Welcome to the 2005/06 season and to our new adjudicator Evette Harper.

Her involvement with drama and performance began at the age of five years and she has continued to be involved up to the present day.

She has qualifications:  B .ED in Drama and Theatre Studies and English at Leeds University 1963. She also qualified in same year as a Licentiate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama [L.G.S.M]. As a student she toured the continent performing Shakespeare for senior pupils and devised pieces for younger pupils.

She embarked on teaching career in Drama. The subject has now developed into a very demanding one at A Level for both students and teachers but what a great subject in which to be involved!

Outside of education she continued as a performer, lecturer, director of Plays ad Musical Theatre for youth and adults. She has been course tutor at teacher training week-ends, employed by Durham, Birmingham, and Leicester, and has promoted cultural exchanges between authorities in England and Germany for Drama, Music, and Dance.

She has been an active member and supporter of Amateur Theatre throughout her life and will always remain so.

To help Evette plan her diary it would be appreciated if you requests were submitted a.s.a.p. and at least 4 weeks before performance dates. Remember, if for any reason you have to cancel your production Cheshire Theatre Guild will refund your fee. You can also submit a request without a play title if your season is not fully planned. A comprehensive set of directions is essential as the locations of many of our groups is unknown territory to Evette.

All the usual stuff – all essential if we are to keep our records up to date. A prompt return - with cheque of course - would be appreciated for the affiliation form. There are NO INCREASES in affiliation or adjudication fees – how do we do it?

Thank you for sitting up and taking notice of my request re. payment in advance for AGM tickets. This made life a lot simpler for the two Margarets Boschi and Card – treasurer and door steward – I know both of them appreciated the difference this made.

And still on the subject of the AGM and particularly awards. The winners received a trophy, a keepsake and a certificate but not “The Bag”. I refer to goodie bags full of free merchandise from PR companies. At the 77^th academy awards in Hollywood nominees could go away with a widescreen TV, a Krups coffee machine, a voucher for a 3 night stay at the St Regis Beach Resort, a pearl necklace or a Dyson DC11 vacuum cleaner. (how do they get these in a bag?) The bag is now a key feature of the entertainment industry with firms desperate to have their products associated with a Hollywood star. Only in America….

Attention all wardrobe persons Ashton Heyes Theatre Club have a large store of costumes, all periods, for you to take out on loan.

Contact Gill on 01928 724417 or Mary on 01829 751840 for details. A donation is appreciated for Ashton Heyes Theatre Club funds but think how much you could save on your costume hire bill!

These are also urgently needed by Ashton Heyes Theatre Club – contact the above mentioned (Gill and Mary) age range 20 to 50 particulars needed.

Cross dressers in Shakespeare

5 Two Gentlemen of Verona (Julia as Sebastian)
4 Cymbeline (Imogen as Fidele)
3 As you Like it (Rosalind as Ganymede)
2 Twelfth Night (Viola as Cesario)
1 The Merchant of Venice (The double act: Portia and Nerissa as Doctor Balthazar and a legal expert)

With the news that the RSC is to host The Complete Works, a year long festival in which every single one of the Bard’s sonnets, songs and plays will be performed by theatre companies from across the world. RSC director Michael Boyd described the event, which will begin in April 2006, as “a national knees up for our national poet”.

(letter to Sunday Telegraph)

I have another possible answer to the mystery of why Oscar Wilde hit upon the word “earnest” for the title of his play “The Importance of Being Earnest”. Jevann Brandon-Thomas, the son of the author of “Charley’s Aunt” records in the biography of his father that some years before Wilde published his play, a fellow author remarked at a social gathering: “These Northern men are so earnest”. Mr Brandon-Thomas says that Wilde replied :”An interesting subject, the importance of being earnest” and wrote a remark down on his cuff for later use.

With at least one production (Moulton Drama Group) planned for 2005/06 it seemed the perfect opportunity some may say excuse) for passing on this recipe for a dish associated with the play. All you need is a boiling fowl and 450g of prunes (sorry have I put you off) and a fes more bits and bobs. Anyway for enterprising and adventurous cooks in Cheshire Theatre Guild here it is.

William Black wandered all over Lancashire looking for this obscure dish, which originated in Bolton and was served at “wakes” – all night celebrations in honour of local saints. The name Hindle comes from a dialect mangling of “hen de la”. It was probably brought to Lancashire in the 16^th century by Flemish weavers. However with rich ingredients and length preparation time, it can hardly have been the ideal dish for poor, overworked mill workers, which might explain it’s demise.

Hindle Wakes

2 Lemons, 450g prunes, 1 small chopped onion, 1 pinch of thyme, 1 pinch basil salt, 50g breadcrumbs,. 1.4kg boiling fowl, 6 pieces of rindless bacon, pepper, gravy.

Wash the lemons and pare the rind thinly, simmer in water for 15 minutes. Add the strained juice of the lemons.

Wash and stone the prunes, then pour the lemon juice over them. Blend them with the onion, thyme, basil and breadcrumbs, then stuff the chicken with the mixture.

Steam for 4 hours then wrap trhe chicken in bacon and roast for 35 minutes. Serve with the rich gravy and prunes.

The land that thyme forgot by William Black is published by Bantam Press at £16.99. Available from the Week bookshop for £15.99 (incl p&p). Call 08700 711712 to order.

Many of you are familiar with the bar area from courses chair/ secretaries lunches etc. This is now known as “the bomb site” – well it was on August 4^th when I visited. A transformation is in progress and all will be revealed in the next newsletter.

The auditorium transformation is now complete, and it looks VERY GOOD – new seating – repainted walls that give a very intimate and theatrical feel – a new strip of carpet plus a small section of floor restored lovingly to it’s former colour and glory – parquet blocks – who remembers these? The thought of the likes of Anne and Betty polishing these (with others I’m sure) almost made me forget I’d just paid £1.50 for a programme. It was very glossy and the sight of Ali and Maggie in their “UNLEASHED” costumes (is that the right word?) made me forget completely.

Have you any items for our news from the groups section? All contributions gratefully received.

Welcome to new Cheshire Theatre Guild members HEALD GREEN THEATRE an article about the group will appear in the next newsletter.

John R Powell
Chairman