In the February newsletter I announced the dates for the AGM and awards evening - for the first time two separate events.

The AGM will remain on Monday July 7^th at Knutsford Little Theatre.

Sadly, our plans for the awards evening on July 9^th at a venue to be announced started to look very much in doubt. When it was discovered that certain planning regulations and a dispute over materials used it took a very serious turn. It may be solved to the by the 2009 awards, but for the time being, that venue is out of use.

Panic phone calls to other venues - discussions with Jon Kerr on alternative dates - a visit to a venue that proved unsuitable (a tape deck the only sound to facility). A worrying few days for the Cheshire Theatre Guild committee.

Happily, rescue came in the form of M A D S Little Theatre, and the new date is Wednesday July 2^nd - put this in your diary, on your notice board, in your own news letters and websites now.

With Jon commenting on the seasons plays and some new ideas for the event, we can be assured of a splendid night at Macclesfield.

Full details will follow.

This will be the third year of the popular workshops. As before, CTG and NODA members will get advance notification of these to enable you to get in first.

Here is a summary of what we are offering full details and how - to enroll will follow shortly.

Saturday July 5^th acting.
Saturday July 12^th direction.

Both will be at Knutsford civic centre and once again I was responsible for finding our tutor.

My first choice was Chris Monks, a freelance director, who I know from his work at the Vic Stoke. When you read his synopsis of his plans for the two days I think you will agree that he realizes our limitations from a financial point and he is planning to show how to get a dynamic production without huge expenditure.

Also on July 5^th (venue Harlequins), singing skills.

The other two workshops are aimed at those of you who present panto’s and plays with musical content or Christmas shows such as Wizard – Toad - Christmas Carol etc.

On July 12^th we have Judith Croft once again, who will look at set designs for shows of this type. This will be at Knutsford civic centre.

On July 13^th Elva Parkes will tackle panto makeup, animal, make up, characters and some basic wound makeup. This will be very hands on working in pairs. Sounds fun!

Watch out for the leaflet and get your places reserved - we had a waiting list for several previous workshops.

The lighting and sound technician's in your groups will be disappointed that we are unable at the moment to offer our popular workshops at the Crewe Lyceum.

These were planned, and unexpectedly, the Lyceum pulled out - too late to make alternative arrangements.

The reasons for their decision are unclear, and on the subject of future dates they were evasive. The stage further team are as disappointed as you will be on having nothing to offer you at the moment.

Plans are afoot for a "short play Festival" to be held on October 3^rd and 4^th and Knutsford little Theatre are now accepting scripts for plays up to 10 minutes duration. There are rules of entry, and you can obtain these by e-mail on playfest@knutsfordlittletheatre.com.

A visit to all the Isle of Man my Full Length Easter Festival was a rewarding (if exhausting) time full old who went along. Not helped by return sailings in conditions that were the worst for many a year delays, the sea cat leaving Douglas, only to have to return because it was unsafe to continue the crossing. Despite this, the opinion was that it was all worth while. As they returned with one trophy in no less than five nominations.

The Hale, One Act Festival will as usual, be hosted by the club Theatre Guild members Nantwich Players and Harlequins are taking part this year. Nantwich players will be performing on Thursday June 19^th and Harlequins will be performing on Friday June 20^th, why not go to the club Theatre and support fellow members of the Guild.

A welcome to Jason Crompton, who has taken over as editor. Good luck Jason - putting a newsletter together is not easy, and having done the job for about 12 years I can speak with some authority.

From time to time, we will publish articles from cues in our newsletter, and vice versa.

Here is the first article

Khaki Devil is a unique company which was established in 2001 to provide military uniforms, equipment, weapons, props, locations and historical advice for film, television and theatre companies. Unlike any other company on the planet we are able to offer a real 'one-stop-shop' service for anyone working on a production with a military theme, predominantly covering the period 1899-the present. We are committed to getting the detail as correct as possible for our customers — no matter how large or small the budget.

Originally it was envisaged that our service would only be aimed at professional companies but, over the past two years, there has been a constant and growing demand from amateur production companies and schools for our help. In order to satisfy that demand, Khaki Devil now has a facility especially for Schools, Amateur Dramatic Groups and Community Theatre

We have special all-in packages for some of these productions. This means that, for a one-off payment, you can get virtually everything needed for a production in one visit and, as long as nothing is lost or damaged, there is no further cost involved apart from collection and return.

For example, if you are staging a production of R.C.Sherriff's poignant play, Journey's End, for an all-in price we will supply your production with all the uniforms (including tattered and bloodstained spare jacket for 2/Lieutenant Raleigh), all the equipment. all the weapons (de-activated under Section 8 of the Firearms Amendment Act), all the military props including hard-to-source items such as the German prisoner's paybook, period newspapers and an 1894 copy of Alice in Wonderland (yes, they really do need a copy!). In addition we have items of set dressing such as ammunition boxes, army rum jars, etc and we can also offer historical advice. We can train your actors in the rudiments of Great War drill too (very different to modern drill) if you need us to. We can make your production look extremely professional and save you a great deal of time and effort. We can offer similar packages for most of the other productions listed below.

