Edward Alderton Theatre

Archived News: 2008

30.11.08
Christmas Social Evening
Our traditional Christmas social evening at the theatre will be held on Wednesday 17 December from about 8.45. As usual, we will be having mince pies and singing carols. We hope as many as possible of you will come along to join in the Christmas spirit.

24.11.08
Classic Ghost Stories for Christmas sold out
Please note that all performances of our current show, Classic Ghost Stories for Christmas, have now sold out. You can still turn up on the night and hope to get a seat if there are last minute cancellations, but it is now too late to book tickets.

04.11.08
Glengarry Glen Ross cast announced
"I would like to thank all of you who came along and auditioned for me," says director Peter Griffin. "I was very pleased with the turn out and the choices that I had."

Shelly Levene	John McLaren
John Williamson	Stuart Keil
Dave Moss	Richard Self
George Aaronow	Roger Gollop
Richard Roma	Michael Martin
James Lingk	Mark Campbell
Baylen	Ian Long

30.10.08
Kentish Times article on Arts Council awards
This week's issue of the the Kentish Times contains a one-page report on last Friday's Arts Council of Bexley awards evening. Click here for a PDF version of the article.

26.10.08
Oedipus the King cast announced
The second raft of auditions for Oedipus the King, held today, were extremely well attended, and director Clive Madel has now cast the roles as follows:

Oedipus	Stephen Padgham
Creon	Richard Banks
Jocasta	Eileen Warner
Priest of Zeus	Paul Friett
Teiresias	Horry Stapleton
Shepherd	Tony Donnelly
1st Messenger	Matt Clowry
2nd Messenger	Matthew Friett
Chorus Leader	Shirley Andrews
Chorus	Sheila Blake, Nicola Clark, Stephanie David, Karen Friett, Liz Gillett, Maureen Hardwen, Samantha Griggs, Eleanor McEnery, Christine McKeon, Geraldine Mullins, Viv Stapleton, Shirley Tallowin
Jocasta’s Maidservant	Ella Banks
Attendant	Jacob Friett
Teiresias’ Boy	Joseph Banks
Oedipus’ Daughters	Hannah Russell, Lauren Russell

Congratulations to all those who were successful.

25.10.08
Edward Alderton Theatre wins five Arts Council drama awards
At the Arts Council of Bexley awards ceremony held yesterday at Townley Theatre, Townley Grammar School, the Edward Alderton Theatre dominated proceedings by winning five prestigious awards and certificates of merits, for its productions of Much Ado About Nothing (directed by Richard Banks) and Abigail's Party (directed by Mark Campbell). This is the theatre's best result for several years and congratulations to everyone involved in both shows.

The complete list of Drama Awards are as follows:

Edward Alderton Theatre
Much Ado About Nothing
Best Production - Trophy
Kentish Times Award for Technical Achievement
Best Male Actor - Certificate of Merit: Roger Gollop

Abigail's Party
Betty Bailey Award for Set Design
Best Female Actor - Certificate of Merit: Sarah Hills

Erith Operatic Society
My Fair Lady
Best Male Actor - Trophy: Vernon Leese and Geoffrey Hawes (joint winners)
Charles Meinardi Award for Musical Excellence

Geoffrey Whitworth Theatre
Dinner
Best Production - Certificate of Merit
Best Female Actor - Trophy: Susie Hall
Technical Achievement - Certificate of Merit

Wild Oats
Musical Achievement - Certificate of Merit

Townley Grammar School
Bugsy Malone
Youth Theatre - Certificate of Merit

Welling School
Two and The Insect Play
Knowles Cup for Youth Theatre
Andrea Wigley Trophy for Most Promising Young Performer: Natasha Passfield

10.10.08
Further audition for Oedipus the King
A second audition date for Sophocles' Oedipus the King will be on Sunday 26 October 2008 at 2pm, immediately preceding the auditions for It Ain't Half Hot Mum. If you unable to come to the first audition on 12 October 2008 (see Auditions page) or this one, and would still like to be considered for a part, please contact the director, Clive Madel, on 07930 451597 or at clivemadel@btinternet.com.

07.10.08
Arts Council awards
The date and venue for the Arts Council of Bexley awards (see 17.09.08) has now been confirmed as Friday 24 October at Townley Theatre, Townley Grammar School, at 7.30pm. Invitation is by ticket only.

07.10.08
The Graduate sold out
Please note that all performances of The Graduate have now sold out. You can still turn up on the night and hope to get a seat if there are last minute cancellations, but it is now too late to book tickets.

05.10.08
Nicky Clark is new Box Office contact
From The Graduate, Nicky Clark has taken over as our Box Office person. As a result of this, the window for telephone bookings has now been extended to 9am - 9pm Monday to Fridays.

