A date For Your 2009 Diary

 

Well, that is assuming you have your 2009 Diary (or are you expecting one as a Christmas pressy?). The date to enter in those pristine pages is Wednesday June 17th Awards Night!

 

Firstly my thanks to Garth for agreeing to be available – and what would an awards evening be like without our adjudicator? Particularly when we expect Garth to do his usual “turn” – the only word I can think of for his “performance” (that’s another word I have thought of to describe the fun he brings to the evening).

 

This year we return to Frodsham Community Centre as your feedback tells us you prefer the caberet style with tables. We first went to Frodsham in early November to discuss dates and this is a very busy venue – possibly because the Winsford and Northwich civic halls are way beyond our budget. We were also anxious to avoid the situation of last year, when our awards evening clashed with a production of one of our members. This year we had to work around no less than three of our members, who had productions around the period we usually present the awards.

 

AGM

 

This date has yet to be finalised but following on from the success of holding this on a different day to the awards this will continue in 2009. The plan is to combine this with a Chairman’s / Secretaries get together and hold the AGM on a Sunday – last year we tempted you with a glass of wine and nibbles – this year it will be a buffet lunch - compliments of Cheshire Theatre Guild. Watch for the Date.

 

Poster Competition

 

This will be with a slight difference for 2009. Your entry must be no larger than A4 size. The reason for this change is that in the recent past all the winners and nominations have been in a larger size making them more eye catching at a disadvantage to the majority of entries that are in the smaller size.

 

The Last Word on the Awards Evening – and an Invitation.

 

Yes I know it is six months away but the Cheshire Theatre Guild Committee always discusses the awards and AGM very soon after they take place to try and make improvements for the next year.

The problem we have is our extracts – the bit where another group entertains you (and we are a critical lot aren’t we?).

 

We usually have three extracts of ten minutes each and it is now becoming more and more difficult to find groups able to pull something together for us. This is usually done by rota to give you all a chance but when a group says “no sorry” the system fails.

 

This year we invite you to tell us if you have a production that would be suitable for an extract on June 17th 2009.

 

 

New Handbook

 

You can expect to receive up to date pages quite soon and it is quite a task for Ian and myself to get the information – Just as we think we have cracked it there are a couple of changes to names / contacts and pages have to be redone and rechecked.

 

 

 

A Publicity Opportunity

 

I have spoken to Andrew Bowen on the “Chronicle” group of weekly newspapers. Andrew is keen to give publicity in the way of an article and possibly a photograph to local theatre groups in Mid Cheshire.

This is therefore mainly for those of you in Davenham, Moulton and Northwich, who have already spoken with Andrew. However, there is a possibility that he can give some publicity to those outside  the immediate circulation area. To use Andrew’s words “an article of thirty words is more likely to be used than one of three hundred words if you are further afield”.

 

You can contact Andrew Bowen by telephone on 01244 606409 or email midcheshire.news@cheshirenews.co.uk.

 

My thanks to Caroline Young of Harlequins for passing this information to me.

 

 

Pot Noodle – The Musical

 

In what must be an advertising first, the fast food snack has sponsored an entire show at the Edinburgh Fringe. Pot noodle the Musical is set in an idyllic all-singing, all-dancing Pot noodle factory, where workers pluck Pot Noodles fresh from trees and bottle feed them.

 

Product placement has taken on a new lease of life too, syas Ed Pilkington in the Guardian. Several TV stations in the United States have begun to allow McDonalds products, such as iced coffee, to appear on the desks of news anchors as they present current affairs shows. It’s all part of the tentacle like growth of clandestine advertising on American TV shows.

 

 

Bad Week for Broadway

 

Broadway is being hit by the spiralling economic crisis in the US. In October, five of New York’s biggest productions announced plans to close, including Monty Python’s Spamalot, while four that were scheduled to open this autumn suddenly cancelled after investors got cold feet.

 

When “Spanalot” closed in London there were plans for a UK tour – this is also cancelled.

 

And a few words from Sanjeev Bhaskar when he took over the role of King Arthur. “If you examine historical documentation you will find that King Arthur was in fact Asian. All great kings in British history were Indian”.

 

 

How to Memorise Verse

 

Daisy Goodwin and the BBC have launched a poetry recital competition for children aged 7 to 11 (www.bbc.co.uk/schools/teachers/offbyheart).  Here are her tips on how to learn poetry:

 

· Read the poem to yourself. Then read the first line out loud. Look away from the page and say the line again. If you make a mistake, try again. Repeat the procedure for every line in the poem.

 

· Go back to the beginning. This time read the first two lines out loud, look away and repeat them out loud. If you made a mistake, try again. Go through the whole poem two lines at a time.

 

· Repeat the process three lines at a time, then four lines, five, then six. “By the sixth pass, no matter how long the poem, you will have memorised it”.

 

· Recite the whole poem just before you go to bed at night.

