05.12.12 Christmas
carols Our traditional evening of
Christmas carols will take place on Wednesday 19 December at
8.30pm. Members are cordially invited to come along and partake of
some Christmas cheer — as usual, mulled wine and mince pies will be
available.
21.11.12 Christmas
party We will be having a
Christmas Party at the theatre on Saturday 22 December from
7.30pm until late. Tickets cost £10 and include a complementary drink
at the bar and a selection of buffet food. If you would look to book a
ticket, please contact Karen Friett on 07976 905437 or karenfriett@aol.com.
Please click on the poster below for more information.
20.11.12 December
2012 newsletter Our December 2012 newsletter, with
details of our next show, Snow Business, is now available to
read and/or download by clicking on the link at the top of this page.
20.11.12 Quiz
Night a great success Despite complaints that the questions
were too hard — the winners didn't complain though! — the recent
EAT Quiz Night proved a great success, with £400 profit being made
for the theatre. Thanks to all those who attended, and special thanks
to Mick Taylor, Karen Friett, Tony Donnelly, Rod Henderson, Sarah
O'Hanlon and Mark Campbell who helped organize the event.
11.11.12 Good
Things cast Director Ian Long is pleased to announce
that he has cast the following people for Good Things by Liz
Lochhead: Linda Gay (Susan), Nigel Taylor (David), Paul Friett (Tony),
Bette Davis (Scotch Doris) and Helen Quinnell (Marjorie). A final
round of auditions will be taking place on Sunday 16 December for
the roles of Natalie and Frazer — see
Auditions
page for details.
10.11.12 Calendar
Girls furthercast Director Mark Campbell is delighted to
announce that Eileen Warner will be playing Celia. This completes the
line-up for Calendar Girls — commiserations for those who
weren't successful in their auditions. If anyone would like to work
backstage on the show, please contact the stage manager Sarah O'Hanlon
here
.
02.11.12 Calendar
Girls cast Director Mark Campbell is delighted to
announce the following cast list for Calendar Girls by Tim
Firth: Bette Davis (Chris), Gill Peters (Annie), Wendy Marsh (Cora),
Shirley Andrews (Jessie), Linda Gay (Ruth), Viv Stapleton (Marie),
Mick Taylor (John), Kevin Coward (Rod), Steve Padgham (Lawrence/Liam),
Eleanor McEnery (Brenda Hulse/Lady Cravenshire) and Helen Rowe
(Elaine). The role of Celia will be cast shortly. The production runs
from 13-20 July 2013 at 8pm.
31.10.12 Dangerous
Corner cast Roz Betts has announced the following
cast list for Dangerous Corner by J B Priestley: Wendy Marsh
(Freda Caplan), Eileen Warner (Miss Mockridge), Laura Cakebread (Betty
Whitehouse), Aysev Ismail (Olwen Peel), Mark Campbell (Charles
Stanton), Pele Hearne (Gordon Whitehouse) and Kevin Coward (Robert
Caplan). The production runs from 9-16 February 2013 at 8pm.
28.10.12 LittleTheatre
Guild conference Representatives from our theatre attended
the Little Theatre Guild (LTG) Southern Regional AGM at the Plaza
Theatre in Romsey on Saturday. Guest of honour was Sir Ian McKellan,
patron of the LTG, who mingled with representatives from all the
theatres and signed our enrollment certificate (pictured). This will
be hung in the theatre foyer for all to see. The conference included
workshop seminars and an evening performance of the comedy musical Love
Off The Shelf by Roger Hall, A K Grant and Philip Norman.
28.10.12 Halloween
Evening We will be having a spooky Halloween
Evening this Wednesday, 31 October, from 8.30pm onwards. Our
chairwoman Sarah O'Hanlon says: "Hopefully lots of you can come
down for a drink and share some Halloween cakes and nibbles. I will be
decorating the foyer too with spooky stuff, and please feel free to
dress up in spooky costumes!" (Photograph of 'Spooky Sarah' by
Mick Taylor)
30.09.12 New
Quiz Night date Following the postponement of the EAT
Quiz Night because of a clash with the Arts Council awards night, a
new date has been set — Saturday 17November at
7.30pm.Tickets are £5 per person, with a maximum of eight people in a
team. A raffle will also be held. You are allowed to bring nibbles,
but it is requested that all drinks are purchased from the bar. All
monies will be put towards the upkeep of the theatre. Rounds will
include the Olympics, London and the Royal Family — so get swotting!
