2010/2011 season.  Newsletter No.1

Editor: Jill Fuller, Ramatuelle, 20, Blofield Road, Brundall, Norwich, NR13 5NN
Tel: 01603 715346    e mail: jill@ramatuelle.co.uk            

Contents
RolePlay
Ticket Office
Dangerous Corner
Congratulations on your debut
Exits and Entrances
AGM
Thank you again
The Norfolk One Act Playwriting Competition
A Stage Manager's Lament
Vocal Colour Workshop
The Shakespeare Revue
Next newsletter

Our Next Production
RolePlay By Alan Ayckbourn, directed by Malcolm Robinson.
                    October 14th – 16th and 20th – 23rd

Our first play of the new season is already in rehearsal and promises to be as amusing as Ayckbourn’s plays usually are. More details in the next newsletter.
The production will be set in a “state of the art” London Docklands flat, including a fully fitted island kitchen for which we need the loan of some very modern crockery (a full set of 6 would be ideal) stainless steel cutlery (6 place settings) and trays. Other items for set dressing like a matching pair of floor standing uplighters are also needed.
We are already talking to Habitat, IKEA and other retailers about furniture to complete the scene, so if you can help with any of the “set dressing” items please email Stage Manager, Anna Rohwetter a.rohwetter@web.de and mention Sewell Barn; RolePlay in your title.
Malcolm Robinson
Director
RolePlay
07957 425355

Ticket Office
Our tickets can be booked at the Customer Services desk (2nd floor) of Jarrolds Department Store, 1-11 London Street, Norwich NR2 1JF.       Tel: 01603 697248      Fax: 01603 611295      email: custserv@jarrold.co.uk.
It is often necessary to book early as some performances sell out!
Tickets Prices: £8 or £6 concessions (retired, students and unwaged) includes a programme.
Don’t forget to claim your free drink on the first night.
You can also have a free drink at a Wednesday performance if you produce your membership card at the desk in the foyer.

Our Previous Production
Dangerous Corner
Oh how the direction a conversation takes can change one’s life …. or death! J. B. Priestley’s play gives us the alternative ending. By the time we see the conversation playing for the second time, we are holding our breath for the phrase that will change the direction and prevent an eternal loop.
Nigel Coates’ production of Dangerous Corner excellently created the atmosphere to carry us back to the 1930’s for this classic ‘time play’. This was admirably enhanced by the set, a comfortable sitting room in a middle class house (so comfortable did it look that I saw one audience member trying out an armchair at the end!) Well done to Angela Rowe and Danny Burns for their design (a first for Danny I believe).
During the interval one audience member remarked that the hair styles were amazing and completely in keeping with the period, I have to agree. The costumes, especially the ladies’ colourful dresses, were also just so 1930’s.
The direction lent a stylised feel to the events, each character taking the invisible ‘witness box’ located in the most powerful area of the stage, when they were forced to make their ‘confession’. We watched as the pompous and self righteous Robert Caplan was forced to see his ‘snug little group’ disintegrate and all the relationships within it change. He was compelled to say that ‘we have to learn to live without illusions’.
All the characters were well defined and remained so at all times. All members of the cast had identified with their characters and gave very convincing portrayals of a close knit group with dark secrets lurking beneath the surface. I was a trifle concerned that they might fall over though, especially Freda, after the amount of ‘sherry’ consumed!
The dialogue rattled along confidently even if occasionally the facial expressions would have been a credit to Rowan Atkinson’s Mr. Bean! The suspense was maintained as each new dark secret was revealed.
It was good to see some new faces on the stage and Nigel can be congratulated for directing his first play for the Barn so successfully.
Jill Fuller

