Welcome to the 2008 / 2009 season.

 

The dust had hardly settled on the previous season when telephone requests started to come in for the new season! Enclosed with this newsletter is a supply of entry forms.

 

Our Adjudicator

 

Usually, I ask our new adjudicator to write a short piece telling you a little about themselves. Well Garth Jones is such a legend in the world of Amateur Drama in the North west – he has adjudicated for Cheshire Theatre Guild many times in the past (sorry Garth am I making you feel your age?) and has run workshops for us – I felt a few words from the man himself superfluous. Can I just say Welcome Garth we are please youwere able to say “yes”.

 

And Some Good News

 

Those of you who came along to the AGM heard me announce that Garth would not be available for a few dates. It now looks as if the week commencing June 8th 2009 is the only week when Gart is unavailable.

 

And Even More Good news

 

For those who prefer, your adjudications can be emailed to you – just indicate on the adjudication entry form if you require this method. Surprisingly, quite a low number requested this in 2007 / 2008 perhaps there will be more this season.

 

The Bad News – Well Not All Bad (Read On)

 

It is time to affiliate for the new season and complete the internet / handbook forms. The good news is that both affiliation and adjudication fees will remain unchanged. On these matters we always take the advice of our treasurer, who can see no reason to increase these. Next time you see Gerry near a bar you might like to say “thank you” in the customary manner.

 

News From the Groups

 

Davenham and Sandiway Players With a new central heating system Davenham and Sandiway Players are all fired up for the new season – albeit with finances somewhat drained. All the more reason to support a production of 3 “Talking Heads” by going along to Church Street Davenham. Tickets available on 01606 45186 (Robert Almquist) Dates 23rd, 24th and 26th September.

 

Knutsford Little Theatre Knutsford Little Theatre's International Short Play Festival mentioned in the last newsletter is proving to be a great success. They have received no less than 343 entries from as far afield as America, Canada, Australia, Russia and Japan, though more than half are from here in the UK. A reading panel was established to choose just twenty to be performed at the festival; a difficult job because the standard of entries is extremely high.

 

The number of entries is a great example of the power of the internet. The only publicity the theatre gave the festival was to tell us at the Cheshire Theatre Guild, ask Cheshire based publisher New Theatre Publications to pass the information on to it's authors and post the opportunity on one internet forum. Soon, news of the festival was being shared amongst the international playwriting community and writers young, old, experienced, novice, professional and amateur were sending their work in.

The reading panel read all the entries 'blind' without knowing anything about the author, so the plays to be performed are selected purely on merit and the theatre is confident that their audience will experience a superb two nights entertainment. The festival runs at the theatre on October 3rd and 4th.

David Muncaster

 

Nantwich Players Audlem is a small village between Nantwich and Market drayton. Each year it holds a festival of music and arts – well supported as there is a thriving community spirit. As part of the festival Nantwich Players were asked to fill one of the Saturday evenings in the village hall. Devised by Gerry Park they presented a Jimmy Chinn one act play (that subsequently picked up awards at the Wilmslow and Hale one  act festivals). The second half of the evening was “The Mancunian Way” – selection of extracts and readings with a Northern flavor.

 

The Club Theatre The Club Theatre are just completing a refit of their wardrobe department. All the dress rails have been removed and fixed racking installed. The result is greater storage space. As a result they have 14 dress rails that they no longer want. If anyone wishes to purchase these rails at £10 each please contact Ian Bowden at the theatre on 0161 928 1113 or mobile 07850 825256.

 

Stage Further Workshops

 

A review of 'The Acting Workshop

Last year I wrote a review of the director's workshop in Knutsford, entitled 'Inside the Director's Studio'. In it, I stated what unbelievable value the workshop was, in terms of the vast amount of learning gleaned, in contrast to the small fee paid for attendance.

 

One year on, and I am pleased to write in similar terms about the acting workshop led by Chris Monks on 12 July 2008 at Knutsford Civic Centre. Having seen several of Chris's productions at the New Vic Theatre in Stoke over recent years, I knew this would be a fantastic chance to work with one of the country's top directors. What I didn't expect was the relatively Iow number of actors attending the workshop: only fifteen in total. I considered this to be a missed opportunity for many, when one considers the calibre of the director and the cost of the workshop, which was only £10!!

 

Chris facilitated the workshop throughout the day. He was the consummate professional, whose friendly, supportive and approachable style created the ideal learning environment in which all actors contributed freely. I also noticed that Chris actively involved everyone during the day, unreservedly sharing his knowledge, skills, suggestions and numerous gems of wisdom gained over many years as a professional director.

 

The group worked collectively on selected pieces from 'Billy Liar' in the morning and ‘The Pride of Miss Jean Brodie’ In the afternoon. There were various group exercises which explored the text in a way that was well structured, innovative, fun and very relevant to the actor's role. All the participants agreed that they now possessed a deeper understanding of text analysis which would enable them to portray the truth of the character with more clarity and realism. Having analyzed the protagonist's role, we also looked at their relationships with other characters, which again was an illuminating experience.

 

There was a broad range of ages and acting experience amongst the participants, but everyone agreed it was a fantastic learning event and attendance was very worthwhile.

 

In conclusion, I would like to thank A Stage Further Organizers and their partnership agencies for providing such outstanding master classes and urge members to seize these continual professional development opportunities.

Mark Hughes (Actor) Impact Theatre Company

 

Directing Workshop 5th July 2008

 

This workshop was led by Chris Monks, currently a Freelance Director whose previous work includes New Vic Theatre(Stoke-on-Trent), Bolton Octagon and Liverpool Everyman Theatre. Chris is shortly to take over as Artistic Director at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough..