30.09.12 Christmas
cast The cast for our Christmas variety show, Snow
Business (8-15 December 2012) has now been announced. Taking
various roles will be Shirley
Andrews, Karen Friett, Liz Gillett, Scott Godfrey, Dave Hampton, Desni
Hanford,Charlotte Jacobs,
Daniel Lee-Davies, Wendy Marsh, Mike Martin, Eleanor McEnery, Cory
Sydee, Mick Taylor and Eileen Warner.
30.09.12 October
newsletter Our October 2012 newsletter is now
available to read online — please see the link at the top of this
page.
30.09.12 Calendar
Girls audition pieces Audition pieces, downloadable as Word
documents, are now available for our July 2013 show, Calendar Girls
by Tim Firth, directed by Mark Campbell. Auditions are on Sunday
28 October 2012 — pieces are on our
Auditions
page.
25.09.12 Little
Theatre Guild membership Following the hard work of the committee
and the theatre's current chair Sarah O'Hanlon, the EAT has now been
accepted as a member of the Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain.
Founded in 1946, this charitable organisation offers help and support
for over 100 amateur theatres across the UK as well as providing
workshops and regional conferences for its members.
24.09.12 Equus
casting update Wendy Marsh and John Shanley have now
been cast in Equus by Peter Shaffer, directed by Rod Henderson.
They will be playing Dora Strang and Harry Dalton respectively. The
play is in performance 20-27 October 2012.
24.09.12 Bexley
Arts Council award for Slice Congratulations to director Wendy Marsh
and the crew of A Slice of Saturday Night, for winning the
Certificate of Merit for Technical Achievement at the Bexley Arts
Council Awards on Saturday 22 September.
15.09.12 BOGOF
at the EAT! At the last committee meeting, it was
decided to trial a '2 for 1' offer — or Buy One Get One Free (BOGOF)
— on tickets for Monday nights only. This will apply for the whole
of this current season, running until Calendar Girls in July
2013. In practice, this will mean that two Monday tickets, booked and
paid for together, will only cost £10 in total. This offer does not
apply to members' £8 tickets. Members cannot make use of two offers
at the same time (ie the £8 members' ticket and the BOGOF
offer). If a member wants to book an £8 ticket plus a £10 ticket for
a friend, then the total will be £10 (ie the cheaper ticket is free).
If two members buy two £8 tickets, then the price will still be £10.
15.09.12 August
newsletter Our August 2012 newsletter is now
available to read online — please see the link at the top of this
page.
10.09.12 Equus
casting Rod Henderson has announced the following
cast list for Equus by Peter Shaffer: Darren Cullen (Alan
Strang), Richard Banks (Martin Dysart), Charlotte Jacobs (Jill Mason),
Helen Rowe (Hesther Saloman), Ian Long (Frank Strang), Nick Hewitt
(Young Horseman) and Jody Crisp (Nurse). Other roles will be announced
shortly. The production runs from 20-27 October 2012.
06.09.12 Strippers
review in Bexley Times A complimentary review
of Strippers has appeared in today's edition of the Bexley
Times. To read it, click
here
.
19.08.12 Watch
Strippers trailer The trailer for Strippers by Peter
Terson, directed by John Hart, is now on YouTube. To watch it, click
below:
14.08.12 More
posters Kevin Coward has designed
some marvellous posters for our last three shows this season: Good
Things by Liz Lochhead, The Hollow by Agatha Christie and Calendar
Girls by Tim Firth. Click on the images below to see larger
versions.
14.08.12 Arts
Council Awards Once again, the Arts Council
of Bexley will be holding their annual awards ceremony at our theatre.
This invitation-only event will be held on Saturday 22 September
2012 at 7.30. As a result of this, our Quiz Night will be moved to
a different date — watch this space.
08.08.12 The
Hollow cast Director Helen Banks is
pleased to announce the following cast for our May/June 2013 show, The
Hollow by Agatha Christie: Rachel De Silva (Henrietta Angkatell),
John Hyde (Sir Henry Angkatell), Viv Stapleton (Lady Angkatell),
Louise Ody (Midge Harvey), Horry Stapleton (Gudgeon), Claire
Lewis-McClean (Gerda Cristow), Paul Grimshaw (John Cristow), Jenny
McCarthy (Veronica Craye), Kevin Coward (Inspector Colquhoun) and Rod
Henderson (DS Penny). Congratulations to all those who were
successful.
