Society Profiles
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Gloucestershire
Operatic Dramatic Society (G.O.D.S.)
The Cotswold Arcadians is a
theatre group based in south-east Gloucestershire, committed to staging high
quality, outdoor productions of Shakespeare‘s plays each summer. We now draw participants and audiences from a
wide area encompassing Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire.
We aim to give our
audiences a delightful summer evening; an attractive setting where they can
bring their own picnics to enjoy before the play, followed by a memorable
performance, with effects, costumes, sets, music and lighting to match. Our
raked and covered grandstands ensure good visibility (and protection from the
weather) for the whole audience.
The Cotswold Arcadians
humble foundations were established in Cirencester in the spring of 1990 when
some 70 people — mostly from local amateur Dramatic Societies — agreed to
present together an outdoor summer production of one of Shakespeare’s plays in
the Cotswolds. By joining forces and pooling talent they were certain they
could produce something which would he more than the sum of its parts; in which
the participants, besides enjoying the experience, would accumulate expertise.
Twenty years later they have been proved right, as an estimated 30,000 members
of our audiences would attest.
But productions of this
scale depend heavily not just on actors but also on an unseen band of important
characters behind the scenes. Those who have particular skills or who are
interested in participating with front-of-house, costumes, lighting, sound,
set-building, make-up etc., are made a most welcome part of our team.
Our website www.arcadians.org gives
lots more information about how the Group operates and all its Past
Productions. If you would like to be involved in any capacity or simply go on
our mailing list, please do contact the secretary, Eric Partington, on 01285
850 131 or at secretary@arcadians.org.
COTSWOLD SAVOYARDS
The Cotswold Savoyards was
formed in 1962 to produce the works of Gilbert and Sullivan. We have presented
staged versions of all 13 surviving operas, a reconstruction of Thespis, and
other operettas by Sullivan, Lehar, Offenbach and Strauss. Over the past few
years we have widened our repertoire to include shows such as Salad Days,
Sweeney Todd, Candide and Into the Woods. Approximately half our shows are now
Gilbert and Sullivan, and half from other composers.
We stage two productions
per year, each running for a week; one at Cheltenham's amateur theatre, The
Playhouse, which seats just over 200 people, the other at the town's
professional theatre, The Everyman, which seats over 600.
We are always willing to
consider requests from other organisations to stage concerts on behalf of
charity. We can produce a short cabaret by a small group of singers or a whole
evening's entertainment with full chorus. Concerts in the past have included a
staged and costumed performance of Trial by Jury in Gloucester Crown Court and
a Sullivan Centenary Concert at
The society is always keen
to attract new members, whether as singers or as helpers in some capacity. We
are always pleased to see new faces on (and off) stage. In addition to our
regular productions, we organise a variety of social events and you would be
made most welcome.
More details about the society can be found at our web site www.cotswoldsavoyards.org
CROWN PLAYERS
The Crown Players amateur theatre group began life in
1956 as the St Barnabas Players, a church based group that performed at St
Barnabas Church Hall. Their first production was The Paper Chain, produced by
Cecil Jarman.
Since their inception, they have produced an average
of 3 plays a year. with winning entries in the Full Length and One Act play
competitions.
In 1987, they said good-bye to St Barnabas Church
Hall and moved their productions to their current location, The Kings Theatre
in Kingsbarton Street, Gloucester.
1983 marked the St Barnabas Players first foray into
Panto land (Oh no it didn't......Oh yes it did!) with a trip down the yellow
brick road to meet The Wizard of Oz. Its success influenced a few more
pantomimes. The Crown Players have attempted them all in their time: the
majority of them being written by either simon or Joy Davis. The Crown Players
produce a variety of plays which we hope will prove popular with our audiences,
after all, being an amateur self financing society, it's "bums on
seats" that enables us to keep going
Come and Join Us
The Crown Players are constantly on the look out for
talent.........So, if you can act, sing, dance, direct, stage manage, provide
logistical support (make coffee!), we would like to hear from you. Please send
us an email.
Fuller details of the Clubs history and details of
all past productions can be found at our website www.crownplayers.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk.
DOLPHINS DRAMATIC SOCIETY
The Dolphins Dramatic Society has been in Tetbury for nearly 100 years! The first production was as the Tetbury Operatic Society in 1910 when The Pirates of Penzance was performed. We later became known as the Dolphins Dramatic Society. Throughout the past 98 years we have managed to continuously stage productions for the benefit of the people of Tetbury.
We
currently stage two productions a year. In the Spring we will
usually perform a more serious production, and in the Autumn we try to
entertain the family by doing a pantomime or similar.
