Intimate Exchanges
Last Saturday 9 of us turned out to wield paint brushes and drills and today John, Liz, Owen and Mo made a return visit to make sure everything went together. Not even a spot of drizzle deters these guys! "Intimate Exchanges" is on a roll!
Saturday, 13 April 2013
Thursday, 4 April 2013
Reduce, Render and Sweat
April Club Night
Reduce, Render and Sweat, a satire by David Summers, was the II Act play brought by Geoffrey . It is not, as you might think, a play about the local gym, but about food. Carenza, a cookery writer, is suffering falling book sales and everyone else, she believes, must share some of the blame. A perfectionist, few can live up to her standards. Carenza has an eye on what her rivals do to keep ahead of the game and thinks her agent, Paul, may have redeemed himself when he is contacted by a producer about a new foody programme on American TV. Unfortunately Carenza's expectations and theirs are a total mismatch and she ends up losing not only the chance to present the programme, but also her assistant, Mary, her husband, Michael and the photographer, Wayne. But Carenza is made of strong stuff and there is an unexpected turn around at the end.
We chuckled reading the play and discussed it critically afterwards, considering how it might work for us on stage.
Reduce, Render and Sweat, a satire by David Summers, was the II Act play brought by Geoffrey . It is not, as you might think, a play about the local gym, but about food. Carenza, a cookery writer, is suffering falling book sales and everyone else, she believes, must share some of the blame. A perfectionist, few can live up to her standards. Carenza has an eye on what her rivals do to keep ahead of the game and thinks her agent, Paul, may have redeemed himself when he is contacted by a producer about a new foody programme on American TV. Unfortunately Carenza's expectations and theirs are a total mismatch and she ends up losing not only the chance to present the programme, but also her assistant, Mary, her husband, Michael and the photographer, Wayne. But Carenza is made of strong stuff and there is an unexpected turn around at the end.
We chuckled reading the play and discussed it critically afterwards, considering how it might work for us on stage.
Friday, 15 March 2013
Brass monkeys
March open meeting
Just back from a week in Cyprus and though I was sorry to miss the open evening I was not sorry to miss the bitterly cold weather. It sounds as if you had a very entertaining evening in the pleasant upstairs room at Peepo's, with a selection of one acts and play extracts and some new people taking part. Well done all.
April/May
I hear that "Intimate Exchanges" is progressing well. Producer Liz F is pleased, and a little relieved too, that so many people have offered their services to help get the production rolling. Thank you Players all.
Just back from a week in Cyprus and though I was sorry to miss the open evening I was not sorry to miss the bitterly cold weather. It sounds as if you had a very entertaining evening in the pleasant upstairs room at Peepo's, with a selection of one acts and play extracts and some new people taking part. Well done all.
April/May
I hear that "Intimate Exchanges" is progressing well. Producer Liz F is pleased, and a little relieved too, that so many people have offered their services to help get the production rolling. Thank you Players all.
Monday, 4 March 2013
Invitation to local thespians
Have you always had a secret desire to tread the boards, but didn’t know what was involved or how to go about it?
Bridgnorth Players will be holding an Open Meeting in the upstairs lounge at Peepo's restaurant in the High Street, Bridgnorth from 7.30 pm on Wednesday 6th
March, when anyone interested at having a go at acting will have a
chance to read from a variety of one act plays and scenes. It’s fun and
commitment-free - you won’t be coerced into anything further if it’s not your cup of tea. So why not come along and give it a go? You might surprise yourself! The £2 entry charge is a stupendous bargain as it includes a slice of Peepo's excellent pizza plus a glass of wine or a soft drink, so not only will this be a taste of amdram, but a deliciously convivial evening too.
Oh, go on….you know you want to!
February frolics
February meeting
Despite the chill in the upstairs room of the Shakespeare we had a jolly time with our readings. Yapping and woofing was in order when we read "A Dog's Life" by Pam Valentine, luckily doggy actions were not required! "Pygmalion" gave us a chance to hear a pretty good cockney accent and a pared down version of the film script of "Kind Hearts and Coronets" gave the gist of the story.
NODA District 7 meeting
Organised by outgoing representative Jean Beard, who is standing down after 25 years.
Speakers were Alison Norton, compiler of the am dram column for the Express and Star; Peter Cutchie, Chief Executive for the Grand Theatre in Wolverhampton and Tony Gibbs, CEO of NODA.
A well attended meeting. Lots of useful information, but too much to record here. 70% of drama or theatre groups report that they are losing money; realistic ticket prices are needed. Audiences do not realise the cost of putting on productions. Getting the best from your venues. People no longer join and remain "faithful" to one group: actors spread themselves around. Every member should have a role, a job, a contribution to make. Put your best bits on You tube.
Audience development and marketing for touring groups
Organised by Shropshire Council in partnership with the Audience Agency
Lots of useful info on sources of data, from the Audience Agency and the Arts Council. Pat and I had to cherry pick the bits that were relevant to Bridgnorth Players as it was aimed at lager touring groups; the Pentabus attendee found it particularly helpful. Whilst developing strategies for audience development we were reminded not to forget our core audience! As far as Bridgnorth Players is concerned I suggest that our members are at the centre of what we do, with audiences a close second.
The Sound of Music
What can I say? Bridgnorth Musical Theatre Company excelled again. A fantastic production and a great evening out. Well done!