05.08.12 Calendar
Girls auditions Auditions for the above play will take
place at the theatre on Sunday 28 October at 3pm. Written by
Tim Firth, and directed by Mark Campbell, it is in performance 13-20
July 2013. Further information, including downloadable audition
pieces, will be available from the Auditions page shortly. If you
would like to audition, but cannot make this date, please email Mark
by clicking h
ere
.
05.08.12 Go
Team GB! As Team GB are doing so fantastically
well in the Olympics, acting chairperson Sarah O'Hanlon would like to
invite members to join her for a drink on Wednesday 8 August at
the EAT social night. There will be Olympic and Team GB cakes,
biscuits and sweets to celebrate!
05.08.12 Brighton
photo Photographic proof of the theatre's trip
to Brighton in July! For more photos, please go to our Facebook page
by clicking
here
.
19.07.12 Dangerous
Corner and Good Things auditions Auditions for the above plays will take
place at the theatre on Sunday 9 September at 2pm and 3pm
respectively. Further information, including downloadable audition
pieces, will be available from the
Auditions
page shortly. Dangerous Corner is by J B Priestley and is
directed by Roz Betts; it will be performed 9-16 February 2013. Good
Things is by Liz Lochhead and is directed by Ian Long; it will be
performed 6-13 April 2013.
19.07.12 Christmas
party A Christmas party will be held at the
theatre on Saturday 22 December. More details to follow. Please
visit our Diary page (see link above) for information on this and
everything else happening at the Alderton.
19.07.12 Quiz
Night Another of our popular quiz nights will
be held at the theatre on Saturday 22 September at 7.30.
Tickets are £5 per person, with a maximum of eight people in a team.
A raffle will also be held. You are allowed to bring nibbles, but it
is requested that all drinks be purchased from the bar. All monies
will be put towards the upkeep of the theatre. Rounds will include the
Olympics, London and the Royal Family — so get swotting!
27.07.12 Calendar
Girls has new director Mark Campbell will be taking over the
reigns of our July 2013 show Calendar Girls. He has directed
five shows at the EAT including Brimstone and Treacle (2006),
Abigail's Party (2008) and Rossum's Universal Robots (2012).
Auditions will be happening after our production of Equus.
19.07.12 A
Slice of Saturday Night closes early It is with great regret that due to
Charlotte Jacobs' continued ill-health, we have been forced to cancel A
Slice of Saturday Night completely. Sarah O'Hanlon, the theatre's
current Chair, said: "I would like to take this opportunity to
say a huge well done to the cast, crew and director who have worked
hard and put on a smashing show, and we hope to re-schedule. soon. If
you have booked tickets, please call the Box Office on 020 8301 5584.
I would like to apologise for any inconvenience and hope to see you
all at our next production."
19.07.12 Slice
cancelled for second night Despite the news item below, director
Wendy Marsh has regretfully announced that due to continuing cast
illness, A Slice of Saturday Night has had to be cancelled for
a second night running. Many apologies to theatergoers who were
obviously led to believe that the show would be happening. A decision
on whether to continue with the run will be taken tonight.
19.07.12 Thanks
to Steve Nash The theatre would like to extend a huge
thankyou to Steve Nash, who came in at very short notice and helped us
to fix many on-going problems with our antiquated sound system, as
well as providing microphones and various pieces of sound equipment.
Without him, our very well-received production of A Slice of
Saturday Night would simply not have been possible.
19.07.12 A
Slice of Saturday Night back on track The cast member is now out of hospital
and all future productions of A Slice of Saturday Night are now
back on schedule. Thankyou for your comments of support, and apologies
for having to cancel the Wednesday performance. To re-book tickets,
please phone the Box Office as soon as possible on 020 8301 5584.
18.07.12 A
Slice of Saturday Night performance cancelled It is with great regret that the
Wednesday 16 July performance of A Slice of Saturday Night has
had to be cancelled due to cast illness. Please watch this space for
further news on other performances.
02.07.12 Watch
A Slice of Saturday Night trailer The trailer for A Slice of Saturday
Night is now on YouTube. To watch it, click below:
29.06.12 Calendar
Girls Following Richard Banks' resignation from
the theatre at the beginning of July, the director slot for our July
2012 show Calendar Girls is now vacant. Rest assured that a new
director will be assigned next month.
