Full details were sent out with the November newsletter. The date is January 30^th 2005, 10am to 4pm. The venue is The Club Theatre, Altrincham.

There has been a lot of interest in this course and several registrations have already been received. Return yours A.S.A.P. if you wish to reserve places on this course as numbers will be limited. A further set of forms with details and enrolment is enclosed.

Nantwich Players
Printed from the Nantwich Players November newsletter with the kind consent of John Brough – their newsletter editor.

Earnest – It’s a piece of cake…
Last night theatregoers were offered a piece if celebration cake when the run of “The Importance of Being Earnest” ended last month.

The final night if the players production fell on the 150^th anniversary of Oscar Wilde’s birth (writhes a member of the cast). To mark the occasion, a large birthday cake, presented by director Paul Abbott was wheeled onto the stage at the close of the show and a slice presented to all members of the audience before they left the auditorium.

Later on, Paul continued the birthday theme by presenting members of the cast and crew with assorted floral tributes (Wildean green carnations for the men). Before everyone retired to a late supper at Oscar’s, a new restaurant in Nantwich with a Wilde theme, the cast presented the crew with cards , and Paul with two books – a novelisation of the play, and a biography of Wilde’s wife.

Making the presentation, Jerry Park read extracts from a diary of the production that he claimed to have kept because “One should always have something sensational to write in the traffic”.

Here is that unique record.

August 1^st
Paul has cast “earnest” Simon Porter and I will play Cecily and Gwendolen. Paul says that bereak with tradition necessary because whereas all women act like their mothers, no man ever does.

August 2^nd
Paul changes his mind about casting.

August 15^th
Paul has blocked whole first page.

August 17^th
Paul has re-blocked whole first page.

August 22^nd
Cast have provided Paul with pencil with which to record blocking of first page.

August 24^th
Blocking of first page continues.

September 1^st
Paul has standardised rehearsal starting times from 7.15pm, 7.23pm, 7.48pm or 8.00pm according to taste, to a new time that everyone has forgotten to write down, including Paul who is the only one with a pencil.

September 15^th
Cast spends day stripping tiles from auditorium roof so that ten ton crane can airlift sofa from Laura Ashley to theatre. Paul toys with performing entire play on sofa, which has advantage of being both bigger and higher than stage.

September 30^th
Costume parade: “The suspender is terrible, I hope it will last”

October 8^th
ll parts in play finally cast.

October 9^th
First night. Cast calms collective stage fright by blowing hard on scenery to make paint dry. Production judged popular success from audience reaction.

Production judged critical success from fact that everyone came back in for second half.

Close call
Jeremy Acklam cut it fine in getting to the theatre to play Merriman the manservant on Friday night. As he explained, he had still been in Paris at 6pm (Paris Time) after a five hour meeting for his company, Virgin Trains (he is their IT Director). After a flight back to Manchester, he arrived at the theatre with 15 minutes to spare for his 8.30pm entrance. Edward Passmore, who was standing by to read in Jeremy’s part was not needed.

Jeremy said he also “cheekily” skipped some of the rehearsals due to European work issues, one of which saw him making a two hour presentation on a new regulation to the member states at the European Commission in Brussels.

Frodsham Players
How many groups can boast of presenting an “Amateur Premiere”? Well Frodsham Players could when the Neil Bartlett adaptation of Oliver Twist was presented at the beginning of December. The excellent programme was full of facts about Dickens – Victorian London – the author and the musical composer and director, not to forget the notes from the plays director Michael Mills.

Neil Bartlett was a new name to me – from 1994 he has been artistic director of the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith.

For groups looking for a script giving opportunities for youth members – plus som adults – this could be a good choice. A phone call to Frodsham Players would provide you with a script and details of how to contact the author.

Knutsford Little Theatre
A “substantial donation” FROM Manchester Airport Community Trust Fund has enabled a loop system for the hard of hearing to be installed. The auditorium is to be reseated and repainted. In the words of chairman Graham Brown - 2a strip of carpet would be nice for the centre aisle” was he dropping a hint – do we have any contacts for good cheap carpet amongst Cheshire Theatre Guild members? (not the variety that falls off the back of lorries).

A condition of the grant was that the leaking roof be repaired at enormous expense I’m sure.

