1 MONMOUTH MUSIC THEATRE (Formerly Monmouth Operatic Society 1988-2005) Charity No 1154731 Issue: 14 Show Special 2014 Newsletter PRESIDENT MR VERNON JONES (FOUNDER MEMBER) www.monmouthmt.co.uk http://www.facebook.com/monmouthmusictheatre Dear MMT Members and Friends, MMT NEEDS YOU! WE WANT OLIVER! TO BE A SELL OUT PLEASE DRIVE OUR TICKETS SALES & FORWARD THIS NEWSLETTER TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO SEE OUR PRODUCTION THANK YOU
2 Our Stars of the Show! Talented youngsters from 5 local primaries have joined us in our next stage production, which you all know by now is, Oliver! 13 pupils from across the primary schools of Cross Ash, Osbaston, Overmonnow, Redbrook, Trellech, and The Grange are participating alongside 6 from Monmouth Comprehensive and King Henry V111 schools. We have 2 teams of Oliver and Dodgers. Oliver Riba Fookes is playing his name sake opposite George Vines, as Dodger, at the Thursday and Saturday evening performances, whilst Josh Morgan is playing Oliver and Jay Hardy portrays Dodger at the Friday night and Saturday matinee performances. These are ably supported by Jacob King and Harry Sully playing Charley respectively. Rehearsals are well underway and the children are thoroughly enjoying this Dickensian production under the guidance of Andrew Griffiths, stage director and Ian Russell, musical director. Andrew, a teacher by profession, knows how to get the best out of the children s performances and is highly congratulatory on their dedication to date. We are looking forward to a spectacular production...these children are the stars of the show and they ve upped the professionalism of everyone involved in the production! commented Andrew. Please join us and see firsthand the enthusiasm and enjoyment of the youngsters of Monmouth! We promise not to disappoint you in this well known and much loved musical by Lionel Bart. Book your tickets via www.monmouthmt.co.uk or call into DS Music or Posies in Monmouth. Alternatively give Annette Groves a call on 01600 714129. You can then sit down for a wonderful evening s entertainment when you can Consider Yourself one of us! So Feast your Mince Pies on these Guys! Book on line now!
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4 All photos by kind permission of Des Pugh The Irony of Andrew s Casting in Oliver! You shed 8 and a half stone on a strict diet and fitness regime; in fact, you re on top of the world; it s such an awesome achievement and what happens? You get cast as Mr Bumble, the most rotund character ever! (God bless Harry Secombe!) There s certainly a hint of irony in that situation, but that s exactly what s happened to Andrew our stage director! Congratulations to him! This is no mean achievement. He has achieved his target weight and everyone has marveled at his slim line appearance. If you kept the boy on gruel this would have never have happened, I hear you say!! But is this some sort of reflection of the irony in Dickens story? A beadle (overseer) of the workhouse, Mr Bumble expresses no sympathy or compassion for the people around him and he eventually ends up, living amongst the poor he despises as he loses his money and upstanding. Dickens had a flair for dramatic irony! Alas! As a result Andrew is now looking for a fat suit to play this cruel, pompous character. He has some hilarious scenes with Widow Corney played by Andrea Pole watch out for these!
5 ADULT AND YOUTH CHORUS COMBINE!
6 Consider Yourself One of the Family! A show which is guaranteed to hear you want more. Please sir, can I have some more? It s an extremely popular musical, the music is truly memorable and it s the first time MMT has performed Lionel Bart s multi-awardwinning masterpiece, in their 27 year history! Based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, this musical follows the story of the orphan boy who runs away from a workhouse and falls in with a gang of boys who are trained to be pickpockets lead by the gang leader, Fagin. It includes well-known songs such as Food Glorious Food, Consider Yourself, Reviewing the Situation, It s a Fine Life, Oom-Pah-Pah, and As Long As He Needs Me. We are delighted to welcome Rachel Stevens in her debut performance for the society as Nancy. Nick Thompson plays her villainous lover, Bill Sykes, accompanied by his faithful Bullseye and the enthusiastic Reuben Jones will enthral you with his portrayal of Fagin as he befriends the talented youngsters who make up Fagin s Gang. Little do our cast realise but if you stole a handkerchief in Oliver s day you would get 3 month s hard labour! We are fortunate to have such a talented cast, including the 20 children who will be appearing on stage with us. Tickets have started to sell fast, so book now to avoid disappointment. It s becoming a family affair at MMT. We ve suddenly noticed that we are overrun with...families! Membership secretary, Sheryl Westoby, reveals the extent of the family bonding. We have four members of the Griffiths family participating, mum Doreen and dad Bill, who just can t escape from their son Andrew, Mr Bumble, who is also our stage director and their daughter Liz who is singing and dancing in the chorus line! Three members of the Hardy family are taking part; Tony is playing Mr Sowerberry and is accompanied by his two sons, Jay and Will, one of whom is a Dodger. We have two teams of Oliver, Dodger and Charley in the show. We were spoilt for choice! The Riba Fookes brothers, one of whom is an Oliver, is coincidentally actually a real Oliver, and is part of the other team! The King children; Jacob plays a Charley and his sister Rebecca is one of Fagin s gang and she says she is thoroughly enjoying the experience! The Stevens sisters; Rachel is portraying Nancy whilst Sophie is Charlotte Sowerberry in the show and the Ellis family, dad Richard, and two sons, Michael and Josh, of which Michael will be taking the part of Noah Claypole. Finally on stage we have, husband and wife team, Margaret and Derrick Cooling. Back stage we have the Brettles, Steve (stage manager) and Janet (in charge of props). Front of House, manning the bar, Dave and Dulcie Cantrell, not forgetting our FOH Manager Mr Richard Bond with his good lady wife EveMarie who is our prompt! Their idea of family integration into the MMT society well... It s a Fine Life! Bring all the family along to some great family entertainment!