24.06.12 Bexley
Times article on the theatre This week's edition of the Bexley
Times (dated 21 June 2012) contains a half-page article on the
theatre written by Mark Campbell. To view it as a PDF, click
here
.
24.06.12 More
audition pieces for Equus Seven further audition pieces are now
available to download for Equusby Peter Shaffer,
directed by Rod Henderson. Auditions will take place on Sunday 22
July 2012 at 2pm. See our
Auditions
page.
17.06.12 The
Hollow Audition pieces for The Hollow by
Agatha Christie, directed by Helen Banks, can now be uploaded from our
Auditions
page. The auditions are at 4pm on Sunday 22 July 2012.
17.06.12 First
aid training A First Aid training day was
held at the theatre on Saturday 16 June, with the result that the
following members are now qualified First Aiders: Kevin Coward, Wendy
Marsh, Karen Friett, Mick Taylor, Rod Henderson and Helen Banks.
Congratulations to all those who took part. The event was organized by
Sarah O'Hanlon, who is already a qualified First Aider.
11.06.12 Strippers
needs actor John Hart is looking for a
male actor to play the role of Dougie in his production of Strippers
by John Terson, running from 1-8 September 2012. The role is of
average size, and the playing age is late 20s-early 30s. If you would
be interested, or know someone who is, please contact John on
07836206602 as soon as possible. Rehearsals begin on Monday 23 July.
10.06.12 Audition
times The auditions for Equus will be at
2pm, and The Hollow at 4pm. Both take place at the theatre on Sunday
22 July 2012 (see previous news item).
08.06.12 Auditions
on 22 July 2012 Auditions for Equus by Peter
Shaffer (directed by Rod Henderson) and The Hollow by Agatha
Christie (directed by Helen Banks) will be taking place on Sunday
22 July 2012 at the theatre. Times TBC. For more information
please visit our
Auditions
page.
08.06.12 Code
of Conduct As a reminder to all members, please find
below the theatre's Code of Conduct to which all members are expected
to adhere:
The
Edward Alderton Theatre aims to produce performances of the highest
possible standard in an environment that is enjoyable for audiences
and those involved in the theatre. To this end we expect our members
and visitors to treat each other, our property and our neighbours
with respect. Thank you ~ EAT
Committee
07.06.12 Richard
Banks resigns Please note the following message from
Richard Banks and the committee's response:
It is with deep sadness that I am
stepping down as Chair of the Edward Alderton Theatre. Due to other
obligations (both private and professional) I am no longer in a
position to dedicate the time and commitment needed to be an
effective chairman of the theatre.
I am taking this action in the
best interests of the theatre and am confident that the theatre will
now be in a stronger position to move forward and thrive. I would
like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support
during my tenure as Chair. I wish the theatre every success for the
future.
Richard
Committee response:
The committee of the Edward
Alderton Theatre would like to extend our sincere thanks to Richard
for all his hard work and dedication during his tenure as Chair. As
we are all aware Richard is focusing on building his career and does
so with our absolute support. It shows great maturity to accept that
this will mean he is unable to spend the time necessary to be an
effective Chair and the committee would like to thank Richard for
his commitment to the theatre by making the difficult decision to
step aside as Chair.
We are sure all members will agree
that a great deal has been achieved by Richard during his
chairmanship and that he leaves the theatre in a good position to
move forward. We all wish him every success in his future ventures
both at the EAT and further abroad.
The committee met last night and Sarah
O'Hanlon will be acting Chair until the AGM in February 2013.
20.05.12 Brighton
beach trip The theatre is planning a
summer trip to Brighton Beach on Saturday 28 July. With luck,
the weather may actually be warm and we can have a nice seaside
stroll, play on the amusements and eat fish and chips on the seafront.
Sarah O'Hanlon is organizing the trip — please contact her on starrace27@talk21.com
if you're interested in coming, and how many seats you want. The plan
is to hire a coach and depart from the theatre. Cost and departure
time will be announced nearer the date.
08.05.12 Dangerous
Corner poster Designed by Kevin Coward,
the third poster of our new season has now been revealed — Dangerous
Corner by J B Priestley. Performance dates are 9-16 February 2013.