This does mean that you will no longer see strategically placed buckets on the stage and on the auditorium floor.

The following plays are either “on tour” or due for a revival in London. The may still be available for amateur performance in certain areas but it is essential you check. The surprise is that these plays have been around for some time and you may have once assumed that there would be no problems – a foolish misconception as some groups have found out!

The Anniversary
Already seen in Liverpool and due for a 3 month London pre run with Sheila Hancock as “Mum”.

Billy Liar
I saw this with Ralf Little in the title role earlier this year – it was billed as a pre west end tour – it hasn’t made it yet but I know of one group refused performing rights.

The Dresser
Nicholas Lyndhurst as Norman and Julian Glover as “Sir” heads the cast for a west end run.

An Inspector Calls
This play seems to make fairly regular appearances and if you have not seen the National Theatre production you can catch it at the Regent Hanley in March.

Rebecca
Scheduled for the Regent in April and due to go into London and on to Broadway! Nigel Havers plays Maxim de Winter.

Whose Life is it Anyway?
Peter Hall revives this production and with a change to the original – the terminally ill subject of the play will be played by a woman (Kim Catterall). Correct me if I am wrong but I seem to recall that Tom Conti was the original lead.

Have you got your licences up to date? You may have heard that the recording and film industries have been trying to stamp out illegal copying and use of their copyright material. I am sure you all have the relevant licences but just in case you have any doubt, you need a PPL (Phonographic Perfomance Licence) if you play any mechanical music such as CD’s. You also need a PRS (Performing Rights Society) licence to cover the copyright payments for the artists who produced the music.

The charges for these licences are dependent on the venue capacity and the type of performance being given. Live performances are also covered by the PRS licence and if you are not sure about your licence check with the relevant contact. The cost of these licences is cheap compared with the charges incurred if you are caught without the relevant licence.

PPL – 1 Upper James Street
London
W1F 9DE
Tel: 020 7534 1000
Fax: 020 7534 1111
Website www.ppluk.com

PRS – MCPS-PRS Alliance
Copyright House
29-33 Berners Street
London 
W1T 3AB
Tel: 020 7580 5544
Website www.prs.co.uk

Do you need help with a dialect / accent?

Contact Thelma Eastwood Angus on 01270 625185 – a very busy lady but if she can help she will. Note Dodgy accents are often mentioned in Danny’s adjudications.

Why is it that we suddenly become amnesiac once our production has had its last night? And also that props we borrowed at a vastly reduced cost, much earlier and usually in better condition than local props hire companies, appear to no longer take on the priority to be returned to the rightful owners, wekks or months later after the owners have tried on one or more than one occasion to get back their property. We agree, usually reluctantly, to return them, we even expect the owner to ring our member to arrange the transportation. Surely that is our obligation to get the props back a.s.a.p., after all, we asked the group to lend us the prop, and maybe some other Cheshire Theatre Guild group may just also need the prop.

The other point is the owner may just have, at a cost to their society or themselves, spent a lot of time repairing or refurbishing or transporting from other sources so that our production should be the best we can put on at the least cost to us.

So let us reflect, “did we pay a donation for our loaned props?” Bet we did not! Should we not find out whether those props we borrowed did get a donation. It will not be that much, but loss of face and trust will affect us next time we need further help.

Disgruntled Lender

PS The same comments apply to costume hire. One Guild group has a “penalty fee” of one weeks hire for every day later than the agreed return date.

April 10^th 2005 Chairpersons and Secretaries Lunch at The Club Theatre. Details of our guest speaker will follow.

June 18^th to 19^th 2005 One Act Festival further details and entry forms will follow.

July 13^th 2005 AGM and Awards Night at Winsford Civic Hall.

From the Sale Nomads Newsletter

Wordsworth
By Mike Dempsey

I wandered lonely as a dog
That roams o’er heathland, moor and bog,
When all at once I chanced to spy
A cloak-ed figure passing by.

His left hand clutched a copy book.
From time to time he glanced a look,
And in his right, a pen or quill.
He halted, mused… and stood there…. Still.
 

His eye betrayed a wistful air.
He looked through me – I was not there.
Said he “Please help me if you will”
“How many f’s in daffodil?”