Despite the chill in the upstairs room of the Shakespeare we had a jolly time with our readings. Yapping and woofing was in order when we read "A Dog's Life" by Pam Valentine, luckily doggy actions were not required! "Pygmalion" gave us a chance to hear a pretty good cockney accent and a pared down version of the film script of "Kind Hearts and Coronets" gave the gist of the story.
NODA District 7 meeting
Organised by outgoing representative Jean Beard, who is standing down after 25 years.
Speakers were Alison Norton, compiler of the am dram column for the Express and Star; Peter Cutchie, Chief Executive for the Grand Theatre in Wolverhampton and Tony Gibbs, CEO of NODA.
A well attended meeting. Lots of useful information, but too much to record here. 70% of drama or theatre groups report that they are losing money; realistic ticket prices are needed. Audiences do not realise the cost of putting on productions. Getting the best from your venues. People no longer join and remain "faithful" to one group: actors spread themselves around. Every member should have a role, a job, a contribution to make. Put your best bits on You tube.
Audience development and marketing for touring groups
Organised by Shropshire Council in partnership with the Audience Agency
Lots of useful info on sources of data, from the Audience Agency and the Arts Council. Pat and I had to cherry pick the bits that were relevant to Bridgnorth Players as it was aimed at lager touring groups; the Pentabus attendee found it particularly helpful. Whilst developing strategies for audience development we were reminded not to forget our core audience! As far as Bridgnorth Players is concerned I suggest that our members are at the centre of what we do, with audiences a close second.
The Sound of Music
What can I say? Bridgnorth Musical Theatre Company excelled again. A fantastic production and a great evening out. Well done!
Tuesday, 5 February 2013
"Ladykillers"
Theatre outing
"Ladykillers", with Michelle Dotrice as dotty old Mrs Wilberforce, was a great evening's entertainment. 15 Bridgnorth Players went on Friday and came out of the auditorium beaming. It takes some skill to transfer a well loved Ealing comedy film to the stage, but it was cleverly done. The set was hugely imaginative and the car chase after the bank robbery had a child like appeal. If I had one tiny little quibble it was that the bumping off of each of the criminals was a bit too Marx Brother-ish, but that aside, the characters were well drawn and wonderfully acted. Lovely little magic touches too; I was left on a couple of occasions wondering "How did they do that?"
More theatre visits
I'll bring a list of suggestions to tomorrow's meeting. There is plenty going on at The Grand, Wolverhampton, The Rose, Kidderminster and local am dram groups. We are spoiled for choice!
"Ladykillers", with Michelle Dotrice as dotty old Mrs Wilberforce, was a great evening's entertainment. 15 Bridgnorth Players went on Friday and came out of the auditorium beaming. It takes some skill to transfer a well loved Ealing comedy film to the stage, but it was cleverly done. The set was hugely imaginative and the car chase after the bank robbery had a child like appeal. If I had one tiny little quibble it was that the bumping off of each of the criminals was a bit too Marx Brother-ish, but that aside, the characters were well drawn and wonderfully acted. Lovely little magic touches too; I was left on a couple of occasions wondering "How did they do that?"
More theatre visits
I'll bring a list of suggestions to tomorrow's meeting. There is plenty going on at The Grand, Wolverhampton, The Rose, Kidderminster and local am dram groups. We are spoiled for choice!
Monday, 7 January 2013
Goodbye 2012, hello 2013
So successful was the Royal Shakespeare Company's "Open Stages" project, working with amdram groups that they are thinking of doing it again. Liz Fisher's initiative and drive got Bridgnorth Players involved and, from what I hear, everyone who took part in our production found it very rewarding. The icing on the cake was performing on stage at the Courtyard Theatre at Stratford in the autumn showcase.
Our November production of "Jug", directed by Gill Kelly, was well received and some venues were oversubscribed. It made a healthy profit, which, considering it is a little known play, says a lot about about our reputation.
This Saturday, 12th Jan we have a members' event with a rehearsed play reading and supper.
Next week are auditions on the 15th and 17th Jan for the spring production of Alan Ayckbourn's "Intimate Exchanges", directed by Maureen Callon. As always, we welcome anyone wanting to take part. Performance dates are 26th/27th April and 3rd/4th May 2013.
My thanks to all members for their input this past year and especially to those who work behind the scenes to make it happen. Committee meets this week to plan for 2013 and already have some ideas in the pipe-line: a summer rehearsed play reading, a spring workshop on voice, theatre visits ( a large group are booked in to see "The Ladykillers" at Wolverhampton's The Grand), collaborative working with other groups and what we might do for the November production. More details will appear on the BP ShropNet web-site once they are confirmed.
All good wishes for 2013
Dorothy
Our November production of "Jug", directed by Gill Kelly, was well received and some venues were oversubscribed. It made a healthy profit, which, considering it is a little known play, says a lot about about our reputation.
This Saturday, 12th Jan we have a members' event with a rehearsed play reading and supper.
Next week are auditions on the 15th and 17th Jan for the spring production of Alan Ayckbourn's "Intimate Exchanges", directed by Maureen Callon. As always, we welcome anyone wanting to take part. Performance dates are 26th/27th April and 3rd/4th May 2013.
My thanks to all members for their input this past year and especially to those who work behind the scenes to make it happen. Committee meets this week to plan for 2013 and already have some ideas in the pipe-line: a summer rehearsed play reading, a spring workshop on voice, theatre visits ( a large group are booked in to see "The Ladykillers" at Wolverhampton's The Grand), collaborative working with other groups and what we might do for the November production. More details will appear on the BP ShropNet web-site once they are confirmed.
All good wishes for 2013
Dorothy
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