 

· The next day, after a peep at the first line to kick start your memory, you should find that you can recite the whole poem.

 

 

Comedians Who’ve gone Legit

 

Les Dennis

Who played in “Eurobeat” in the west end, “Skylight” in Newbury, “Misery” at Oldham Coliseum. A UK Tour of “Art” and “Murder” at the Menier Chocolate Factory.

 

Dawn French

West End stage roles include Bottom in “The Dream” – a dumped wife in “My Brilliant Divorce” and a put upon Daughter in “Smaller”.

 

Lenny Henry

Will play “Othello” for Northern Broadsides – on tour and at the Vic Stoke from April 28th to May 2nd (Tel 01782 717962). My tip – book early – Northern Broadsides have a very big following at the Vic and always sell out.

 

Catherine Tate

Worked at the RSC and The National in “The Servant of Two Masters” and “The Way of the world” and this summer in “Under the Blue Sky” in the West End.

 

Robert Webb

The Peep Show star and one half of Mitchell and Webb comedy duo made his West End debut in “Fat Pig”.

 

 

Amateur Stage

 

In early July – Mark Thorburn, editor of Amateur Stage, was made redundant upon the transfer of the business to new owners.

 

The first issue was in August and it is now “AS Magazine” – the independent magazine for community theatre. The general feedback I have received is “too much of the content is on professional theatre” and certainly many of the old features had gone. I cannot comment on the September issue – despite two telephone calls to an answering machine and one letter I never received this issue.. The October and November issues did arrive and there are signs of a slight improvement in the content. AS Magazine invite feedback and contributions – I hope you have more luck than I did when you try to reach them!

 

I cannot imagine what Charles Vance – who I have met on more than one occasion – can be thinking. Over his years as editor the magazine grew in size and to full colour. Charles had his opinions – some I did not agree with but one thing I cannot question was his understanding of Amateur Theatre.

 

 

News From The Groups

 

Ashton Hayes Theatre Club

Ashton Hayes recently celebrated a “Golden Anniversary” (50 years if you were unsure). There was a meal at a local eaterie attended by past and present members – some had travelled long distances just to be there and meet old friends and reminisce. I sat next to Garth and Jill Jones former Ashton Hayes stalwarts. Ashton Hayes has always been known for it’s parties and I was told that anyone who went home before dawn was considered a wimp! There was a bottle of wine that appeared after each rehearsal with a bottle of champagne after the dress – all this in pre “don’t drink and drive” days!.

Ashton Hays had a display of photographs, posters, programmes and scrap books from the past. Looking through these I realised that they had presented some challenging plays – not dounted by the limitations of venues.

 

In November they presented “The Thwarting of Baron Bollingrew” with a cast of 26 enthusiastic youngsters. Congratulations Ashton Hayes Theatre Club.

 

 

The Club Theatre

The first night of the new season was marked by a presentation of an award by Altrincham Court Leet to celebrate the fact that The Club Theatre has been providing entertainment to the people of Altrincham since 1896. While not the oldest Amateur Theatre in the country, The Club Theatre is definitely one of the oldest.

 

Several months ago there was a man hard at work in the ladies toilet, well he’s been at it again this time in the gents. I am referring to Alan Reidsma who has been refurbishing the theatre toilets on his own. People have gone in to view the finished job and have been moved by his workmanship.

 

Following many years of having their programmes printed by a local printer The Club Theatre has started to produce their own on their new all singing and dancing colour copier. It prints the programme in full colour, then staples and folds it ready for selling. It is so much cheaper costing less than £100 for a full run of a sixteen page A5 programme.

 

Macclesfield Amateur Dramatic Society

During the summer months the paint brushes were busy giving the entrance foyer and staircase walls a new look. A tricky job with the height involved and all those health and safety requirements. They have gone for a lighter colour this time and it looks good. There is always something to be done at MADS and the below stage / dressing room areas have recently undergone significant improvements.

 

Nantwich Players

News has just reached us that Nantwich are in the final three for the “Visitors Choice Awards” in the south Cheshire Chamber Business Awards 2008. More than a dozen venues were nominated including Beeston Castle and Bridgemere and voting was either online of by completing a voting card at the theatre.

 

Their President Mrs Pat Hough and her husband will represent Nantwich Players at the Business Awards in Crewe Hall in Lte November. She is preparing a few words ... Just in case!

 

Have you Something to celebrate like Ashton Hayes Theatre Club? Let Cheshire Theatre Guild know – or better still – write a short piece for the newsletter.

 

 

Stage Further Workshops

 

We are now planning these for May / June 2009, so watch the post for details.

There will be a new one for 2009 – “stage Management” – something we have had requests for in the past.

 

With the chang to Cheshire East and Cheshire West the role of arts officers is uncertain, also the funding. However, the spring / summer workshops are secure.

 

 

And Finally

 

There are a few groups who have not yet affiliated for 2008/2009. Further forms with this newsletter if you are in this category.