her face. A lot of the times when you’re talking about an event or a celebrity, you’re not being cheap in terms of a person; you’re talking about a greater theme.’ What of her tour poster, where she is glammed up and enjoying a can (or three) of what looks like an especially strong brand of lager. “I don’t understand people saying ‘oh I was so sick, I missed my entire weekend’. Well, why are you going to do that again? Canadians think that they drink: there’s a culture of hockey, hunting, beer beer beer! But over here, it’s nothing I’ve ever seen in my life and it’s really not cute. Specifically it’s something I’ve noticed with young girls. You see what is presented in the media; these girls have beautiful hair but it’s fake and beautiful lips but they’re fake; eyelashes: fake; nails: fake, tans: fake. They’re putting all this stuff on the outside and on the inside they’re drinking a lot and eating fried chicken after school on the bus. I just have a different view towards wellness, and your life is so much happier if you look after yourself. But, you know, I’m not a nun. I love when things like the Olympics come round and you see someone like Jessica Ennis and you think “yes, now that’s a role model”.’
Wellness and travelling around a national tour don’t seem to necessarily go hand in hand. Katherine Ryan, though, clearly has her head screwed on right. “I love to be on tour and see all the different towns and cities; it’s the ones that are super far away where I’ll get homesick,” she says before discussing why she will be having a variety of support acts for Glam Role Model. “I think it’s actually a bit rude to do it all on your own; there are very few people I’d like to see for two hours with an interval. If I did that I’d be afraid that a load of people would leave at the interval. I just think it’s obnoxious, plus why not give a person that you admire some space and an opportunity?” Ryan has worked hard to grab her chances, and it’s merely part of her generous nature to offer up those opportunities to others when she can. Interview by Brian Donaldson Book tickets today at
swindontheatres.co.uk or by calling the Ticket Office on
01793 524481
Friends
will benefit from no booking fees at The Arts Centre too!
fers Gr eat O f
n ds f o r fr i e
woman in black
Mon 24 – Sat 29 November 2 for 1 Mon 24 Nov
Dreamboats and miniskirts mon 23 – SAT 28 FEBRUARY 2 for 1 Mon 23 Feb
Copacabana Mon 16 – SAT 21 MARCH 2 for 1 Mon 16 Mar
Joseph
Tue 19 – SAT 23 MAY 2 For 1 Tue 19 May
C O M P E T I T I O N ... Win TWO TICKETS to watch Paul Daniels & Debbie McGee on WED 24 SEPTEMBER Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee are back by popular demand, and to celebrate we’ve got two tickets up for grabs! Paul and Debbie are taking to the road again, with another brand new show where they will perform a selection of their favourite magic and a number of new tricks never performed in public before. “The Godfather of Magic” Dynamo For your chance to enter into our prize draw and win a pair of tickets to see Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee simply complete the wordsearch. The answer is the one word listed that cannot be found. To enter please e-mail your answer along with your name, address, e-mail and contact telephone number to becky@wyverntheatre.org. uk or send your entry to: Newsletter Competition, Wyvern Theatre, Theatre Square, Swindon, SN1 1QN. Closing date is Mon 15 September. A prize draw for all entries will be held on Tuesday 16 September and the winner will be notified by email, telephone or post.
h av e you se en Ki n g R ats R o d e n ts ? The Wyvern Theatre have been out and about over the last few months, attending local community events to promote the theatre and meet the audiences. King Rat’s rodent friends have made appearances at The Royal International Air Tattoo, SherstonFest, Old Town Festival, Swindon Pride and many, many more. E-mail marketingpromo@wyverntheatre.org.uk with details about any events in your local community.
A G X O T R I C K S D A H A N Q S A W S Y C D M A D I L I A K V A A N E Y A Z T X E N R U B A G B C E N I N D B W A I M S A E E S I I R T A O B L S F E U A Z G X M S S W H A M Q I T X E G C A R D S C
Daniels Debbie Magic Tricks Illusion Wizbit Cards
GOOD LUCK