05.10.08
The Graduate virtually sold out
Wednesday 8th is now sold out. There are now only a few seats remaining for Monday 6th (1 seat), Tuesday 7th (13 seats) and Thursday 9th (13 seats). Please book on 8301 5584 as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

28.09.08
Skatepark update
The mooted date of 7 August 2008 for commencement of building has been and gone, with no sign of any work having started.

28.09.08
Tickets for The Graduate selling out
Due to the huge popularity of this show, tickets for Friday 10th and Saturday 11th are now completely sold out. Saturday 3rd is also selling very fast, so please book your tickets ASAP if you are intending to come. See the Bookings page (the link is above) for details on how to book by telephone or email.

17.09.08
EAT nominated for five awards by Arts Council of Bexley
In one of the best years ever for the Edward Alderton Theatre, Much Ado About Nothing and Abigail's Party have been nominated for five awards in total by the Arts Council of Bexley. The awards are due to take place on 24 October 2008 at the Townley Theatre, in Townley Grammar School, but the venue and date may be subject to change - please keep an eye on this page for updates. Congratulations to all those involved in both shows.

28.08.08
It Ain't Half Hot Mum audition date change
Please note that because Roz Betts will be away for the Sunday 12 October auditions, she will now be auditioning for It Ain't Half Hot Mum on Sunday 26 October at 3pm.

28.08.08
It Ain't Half Hot Mum audition pieces now online
Details of the final play in our 2008-9 season, It Ain't Half Hot Mum, can now be found on the Auditions page, together with Audition Pieces available to download as Word documents.

11.07.08
Skatepark update
We have been informed that work will commence on the Danson Centre skatepark on 7 August 2008. It will not close at 7.30pm prior to performances, but at 8pm. The noise produced will be between 63 and 78 decibels, equivalent to "the noise from an alarm clock".

15.07.08
Work Weekend announced
The annual EAT work weekend will take place on Saturday 16 August (starting at 10am) and Sunday 17 August (starting at midday). There are a lot of maintenance jobs to be done in the theatre and the committee members hope everyone will make some contribution over the weekend. When the work is finished on the Sunday, we will be having a barbecue. It would be good to know the numbers for the barbecue. Please let Helen Bezer, Chris Manning-Perry or Maureen Hardwen know if you intend to be there. If you only work on the Saturday, please come back on Sunday for the barbecue.

04.07.08
Danson Festival appearance abandoned
Due to lack of interest among EAT members (with one notable exception), our presence at the Danson Festival this weekend will not be going ahead after all.

30.06.08
All Bob's Women closes early
Sam Oatley's starring role in All Bob's Women at the Arts Theatre, London, was brought to an abrupt halt when the show closed early on Sunday 29 June, after only six performances. It had been originally planned to run for ten weeks.

27.06.08
Abigail's Party publicity
Pre-publicity photographs and a Press Release for Abigail's Party (12-19 July 2008) are now available online here .

27.06.08
EAT presence planned for Danson Festival on Sunday 6 July
The theatre has been offered, free of charge, to have a stand at the Danson Festival on Sunday 6th July. Held in the park itself, the day runs from 10am till 6pm. Like the Bexley Arts Festival last month, this is an ideal opportunity to promote our theatre and our programme of forthcoming plays. Volunteers are needed, though, so please, if you can spare an hour or two to help, email Mark Campbell ASAP.

18.06.08
Sam Oatley stars in new West End musical
Sam Oatley, son of EAT member David Oatley (last seen in our Christmas Variety Show), has been picked to play the sole male lead in All Bob's Women, a musical by Romy Padonvano, which opens at the Arts Theatre, Great Newport Street, on 24 June 2008 (previewing from 18 June). Described as a "saucy, racy comedy-musical", the show tells the story of Casanova Bob (Sam Oatley), who embarks on a mission to seduce five different women and resorts to increasingly desperate measures to keep them from finding out about each other. For details of the press launch, click here , and for information about the theatre itself, and how to book tickets, click here .

11.06.08
Next auditions planned for 12 October 2008
Auditions for Oedipus the King (21-28 March 2009), Glengarry Glen Ross (9-16 May 2009) and It Ain't Half Hot Mum (2-11 July 2009) will be held on Sunday 12 October from midday to 4.30pm, as follows:

Time	Play	Director
Midday	Oedipus the King by Sophocles	Clive Madel
1.30pm	Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet	Peter Griffin
3pm	It Ain't Half Hot Mum by David Croft & Jimmy Perry	Roz Betts

If you are interested in auditioning, but cannot make 12 October, please email the director to arrange an alternative date. Full details of roles are available on the Auditions page.