Our last
production
We
recently performed When We Are
Married by JB Priestly. This was very well received,
and it was tremendous fun to do.
Our next
production
This will
take place between 24th - 29th November 2008. It is our hope that we can
entertain Tetburians with The Wizard of Oz complete
with the original musical score. This is a little ambitious for us, but
we have a very keen Director, and a very enthusiastic group of members, and we
hope that we can manage to get this off the ground. However, we do have a
slight problem - we need a musical director.
So, if anyone is interested in helping us please contact us on the number
below.
We are a small,
very friendly group, who are always looking for new members, young and old,
male and female who are willing either to act or help backstage. If you
are interested in joining us, please contact Annette Farrow on 01666 502900 or
by email: annette.farrow@btinternet.com
GLOUCESTERSHIRE OPERATIC DRAMATIC
SOCIETY (G.O.D.S.)
G.O.D.S. is established to
promote the advancement and improvement of general education in relation to all
apects of the arts of drama, sinding and music and the development of public
appreciation of such arts. G.O.D.S. promote plays, operettas, musical and other
drama and operatic works of educational value. We promote and encourage the
development of music, dance and drama among the youth of the community. We also
aim for fun, enjoyment and social interaction with organized workshops and
demonstrations.
G.O.D.S. programme for 2010
·
We aim to perform a Spring
musical event (stage musical)
·
Young G.O.D.S. will produce an
Easter-time (approx) stage play
·
G.O.D.S. will produce a stage
play in June
·
Autumn event (concert)
·
Young G.O.D.S. will produce a
stage musical in the Summer
·
Entire society come together to
perform a musical/ Christmas show (NOT pantomime)
HARDWICKE PLAYERS
The Hardwicke Players were
formed in November 2004 by friends Claire Chapman, Steve Mills, Richard
Edwards, Chris Sellars and Chris Paterson who met through the Gloucestershire
Youth Service.
“For the community, by the
community”
The Hardwicke Players’ aim is two-fold:
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To perform original productions for the local
community
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To raise money for Gloucestershire charities
Productions to date:
January 2006 – The
Merchants of Gloucester – written by Claire Chapman
An original pantomime set in 19th century Gloucester,
this production follows the story of merchant sailor Joseph Clutterbuck on his
return to Gloucester, having been away at sea for the past 2 years. What will
he return home to?
January 2007 – Robyn
Hood & the Legend of Sherwood – written by Claire Chapman
Following the adventures of Robin of Locksley and
Maid Marian’s daughter, Robyn, this was very much a modern version of the
traditional folklore. Can Robyn free Nottingham from the Sheriff’s tyranny?
June 2007 – An
Evening of Comedy – written by Claire Chapman, Steve Mills & Stuart
Wright
In this one-night event, The Hardwicke Players
presented a range of comedy sketches based on popular television programmes and
films.
January 2008 – Cinderella:
Mystery at the Pantomime – written by Claire Chapman & Steve Mills
A completely new version of the famous pantomime
Cinderella, this production showcased the story of an amateur dramatics group
rehearsing for their Christmas pantomime Cinderella, only for something
terrible to happen half way through, plunging the group into a murder mystery.
June 2008 - An
Evening of Comedy part 2 - written by Steve Mills, Stuart Wright &
Claire Chapman - a further range of comedy sketches performed by The Hardwicke
Players
January 2009 - Jack
& the Beanstalk - written by Claire Chapman Jack and his mother are
very poor and to make matters worse, are being pursued by an evil debt
collector. When Jack climbs the infamous beanstalk, will he find wealth beyond
his wildest dreams?
Future productions
June 2009 - Clueless
(an original murder mystery) - written by Steve Mills When a group of
aquaintances come together for dinner one evening, the last thing they expect
on the menu is murder! This production will take place at the Kings Theatre in
Gloucester on 12th & 13th June 2009. Tickets priced at £6 for adults and £4
for concessions available from Claire Chapman 07944 066701
January 2010 - The
Three Musketeers - written by Claire Chapman The Hardwicke Players will
stage their own pantomime version of the classic Alexandre Dummas tale This
production will take place at the Kings Theatre in Gloucester on 14th 17th
January 2010. Tickets priced at £6 for adults and £4 for concessions available
from Claire Chapman 07944 066701
Charities supported to date
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The Gloucester & District Branch of the
Alzheimer’s Society
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Winston’s Wish
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Cloud 9
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The Williams Syndrome Foundation
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The Gloucestershire cancer-related lymphoedema
support group
For further information on The Hardwicke Players,
please contact Claire Chapman on
07944 066701. Or visit our website www.hardwicke-players.co.uk
Monthly
workshops open to all
If you have ever wondered
what goes into an amateur drama production or thought you might like to try
‘treading the boards’ without having to make a major commitment…. then come
along to one of our monthly meetings at the newly renovated May Hill Village
Hall.