Congratulations on your debut!
As many of you will know I am something of a regular on the set design/build credits so it was my greatest pleasure to invite Danny Burns to help me design the set for Dangerous Corner. I'm pleased to say he accepted and, after an explanation of things that had to be included in the design (fire regs, etc), we went off and produced our preliminary drawings ... and came up with exactly the same thing! Clearly great minds think alike! The evidence of the partnership was on the stage, I hope you liked it!
Set design is another way to get involved in the theatre. You don't need to be a draughtsman (or woman) you just need to be able to read a script and translate its physical environment onto the stage ... that isn't as hard as you might think sometimes.
Opportunities to be involved in set builds come up regularly, just make yourself known to Clare and your name will be added to our list of 'people who we can ask'. Being interested doesn't commit you to every build for ever more!
Well done to Danny and we look forward to welcoming others to our weekend bashes!
Angela Rowe


EXITS AND ENTRANCES....
The Committee is delighted to announce that Michelle Montague and Robert Little have been appointed as our next Artistic Directors when Clare steps down from the post in July 2011.
Coalitions are the current fashion at present, and we are confident that they will make an impressive partnership. Both were founder members when Henry Burke created the Company, and both are passionate about its future development. As many will be aware, Robert was our Artistic Director for many years prior to Clare’s tenure, and Michelle is well known in the City and to us for her acting, directing and teaching skills.
The planning of any season has to be completed well in advance, and Robert and Michelle are due to have meetings with Clare in the near future to ensure a smooth transition of responsibilities, however in the meantime Clare continues to hold the reins, and will give her final report at the 2011 AGM , when we will have time to reflect and give thanks for her commitment and hard work during the 8 years that she will have served at that time.
Jenny Hobson

A.G.M
Do not forget that Sunday 26th September is our annual AGM. Held at the Barn
Doors will open at 11.30 am and the meeting will commence promptly at 12 noon.
As ever we will aim to get the business of the day through as swiftly as possible, so that we can go on to our lunchtime session, when the bar will be open and good food will be laid out for your enjoyment.
A plea from your catering team!!
Please let Jenny Hobson know if you plan to attend.
Tel: 01263 822908 e mail jenny.hobson@freeuk.com
Help required
2 people...one to organise salad/garnishes. One to organise puddings. Please contact Jenny.

Thank you again ...
... to those generous sorts who gave up some of their weekend to come and help build the set for Dangerous Corner. On what was the hottest day of the year so far Danny Burns, Adrian Wenn, Mike Carson, Mat Brigs, Matt Bishop and Nigel Coates came in to help build, paint and do a lot of tidying up transforming the stage from a dark and gloomy place into an airy drawing room. The following Saturday Danny and I were joined by Nigel, Anne Giles, Paul Woodhouse and Ian Shepherd to complete the transformation. The 'knight in shining armour' award has to go to Adrian for his very speedy wood work, and to Nigel who inadvertently learnt a lot about DIY shopping, and the 'trusty steed' award goes to Ian who came all the way to the theatre just so we could use his van (and enjoy his company of course!)
I've said it before ... many hands make light work. In total nine individuals put up a set in a day and a half! We were home for a late lunch on the second day! Please, please, please if you feel the urge, come and join one of the builds. They can be great fun; there is always plenty of tea, coffee and biscuits and it is very satisfying making something from a very unpromising nothing! Next season isn't ‘set heavy’ but every production needs something, even if it is just a coat of paint.
Go on, give it a try, you never know ... you might like it!
Angela Rowe

The Norfolk One Act Playwriting Competition
This is a competition sponsored by June Owen of The Garboldisham Amateur Dramatic Society to promote playwriting for the amateur theatre
The competition is open to all Norfolk residents aged 18 and over.          Cash prizes

Typed entries preferred but legible, handwritten scripts will be accepted.
Closing Date the 31st of October 2010
Entry forms and full Competition Rules and Conditions by e-mail from june@juneowen.wanadoo.co.uk or by telephoning 0845 6917962

