the magazine of spotlight fellowship of drama · 2018. 9. 15. · ! 1! the magazine of the somerset...
TRANSCRIPT
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The magazine of the Somerset Fellowship of
Drama
June 2014 spotlight Frome’s Cinderella wins Cinderella TrophyFrome Musical Theatre Company stormed to victory at the Cinderella Awards evening on 17th May. The group, which was formerly Frome Amateur Operatic Society, performed Cinderella this year and won a total of nine awards including the top honour, the Cinderella Trophy itself. Their Buttons, Ben Hardy-‐Phillips won the Eddie Bowker Trophy for the best overall performance and they also picked up awards for Goody of the Year, Choreographer of the Year, Best Theatre Musicians, Comedy Duo of the Year, Linkman of the Year, Principal Girl of the Year and Best Director. Quite a haul! St Gregory Players won the Spotlight Shield for the best village production for their pantomime, Peter Pan. Best Animal Act was awarded to ten-‐year-‐old Paris May Grassi of Yeovil Amateur Pantomime Society, who also won the Bradford Trophy for Best Performer aged 16 or under. She played Tom the Cat in Yeovil’s pantomime, Dick Whittington. There are reports, photographs and a full list of winners starting on page 5.
Frome success continues At the Western Area semi-‐final last weekend, down in Teignmouth, Frome Drama Club (FDC) won again with their production of Gillian Plowman’s Me & My Friend. This follows on from last year’s success when Troupers, also from Frome, won the UK final. FDC now move to the English Final at the Evesham Arts Centre on Saturday 14th June. See Page 4 for details.
In this month’s Spotlight… News 2 Original Playwriting Competition 3 One Act Play Festival 4 Cinderella Awards 5 Agency Work by Upstager 13 Don’t Get Hurt in the Stampede for New Releases by Sue Pomeroy 14 Letter 16 What’s On 16 Chris Harris remembered 17
Charity No. 1084863
Submissions for Spotlight welcome. To [email protected] By 21st of previous month please. Spotlight will not be published in July or August. All entries are welcome: letters, What’s On, comment, articles, photos etc
The Ugly Sisters tear up Cinderella’s ticket for the Ball in Frome’s Cinderella
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Spotlight Takes a Break In accordance with long-‐standing tradition, Spotlight will not be published in July or August but please keep sending articles, photos, letters and news items for publication when we return on 1st September.
Apology I inadvertently misnamed Alex Webb in last month’s edition of Spotlight renaming him on some occasions as Alex Hill. I apologise to Alex for this error and thank everyone (and there were many of you!) who pointed it out. Alex Webb is stepping down from his role as Moderator of the Phoebe Rees Competition and we wish him well.
Stepping Out… Once again Street Theatre are heading out on their world tour of Somerset. Throughout June they will be taking their rendition of The 39 Steps to venues across Somerset including Somerton, Cheddar, Edington, Huish Episcopi, Taunton and their own home town of Street.
Committee News There has been no committee meeting since our last publication; the committee meet next on 4th June, so there are no Committee Cuttings this month. There are some items to report, however, because the venue for the AGM is no longer Edington, which unfortunately is already booked on our preferred date. The revised venue will be included in the September edition of Spotlight. Also, the committee is planning to appoint June Jenkins as the Minutes Secretary, reducing the workload of Secretary Pat Sollis. As a result, Pat is likely to stay in post, meaning that her years of experience will not be lost to the SFD. Good news indeed.
S T R E E T T H E A T R E
Wednesday 11th June - Edgar Hall, Somerton
Thursday 12th June - Kings of Wessex School, Cheddar
Friday 13th June - Edington Village Hall
Saturday 14th June - Huish Episcopi School
Thursday 19th June - Brewhouse Theatre, Taunton
Friday 20th June - Strode Theatre, Street
Saturday 21st June - Strode Theatre, Street
The 39 Steps is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH LTD
Adapted by Patrick Barlow from
John Buchan’s novel and
$OIUHG�+LWFKFRFN·V�ÀOP�IURP�DQoriginal concept by
Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon
And then there was the time… The production meeting had gone well. We were staging an historic play in medieval banqueting style and we agreed that the waitresses would be dressed as old-‐fashioned serving girls and take large pitchers of water to each table at half-‐time. The secretary took notes. This action point was recorded as: at the interval, water will be served by wenches with big jugs.
Dates for your diary
Saturday 20th September 2014 The SFD AGM Venue TBA
Saturday 11th October 2014 Phoebe Rees Diamond Jubilee Awards Ceremony The Shrubbery Hotel, Ilminster
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Original Playwriting Competition – your entry and what the panel is looking for By Pam Hillier If you are thinking about submitting a one-‐act play script as part of the Original Playwriting Competition, then here are some guidelines to help you. The essence of an original script is that it is just that ~ original. It is the work of the stated author and has not been previously performed. For our competition, there are no restrictions as to subject, period or convention. A few practicalities… Each play must be clearly typewritten, preferably in double-‐spaced script, supplied as printed text and firmly fastened. Please DO NOT send scripts on a data stick or CD. The first page must show the play title, the approximate running time, a cast list, the numbers of male and female characters, and a synopsis of the play (in not more than 600 words). Competitors must adopt a nom-‐de-‐plume, and this must also be written on the first page of the script. Any other indication of the playwright’s true identity in the script will disqualify the entry. In the case of more than one play being entered by the same author, the same nom-‐de-‐plume should be used.