7 Follow MMT on Facebook! Visit http://www.facebook.com/monmouthmusictheatre Visit our Web Site www.monmouthmt.co.uk Thank you to Monmouthshire Beacon and Monnow Voice for their press coverage of our production. PATRONS OF THE SOCIETY If there are any friends interested in becoming Patrons of our Society, eager to reap the benefits of a free pre show drink, reserved seats and up to date society news, please contact Sheryl for details. 01600 750325 or email shez.westoby@btinternet.com There are two levels of patronage - Single Patronage is 20 per annum, and Double Patronage is 30.00 per annum. The benefits are:- 1. As a Patron, you will receive a complimentary ticket/s with reserved seating for our spring production at the performance of your choice. Please remember to inform us of your date preference. 2. When you order your tickets, you may also order for your friends and relatives and they can enjoy the best seats with you. (Non complimentary) 3. As a Patron, you will be welcomed with a complimentary glass of wine/soft drink preceding the performance in the foyer bar. 4. You are given prior notice of all our shows, concerts and social events and will receive a copy of our newsletters. 5. Your support will be listed in our show programme and you and your friends will receive an invitation to our society s Dinner Dance. Application Form at foot of newsletter. Thank you to those who have already contacted. Reminder: Tickets to be collected from Foyer Ticket Desk at each performance.
8 Congratulations Congratulations go to one of our Dodgers, George Vines. George is part of the WMC/Only Kids Aloud network and after our show he will be going on a trip to South Africa to sing with the group. Last August, Michael Williams, the Managing Director of Cape Town Opera, surprised the young choir members with an invitation to perform in Cape Town. Wales Millennium Centre has enjoyed a 10 year partnership with Cape Town Opera, since South African businessman Sir Donald Gordon donated 10m towards the Centre s development in 2003. The strong choral traditions in both Wales and South Africa will make a perfect partnership for the Cape Town Artscape Theatre. To support George on his exciting trip, we hope to organize a cake sale. More Congrats This time it s congratulations to Harry Sully. Harry is one of our Charleys. He had an open audition for a Peter Pan film in London recently and we are proud to say he has been selected to attend the final audition stage. Well done Harry! To Top it Off.. Sarah Hayward has been chosen to participate in a show which will be televised on S4C. How cool is that! Well done all! Props Call from Janet Brettle Has anyone got the following we can borrow please? Coloured scarves (square) Old trays Tankards A small wicker cat/dog basket (one it sleeps in) Black parasol Has anyone else got any other claims to fame which we can include? Let me know for the next newsletter please! We welcome all contributions to our newsletter. Please send any items to:- Sheryl @ shez.westoby@btinternet.com Call Lynda 01600713303
9 MMT Committee 2013/14 OTHER FUTURE EVENTS Chairman Doug Hall doug@exmoor2010.plus.com Treasurer Diane Webb geoff-diane@craig-dorth.fsnet.co.uk Production Secretary & Vice Chair Lynda Foster lyndafoster2006@gmail.com Membership Secretary Sheryl Westoby shez.westoby@btinternet.com Publicity Officer Gay Rogers gayrgrs@googlemail.com Other Committee Members Annette Groves mayg@24e.co.uk Jane Bryant janescott123@aol.com Judith Rossiter judithrossiter@btinternet.com Nick Thompson nickthompson@hotmail.co.uk Shirley Gibson robingibson628@btinternet.com Co opted Members Brinley Morgan Rachel Shirley Lauretta Marriott Acting Minute Secretary Musical Director Ian Russell i.russell01@btinternet.com Stage Director - Andrew Griffiths plismon@yahoo.co.uk Accompanist Alistair Cameron alistair@cameronmusic.co.uk Principal Accompanist Helen Stidolph hyne@trsifa.com Fundraising Fun! Don t Miss Our... QUIZ NIGHTS Held at the Nags Head St James Square Monmouth Teams of up to 6 people NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING Wednesday 23 rd April 2014 AGM Wednesday 21 st May 2014 Quizzes held every 3 rd Sunday in the month Welcome to our new Adult Members: Be there! Liz Griffiths, Tony Hardy, Sophie and Rachel Stevens. We hope you enjoy being part of our team!
