Playhouse on TV...

Now, please do not take that heading to mean that, in future, we’re going to broadcast our productions onto television or via the internet to save you coming out to the theatre on a dark, wet August night (it is August, apparently). Aside from that would miss the whole point about experiencing the magic of a live performance, there are convoluted copyright issues to be taken into account.

What it does mean, however, is that The Playhouse will this week feature on Central News West (I do realise that Cheltenham is one of those places where half the town gets Central News West while the other half gets Central News Midlands – or, rather, Birmingham – but I can’t do much about that).

Reporter Richard Franklin spent yesterday morning with us to do a combined feature on the refurbishment of a flood-stricken theatre and the 50th anniversary of Cheltenham Children’s Theatre (CCTA). Several of the kids were filmed undertaking jobs in the lighting and sound boxes, doing a spot of performing and being interviewed about what they get out of CCTA. The piece will be shown at some point during the 6pm news programme one evening this week, so those of you with the right reception may wish to keep an eye out.

Yours truly was also interviewed and I have no doubt that the kids will come out of it far better than I. They will appear wonderfully natural and interested whereas I will be stilted and dull (and before Steve Evans says it, no change there then). I never feel happy doing those things, despite the fact that I used to work in public relations and received media training! I guess it’s that old chestnut about only feeling comfortable when playing a role and hating being seen as yourself.

The CCTA show Beauty and the Beast opens this evening at 7.30 and we are still trying to encourage ex-members to attend on the Friday evening performance and attend a reception afterwards. In the meantime, we wish the kids all the best for their 50th anniversary.