And here are some of the elements that the judging panel will be looking for: A piece that is ‘true to itself’, with a certain consistency within its own world A cohesive structure ~ a beginning, middle and end Rounded, well drawn characters, whether they are real people or not, whether they have a lot to say, or not! A ‘dialogue’ that flows, is believable and can be spoken ~ could be a monologue or between two or several people Workable stage directions ~ people can’t be in two places at the same time (unless maybe two people play the same part!) That something special that stirs the imagination… Then thinking in terms of performance at the County Drama Festival ~ the privilege of up to three of the short-‐listed scripts ~ one-‐act plays should run between 20 and 55 minutes, have a minimum of two speaking parts on stage and be suitable for production under festival conditions, which imposes certain limits. For example, technical rehearsal time available in a theatre before a performance may sometimes be less than an hour, so complicated lighting and sound effects can be difficult to achieve successfully. The time allowed for installing a set is only ten minutes and for striking just five minutes which tends to favour simplified settings ~ but miracles are possible with a well-‐rehearsed stage gang. I hope some of the above has been helpful and may have persuaded you that now is the time to try your hand at writing that script you’ve always meant to write. J
Pam Hillier Co-‐ordinator
Original Playwriting Competition
Original Playwriting Competition Coordinator Pam Hillier sets out her thoughts on the components of a good play in the hope that it will encourage a bumper crop of entries.
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Frome Drama Club into the English Final! By Philip de Glanville At the Western Area semi-‐final last weekend, down in Teignmouth, FDC won again with their amusing, thought-‐provoking, and ultimately rather moving, production of Gillian Plowman’s Me & My Friend. Director Christine Dunn and her small team from Frome produced something very special with this festival favourite, described afterwards by adjudicator Paul Fowler as an extremely accomplished piece of theatre. The Carlton Theatre, a rather worn and shabby, but clearly very much loved, old theatre down on the sea-‐front is home to local group The Teignmouth Players, who were friendly and tirelessly helpful hosts. The auditorium holds about 200, and it was nearly half full for the afternoon session and almost completely so for the evening – possibly helped by the weather, which drove holiday-‐makers in off the cold wet esplanade. The Festival got off to a strong start on Saturday afternoon with a powerful four-‐hander from Carnon Down Drama Group from Cornwall called Just Hear My Voice – an original script directed by its author, which explored her own feelings after the death of her mother. This was followed by another original script, initially quite a bit lighter in tone, called Grotto, presented by Bench Theatre Company from Hampshire. In it an out-‐of-‐work actor takes a job as a shopping centre Santa. He has been finding it pretty mundane until a teenage girl walks in and says that all she wants for Christmas is for someone to kill her step-‐father, and suddenly we are plunged into possible sexual abuse and the difficult question of what to do about an unexpected disclosure of this sort. Pewsey Vale Youth Team from Wiltshire were first up in the evening with their devised piece called Call To Duty which had won the Five Counties Youth Festival so convincingly at the end of April and which was reviewed by Sam Allen in last month’s issue of Spotlight. Excellent ensemble playing from the cast of 17
youngsters and stunning visual imagery in the later scenes once again made this a strong contender.
Frome Drama Club were last on in the Festival and both Alan Burgess (as Bunny) and Aynsley Minty (as Oz) gave outstanding performances – generally agreed by those who had seen them in the quarter-‐finals at the Merlin last month as showing marked improvement in all areas. Paul Fowler was particularly impressed with the direction which he said showed great skill and sensitivity, making excellent use of variety in pace while sustaining the energy of the piece, and commented on the way both actors had understood the importance of keeping their characters ‘real’. The near-‐capacity audience quite clearly agreed with him when he announced that Frome were the winners and would be going through to represent Western Area at the English Final at the Evesham Arts Centre on Saturday 14th June. They will be on in the afternoon session, which starts at 2.30pm, and the team would very much appreciate some support from Somerset if you are able to go – it is only about 80 miles away up the M5. A great opportunity to see the sort of quality achieved at this level, and not so very far from home!
PdeG
Philip de Glanville travelled to Teignmouth to see the Western Area Semi Final All England Theatre Festival .
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Cinderella Awards’ evening By Pam PriceOver 400 people from the world of amateur drama gathered in The Winter Gardens in Weston Super Mare for the glittering awards ceremony for the 2014 Cinderella Trophy, which was held on Saturday 17 May. People from all over Somerset came to celebrate the yearly event, and to see if they were the lucky recipients of an award. Even the nominations remain a closely-‐guarded secret until the event starts at 7.30pm. The top prize, the Cinderella Trophy went to Frome Musical Theatre Company for their dazzling production of Cinderella. Runners up were Wells Little Theatre for Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The winners of the Best Village prize, The Spotlight Trophy were St Gregory Players for Peter Pan and the Spotlight runners up were Somerton Dramatic Society for Humpty Dumpty. Our host for the evening was the Moderator of the Cinderella Competition Mr Sam Allen who has worked so hard to make the competition a success. Pam Price the Cinderella Co-‐ordinator masterminded the awards ceremony and was on-‐hand to make sure everything ran smoothly.. This year certificates were handed to 59 Stars of the Future, youngsters who have a wonderful career in amateur drama to look forward to. The Adjudicators, who have travelled the length and breadth of the county watching all
the shows, completed their season’s work by handing out the Certificates and Trophies. The Cabaret, compered by Ian Hurdman, comprised five acts chosen by the Adjudicators and Moderator and represented some of the most outstanding performances seen during the current season. The second half of the evening is always exciting,!!! (Oh yes it is!!!!!) when the society awards are presented by the Chairman of the SFD Mr David Jenkins (subject to change as per our conversation). This is the part when, after all the magnificent talent has been assessed, the Winners are announced, always a very difficult decision as the standard in Somerset is so very high We are already turning our thoughts to next season. Application forms for 2014/15 season will be distributed at the end of September. Our thanks go to Dan Jones for all his hard work on the sound, the ladies of the SFD especially Pat Sollis, June Jenkins, and Yvonne Allen for all their help and Roger Price for taking the photos, details of which can be found on the SFD website.