Company News

A Stage Manager’s Lament
In is down, down is front
Out is up, up is back
Off is out, on is in
And of course -
Left is right and right is left
A drop shouldn't and a
Block and fall does neither
A prop doesn't and
A cove has no water
Tripping is OK
A running crew rarely gets anywhere
A purchase line buys you nothing
A trap will not catch anything
A gridiron has nothing to do with football
Strike is work (In fact a lot of work)
And a green room, thank god, usually isn't
Now that you're fully versed in Theatrical terms,
Break a leg.
But not really

Workshops
Vocal Colour Workshop
As a newcomer to any sort of theatre work, I have to report how quickly I felt at home during the workshop. The snug confines of the stage helped, but in the main it was Clare Howard’s assured introduction of the activities, and the willingness (and sense of fun) with which those present went about them, which made for an interesting and rewarding evening. To break the ice we worked in groups to list ways in which people use their voices, after which a warm-up enabled bodies to be stretched and relaxed. Then came an intriguing variety of solo, paired and group activities within which lines were improvised, learnt, practised and delivered to each other. Each activity built on the previous and gave an insight into how voices convey moods, thoughts and emotions; as well as how to begin to use them more proficiently. Of the fifteen or so keen souls present (aged not far off seventeen to seventy), about as many were new as experienced. A good number stayed on to compare notes in the bar and certainly gave the idea that they would be back for more.
Matthew Buck

Auditions
The Shakespeare Revue
Monday 13th September and Wednesday 15th September 7:30 pm at The Sewell Barn
For more detail of the show and the rehearsals, please refer to the Backstage page.
All cast need to be flexible singing actors (rather than acting singers), so solo pieces should be things you already know well that show off your vocal range and comic timing, especially in dialogue.
For all musical items, please remember to bring the music – your pianist is very accomplished, but only operates well with the dots in front of him!
Please let us know which day to expect you for audition.
The auditions will be open, and will consist of the following:
Solo work of your choice:
*Song(s): anything suitable of your choice from lighter 1940s/50s musicals, Noël Coward, music hall. Girls especially, maybe bring a second contrasting number - something bluesy, a torch song, a Sondheim ballad?
*Spoken: something from farce, drawing-room comedy (Wilde, Coward), more modern comedy. Items performed straight to the audience are also appropriate. Look at good monologue writers: Alan Bennett, Joyce Grenfell, Victoria Wood.
*Tap: this is very much optional! If you have tap-dancing ability, we’d love to see it; a short item is all that is needed (or even part of an item – 32 bars max would be fine, we don’t need the whole of 42nd Street). Either bring the music for the pianist (see above), or bring a CD.
Group items:
Movement: We will do a very basic set of movements, which will be taught at the audition, simply to see how well you move on stage and how easily you pick up choreography. Don’t worry, this won’t be 42nd Street either [not least because Cassie will probably have arranged the moves].
Spoken: We will give you some spoken work at the audition, with the usual short time to have a look at it in advance; it will be from one of several items in the show that involve group dialogue, and will enable us to see how you interact with each other and what your comic timing is like.
Casting: Please be prepared for a recall. This is an unusual show to cast, and relies as much on the combination of performers as on the individuals. We are fully aware that we could very well end up with two totally different casts and we’ll have to choose one of them; so no matter what your skills in the various areas, style or experience, there may still be some surprises in store for us all once we’ve seen everybody. As explained in the audition notes, it’s most likely that we will cast three men and three women of a variety of ages; but this, too, depends on the combination of people available (the original show was two men & two women).
Depending on whether the recall is necessary and who it involves, this may either be in Norwich at the Barn or one of the other regular rehearsal venues, or possibly at our home in Weston Longville.
We will then contact everybody individually when we’ve made our choice.
We’d love to see as wide a variety of people as possible for this very exciting show – we look forward to seeing you there!
Cassie & Selwyn Tillett 07802 485110 01603 880895 cassie@tillett.org.uk

Next Newsletter
Please send anything to be included to me (details at top of this newsletter) by: September 20th
Due to go out: 1st October.
Jill