Every 1st
Wednesday each month at 7.30 p.m. we have an informal get together designed to
keep in touch between productions, learn a few acting or back stage skills and
encourage new talent to immerge.
There is no need to book or be a member of this or
any other drama group,
just come along and join in the fun. Any age group
is welcome and if you are nervous of walking in on your own then just telephone
me, Bob, (Holiday Snap’s drunken Commander), and I will be glad to ‘walk in‘
with you. After a few minutes you will be among friends.
Those who
attended the February meeting enjoyed an excellent workshop presented by
Vanessa on the role of a director. Vanessa shared with us her invaluable
experience on auditioning, what to look for and how best to assess would-be
actors. She uses the first rehearsal to show each actor and the importance of
understanding the persona of the character they are to play and the integration
with other parts. This is also the time, she said, for the actors to get to
know each other as well as to understand the concept of the play. Team spirit,
mutual support, help and understanding of tasks performed by others, the
interdependence of backstage and front of house all combine to make a truly
professional performance.
She went on
to highlight the difference between pantomime and plays, farce and drama. We
then practiced a few role plays changing parts ( and genders!) just for the
experience and the evening ended with lots of questions and answers from within
the group about the overall organisation of a production.
Everyone
was left ‘champing at the bit’ to get started on the next major pantomime
production starting in September. Thanks to Vanessa for a great evening
There are 6
more monthly workshops to be enjoyed before the auditioning for the Pantomime
and you are welcome to come along to one or all of them.
The next
meeting on Wednesday 7th March we will meet as usual at 7.30 p.m. at May Hill
village hall. Plans are currently being finalised for an optional visit to
another drama group to watch their ‘real life’ technical rehearsal unfold during
the evening which will involve a local car journey.
For further details on the next or any future
meetings contact Bob : tel 01452 831868
or email boborsheila@yahoo.co.uk
...was born
in the first quarter of the last century - 1923 to be exact - when a certain
Miss Lucy Hyett produced As you like it
in her back garden, ie the idyllic grounds of Painswick House.
For
the next 38 years, this truly formidable lady produced - single-handedly - some
50 plays either at Painswick House or at ‘The Institute’ (now The Painswick
Centre). She died in harness early in 1962, just after staging the 1961
Christmas production, The Holly and the
Ivy. There is a commemorative plaque beside the stage in The Painswick
Centre.
Since it was
felt that no single person could ever replace her, the group re-formed in 1962
as the Country Players and began a different but equally successful tradition
which saw 44 
productions, starting with The Camel’s Back and ending with Under Milk Wood in 1983. In 1984 there was another name change to
the Painswick Dramatic Society (PaDS), which was launched with Salad Days, the 1950s hit musical
written by an original Lucy Hyett Painswick Player, Julian Slade. Julian,
incidentally remained an honorary member with a keen interest in us, and
occasionally performed with us, right up to his death last year, his last
appearance being in 2003 in our 80th anniversary celebration, Living Legends.
In all, PaDS
put on 33 productions, ending with Absurd
Person Singular for Christmas 1999.
For the
Millennium, we decided to return to our roots and we became once more The
Painswick Players, opening with An Inspector Calls, by J B Priestley in May
2000. Since then we have staged some 20 productions, all at the Painswick
Centre, except for the 2004 Painswick Festival production of A Man for All Seasons staged (memorably)
in St Mary’s Church.
Our last production was Gaslight by
Patrick Hamilton, staged at the Painswick Centre in April 2009.
For more dramatic details - including rare archive
pictures - take a look at the Painswick
Players web-site.
2008 Panto: Snow White & the
Seven Not Particularly Tall People
by
Patron Baroness Rennie Fritchie
D.B.E.
We celebrated our 40th anniversary in 2006 look
forward to continuing into the next decade and reaching our 50th Anniversary in
2016.
Recent productions have been An Ideal Husband & Dead
Guilty. In November 2009 just for a
change we performed a pantomime, Sinbad the Sailor.
We also run an Associate Membership Scheme (Friends
of St
For further information on Membership and Associate
Membership please contact: Sue Ryder,
(Secretary) Telephone 01452 – 713952. Or contact Sue by email at st.johnsplayerssecretary@blueyonder.co.uk
For more information about us, visit our website at www.stjohnsplayers.org.uk