16 to 25 March 8pm

Transcription

1 theatre notes "We can invite all our friends, drink what we like, stay up as late as we want, - who's gonna say no? Our very own half g, quarter acre shagging paradise." In 1974, as the NZ cricket team fails to win against Australia, four men fresh out of university buy a section at the beach for the ultimate Kiwi summer. The onstage action parallels our turbulent cricket history of the next twenty-three years, as we watch the Boys at the Beach, and later their families, drink, sing, play cricket and hang around the barbie as they stumble into manhood and the associated rites of Kiwi passage to become upstanding citizens and men of property. 16 to 25 March 8pm Matinees Sunday 19 and Saturday 25 March at 2pm No evening performance Sunday 19 March No performance Monday 20 March Tickets $25 evening, $23 evening discount $18 matinee, $16 matinee discount A discount to members, with bookings of 10 or more and to Community Services card holders. Please note that only one of these discounts can be claimed on any one ticket. HOW TO BOOK OPENING NIGHT GALA BOOK ONLINE AT or phone or if calling from outside Auckland NO booking fee/delivery fee BY POST (cheque/credit card only) Send to: ETS, PO Box 11432, Ellerslie, Auckland IN PERSON (cash/cheque/credit card/eftpos) The booking office opens forty five minutes before performance. Pre-booking is recommended to guarantee your seat. Thursday 16 March from 7.30pm A complimentary glass of méthode champenoise, or juice, and snacks will be served on the opening night. The show starts at 8pm. Early Bookings advisable or 24 August to 2 September 2017 Invitation to Directors & Playwrights The ETS One-Act Play Festival has provided playwrights with an opportunity to see their work leap from page to stage and new directors the chance to be mentored through the production process. Submissions are now open for the sixth biennial Festival in ETS is inviting applications, from experienced and new directors or playwrights, for The Ellerslie Festival of One Act Plays Application forms and criteria can be downloaded from our website on the Contact Us page. Send your entry to the OAPF Secretary, Ellerslie Theatrical Society, PO Box 11432, Ellerslie 1542 or secretary@ellerslietheatre.co.nz. Like Ellerslie Theatrical Society on Facebook and keep up to date with shows, informal play readings, auditions, events and activities. Ellerslie Theatrical Society Inc P O Box , Ellerslie, Auckland 1542 Phone Fax Stables Theatre (Ellerslie War Memorial Community Centre), Cnr Main Highway & Arthur Street, Ellerslie info@ellerslietheatre.co.nz or newsletter@ellerslietheatre.co.nz website:

2 WAITING IN THE WINGS Directed by Rex Steele, Reviewed by Jocelyn McQuaid A play about a group of elderly, retired actresses, living out their days in a charity home. What a ghastly idea! But when the author is Noël Coward, the Master, the scenario brightens more than somewhat. Directed by long-time ETS stalwart, Rex Steele, Waiting in the Wings is one of those wonderful plays which provides roles for almost everyone in a community theatre group. The menfolk in this play are mostly minor characters, with the exception of Perry Lascoe, played by Ken Morrison. He cajoles and persuades the old dears, making sure they are comfortable in this delightful home. Osgood Meeker, played by Chris Seagar, long-time admirer of one of the very old actresses, gently bumbles along with his bunch of violets, and Dr Jevons and Alan Bennet, both small roles, were competently played by Geoff Gunn. And the ladies? May Davenport (Susan Hargraves) and Lotta Bainbridge (Penel Keegan) are the leading ladies who have been at war with each other for many years, a situation which is resolved after a late-night chat. Both these actresses have performed in many roles over the years, and showed just how it should be done. It is hard to single out any one performer in a play of this nature, but Julia Leathwick as the Superintendent, Sylvia Archibald, stands out. Another is Linda Pudney as the Irish actress Deidre O Malley, who dies on stage (more than slightly theatrically!). And who could forget the delightfully dotty Sarita Myrtle, played by Liz Philipp. All those taking part acquitted themselves well, and were assisted by a comfortable and realistic setting. It all made for a pleasant evening s entertainment. Annual Subscription for $88 (save $24) Four shows, AND the delight of seeing quality theatre throughout the year. Almina Clare Margaret Ussher Deidre O Malley Linda Pudney Perry Lascoe Ken Morrison Cora Clarke Rae Ryan Dr Jevons / Alan Bennet Geoff Gunn Lotta Bainbridge Penel Keegan Sylvia Archibald Julia Leathwick Osgood Meeker Chris Seager Maud Melrose Renee Palmer Zelda Fenwick Elizbeth Gill Sarita Myrtle Liz Philipp Bonita Belgrave Ruth Hyde Estelle Kathy Walker Dora / Topsy Baskerville Diane O Sullivan Doreen Jessica Rule ETS Early Membership Draw JOIN OUR Priority bookings, Half price glass of wine at each show, May Davenport Susan Hargraves STABLE EARLY AND YOU COULD WIN Contact Rona Colbert on for details. Colours of Christmas Another resounding success by Renee Palmer and her Christmas Float Elves, creating the Colours of Christmas for the Ellerslie Christmas Parade Congratulations to Renee Palmer and her helpers. Thanks go to Colin and A.J. Tutill & Son for providing the driver and truck, Terry Palmer and Rex Steele for their substantial contributions, Chris Seager, Rona Colbert, Janet Cutting, Lucy Flavell and all those Xmas Elves who helped make it fun on the day. Join or renew your Ellerslie Theatrical Society Membership by 28 February 2017 and be in the draw to win two tickets to a performance of your choice during our 2017 season. Forms can be found on the Contact Us page at or call Rona on to request one. Director Rex Steele Fund Raising Opportunity Buy the house, 100 seats, for a selected show for $1,200 ($12 per seat) and sell tickets to your social or community group at your selected price. contact Rona Colbert on