Pam Price Cinderella Co-‐ordinator
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Cinderella Trophy Competition coordinator Pam Price reviews the awards evening at Weston Super Mare
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What Did You Think of the New Venue? This is the first time the Cinderella Awards evening has been held at the Winter Gardens in Weston Super Mare. The SFD committee agreed new venues should be explored after a few disappointing years at Westland’s Sports and Social Club in Yeovil. There are very few venues in Somerset that can host 400 people ‘cabaret’ style although plenty can offer ‘theatre’ style. Were you there? What did you think? We had some feedback on the evening about poor sound quality and a lack of vegetarian food options. Do you agree? Did you prefer Weston to Yeovil? Coordinator Pam Price would love your feedback so we can decide on the best option for next year’s awards ceremony. If you have strong views – either positive or negative – please email her on: [email protected]
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Cinderella Awards: The Moderator’s Perspective By Sam Allen
A lot more work goes into an awards ceremony than I had realised. No. I mean a lot more work goes into an awards ceremony than I had realised. Like loads more. As an adjudicator, I swanned in an hour or two before curtain-‐up, helped with the ‘cabaret’ rehearsals, had a sandwich and then spent the rest of the evening clapping a lot. What I missed was the incredible amount of work that is needed to even get to that stage. Obviously, there are the visits to each show, the adjudications to write and the team meeting to decide the nominations and awards. I had always been involved in that. But then the coordinators work is only just starting. The Cinderella coordinator, Pam Price, then has to list all the nominees, in order, and all the winners, making sure every spelling is correct, nobody is missed out and nobody is included who shouldn’t be. All this has to be checked and double-‐checked before all the certificates are printed. It is a tradition of the Cinderella Trophy Awards ceremony that we have a ‘cabaret’. This is a series of vignettes from the pantomimes we have seen. They are chosen by the team based on our enjoyment of them. But each one has to stand alone, working out of context and be performable on a small stage with no scenery and minimal props. Pam has to
contact the groups, make sure they are able to do it (sometimes people are on holiday or committed in another show, hired costumes are no longer available or people just don’t want to have to relearn lines from six months ago!) and arrange the rehearsal schedule and get everything together for the night. I have got to say, our cabaret performers did us proud this year. They were patient during rehearsal, adapted to the new stage without complaint and each and every one of them gave their all, keeping it succinct and targeted as well. What troupers! But that’s not the end of it! Oh, no! I also had to prepare my ‘speech’. Trying to make sure I got all the names right, in the right order, that I knew how to pronounce them all (I am convinced I got a smattering of them wrong but everyone was too polite to say) and that I thanked all the right people at all the right times. In the end, I don’t think it mattered because the acoustics were such that half the audience couldn’t hear what I was saying! And then we had to make sure we had all the right trophies, in the right order, with the right certificates. Again, poor old Pam was left with the job of cleaning them all so that they shone on the table on the stage in the light of the spots. Why do people not look after their trophies, getting them engraved and cleaned to
Sam Allen addresses a packed Winter Gardens auditorium.
Photo: Roger Price
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make sure the next recipients get them in pristine condition? We were very pleased to have a number of new trophies this year. These are awards that have been ‘promoted’ from certificates to trophies. We were presented with new trophies from CUDOS, in memory of their dear friend, Tony English, who sadly died last year. Tony was their scenic artist and the group felt that they would like to dedicate a trophy to his memory for this category. Very generously, they have donated two trophies: one for village design and one for theatre design. I was delighted that we were joined by Tony’s wife and daughter, Polly and Diane English to present the awards. Then we had two trophies donated by SFD’s Treasurer Richard Derry for the Comedy Duo of the Year. Comedy duos are a splendid tradition of pantomime. Special skills are required to make it work. Both players have to build a rapport with each other and develop a combined relationship with the audience and the other players. We made a slight change in this category this year. In previous years we had a separate category for the Ugly Sisters, but most years there are only one or two Cinderellas, so it wasn’t really much of a competition. This year we included the Ugly Sisters in the comedy duo category.