Click below to see a full-size version of the poster:
27.04.12 Snow
Business poster Designed by Kevin Coward,
the second poster of our new season has now been revealed. Snow
Business: The Return of the Christmas Variety Shw is devised and
directed by Wendy Marsh and Ian Long. Performance dates are 8-15
December 2012. Click below to see a full-size version of the poster:
19.04.12 Strippers
to spearhead new season Strippers by Peter Terson,
directed by John Hart, will now be placed first in the next season,
before Equus, from 1-8 September 2012. This will mean that the
2012-2013 season will now consist of seven shows. The website will be
updated to reflect this.
17.04.12 A
Slice of Saturday Night auditions There will be a second round of
auditions for the above show on Sunday 29 April at 2pam.
Details of remaining roles can be found on our
Auditions
page. Director Wendy Marsh is keen to audition young people,
especially boys, between 17-25. Musicians are also needed to play in
the on-stage band. Full details on the Auditions page.
17.04.12 Christmas
Variety Show auditions Auditions for Snow Business —
the Return of the Christmas Variety Show will be taking place on Sunday
20 May at 2pm. We are looking for performers who will take
on a variety of roles. Auditionees need to bring an audition piece of
their own choosing — song, piece of music, recitation or sketch,
preferably (but not essentially) with a seasonal and/or showbusiness
theme. Any other 'party-pieces' — eg. ventriloquism, conjuring or
balloon-modelling (!) — would be welcomed although petomanes
should not apply. The piece you bring need not be up for consideration
for inclusion in the final show, but if it were to be so then so much
the better. Further details can be had from the devisers Wendy Marsh
on 07947573289 / wendymarsh01@aol.com
or Ian Long on 07948354314 / irlong@hotmail.co.uk.
12.04.12 Strippers
postponed Due to the problem with asbestos
contamination, regretfully the decision has been taken to cancel Strippers
from the current season, as there would not have been sufficient
time to rehearse and set build for the show. Director John Hart and
his cast will be deciding whether to re-stage it as the first show in
our next season (performed in September 2012, before Equus) or
delay it until the 2013/2014 season. Please watch this space for
further news.
12.04.12 Theatre
open again We have now had the all clear for people
to enter the theatre following the asbestos contamination. Outside
contractors have worked for two days on this work, and air and swab
samples have been sent to a lab for testing. The site is now
considered safe again.
05.04.12 Loot
review in Kentish Times An excellent review of Loot
has appeared in the Kentish Times today. Written by Steve
Spencer, the full text is reproduced below by permission. To view the
PDF of the online edition, click
here
.
If Joe Orton intended Loot to
satirise contemporary British attitudes towards death, Catholicism,
the police and the judiciary, the acerbic cut and thrust of his 1965
farce was no less successful and lost none of its relevance in this
production at Bexleyheath's Edward Alderton Theatre. While we may be
less scandalised today by Orton's writing, Viv Stapleton
successfully directs a cast who deliver the ordinariness of the text
with conviction. And the audience was treated to strong
performances from a committed cast.
Richard Banks presented a suitably
pathetic McLeavy. Waiting to bury his wife, around whose death there
are increasing whiffs of suspicion, he blended both naivety and
resilience in a charming Irish brogue. Steve Padgham, a slightly fey
Hal, along with his sidekick, Dennis, played by Rod Henderson, both
reflected the Ortonesque fascination for bad taste and amorality,
lugging the coffin around the room in order to replace the body with
the proceeds from their bank robbery.
The scene was complete with Mrs
McLeavy's live-in nurse Fay, most ably played by Sarah O'Hanlon
(stepping in at short notice), who manipulated the entire situation.
With total matter-of-factness she commandeers Mrs McLeavy's clothes,
wriggles out of an arrest for murder and secures a cut of the
proceeds. This was a performance to relish.
However, it was not the only one. The
cherries on Orton's cake were the portrayal of the forces of law and
order played by Richard Self, supported by Tom Mapleson, a
young constable Meadows. Self excels as Truscott (of the Yard),
eking out every line with perfection. His performance was seductive
with its "reasoned" morality and professional authority,
convincing us in a final satirical twist that it would almost be
ungracious to refuse bribery at the end. What a treat!
Steve Spencer (c) Kentish Times |
5 April 2012
05.04.12 The
story behind the cancelled Loot performance An article in this week's Kentish
Times tells the story of the problems we had on Wednesday 28 March
when a lady fell and cut her leg and the scheduled ambulance never
arrived, despite four 999 calls. Download the PDF version
here
.