09.06.08
Summer Arts Festival on Saturday 14 June
The Summer Arts Festival on Bexleyheath Broadway will take place this coming Saturday, 14 June, from 10am - 5pm. As usual, the Edward Alderton Theatre will have a stand in the Arts and Craft marquee opposite W H Smith. We will have two tables this year, rather than one, and be the only theatre presence there - Erith Playhouse and the Geoffrey Whitworth Theatre having declined the invitation to attend. Flyers will be distributed advertising our 2008-9 season and we will hopefully have scrapbooks of previous shows, as well as props, costumes and posters. Anyone who is able to help for a couple of hours on the day, please contact Mark Campbell .

09.06.08
The Graduate cast announced
Roles for our October 2008 show, The Graduate by Terry Johnson, have now been cast by director Phil Newton. They are as follows:
Benjamin (Daniel Cox)
Mrs Robinson (Claire Kingshott)
Mr Robinson (Ian Saxton)
Elaine (Sarah O'Hanlon)
Priest, Psychiatrist, Receptionist, Drunk (Paul Friett)
Mum (Annette Hines)
Dad (Michael Martin)
Guests (Frank Holsgrove, Linda Lee)
Stripper (Jenny Appleby)

05.06.08
Justifying War review in Kentish Times
Kate Mead's exhaustive, 700 word review of Justifying War - twice as long as normal - is now online here on the Kentish Times website. The review has also been uploaded onto the relevant archive page here , along with comments from audience members.

03.06.08
Skatepark - final design now confirmed
A final design for the skatepark adjoining our theatre has now been decided upon by Donald Sonnenberg, Landscape Officer of the London Borough of Bexley, although a construction date has yet to be decided. "The company will not be awarded the contract to build it until all other outstanding matters have been resolved to the satisfaction of the Big Lottery Fund and Danson Youth Centre," he confirmed. Cllr Peter Catterall, Bexley's Cabinet Member for Leisure, Arts and Tourism, has informed the EAT that the material for the main facility will be concrete - which absorbs sound much better than wood or metal - and the main element will be sunk into the ground, which will further aid noise reduction. The Danson Centre has confirmed that the park will be shut half an hour before every performance. A PDF of the approved plan can be seen here (click 'Rotate View 90 degree CCW' and zoom in 200% or more to read properly).

27.05.08
More auditions planned
Auditions for the last three plays of our 2008-9 season - Oedipus the King by Sophocles (directed and translated by Clive Madel , March 2009), Glengarry Glen Ross (directed by Peter Griffin , May 2009) and It Ain't Half Hot Mum by Jimmy Perry and David Croft (directed by Roz Betts , July 2009) - will take place on Sunday in September 2008, date to be decided. If you interested in emailing the directors, please click on their names. Please watch this space for more details.

21.05.08
News Shopper preview now online
The News Shopper preview of Justifying War can be found online here.

19.05.08
Classic Ghost Stories for Christmas cast announced
Further to the notice displayed at the theatre, here is the cast chosen for our November 2008 play: Ian Saxton, James Turner, Shirley Andrews, David Hampton, Horry Stapleton and Tony Donnelly. They will be playing a variety of characters in several different stories.

19.05.08
Spider's Web cast announced
Most of the roles for our January-February 2009 show, Spider's Web by Agatha Christie, have now been cast by director Wendy Marsh. They are as follows:
Sir Rowland Delahaye (Ian Saxton)
Hugo Birch (Horry Stapleton)
Jeremy Warrender (TBC)
Clarissa Hailsham-Brown (Fiona McGahren)
Mildred Peake (Desni Hanford)
Elgin (David Hampton)
Oliver Costello (Chris Manning-Perry)
Inspector Lord (Mark Campbell)
Henry (Paul Friett)
Pippa (Ella Banks, Kirstie Logan)

19.05.08
News Shopper preview
A preview of Justifying War will be in next week's issue of News Shopper newspaper, containing an interview with its director Mark Campbell and photographs of some of the cast members during rehearsals. A trailer can also be found online - see our Home page.

04.03.08
Auditions planned
Auditions for The Graduate by Terry Johnson (October 2008), Classic Ghost Stories for Christmas (November 2008) and Spider's Web by Agatha Christie (January-February 2009) are currently planned to take place on Sunday 20 April 2008. Please check on the Auditions page for further details as they become available.

15.02.08
2008-2009 season announced
At the AGM on Wednesday 13 February, Artistic Director Mark Campbell announced the six plays that will make up our 2008-2009 season. For details, click on the 'Next Season' page above.