Our guests of honour for the evening, Jacqueline and Ron Roberts, also presented a new trophy. For the last five years, Ron had been the Moderator for this popular competition and before that he was an adjudicator for many years. As well as attending over 200 shows in that time, driving all round the county with his wife Jacqueline, Ron worked hard behind the scenes, developing and honing a system that makes adjudicators’ marking more consistent, so
every adjudicator is applying the same weighting to each aspect of pantomime. Ron has been an inspiration, driving up the standards of this competition and working tirelessly for the Somerset Fellowship of Drama in all sorts of ways, as well as being a gifted performer with Taunton Thespians. It was after last year’s presentation evening that Ron decided to step down as Moderator. He would have stayed on helping to adjudicate and to nourish new adjudicators had he not unfortunately broken an ankle. But he is ever resilient and that didn’t stop him. It was a pleasure to have them as our guest of honour and to give them a little token of our appreciation. In return, they very kindly donated a new trophy. It is for the Cameo of the Year. A cameo, for those of you who may not be familiar with the term, is a short piece in a play. I say a short rather than small because, believe me although they may only be on for a few moments, some cameo roles are huge in their impact. It was an inspired choice for Ron to make in choosing this trophy to donate.
At the top level, the standards in Somerset are incredibly high, and I truly believe they are getting consistently better. This is true both in the theatres and in the village venues. Inevitably, once societies attain the high standards that lead to them winning awards, they often stay there for many years. Occasionally a society that produces a fantastic show one year ends up with a mediocre show the next, which is always disappointing. But it is so heart-‐warming and inspiring when it happens the other way round and a society that has been average one year suddenly hits all the buttons and produces a stunner!
Guests of Honour Jacqueline and Ron Roberts with moderator Sam Allen (centre)
Ron Roberts presents Lynn Lee Brown with the inaugural Roberts Best Cameo award
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But whatever happened last year or the year before, we are assessing the shows we see this year and we try so hard to do it without fear or favour. Does this mean the same societies do well year after year? Well, sometimes it does, but only if they deserve it. And I always advise people who perhaps don’t win so many awards, to go and see what the successful societies are doing and then, don’t copy them. No! Do it better! This year, Frome kept coming up time and again, winning a total of nine awards, which made it a very busy night for Ben Hardy-‐Phillips as their only representative there! It was fitting, therefore, that he personally not only won the award for Linkman of the Year but also the Eddie Bowker Trophy as the best overall performance of the year, which, considering Ben is only 17, is quite some accolade.
If she sticks with it, I suspect that Paris May Grassi, the ten-‐year-‐old winner of the Bradford Trophy for Best 16 and under, may well one day win the same award. These were both terrific performances. The Best Village Show was St Gregory Player’s Peter Pan. And the Best overall show and winner of the Cinderella Trophy was Frome Musical Theatre Company’s Cinderella.
So, in the end, all the hard work was worth it. I am so pleased to have such a great team of dedicated adjudicators, a hard-‐working and dedicated co-‐ordinator, Pam Price and so many others in the SFD who are willing to help. I hope everyone enjoyed the evening and that people are inspired to do even more next year… and for many, many years to come!
Sam Allen
Paris May Grassi with the Bradford
Trophy for Best Performer aged 16
or under
Greg Phillips (right), Director of St Gregory Players’ Peter Pan, picks up the Spotlight Shield from SFD Chairman David Jenkins
Ben Hardy-Phillips picking up one of many trophies for
Frome
Left: Alan Scott of Puriton was Best Dame and Zoe Davis of Moorlight was Principal Boy of the Year
All photos by Roger Price
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Cinderella Trophy Awards’ Evening Full List of Awards Stars Of The Future Hannah Ebsary; Alice Browning; Daisy Wolfman; Alice Marriott; Luke Marriott; Kit Wilson; Megan Wright; Hollie McPhee-‐Clarke; Becky Hinde; Jodie Paget; Natasha Cross; Hamish Allan; Amelia Perry; Emily Worsel; Martha Hale; Phoebe Lynch; Myfi Hall; Chloe Hayden; Georgie Sowman; Georgia Dash; Andrew Edgell; Paris May Grassi; Rosie Pritchard; Lois Froude; Ryan Ferrand; Katie Orwin; Jack Osmond; Sam Hardwill; Becki Orchard; Abi Cousins; Cara Bentley; Flynn Haines; Codi Benson; Hannah Cockrell; Manda Graffham; Izzy Bassett; Sarah Corbett; Phoebe Swinson; Joe Griffin; Katie Symons; Cassie Cooper; Luke Potter; Holly Potter; Maddie Kennard; Leanne Vearncombe; Declan Barham; Ewan Wyatt; Sophie Kibblewhite; Liberty Madgett; Katrina Doyle; Izabel Woolley; Emma Hick; Rachel Nicol; Rebekah Nicol; Florence Hardman; Mia Newman; Megan Voysey; Hope Mortimer; Charlie Portlock Young Linkman of the Year Jack Osmond and Sam Hardwell Bobby Castaway Theatre Group Sleeping Beauty Young Dwarf of the Year Mia Newman Dopey Curry Rivel Snow White Young Dancer of the Year Holly Potter. CARDs Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves Young Singer of the Year Manda Griffen Jill Wincanton Amateur Dramatic Society Jack & the Beanstalk.