02.04.12 Asbestos
contamination — theatre closed We have had some disturbing
news about damage caused to the theatre's roof. Richard Banks,
Chairman, says: "It is with regret that due to a damaged roof and
asbestos contamination, the Edward Alderton Theatre has had to close
until the theatre can be decontaminated. Currently we have no time
scale for when this will take place. No activity can take place in the
theatre until we have permission to reopen. We will of course keep
people informed of any changes."
Updates on this sad
situation will be put on the News page, so please check regularly here
for more information. Please note that this is not an April
Fool's Joke (although of course the name change to Stardust Theatre
was).
30.03.12 Loot
preview in Kentish Times A preview for our current
show Loot appeared in last week's Kentish Times, dated
22 March. Click
here
to read it. The review should appear in next week's edition, dated 5
April.
20.03.12 Equus
poster Designed by Kevin Coward,
the first poster of our next season has now been revealed: Peter
Shaffer's Equus is directed by Rod Henderson. Performance dates
are 20-27 October 2012. Click below to see a full-size version of the
poster:
19.03.12 Loot
trailer now online A trailer for our
forthcoming production of Joe Orton's black farce Loot is now
online at YouTube. Click
here
to watch it:
08.03.12 March
2012 newsletter now online Our March newsletter is now
available to read and download online — click
here
. It contains details of our AGM, our new season and information about
our forthcoming play Loot by Joe Orton, directed by Viv
Stapleton.
04.03.12 Loot
cast change The role of Fay will now be
taken by Sarah O'Hanlon. Loot is in performance from 24-31
March.
04.03.12 Strippers
casting Director John Hart is
pleased to announce the following cast for our May play Strippers by
Peter Terson: Piers Newman (Bernard), Geraldine
Mullins (Wendy), Eleanor McEnery (Aunt Aida), Tom
Mapleson (Dougie), Patrick McNamee (Harry), John
Cossentine (Paulie), Helen Rowe (Cilla), Sarah Nichols (Michele),
Jenny McKiernan (Buffy), Dot Holmans (Barmaid). Strippers
is in performance from 19-26 May.
25.02.12 AGM
business: next season and committee changes Artistic Director Wendy
Marsh announced details of our next season at the recent AGM. Please
see the
Next Season
page for a list of productions; auditions will be announced in due
course. Maureen Hardwen stood down as Secretary and was replaced by
Karen Friett. Shirley Andrews stood down as Front of House Manager and
was replaced by Anne Hempstead. Sarah O'Hanlon joined the committee as
Member without Portfolio.
The current committee is
now as follows:
chairman
Richard Banks
secretary
Karen Friett
treasurer
Maureen Hardwen
artistic
director
Wendy Marsh
technical
director
Rod Henderson
bar
manager
Tony Donnelly
publicity
Kevin Coward
members
without portfolio
Roz Betts, Sarah O'Hanlon
20.02.12 RUR
review in full Steve Spencer's review
of RUR appeared in the Kentish Times dated Thursday 16
February. Unfortunately, the newspaper once again cut the second half
of it, as they did with our previous show Macbeth (see below).
Here is the full, unedited review in full. Used with permission.
(Italics indicate unused section.)
Mark
Campbell’s production of Karel Capek’s 1920 play Rossum’s
Universal Robots provides an entertaining evening at [the]
Edward Alderton Theatre. It seems a curiously dated world of
science-fiction with a “living intelligent workforce”
manufactured from artificial flesh in large industrial vats at
Rossum’s factory. Yet, the ‘doctors’ in charge of the process
are plagued by a moral dilemma and undertake experiments to imbue
their soulless mass-production with feelings. The outcome sees the
robots leading a murderous revolt with the inevitable overthrowing
of the ruling forces.
Using
a modern translation and an incisive approach to direction Mark
Campbell creates a production with pace which engages and amuses.
There are moments of pure eccentricity coupled with the
thought-provoking consequences of social manipulation. Here lies the
danger: the utopian notion of a jobless society creates a sense of
cursed paradise where babies no longer need to be born to populate
humanity. And there is the cautionary tale!
The
cast is uniformly convincing. Kevin Coward (Harry Domain) plays the
driven general manager of the factory with eyes on profit and
megalomaniac aspirations. His team of senior managers (all played
by women in this production) are right behind him although quickly
seduced by the arrival of Helena Glory, the President of the League
of Humanity, played by Geraldine Mullins. Her values and moral
stance chip away at the conscience of the ‘doctors’ and
gradually lead to the factory’s downfall. There is some really
well observed characterisation which effectively pitches the
‘individuality’ of the managers against the anonymity of the
robots (also played by women).