3 Annual General Meeting The Annual General Meeting of the Ellerslie Theatrical Society Inc. will be held on MONDAY 10 APRIL 2017 AT 8.00PM at the STABLES THEATRE, corner Main Highway and Arthur Street, Ellerslie. All are welcome and supper will be served at the conclusion of business. Written nominations are called for the following positions: President Vice President x 2 Secretary Treasurer Committee Member x 5 The elections for the above positions will be held in the order stated. Once a person is elected they will be ineligible for further ballots. Nominees for the position of President must have been members of the Committee for at least twelve months prior to the AGM. Nominees for the position of Vice President and Treasurer must have been financial members of the Society for at least twelve months prior to the AGM. All nominees must be financial members of the Society. It is preferable that nominations are received no later than 1 March 2017 to allow for the names of all nominees to be circulated to the financial members of the society prior to the AGM. Posted nominations should be sent to: The Secretary, Ellerslie Theatrical Society, PO Box , Ellerslie. Late nominations handed to the Secretary at the meeting prior to the advertised starting time will be accepted at the Chairman's discretion. Proposed Rule Change The following change will be proposed to the Members at the Annual General Meeting on 10 April Conduct of General Meetings Proposal Change 8.d. of the Rules from A quorum at meetings of the Management Committee shall be two (2) Executive Officers and two (2) other committee members. to A quorum at meetings of the Management Committee shall be four (4) committee members, including at least two (2) Executive Officers. Justification This proposal was put to the 2016 AGM and was rejected by the Members on the grounds that it passed power into the hands of the Executive, who could act against the intent of the Society. Subsequent research indicates that, under the Incorporated Societies Act and the Rules of the Society, the Management Committee, including the Executive Officers, could not themselves benefit financially from disposal of assets or the winding up of the Society. The Executive Officers of the Society - its president, two vice-presidents, treasurer and secretary - continue to demonstrate their commitment to the continuity and success of the Society. Our experience since the AGM has been that two meetings during 2016 that were supposed to be of the Management Committee had to be changed to meetings of the Executive, because of insufficient numbers of members of the Management Committee who were not Executive Officers. The result was that no decisions could be made at those meetings, and decisions had to be postponed until the next Management Committee meeting that had a quorum. While this is partially due to the small number of people on the Management Committee, the Society cannot depend upon enough new Management Committee members being appointed at an AGM or subsequently by the Management Committee in order to make the quorum definition work. David Blakey, Secretary, 4 February 2017 HELP WITH SET BUILDING IN 2017 You don t need tools though it could help if you can bring a battery-powered drill and any other small tools you own. You do need a willingness to do two things: first, to work on producing high-quality stage sets; and, second, to join in discussions and to put forward your own ideas on how best to achieve our aims. The set builds are on Saturdays, starting from 9am and going on to around 5pm. You don t have to work all those hours. Any time you can put in is great, although you should know that we generally stop around 12:30pm for lunch prepared and supplied by ETS, so you won t want to miss that. We re a friendly bunch of people with varying skill levels, and the set builds are both challenging and fun. If you can come, David Blakey davidblakey@gmail.com or text/call in advance, so that we can plan the day and include you in the lunch. Boys at the Beach - Saturday 25 February, Saturday 4 March, Saturday 11 March Pack-out Sunday 26 March Festen - Saturday 20 May, Saturday 27 May, Sat 3 June, Sunday 4 June Pack-out Sunday 18 June The Ellerslie Festival of One Act Plays - no set builds The 39 Steps - Saturday 14 October, Saturday 21 & Sunday 22 October, Saturday 4 November, Pack-out Sunday 19 November