Young Comic of the Year Ryan Farrand The Palace Chef Castaway Theatre Group Sleeping Beauty Young Fairy of the Year Hannah Ebsary Tinkerbell Quantock Players Peter Pan: Best Properties Wincanton Amateur Dramatic Society Best Makeup Claudia Pepler Merlin Theatre Alice in Wonderland Best Special Effects The fire breathing Dragon Burnham District Pantomime Society Puss in Boots Best UV Scene Wells Little Theatre Goldilocks and the Three Bears Best Lighting Andy Hughes Clevedon Comedy Club for Sleeping Beauty Best Sound Effects Dan Jones, Chardstock Amateur Dramatic Society Sleeping Beauty Best Village Stage Management Sue Wilsher Cloverleaf Sleeping Beauty Best Theatre Stage Management Tina Lukins Moorlight Theatre Cinderella Best Village Design Richard & William Richards Puriton Players Aladdin Best Theatre Design Mo Cooper and Alistair Murray Burnham District Pantomime Society Puss in Boots
Goody of the Year Terésa Bray The Fairy Godmother Frome Musical Theatre Company Cinderella Comic of the Year Chris Marshall Fishbait Roadwater Pirates of the Backwater Best Comic Scene Ernie Nailsea Musicals Snow White Dancer of the Year Laura Sandford-‐Hughes Puss Burnham Pantomime Society Puss in Boots Choreographer of the Year Sarah Plenty Frome Musical Theatre Company Cinderella Solo Accompanist of the Year Patrick Rendell Curry Rivel Entertainers Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs Best Village Musicians CUDOS Cinderella Best Theatre Musicians Frome Musical Theatre Company Cinderella Best Male Singer Ian Jones King Rolo Wellington Pantomime Group Sleeping Beauty Best Female Singer Maggy Goodall Bad Witch Hazel Cloverleaf Sleeping Beauty. Best Junior Chorus Polden Players Mother Goose Best Chorus Castaway Theatre Group Sleeping Beauty
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Special Award Shannon Manlow The Narrator Burnham on Sea’s Puss in Boots Special Award Robin King Puppetry -‐ Cheshire Cat Merlin Theatre Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass Best Cameo Lynn Lee Brown The Wandering Minstrel Castaway Theatre Group Sleeping Beauty Comedy Duo of the Year Humphrey Barnes & Andrew Carpenter Grizelda and Gertrude Frome Musical Theatre Company Cinderella Moderator’s Award Cinderella’s transformation scene Moorlight Theatre Productions Cinderella Linkman of the Year Ben Hardy-‐Phillips Buttons Frome Musical Theatre Company Cinderella Best Original Script Ann Brolly CUDOS Cinderella
Best Animal Act Paris May Grassi Tom the Cat Yeovil Amateur Pantomime Society Dick Whittington Best Original Costumes St Gregory Players Peter Pan Best Villain John Penelhum Hook St Gregory Players Peter Pan Principal Girl of the Year Beth Iyavoo Cinderella Frome Musical Theatre Company Cinderella Principal Boy of the Year Zoe Davis Rupert Moorlight Theatre Productions Cinderella The Bradford Trophy (For best performance by a performer aged 16 or younger) Paris May Grassi Tom the Cat Yeovil Amateur Pantomime Society Dick Whittington Dame of the Year Alan Scott Widow Twankey Puriton Players Aladdin
The Eddie Bowker Trophy (For Best overall performance of the year) Ben Hardy-‐Phillips Buttons Frome Musical Theatre Company Cinderella Best Musical Director Peter Selby St Gregory Players Peter Pan Best Director Joanne Plenty Frome Musical Theatre Company Cinderella The Pint Pot Award (For a big performance on a small stage) Somerton Humpty Dumpty Spotlight Runner up Somerton Dramatic Society Humpty Dumpty The Spotlight Shield (For the best village show) St Gregory Players Peter Pan The Cinderella Trophy Runner up Wells Little Theatre Goldilocks and the Three Bears The Cinderella Trophy (For the best overall show) Frome Musical Theatre Company Cinderella
Stars of the Future Of the 59 Stars of the Future 27 were there to receive their accolades in person
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Frome went to the ball! Unfortunately, Frome’s production of Hello Dolly clashed with the Cinderella Trophy awards evening and so most of their team were unable to attend. Their director, and winner of the Best Director award, Joanne Plenty said, “I will speak for us all in thanking the adjudicators for awarding us such a fantastic number of awards for our pantomime Cinderella! Not only for individual performances but also for the creative team -‐ we were all delighted to get the running commentary from Ben Hardy-‐Phillips who represented us at the awards ceremony as many if us were performing in Hello Dolly that evening. To have won each category that we had been nominated for was particularly pleasing and to have won the overall trophy as well put the icing on the cake.”
Indeed, Benn Hardy-‐Phillips was their sole representative there and he had a busy evening picking up a total of nine awards including two that he had won in his own right. The winners gathered together with their awards for a group photo shoot. Unfortunately winner of the Principal Girl of the Year, Beth Ivayoo, was unable to make the photo call. But, while the awards are nice to get the real key to success is the audience reaction. Joanne said, “Needless to say we were delighted with the production and it's popularity with our audiences.” I suspect those audiences will be flocking back again year after year to see productions of such high standards.
Frome’s Award Winners. Above, back row: Terésa Bray (Fairy Godmother) winner of the Goody of the Year Award; Humphrey Barnes and Andrew Carpenter (Grizelda and Gertrude), winners of Best Comedy Duo; Ben Hardy-Phillips (Buttons), winner of Linkman of the Year and the Eddie Bowker Trophy. Front Row: Sarah Plenty, Choreographer of the Year; Joanne Plenty, Best Director; and MD David Hynds winner of the award for Best Theatre Musicians. Right, inset: Beth Ivayoo, (Cinderella) winner of the Principal Girl of the Year.
