RSC Open Stages

Bridgnorth Players' bid to be part of the Royal Shakespeare Company's "RSC Open Stages" project for amateur theatre has been accepted and the group have a training slot at Stratford in early 2012 to learn more about the nationwide project and theatre skills.

Liz Fisher, who submitted the application to the RSC, said, “Our biggest challenge is that most of us have never done Shakespeare since school, so find it daunting to have confidence in putting it across to audiences who will also be unfamiliar with it. That is where we really would love to learn from the RSC anything and everything that amateurs can learn from professionals. If we can pull this together and take it to our local communities, we will have done our bit towards bringing Shakespeare into the 21st century.”

April showers

April shower
The Crown is not in my good books. They peed on us from a great height, not only double booking us, but not having the courtesy to phone to let us know, nor, once we'd bought our drinks and settled in, to apologise, nor even offer another space in the pub. "The poker group takes priority" was all the manger could say. Fortunately, the Shakespeare fitted us in and everyone decided it was a much nicer venue.

NODA Award
We'll be meeting at the Shakespeare next month too and the area NODA rep, Jean Beard, will be a guest. She will be presenting us with the winner's award for Best Drama Production for District 07 for our production of "When We Are Married". Liz, as chairman and Maureen as director were booked to go to the awards ceremony, but a massive blockage on the motorway scuppered their plans. Having Jean coming to our May meeting is a bonus and a consolation.

Lighting purchased
Starlight delivered our lighting kit on Thursday. Stands, lanterns and flight boxes. All we need now are the dimmers, control desk and cables and we'll be flying. Well done everyone for raising the funds. It takes us to the next level.

Funds for Bridgnorth - a new accessible theatre?
I see that the Town Council are considering a visitor centre on Severn Park as there is a dire need for loos and a cafe. They suggest an exhibition space too, but I wonder if they could think big and have a performance space - nice and accessible? The Market Towns Initiative (MTI) has funds for Bridgnorth, which the TC hopes will be available for their project. There is a special meeting in the Castle Hall this Wednesday 20th to explain the MTI to the Bridgnorth populace so perhaps I'll pop along and throw this suggestion into the pot. Anyone else feel like adding their ha'porth?

Theatre review
Richard has been a theatre trooper this week and raved about the Belfry's "Neville's Island" in the pub last eve. The best play he's seen in years and years. "Hotel Paradiso" by the Nonentities at The Rose got an honourable mention too. West End - eat your heart out.

March meeting

The room above The Crown is a lovely space - a high-ceilinged timber frame hall. The down side is that over half the bulbs in the huge chandaliers were out and readers had to stand under the wall sconces to see their lines. Business gobbled up the first part of the meeting, but we all had our ha'porth worth.

Play readings
After the chit-chat we got on with a pair of one-acts chosen by Maureen: "Bed Time Story" and, I forget the other's title but let's say it was called "Hullo Out There". Both about men duped by good-for-nothing women with disastrous/tragic, consequences. Both men trappped too, one by his sense of Catholic guilt, the other in a prison cell. Powerfully read.

NODA nomination
Jean Beard, NODA regional representative, has nominated "When We Are Married", our June 2010 play, as best 2010 production - Drama in District 7. The winner will be announced and awards given on Sunday April 3rd at Sutton Coldfield Town Hall at the conclusion of the Regional Conference.

Safety officer
Mark R offered his services as Safety Officer. NODA are running an H&S workshop as part of the Regional Conference (see above) at 2.15pm


84 Charing Cross Road potponed
We reluctantly agreed to put the June production on hold. A real disappointment, especially for Maureen and those already auditioned and cast. This summer is proving busy for our members and no-one felt able to commit to the remaining parts, nor the Production Team, and without this the play could not go ahead.
84 Charing Cross Road, set just after WWII, is a cracking play about relationships that develop between a writer in New York and the staff in an old fashioned second hand book shop in London. It is essentially a two-hander, with secondary characters adding action and background, but not much dialogue. To do it well it needs a good set, a challenge for the Stage Management team, especially for a traveling company.

Men wanted for Rebecca
Geoffrey plans to do "Rebecca", based on the novel by Daphne du Maurier, in November. If you're a man, he'll be after you; if you're a young woman, he'll be after you too - as a potential Rebecca, you understand!

Rehearsed play reading
On track for Saturday 19th March. Want to come or offering to help with a pudding? - contact Dorothy.

Theatre visits
Lots on in April, both locally and further afield. E-mail will go out to members to gauage interest. Richard will sort tickets.

2011 kicks off

Feb meeting
It is difficult to get the feel of a play from a synopsis and reading one act, but Maureen and Geoffrey did a good job of introducing us to these two plays. Both received support, and the pros and cons of staging either discussed. As it turned out, the need for 7 men and a young woman as Mrs de Winter in "Rebecca" meant that "84" would be easier to cast for June, giving us more time to sound out potential actors for "Rebecca" later in the year.
We've held 2 open auditions and hope to firm up roles and a production team at March's meeting to ensure the production can go ahead.