4 AUDITIONS Saturday 18 March 2017 at 1.30pm FESTEN Written by Thomas Vinterberg, Mogens Rukov & Bo Hr.Hansen In an adaption by David Eldridge Directed by David Blakey Presented by arrangement with Nordiska ApS, Copenhagen Festen is an embodiment of what theatre should be ~ Paul Taylor, The Independent Festen is based upon the award winning Danish movie, Festen meaning The Celebration. It is Helge s 60th birthday. His wife Else and daughter Helene live at home with Helge, in the restaurant that Helge ran and that has now been converted into the family home. Christian, their oldest surviving child, has also arrived. The last time that most of family were together was for the funeral of Linda, Christian s twin sister, who committed suicide a few months earlier. There are other family friends and servants, who will attend the party. Michael, the younger son, who has not been invited, arrives with his wife and little girl. During dinner, Christian makes a speech about his father that brings the celebration to a halt. The guests chose to believe Helge rather than Christian, until Helene makes a discovery. About the director David Blakey directed The Playboy of The Western World at ETS in 2015 and has since directed How To Be Happy at Howick Little Theatre. He has long wanted to stage Festen in Auckland, and is grateful to ETS for taking on this 'difficult' play. With a background in IT and management consulting, David's directing style is highly analytical, and actors can expect to spend most rehearsals working on characters and beats rather than continually running through the play. He also believes that actors' moves should be their own, and that actors should be attentive and work off each other's moves and actions in each performance, so he does not 'block'. If you like this style of directing - or if you would like to experience it - you should audition. Rehearsals Commence Sunday 2 April 2017, Tuesdays and Thursdays each week from 7.30pm, Sundays from 12.30pm. Season Thursday 8 to Saturday 17 June performances including 2 matinees. Address Stables Theatre, 138 Main Highway, Ellerslie, Auckland Auditions Actors will be asked to present a monologue of at least 30 seconds from any work. It must be in modern English. Actors may be asked to present their monologues more than once, with different characteristics for their character or reading. You are at liberty to take an existing piece involving more than one character and adapt it to a monologue. Actors may be asked to read together as characters in a scene from Festen. Allowance will be made for cold reading, as this exercise will be to see how you look and sound together. Cast Required The ages are only suggestions and should only be treated as guidelines. If you are outside of this age range but feel you are perfect for the role, please come along to audition. Most of the actors will be involved in the minor scenic changes. Pia, Kim and Lars will serve and clear the table. At least two actors will be required to play Little Girl. All of their rehearsals will be on Sunday afternoons until the final week of rehearsals, when they will be required to attend evening rehearsals. Some roles are great for new actors and actors without prior experience on stage. Characters Christian, male, mid 30s - Elder son. Twin brother of Linda (dead). Michael, male, early 30s - Younger son. Helene, female, 20s - Younger daughter. Mette, female, late 20s to early 30s - Michael's wife. Helge, male, 60 - Father. Else, female, 50s - Mother. Helmut, male, 50s to 60s - Friend of Helge. Poul, male, 40s to 50s - Friend of Helge. Grandfather, male, 70s to 80s - Helge's father. Pia, female, late 20s - Servant. Kim, male, early 30s - Cook and childhood friend of Christian. Lars, male, 20s - Servant. Gbatokai, male, late 20s - Helene's lover. Black African. Little Girl, female, Michael and Mette's daughter. For more information and a copy of the script please contact David Blakey by davidblakey@gmail.com or call what s on at other theatres Playhouse Theatre Inc Our Town by Thornton Wilder season: 1 to 11 Mar Dolphin Theatre Spirit Level by Pam Valentine season: 3 to 18 Mar Howick Little Theatre The Pink Hammer by Michele Amas season: 28 Feb to 18 Mar Titirangi Theatre The Vicar of Dibley season: 21 Mar to Apr 1 Mairangi Players The Jungle Book adapted by Jason Moffat season: 21 to 29 Apr

5 Informal Play Reading Evening - Wed 22 Feb This informal group meets periodically to give members the opportunity to read or listen to both complete plays, and interesting excerpts. New participants are welcome, and play suggestions are also invited. There are plenty of parts for readers, and listeners are also most welcome. The next informal play reading group will meet on: Wednesday the 22nd of February 2017 at 7.30pm at the home of Shelagh Coop, 2/38 Awatea Road, Parnell. The readings will be Her Story written by Mary Granfors and While the Circus Passes by Isabel Loman. HER STORY Hazel Memet whiles away her time in a nursing home. Not interested in the meetin in the Solarium for today s discussion topic: Chin Hair Removal: Waxing versus plucking? she has almost given up on living until she is befriended by her daily cleaner, Kai. WHILE THE CIRCUS PASSES Maria, married ten years to Max, a dull, prosperous grocer, regrets the unromantic years. But a circus comes to the village - and with it, Joseph, her first love. RSVP for numbers to Jocelyn McQuaid telephone jossmcq@slingshot.co.nz. Taking a little something to augment supper would be appreciated. You can also contact Jocelyn if you can't make it but would like to receive regular updates about this group. Annual Subscription for $88 (save $40) Surprise a friend or treat yourself to an Ellerslie Theatrical Society Inc. Annual Season Subscription and see all four shows in to 25 March - The Boys at the Beach - by Alison Quigan & Ross Gumbley 8 to 17 June - Festen - adapted by David Eldridge 24 August to 2 September - The Ellerslie Festival of One Act Plays (two tickets) 9 to 18 November - The 39 Steps - adapted by Patrick Barlow Benefits include: Priority bookings, A half price glass of wine at each show, and the delight of seeing quality theatre throughout the year. Call Rona Colbert or info@ellerslietheatre.co.nz for more information. Stables Theatre, 138 Main Highway, Ellerlise