Photos: Jo Windel
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Agency Work Random Memories of an Octogenarian Spear Carrier By UpstagerThis month I recall how I learned how tedious and time consuming acting for films and television must be—with its repeated takes and fussing over angles and sound levels. No wonder leading actors like to do a West End run from time to time to enjoy the buzz that comes from the interaction with a live audience. On retirement in 1986. I became heavily involved with the Regal Theatre in its early days after MATA had taken it over. Raising funds was a priority and we were all looking for ways to contribute. I wondered whether I might be able to earn some money to donate to the Regal [and have a bit of fun on the way] by getting work as an extra. There was an online agency that promised interesting opportunities [for a whopping fee!] to aspiring amateur actors. My C.V. was posted on their web site along with the eight “character” photos that I had been asked to provide. I sat back and waited for the opportunities to come rolling in. How naïve can you be? Six months went by -‐ not a sausage -‐ I was on the point of cutting my losses when I received a call from “Help The Aged” offering me £250 plus expenses for a day’s photo shoot in London. I was introduced to an enterprising young cameraman who explained that “Help The Aged” were running a campaign highlighting “Loneliness In Old Age.” He whisked me off to a rundown area of Hackney, where you didn’t leave your car for long if you valued your hub caps, and took shots of me, which were later published in their House Magazine, -‐-‐-‐ staring mournfully out of a ground floor window [he bribed the owner to give him the use of the room for an hour] Sitting on the pavement at a bus stop hopelessly clutching two Tesco shopping bags and various other poignant scenarios. Not exactly the glamorous role that I had signed up for! But I had obviously given satisfaction because they called me up some months later to do another shoot with Ruth, another sad pensioner, highlighting poverty in old age.
I had just about given up on the idea of getting more work when a call came from a film company—this was more like it. Hollywood here I come! -‐ well not quite. A singer/ Songwriter, Jeremy Warmsley, wanted a demo tape made for his latest composition “ I Believe In The Way You Move.” It tells the story of a husband and wife acrobatic act. They had hired a couple of professional Hungarian acrobats to play the parts of the young lovers at the beginning and [you have guessed it] I come in at the end as the grieving widower, riddled with arthritis and mourning the loss of my partner. They had me wandering round Dalston looking lost, ordering roses at a florists, crossing a zebra crossing [causing a near riot from the motorists stacking up as the director had me limping across the road for the umpteenth take]. The final scene was shot in Kensal Green Cemetery as I tenderly place a bunch of roses on my wife’s grave. By this time it was nearly dark, I was exhausted and to cap it all I had to stump up the full return fare to Taunton as they failed to get me to Paddington in time to catch my train. I Googled Jeremy recently. There are now three different versions of “I Believe In The Way You Move” on the web. Next Time 1967-‐1986 nineteen years at the chalk face directing school plays.
Upstager
Upstager tells us about some of his drama experiences in front of the camera…
Jeremy Warmsley
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Don’t get hurt in the stampede for the newest release By Sue PomeroyThis month I want to pause for thought as many societies rush headlong to be the first to obtain the rights to present the latest new release and re-‐released show. Theatre groups performing both musicals and dramas are constantly on the lookout for a new play or musical which will appeal to their performers and ‘put bums on seats’ in the theatre. This fact is obviously used by the copyright holders who manipulate amateur thespians by drip feeding morsels of new material every few months. The rights holders are more interested in ensuring the financial success of their businesses and upholding the interests of their employees and shareholders / owners, than in the achievement of your theatre group. Ooh....cynical you may say, realistic... I think! As usual my opinion stems from my experience in musical theatre so apologies to all you drama clubs out there! Over the past 30 years or so, musicals have proliferated with countless professional new releases in the West End or on Broadway, a few run forever, some run for a year or so, but many just for a few months. When the likes of Andrew Lloyd Webber has a flop, or the ubiquitous Spice Girls cannot fill a theatre, there is probably something wrong with the show, although theatrical disasters are usually blamed on poor critical reviews or audience disinterest. Of course audiences might not attend productions because of unpalatable or uninteresting subject matters and in these financially straitened times, the high cost of the tickets. New shows have always become available to amateur groups and many societies have had great successes with the popular shows... my own society was one of the first to get Annie and more recently the re released Jesus Christ Superstar. But with clubs having to plan for several seasons ahead sometimes the only way to get a new release is to cancel an existing planned show therefore forgoing the £500 in advance payment for the licence. In the past few years so many societies obtained the rights
to The Sound of Music, the adjudicators felt the ‘hills were alive’ almost everywhere they went! Recently Sister Act was released... but in the first instance it was only offered to societies that performed in theatres of a certain size... one imagines this is because the rights holders wanted to maximise the royalty return. Nearly every largish society I know, my own included, rushed to be able to be the first in the area to perform this show... we were unlucky and failed to get this show. But some societies were lucky and achieved the rights when it was released to everyone. Now the word...lucky... in the dictionary means fortunate, the word luck however means chance, fate, and accident...so I say... happy or otherwise? There is another side to this coin! Among the few immensely popular shows that rights holders are now releasing, are many shows that did not stand the test of time, judging by audience appeal, when performed professionally. So what makes our committees think these shows will be popular with our current audiences? Are we looking for the kudos of being the first to perform a newly released show or are we truly looking for something new and fresh with appeal to both performers and audiences. Many of our members look at ‘new’ and ’modern’ as better, more exciting and challenging; they forget that the seats have to be sold to pay for the production. They think that older, established and classical musicals are old fashioned and therefore not as much fun. There is no right or wrong here and everyone has a choice to be in or not be in a show. All I would comment is... over the past five years my society reached 90% ticket sales for Hello Dolly, 66% for ‘Our House’, 88% for The King and I and 70% for Sweeney Todd. Get my drift? Old or new shows, money and box office aside would your company prefer to play to full houses?