 

John Powell joined a group of amateur thespians(4 men and 11 women) at this workshop in Knutsford We listened to Chris's stories of his experiences as a Director. These were very enjoyable and through them Chris was able to give us hints and advice on directing.

 

Notable points were;

Act as a mirror to what is happening on stage(the cast cannot see themselves)

Do lots of research about the piece, period, history etc

Casting is the most important job

Directors are not there to teach acting, you expect the cast to be able to act.

Do not show them what to do by acting it yourself

If you have to choose another play to suit the cast.

Examine each character and discuss eg how that character would walk into a room Know the play thoroughly

Avoid scene changes wherever possible and be minimalist with set

Decide what you want and be firm

Delegate but remember-the buck stops with the director. . . . . . . .. .. . . . .

 

We went on to discuss our own experiences and problems with directing.

 

Then we studied two extracts Chris had prepared, these were from "Amadeus" by Peter Schaffer And "Haroun and the Sea of Stories" adapted by Tim Supple from the novel by Salman Rushdie. After discussions about staging we were split into two groups, the directors' names being drawn and the two groups separated to plan and rehearse a performance of these extracts to be given in front of the alternative group..

 

This was fun and the results quite impressive. The piece by Rushdie was particularly challenging and the director and actors were excellent

 

The whole experience was enjoyable, informative and well worth the time spent.

Jane Standing Stockton Heath Methodist Dramatic Society

 

Footnote

Workshop leader Chris Monks moves to Scarborough in the new year as Artistic Director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre. However, Chris has indicated that if convienient dates can be found he is quite willing to work with us again.

 

A Good Year

 

2007 was a record breaker for London Theatres with over 13 million bums on seats. According to the Society of London Theatres two thirds of these saw musicals with “Hairspray” “Joseph” and “Grease” pulling in the biggest crowds with “Grease” leading the field.

 

A Life on the stage

 

Dame Eileen Atkins has been in showbiz a long time. As a girl during WWII she danced in working men's clubs, billed as "Baby Eileen". She only recently became a household name, thanks to her show­-stealing turn as Miss Deborah in the BBC's Cranford, but she has long been one of Britain's best-regarded actresses, winning countless awards and playing many classic stage roles. Experience, though, ha_ given her a strong preference for new writing, says Chris Hastings in The Sunday Telegraph. "As a theatregoer, I get bored with seeing the same old plays again and again. I felt terrible the other night because I bumped into Greta Scacchi and she asked me if I was coming to see her in The Dee) Blue Sea. I said, 'Greta, I'm so old, I've seen it so many times I've seen it with Peggy

Ashcroft, with Vivien Leigh, with Googie Withers, with Penelope Wilton and I played it myself when I was 19. I can't bring myself to see it again.' She was very sweet about it."

 

Commanding an audience

 

Benedict Cumberbatch is keen to attract young audiences to the theatre - but there's a downside. "Texting and talking have become a real problem," the young British actor told Mark Lawson in The Guardian. "But you have to understand that you can't demand their attention - you have to command it. You have to make them behave by your acting, not by shouting 'Behave!'

 

There's a story about an actor playing Dracula at a matinee and getting sick of the noise from kids. So he jumped into the audience, seized one by the throat and roared: 'Don't you know I'm Count f* * .'ing Dracula?' But you can't do that."

 

And Finally

 

With the season about to start now id the time to learn the art of taking your bows – read on . . .

Bowing out gracefully: Variations on the theme of the farewell gesture.

 

The Who Me? The leading lady widens her eyes in disbelief, startled by the unforeseen warmth of the audience’s approval – for the eighth time that week.

 

The Husk A.k.a. the broken reed, the rag doll. The actor totters to the front of the stage, traumatized, spent, dazed by the intensity of his performance. Beloved of the RSC.

 

Just Happy to be Here. A fixed beam suggesting what fun it has all been. One of the supporting players, who suspect the audience won’t whoop and cheer for their Second Footman or Third Merchant.

 

The Guilt Kid. One works in operas with parts for mute children. Scenario: you blew your high notes, your career is shot. But if I grab that kid and pull him on stage, they can’t boo us, right?

 

The Ensemble. The cast bow as a team. Possibly because the star wants to be seen as a democrat. Curtain-calling at it’s most gracious and unfussy – i.e. no fun at all.

 

Yup, Pulled That One Off. Looking like you know you’ve just played a blinder. Fun but risky – it’s crucial to look exultant, not smug.

 

The Long Goodbye. As seen in operas (e.g. Angela Gheorghiu), this consists of a prolonged wave – but the diva has no intention of leaving the stage. Not until the applause stiops, anyway. It has? Oh well, I’ll keep waving until it starts again.

 

 

The Royal Court Nod. A tip of the head, almost rude; “As if doing anything more” suggests Dominic Dromgoole, the director, “would be a betrayal if the seriousness of what you’ve just been through”.

The Collapse. Only for those who have already mastered The Husk.

 

The Emperor Gives His Subjects A Final Glimpse. You chat with someone in the wings, then take a long languid walkdown, possibly via a circuitous route. “Remember to look at the rest of your cast as if they were your flock,” advises the actor and comedian Neil Mullarkey, “And don’t forget to delay your look at the audience until the very last minute”.

 

Thank you Meg for spotting this article in “The Times”.

 

John Powell

Chairman

 

 

 

CAN YOU HELP

 

MADS are looking for 2 men in the 50’s age group and 1 man in the 20/30 age group for a production of School for Scandal running from December 1st to 6th 2008. Please contact Gail Hardman on 01625 542265 if you are interested.