We're back...

Just to say that we FINALLY have full access to send and receive emails. I dread to think how many I have to get through to catch up three working days' worth...

Email problems...

Technology is a wonderful thing. Until it decides to play up. Since 8 am yesterday morning, the theatre has been unable to send or receive emails, either via Outlook Express or Webmail, although we do have access to the internet. I hasten to add that the problem is with our ISP and is not a fault at our end. If you have sent an email to us and have yet to receive a response, we're not being rude, we are simply unable to do so at the present time. If you are awaiting an urgent response, please call us via the box office on 01242 522852.

Hopefully, what passes for normal service will be resumed as soon as possible. In the meantime, please accept our apologies for any problems this is causing (and it is causing plenty as far as I'm concerned).

Val Barker Tribute...

Ron Carroll is currently organising an evening in memory of Val Barker who died earlier this year. He writes:

“Val Barker was, for 44 years, a great performer, director, writer and friend of The Playhouse and the tides of people who have been washed into and away from its precincts during that time. She took a hand in more than 100 productions, and the archives show that she would accept any kind of role, however anonymous, but of course she was responsible for great performances and great shows never straying too far from her love of music.

“Her friends are putting on a show in the Green Room on Saturday 6th September. The programme will be whatever her friends feel fits best with the memories they have of Val, so we will not know until nearer the time what the items will be. However, we already know that it will be a full programme.

“It should be a fun night and all are welcome, performing or not. Do come and enjoy the new facilities from 7.15 pm onwards. Anyone interested in taking part, either singing a song, reading some prose, or performing an excerpt from a production, can email me at ron.carroll1@googlemail.com or contact the box office for my telephone number.”

New acquisitions...

Anyone who has rehearsed a musical here in recent years has been well aware that some of our pianos have, to put it mildly, been past their prime for quite some time, while one was wrecked in the floods last year. There is good news on this front, as we have recently taken delivery of a brand new upright piano for the dungeon and an electronic piano for the auditorium. The latter does all sorts of weird and wonderful things and will be kept under lock and key unless required for a production.

Two of our busiest members, Keith Swinford and Sally Norman, tied the knot on Saturday 2 August. A large circle of friends were present at the evening celebration, causing someone to remark that if a bomb had been dropped on the hall in question, amateur dramatics in Cheltenham would probably cease to be! We all wish Keith and Sally our heartiest congratulations and look forward to seeing them on their return from honeymoon.

Three of our autumn shows - The Gut Girls, Epsom Downs and The Sorcerer – all of which will be on the main stage in November, have now been successfully cast. Epsom Downs, in particular, saw a very high turnout of people and even with a large cast required director Steven Rayworth had to turn down over a third of those who auditioned. The next show up for audition will be Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, possibly in a brand new translation, although one role has already been filled. Meet Phoebe, who will be playing the part of ‘governess’s dog’.

Both Epsom Downs and The Gut Girls are about to go into rehearsal here, which means that the green room will be open with a bit more frequency than of late. However, we are not quite back to six-days a week operation and will be closed during August on the following days: Thursday 7, Saturday 9, Monday 11, Thursday 14, Saturday 16, Thursday 28 and Friday 29. Don’t forget that you can add your name to the bar rota, or check which night you are ‘on’ by visiting the theatre website, which webmaster John Roberts has recently redesigned. It’s at the same address, or you can simply click on the link at the top right corner of this blog.

Reopen and then go quiet?

Just because there are no shows in the auditorium for a month does not mean there is nothing going on at The Playhouse. The green room bar will be open on those nights when readings and auditions are taking place (see previous posting) and the contractors are going through the snagging list – those small tweaks that need making as we get used to the new layout and facilities in both new areas of the building.

With school holidays now underway, CCTA have started rehearsals during the day for their production of Beauty & The Beast (19-23 August). CCTA – the convenient acronym for Cheltenham Children’s Theatre Association – was founded by members of The Playhouse 50 years ago, and a production has been staged here every summer since then. Even when the auditorium was out of bounds due to the collapsing foyer, the show still went ahead in the green room!

All members of CCTA have to be aged 18 or under and they handle every aspect of the production – acting, directing, lighting and set building. Many members have gone on to become performers in the various ‘adult’ companies here and, occasionally, into the professional theatre industry.

We are very proud to have formed this company - which we believe is still the only company of its kind in the UK – and with this being its Golden Anniversary Production, we would love to have as many ex-members attend the performance on Friday 22 August and meet up with old friends in the green room afterwards. Tickets are on sale from the box office now priced £7 for adults with concessions at £5 for all performances.

Green room and auditions...

You're impatient to see what we've made of the green room. I know this because I've had several emails from people demanding photos. Several people had a first glimpse last night at the official reopening and the general impression was, as with the theatre, gobsmacked. John Morgan thought it was like a hotel lobby! Certainly it is now a lighter, larger and more user-friendly space and we plan to try and make far greater use of it in the coming months with poetry slams, live music etc. There are still one or two tweaks to be made to get the bar fully up and running, but basically The Playhouse is back and better than it has ever been.

The companies are now gearing up for their autumn productions and there are a number of readings and auditions coming up for those eager to tread the boards in the new auditorium.

EPSOM DOWNS is to be presented by Deep End Theatre Co this November, directed by Steven Rayworth. There have already been two readings, so the auditions will be held on Tuesday 22 and Wednesday 23 July.

THE GUT GIRLS is to be staged by Playhouse Company, also this November, directed by Dave Wheeler. There will be a reading on Thursday 24 July with auditions the following Wednesday 30 July.

THE CHERRY ORCHARD is Deep End's production for March 2009, but director Steve Evans wants to cast early so he knows the line-up is in place. There will be a reading on Thursday 4 September with auditions on Monday 8 and Thursday 11 September.

ALICE IN A NON-PC WORLD is this year's pantomime for childish grown-ups presented by Friends Theatre Co this December. Caroline Young is directing and the reading will be held on Wednesday 17 September. Auditions will follow on Wednesday 24 and Thursday 25 September.

Sneak preview...

While the auditorium is receiving a few visitors and winning rave reviews (let’s hope that all our future productions will match the quality of the venue), work is progressing over in the green room. Although we won’t actually be able to install the platform lift until next month, the photo left shows that the opening has already been made through to the dungeon where the spirit cupboard used to be.

At the opposite end to this opening, and in front of the bottle store, a new partition wall has sprung up and is already plastered (how appropriate). The bar – which arrived on site yesterday – complete with optics, will be on the face of this wall as you look at it, while the glasswasher will be the other side. The bar counter goes in the opening at the very forefront of the picture. The bar area itself is smaller than it was, but the layout will mean that things are much closer to hand.

This third photo, looking from the new bar across towards the stage and dressing room corridor, gives you an idea of how much bigger and more open the green room itself will be now that the central pillar has been removed.

The Echo spent quite a bit of time here yesterday interviewing me and taking copious photos and hopefully there will be a decent splash in either tomorrow or Monday’s editions. As usual, lots of silly poses requested of yours truly and I will no doubt look full of cold (which I am, sniff). As reported earlier, I’m off for a few days’ rest. Mary is manning the fort and so please keep her busy by booking lots of tickets for The Good Doctor. It would be lovely to have a sell out so soon after reopening!