Sue Pomeroy is a member of Bridgwater Amateur Operatic Society and author of the biography of Brian Buttle: Adventures in the Playground. In her regular feature in Spotlight she turns her thoughts to all things theatrical. This month considers the audience…!
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Some of the notable shows that have been released or re-‐released in the past few years and performed in Somerset are Witches of Eastwick, (ran for 15 months in the West End) Whistle Down The Wind (ran for 2 years) and The Sound of Music (will run forever). I would be interested to know not only which show had the best box office but for which show cast had more enjoyment! Can those of us on the management side of societies balance this dichotomy? Legally Blond, The Beautiful Game, Sister Act and The Addams Family are all now released and due to be performed in Somerset within the next year, I would ask the same questions as before, but after they have been presented. When Hairspray became available we jumped the same day and are lucky enough to be presenting this show in spring 2015. Again I mention the word lucky with tongue in cheek. Although this show has previously been presented as a junior version for schools and youth groups, there are very few costumiers with sets of costumes, even fewer stage sets, and in our part of the country even fewer ethnic groups where you might find the performing black kids vital to the story. Because of this latter problem, the writers of
Hairspray have added a letter to the licence which societies can put in their programme. This letter requests audiences to suspend their disbelief if the required groups of performers are not available and white actors are used instead. This newly released show will not be without its problems and it will be a challenge for the production team and the company. Sunset Boulevard has just been released to NODA member societies only (I wonder how our local audiences will react to this show?) I personally think it a wonderful show... but box office? I have my doubts. Anyway, I have it on good authority that Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Mary Poppins will be released in the next few months. It’s my belief that rights holders will start releasing more of the better known and therefore more popular shows in the next few years, to make money and to keep up with demand. I would comment... don’t jump too fast to be the first to present the latest new release... just because it is a new release. It might turn out to be a turkey and you may miss the peacock following behind!
Sue Pomeroy
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Letters
Whose song is it anyway? I was much entertained by Sue Pomeroy's piece in Spotlight about the worst audience traits, especially people who "sing along" It reminded me of a visit to London to see Cleo Laine in the lead role in Showboat. A lady sitting behind me decided to sing along -‐ slightly flat. I turned to give her a meaningful look and a "shush" which didn't register because she started again in Can't Help Loving that man of Mine. I managed to twist around in my seat to be directly facing her to watch this performance. She still didn't get it and in a stage whisper said "What's the matter?" I leaned forward and said, “I came to hear and
watch a singing performance and you seem to be it." We heard no more from her after that. When we were leaving the person who was next to me said, "Well Done" and the lady in question, seeing me in the foyer treated me to a killer stare.
Austin Hawkins
Too Tempting to Resist? I really enjoyed Sue Pomeroy’s “blast” in last month’s Spotlight. I laughed aloud on reading the ultimate closing paragraph. Did she remain aloof amid the “sea of white haired ladies”? Was she tempted to join in?
Freddie Greenop
Life Member
What’s On June 3rd – 6th June MURDERED TO DEATH By Peter Gordon The Civic Players The Swan Theatre, Yeovil at 7:45pm This hilarious spoof of the best of Agatha Christie tradition is set in a country manor house in the 1930's, with an assembled cast of characters guaranteed to delight. BOX OFFICE: 01935 429236 www.civicplayersyeovil.co.uk 4th – 7th June IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY By Ray Cooney St Gregory Players Williams Hall, Stoke St Gregory at 7:30pm David, an eminent neurologist hoping for a knighthood, is confronted by an old flame announcing that he fathered her son who wants to meet him. Frantic to hide this news from his wife and employers, David invents non-‐existent husbands for his ex-‐mistress and a
complicated chain of events ensues. Directed by Ann Finn. BOX OFFICE: 01823 490240 Phoebe Rees entry 11th June THE 39 STEPS Adapted by Patrick Barlow from John Buchan’s novel and Alfred Hitchcock’s film Street Theatre Somerton Edgar Hall at 7:30pm This fast moving, comic interpretation of the classic spy thriller has 4 actors sharing approximately 140 roles as Hitchcock’s film is brought to the stage, including the chase on the Flying Scotsman, the Forth Bridge escape and the attack by Two Bi-‐planes !! We mustn’t forget the Love Story, or the sheep come to that. An evening when the magic of Theatre mixes with the story of film. Directed by Mike Linham BOX OFFICE: 07929 197001 or Palmer Snell, Market Place & George James West Street 19th – 21st June THE SHOW MUST GO ON By Kevin Stratton Genesis Youth Theatre Group
Wellington Arts Centre at 7:30pm A big time developer returns to ruin a school already threatened by arts cuts from the mysterious “Authority”. Can the kids put on their final show against all odds? BOX OFFICE: 07540 432394 or in person at C9, Fore St, Wellington David Beach entry SFD Concessions July 17th – 19th July OH WHAT A LOVELY WAR Barnstormers Regal Theatre, Minehead at 7.30pm Celebrating the centenary of the First World War, through comedy, songs and images of the period. While honouring the fallen, this satirical play also points up the follies which caused such a loss of life. Directed by Elaine Ross BOX OFFICE: 01643 706430 www.regaltheatre.co.uk Phoebe Rees Entry
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Remembering Chris
Chris Harris was a remarkable man. He engendered admiration and affection in equal measure in a life dedicated to entertaining others and helping others to entertain. Born in Bridgwater, Somerset, he studied drama at the Rose Bruford College, and then went into rep., which culminated in two years with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre Company. He attended the Jacques Lecoq's L'École Internationale de Théâtre in Paris, Ladislav Fialka's Pantomime Company in Prague, and was for a short time at the Moscow State Circus School. In 1966 he was in his first pantomime at the Salisbury Playhouse with Stephanie Cole. From 1976 until his death, he performed his one-‐man comedy shows around the world. Chris was a regular visiting lecturer for the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, and was a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He co-‐directed the opera Griselda for the Buxton Festival, and appeared in two productions for Dutch Television with members of the Welsh National Opera. He spent nine years, up until 2000, writing, directing and starring in pantomimes for the Bristol Old Vic and since then had done the same for the Theatre Royal, Bath.