Special
mention should go to the set design and notably the costumes which
achieve a suitably neutral yet modernist effect. In all, a welcome
production even if not a welcome world!
Steve
Spencer (c) Kentish Times
20.02.12 A
Slice of Saturday Night auditions Auditions for the above show will
take place on Saturday 10 March at 10.30am. Details can
be found on our
Auditions
page.
14.02.12 A
Slice of Saturday Night to close season Following the cancellation of Hi-de-Hi!,
we will now be performing the musical A Slice of Saturday Night
by the Heather Brothers on 14-21 July 2012. Watch this space for an
audition notice and further details.
24.01.12 Annual
General Meeting The Edward Alderton Theatre will be
holding its AGM on Tuesday 21 February 2012 at 8pm at the theatre.
The current committee are:
Chairman
Richard Banks
Theatre Secretary
Maureen Hardwen
Treasurer
VACANT
Artistic Director
Wendy Marsh
Technical Director
Rod Henderson (co-opted)
Bar Manager
Tony Donnell
Front of House Manager
Shirley Andrews
Publicity
Kevin Coward (co-opted)
Members without Portfolio
Karen Friett, Roz Betts
Any full member over the age of 18 may
stand for the committee. If you wish to serve on the committee in any
capacity please let
Maureen Hardwen
have your letter of intent together with the names of the people
nominating and seconding you no later than 14 February 2012. Please
note if you wish to be considered for the role of Bar Manager you will
have to be a registered licence holder. Most of the committee are
willing to stand again, but this will be confirmed within the next few
days.
13.01.12 Quiz
Night The theatre will be holding a Quiz
Night on Saturday 18 February starting at 7.30pm. Drinks will be
available from the bar — please bring nibbles if you so desire.
Teams can be up to eight people and the entry fee is £5 per person.
All funds raised will go into the EAT coffers. If you would like to
come along, please contact Karen Friett on 07976 905437.
04.01.12 That
Macbeth newspaper review — in full
A very positive review of our December show, Macbeth
by William Shakespeare, appeared in the 22 December 2011 issue of the Bexley
Times. Some of it was edited prior to publication, but here is
Steve Spencer's original copy (used with permission):
The idea of Macbeth
as a Christmas show at the Edward Alderton Theatre may seem strange,
but this clever and thoughtful production, set within the
claustrophobic confines of Dunsinane Psychiatric Hospital, is a
first class endeavour. Richard Self’s direction is consistent
throughout and his intelligent vision of the play is shared by a
committed and engaged cast. If, at times, elements are provocative,
they serve to make the whole experience more pleasurable.
Everything is seen from the
perspective of Macbeth, a soldier with post-traumatic stress
disorder, who, in a style reminiscent of the music-dramas of Dennis
Potter (clearly one of Richard Self’s inspirations), participates
in a tragedy played out by both inmates and staff. Other than
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, the cast play multiple roles: inmates are
heroes as well as murderers; doctors and nurses, evil villains or
witches. What this production questions are the fragility of the
order of things, the notion of morality and the delicate balance
between sanity and madness.
The cast is uniformly strong with
plenty of riveting performances. Macbeth (Michael Martin) shows all
the signs of relentless ambition yet there are real tender moments
of equivocation or self-doubt. Lady Macbeth (Rachel De Silva) steels
herself throughout as she drives her husband forward to the
inevitable conclusion. The weird sisters (witches) and Hecate were
mesmerising and delivered the poetry of Shakespeare’s text with
total conviction. There were some fascinating interpretations too:
Lady Macduff (Eileen Warner) whose dialogue with her children is
replaced by a soliloquy with a doll drowned moments later in a
bucket of water. The comedic porter (Anne Hempstead) delivered a
tour de force lurching menacingly at the audience: more madness than
drunkenness. The ghost of Banquo (Mark Campbell) as Father Christmas
unnerves Macbeth whose rants in turn set off the inmates at the
dining table. And did Burnham Wood appear at Dunsinane? Of course it
did … a string of paper Christmas trees!
Self-indulgent interpretations?
No, I don’t think so and I don’t care. The more I thought about
it the more I enjoyed this yuletide bedlam. Another enjoyable piece
from this creative company. Bravo!