This 'one-stop-shop' has proved very popular and we look forward to helping out many other schools and theatre groups across the country - and, in fact, the World. Location is no problem either; in the past few months we have sent 70+ First World War uniforms to Belgium for a musical drama and complete production packages to the USA, Eire and Hong Kong.

Amateur Productions Khaki Devil can help you with include:

If you would like to discuss your ideas or
forthcoming productions and see what we can
do for you, please feel free to contact us.

Taff Gillingham
Khaki Devil Limited
218 Colchester Road
Ipswich, IP4 4QZ

Playwright Howard Brenton, whose plays include The Romans in Britain, chooses his six favourite plays. His new play about Harold Macmillan, Never So Good, is showing at the National Theatre (020-7452 3000)

Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare (OUP £7.99). The Bard's greatest —and sexiest — comedy is on the edge of being a tragedy. But everyone is saved by Dogberry, English theatre's most stupid policeman and one of the funniest Shakespeare characters. The play is glorious tosh, but weirdly profound.

The Life of Galileo by Bertolt Brecht (Methuen £8.99). Contrary to his reputation, Brecht could have a very light touch, and this epic about the great astronomer caving in to the Roman Catholic Church has obsessed my generation of playwrights. It is a lesson in how to dramatise mighty ideas in simple human terms.

The Bacchae by Euripides (Penguin £9.99). For me, the best play ever written, and it's one of the first — it premiered in Athens in 403 BC. It is savage, sexy and beautiful, bu a mystery: is it a battle betwe( a dictator and the forces of freedom, or between reason and the chaos of desire? You can twist and turn the plot either way.

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (01_ £7.99). Another mysterious play: a drink at the National Theatre for anyone who can offer The Week a convincing explanation of what Wilde's masterpiece means. Maybe it' simply screamingly funny, surrealistic and evergreen.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams (Penguin £9.99). Williams wrote that in this play he was "trying to catch that true quality of experience in a group of people, that cloudy, flickering —fiercely charged! — interplay of live human beings in the thundercloud of a common crisis". And he did just that, in bucketfuls!

Cinderella (traditional). My favourite pantomime, and the first show I ever saw. I can still see the great comic Arthur Askey fooling about as Cinderella’s father on the stage of the Kings Theatre in Portsmouth. I was eight years old and I have been in love with the theatre ever since.

Method Supposed to be out of breath? Run up a staircase. Playing a down and out? Spend three weeks shivering on the Embankment. Your character is incontinent? Prepare to lose your friends.

Non Method The legendary Michael Bryant was once sent to the zoo to study the behaviour of badgers for The Wind in the Willows. He announced on the first day of rehearsal that he’d concluded badgers behave much like Michael Bryant.

Musical Must have good teeth as broad smile is essential. Ability to shout over noise made by pit orchestra and 2,000 uncomprehending foreign tourists also required.

Classical Earnest, committed, must look good in tights. Should be able to do the trademark RSC bow at curtain call – a wan smile of gratitude overlaying deep emotional fatigue etched across face while doing so.

Bollywood Strong ankles and special awareness is essential, as you will be mostly performing interminable dance routines on flights of steps or while running through groves of trees. An to sing while your mouth is full of cascading orange blossom is an advantage.

Farce Must be good with doors, air hostesses and soda siphons.

Guide by Michael Simpkins

Actor and writer.

An actor who appears nude on a Royal Opera House poster is reportedly considering legal action, after the photograph was doctored to make his private parts smaller, Juan Pablo di Pace was in thze chorus of Verdi’s Rigoletto in 2001 and although he’s np longer inj the production, his naked form is still being used to promote it. But what really vexed him claims a "friend" is that on recent billboard posters, his genitals have been shrunk to "make it look like he barely has any at all".

Theatre actors look down on film actors, who look down on TV actors. Thank god for reality shows or we wouldn’t have anybody to look down on.

George Clooney, quoted in the Observer.

Vladimir Putin turns out to be a rather demanding theatre goer, says the Guardian. The outgoing president recently went backstage after watching a 19^th century comedy at a Moscow theatre. But he wasn’t there to congratulate the cast. "Why did you show the hero crying at the beginning?" he demanded. "He’s a strong man…yet you showed him snivelling."

"You’re absolutely right," grovelled the director. "And I’m so glad the actor has heard this." "The actor has nothing to do with it," replied Putin. "He’s done what you told him to do."

John Powell
Chairman