He also organised and ran workshops for amateur groups and was always willing to give help and advice. He ran workshops called How to Make a Fool of Yourself and Get Away with it! for anyone working on a one-‐to-‐one basis such as teachers, nurses, probation officers… in fact anyone working in a close situation with publications such as Chris Harris’ Alphabet of Pantomime, which combined interesting panto-‐related facts, sound advice for practitioners, and his great sense of humour.
SFD vice-‐chair Di Dean recalls Chris’ involvement in training in the SFD. “I first met Chris when I became the training officer for the SFD about 20 years ago, and contacted him to run various workshops. From the moment I met him I felt I had known him forever, he was so warm and friendly with everyone he came into contact with. I never had any trouble filling his workshops as everyone loved him and as well as learning a lot from him, we laughed a lot. Chris was a joy to work with and I feel very privileged to have known him. He will be
Chris as Mother Goose
in 2005/06 winter
production of Mother
Goose at Bath Theatre
Royal.
others. In addition, he was an author of
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desperately missed by so many people, both in the professional and amateur world.” His long-‐time friend Brian Epps knew Chris for some fifty years and remembers him with much fondness. “It was with a very heavy heart that I heard of Chris's passing. I have known him, on and off, since 1960 when he appeared at Bridgwater Town Hall with my father Cyril, in a (no longer in being) Bridgwater Dramatic Club play called Little Lambs Eat Ivy. I was part of the stage crew although I suspect more of a hindrance than help. The following year, he appeared in A Lady Mislaid and I have scoured my father's comprehensive library and come up with a photo of Chris in this very production!
It shows Chris on the left, then Valerie Marks, Tom Edmunds, Marjorie Pardoe (in the serving hatch), Cyril Epps and, I think, Judith Allen. He always talked very warmly of those days and told me on many occasions how much he admired my Dad's character acting. After that I was always keen to follow Chris's career through college and beyond. His one man shows were wonderful entertainment and his British Council tours with Brian Buttle were the source of some very colourful stories -‐ in his own inimitable raconteuring style. It was, I must confess, as a panto dame that I admired him most. Here he had no equal and those of us involved with pantomime were
always so grateful for his knowledge, help and good grace. He had time for everyone and the deepest respect from all those he met. Chris was such a monumental loss to us all and to all those thousands of kids who he entertained so brilliantly at both Bath and Bristol pantomimes. My heartfelt condolences to Vicky and family.”
Anna Bowerman recalls Chris’ association with the Warehouse Theatre in Ilminster. She said that Chris loved the Warehouse and they were in the process of arranging for him to come again when they heard of his untimely death. She said, “It is very sad to hear of the death of Chris Harris. Many people will know him as a panto Dame like no other, in all the big Bristol pantos; writer of, and actor in many plays such as Kemps Jig, but at the Warehouse we can remember him more specifically. He was here a few months ago giving a lecture to the Thursday Club, and he is fondly remembered from when, some years ago he came with his delightful play about Brother Ambrose and his bees in tandem with a pantomime workshop. Many of us went to the Parish hall and were taught how to trip and tumble and fall: all really hilarious. And he taught my young grandson the bee dance, which he has never forgotten! He was such a lovely man, and I bet he's up there somewhere teaching the cherubims and seraphims how to jig around heaven!”
Chris conducting workshops at Trull (left) and Porlock (above)
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Perhaps Liz Leyshon, Theatre manager at Strode Theatre in Street best summed up Chris’ unique relationship with both amateur and professional thetre. She said, “In the arts we are rather sadly divided into professional arts and amateur arts. There are just a few people who understand that professional and amateur performance are equally valid and equally important in the lives of people and communities. Chris Harris was one of the few,
and he accompanied his understanding with the most brilliant sense of humour and masses of enthusiasm. He performed as a professional on the Strode Theatre stage and also brought his skills and knowledge to workshops for amateur companies. Of all the theatre people we have seen here, he was one of the best. The best fun, the most engaging, the most talented as writer, performer and director. And most loved. And now most missed.” Chris Harris died of cancer at the age of 71 on 30 April 2014.
Chris Harris 14 December 1942 – 30 April 2014