10 Fundraising Fun! Car Treasure Hunt & BBQ June date to be confirmed so watch this space! Fundraising Fun! Any Fundraising Ideas? Please contact the committee with your suggestions. Contact Annette for more details as Paul is devising the route this time! Finishing at Gay s, The Hendre. STOP PRESS! Very Speedy Recovery To Cedric! Good to hear that Cedric has had his hip operation and is recovering nicely at home. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to OUR CHAIRMAN Doug He s celebrating a special birthday this month!!
11 SHOW FUNDRAISING If you shop online try using www.easyfundraising.org.uk and earn money for MMT at the same time. Many major shopping outlets are featured eg M&S, Next, Toys R Us, Amazon and Argos. Also register for www.easysearch.org.uk every time you search on the internet, MMT will receive a donation. These are easy fundraising methods so put both addresses into your Favourites and use them! Thank you for supporting Monmouth Music Theatre. It is with sadness we remember our dear friend DAVID POPE Who sadly passed away on 1 st March. Our condolences go to his family. His brother John is a member of our society. David was a key member from 1996 through to 2005. His debut performance was King Hildebrand in Princess Ida, with various other leads such as Wilfred Shadbolt in Yeoman of the Guard and The Marquis Imari in The Geisha. His concert solos were also truely memorable. We must also remember former member GRAHAM RICKARD who has sadly passed away. Our condolences go to his wife Joyce.
12 Rehearsal Schedule Wednesday 2 nd Thursday 3 rd Saturday 5 th Sunday 6 th Monday 7 th Tuesday 8 th Wednesday 9 th Thursday 10 th Friday 11 th Saturday 12 th Saturday 12 th Sunday 13 th 7.30pm at HMSG 7.30pm at HMSG - Try on principal Costumes to make sure they fit! 9.00am Set arrives at HMSG 11.00am Walk around town in costume pm Sitzprobe (singing with the band) Time to be confirmed. 7.30pm Technical rehearsal with costumes 7.30pm Dress Rehearsal with Alastair 7.30pm Dress Rehearsal with Helen 7.30pm Dress Rehearsal with band 7.30pm Performance (Oliver & George) 7.30pm Performance (Josh & Jay) 2.30pm Performance (Josh & Jay) 7.30pm Performance (Oliver & George) After Show Party in Reception Lounge. All bring a plate of food and your own drink. 9.00 am Clearing up and out of HMSG. All available hands on deck please. The school is opened at about 6.30pm. Make up ladies will be available from about 6.45. We use the door between the hall and the gym. Please remember to sign in the book by the entrance so we know who s in the building.
13 WHO WILL BUY? Who will buy a ticket for Oliver? Such a show you never did see Who will buy a ticket for Oliver? It s being staged by MMT There ll never be a show so sunny Everyone we want to entice. Where is the man who ll take your money? It s cheap at half the price! Who will buy a ticket for Oliver? Come and see our wonderful show Me oh my, you don t want to miss it So what am I to do, to get our tickets to you? There must be somewhere you can buy. Yes just visit, our website, DS Music or Posies. I trust you all sang along!
14 MONMOUTH MUSIC THEATRE I wish to become a Patron of Monmouth Music Theatre for 2014. Single Patronage Double Patronage 20.00 per annum 30.00 per annum I enclose... (Please make all cheques payable to Monmouth Music Theatre) Name/s... Address...... Telephone:... OLIVER! PERFORMANCES TICKET REQUEST Thursday 10 th April @ 7.30 pm Friday 11 th April @ 7.30 pm Saturday 12 th April @ 2.30 pm Matinee Saturday 12 th April @ 7.30 pm Signed... Please send to:- Mrs Sheryl Westoby Brooklands Skenfrith Near Abergavenny Monmouthshire NP7 8UB I wish to arrange additional tickets for friends for the same performance and understand Annette Groves will contact me regarding reservation and payment. Ticket Prices: 12.00 Concessionary: 10.00 (Saturday matinee only) Children: 6.00 (under 16 years) YES / NO Delete as applicable please Please remember: A quick response will ensure your inclusion in the Show Programme. Thank you for your support.