We met in the snug at The George and were well looked after by Sue Tristram, with bowls of chips arriving part way through the evening. It's a cosy and welcoming venue, and great for the occasional informal meeting, but perhaps not ideal for play readings with our voices carrying into the bar and vice versa.

Any member can propose a play. To make this easier Dorothy has created a simple proposals template with guidance notes to help anyone who would like to direct or produce a play of their choice.

Jan meeting
Mark Rigg opened his home to us and we welcomed two new members, Lynne and Kathie.

The secretary reported that "Theatrical Winterval" had made a profit and we are invited to perform one of the dramas, "Dinner For One", at the Twinning weekend in the summer. Bridgnorth Players will be represented at the Mayor's Concert on 26th March and we plan to be involved with the Arts and Music Festival on Bank Holiday weekend. Taking the lead on all these is the ever-youthful Geoffrey Speechly.

Sheridan's "The Rivals" followed. "Odd's life, Mr Fag".

February's meeting would be a sampling of "84 Charing Cross Road" and "Rebecca", put forward by members as options for the June production.

YEAR END 2010

Best wishes for Christmas and the New Year to all Bridgnorth Players
Bring your brightest and best ideas for activities and plays in 2011 to our January meeting.

December social
At last it is beginning to thaw outside. I was fearful yesterday that the cold weather would put members off our annual end of year bash, but we had a packed house and stashes of food, not to mention drink. Again, thanks everyone for turning up and for all the goodies. Still chuckling over the post-grub entertainment - especially loved Sally's rendition of "Be kind to your turkey at Christmas".
Some interesting ideas came up for Bridgnorth Players' contribution to the Mayor's concert on Saturday 26th March, also for a full length play in June as part of the Literature Festival. We'll need to discuss and finalise the former at our monthly meeting on Jan 5th and the latter at our Feb meeting, so, fellow members, come prepared to present ideas at the both meetings.

Theatrical Winterval
Little did we think when Steve Downs suggested a collaboration between Whalebone and Bridgnorth Players that it would turn out so well, be so enjoyable and take such a lot of organising! Surely a few dramas, each with their own team of actors, director and helpers would relieve us of needing a stage manager or much overall planning. Liz Fisher quickly spotted the holes in this arrangement and offered to stage manage and co-ordinate the disparate bits of the production.
We played to good audiences in Bridgnorth, Highley and Chelmarsh, doling out cheer, mulled wine and mince pies. The blend of Whalebone's atmospheric music and the Players playlets worked well. The Christmas theme was represented by a Joyce Grenfell monolgue and Liz Herdson's nativity play based on the anecdotes of Gervaise Phinn. Linda Povey wrote "Ghost Walk" and Dylan Thomas poem of carol singing was performed by Liz Fisher. An updated version of the 1904 "Monkeys Paw" was counterbalanced by a delightful portayal of the relationship between lady and butler in "Dinner for One" and Tom Wentworth concluded with more Partridges in Pear Trees than he could cope with. Whalebone brought the evening to an end with their arrangement of the Pogues "Fairytale in New York".
I hope we have a chance to play with Whalebone again. Thanks to everyone who contributed.

When we are Married

The play went down a storm last weekend in Bridgnorth. Maureen Callon directed and the cast rose to the challenge of bringing the humour of this J B Priestley play with the social habits and mores of 1908 to a modern audience. The cast included some new members as well as the old hands and all worked together to give convincing performances. Unknown to them, Jean Beard, local area NODA rep was in the audience; it will be interesting to read her observations. Graeme Christie took on the role of producer for the first time and has pulled it all together very efficiently with help from the backstage crew. Sheena Grant was stage manager; Richard Aston sorted lighting and sound; Drew Gatlin prompted and he and Denise Brinton sorted out transport and logistics.
Now for Highley this weekend - a new venue for us. The Severn Centre is a fantastic venue. Let's hope that not all the locals are football fans, with the World Cup kicking off this weekend and England playing on Saturday!
Photographs courtesy of Liz Reeves.

"Dead Guilty"

Liz F and I must have snaffled the last two available seats at The Rose, Kidderminster on Thursday 15th April for the Nonenties' play, "Dead Guilty" by Richard Harris.
Julia Darrow (played by Kelly Lewis) is recovering from a car accident, in which the driver, her boss, died. Guilt at her affair with him creates a barrier; she struggles to accept the psychological help she needs from her counsellor, Anne Bennett (played by Judy Bassett) and practical support offered by young neighbour Gary (Lee Jones). Guilt also persuades her to agree to a meeting with his widow, Margaret Haddrell (Pamela Meredith). At first Julia makes good progress, but following a final operation she gradually deteriorates and has to rely more on her new friend Margaret, pushing Gary and Anne away as a result.
The tension builds with each short scene, in the style of a TV thriller, until the final confrontation. Even then, the conclusion holds a surprise.
The audience was held spell bound throughout and although the few laughs were stifled as the tension grew, the whole auditorium "oh'd! and mmm'd! in loud unison as realisation of what was happening dawned.
The Nonentities invariably put on a good show and, as always, the set was imaginative. A good evening out.