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Chairman’s Report 2003-04 Church Fete The Church Fete
took place on Saturday 7 June at the Old Vicarage and the Players served the
refreshments. Since it was a sunny day
there were many takers for tea, coffee, ices and squash. Poetry Evening A small group
of Players gathered in the Epworth Hall on 27 June to read their
favourite poems. An enjoyable evening was had by all
concerned. Carnival Rebecca Rickard
and Lesley Evans organised and ran a teddy bear stall at the Carnival. Harvest Supper The Players,
along with a number of the Somborne Singers provided the entertainment for
the Harvest Supper on 4 October. There
were two sketches, flute music, Morris dancing and poetry. The entertainment was much enjoyed by all
present. Darling Mr
London The Autumn production
(10/11 October), “Darling Mr London”, was a great success. The cast greatly enjoyed the rehearsals and
the performances. The play was
performed in front of two enthusiastic audiences, who responded warmly to an
evening of carefully orchestrated chaos.
The set called for 7 doors which as many of you know is a challenge on
the village hall stage. We are very
grateful to Tony Masham for building it for us. This was the first time the Players had put
on a farce, which is one of the most difficult types of play to put on. All credit to Audrey Thomas (Director) and
the cast. Reasonable audiences on both
nights meant that we broke even on the production. Travelling
Theatre The Proteus
Travelling Theatre visited the village on 3 December with their production of
“The extraordinary tale of Colonel Cody, Wild West Showman & Hero of the
Skies”. This was a very enjoyable
evening with an energetic cast. The
show took a pinch of Buffalo Bill, a dash of Barnum, and a generous dollop of
Baron Munchausen to give you Colonel Cody – daredevil, cowboy, wild west
showman and the first man to fly an aeroplane in the Christmas Party A small group
of Players gathered at Hope Cottage on 7 December for Christmas drinks. Mulled wine and nibbles and the obligatory
mince pies were consumed. (It was also
the first use of our new conservatory.) Ashley Ladies
Christmas Concert Several Players
took part in the Ashley Ladies’ Christmas Concert in the church on 14
December. The Players read a selection
of readings, sacred and secular. Panto 2004 The Pantomime
was a great success. During the four
performances (on 5/6/7 February) over 400 people came to see the show. We did four performances for the first time
– re instating a Thursday evening performance. The Thursday performance attracted around
50 people, which made it worthwhile.
There were many memorable moments such as the Beast abseiling out of
the loft, the spider bouncing against the gates and the wreckage of the
Pirate ship emerging from the fog. The
panto is a major undertaking which would not be successful without the effort
of a large number of people, many of whom are not members of the Players and
we are very grateful to them for their time and support. (I still don’t know how I was persuaded into
a dress and wig, and, more to the point, shaving off my beard.) Harvest Supper
2004 The Players
have again been asked to organise
the entertainment for the Harvest Supper. Autumn
Production 2004 Sue Spurling
and Rebecca Rickard are directing two one act plays to be performed on 8 and
9 October. The plays are “The Patient”
by Agatha Christie and “Charade” by Philip Johnson. Monthly
Meetings The committee
have tried to maintain a programme of monthly meetings throughout the year, whenever
they can be fitted around other events.
Although not exactly well attended, those who have attended meetings
over the past year have enjoyed them.
If there is anything that anyone would like the committee to arrange,
please let a committee member know. It
will be discussed in committee and we will try to arrange it. Finally, my
thanks to the rest of the committee for all the hard work that they have put
in to make the past year a busy one for the Players – and, I think, a
successful one. My thanks also to
Chris Hall and Vicky Burden and everyone else who has given up their time to
help with all the unglamorous but necessary tasks to keep the Players going. David Haydon 11 May 2004 |
