Manor Players News articles:
Five Minute Festival
We at Manor Players are delighted to inform you, that one of our members Geoff Buckingham, who brought you "Manor Players in Comedy Shorts" will be entering "Pearly Gates" one of his wonderful short plays into this years, LOST Theatre Company's Five Minute Festival, on the 18th September 2010 at The LOST Theatre in Vauxhall. Geoff is appearing in this along with Robert Hardy, and is co-directing it along with Carmen Souchet. His play will be competing against 13 other plays. This event is known for also including a number of professional performers and writers, some of whom have appeared on television and the professional stage. The plays will all be introduced by an MC, and each play will receive a review, after the event, from EMMY and BAFTA nominee and award winning director Mr Adrian Brown, who has directed over 1000 television programmes.
So please help to fly the Shepperton and Sunbury flag by coming along to support this event on the 18th September 2010 at 7:30pm.
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What is next for Manor Players?
Panto Auditions - Mother Goose auditions 27th & 29th July 2010
The Panto is now cast! Thanks to all those who turned up and auditions. The following people have been awarded the following parts:
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Manor Players Annual General Meeting 2010
Result of election at Manor Players AGM 12th May 2010
The election of officers and committee took place and the following were elected to serve for the coming 12 months
Officers
David Young Chairman
Catriona Weatherley Secretary
Amber Harries Treasurer
Committee
Gerry de Faoite
Ken Dalston (Deputy Chairman)
Sam Newman
Sheila Wright
Carmen Souchet
Houlding Award for the best actor 2009/10
The Houlding Trophy for the actor receiving most votes from members for the best performance in 2009/10 was Nigel Smith. A well-deserved award to Nigel for his two quite differing roles in Dangerous Obsession and Anybody for Murder. There was a very good voting response from members and Natalie Harries was only very narrowly beaten into second place for her portrayal of Lea in Strawberries in January. Other nominees were Chrissie Eldridge, Phil Milne Sam Newman and Jo Stockbridge for roles in Anybody for Murder, Dominic Mark in Strawberries in January and Lucy Winter in Dangerous Obsession. All of whom deserved recognition for some fine acting
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2009 Round up - What happened in 2009
Well what a year! 2009 was a very busy year for us indeed. Not only were we the first resident group at Riverside Arts Centre to put a production in the Studio complex, with our production of "Dangerous Obsession". But we were also the first resident group to put on a production in the newly air conditioned theatre, with our production of "Strawberries in January". As well as that we had performed our successful panto "Jack & The Benastalk" in January, and "Some Enchanted Evening" in November, giving us a total of four productions in one year. As well as all that we still had time to get the costumes out at the Sunbury Regatta, and the Shepperton Village Fair, and show off Manor Players, and not forgetting the Dinner & Dance in November.
Also in 2009 we were greeted with the very sad news of the death of our secretary and long standing member, and her husband, who both sadly passed away with in a short period of each other.
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What a busy 12 months for
Manor Players
Early in the year due to last minute licensing
problems with our planned production of Tom Stoppard's "Arcadia" we
hurriedly
presented for two nights our own pretend broadcast in "Radio Riverside". A
selection of songs, comedy, excerpts from plays and readings, and a first;
'sitting down tap dancing on radio'. Ironic that later in the year we were
to make several actual broadcasts on local radio promoting the June
production of 'Black Comedy' and our pantomime.
The summer was very busy off-stage as we appeared in costume at local events, such as the Sunbury Regatta and the August Ashford Lions fete. Hot sunshine for the first, overcast for the fete and then freezing cold at the Lower Sunbury Christmas market in December. Such appearances will be repeated in 2009 plus some other events, and it is even rumoured that we may be taking to the water at the regatta!
In October despite some excellent performances by Gerry, Christie and
Marilyn in Geoff Buckingham's "The Legacy" we failed to achieve any honours
at the Spelthorne and Runnymede Drama Festival. The second disappointment of
the year as earlier our strong entry of "100" directed by Rebecca Hopkins
gained no prizes at the prestigious Leatherhead Festival.
In November our attention was again off-stage as we celebrated 60 years of
producing good drama in Sunbury with a gala black-tie dinner here at the
Riverside. In the presence of the Mayor and Mayoress of Spelthorne and Manor
Players stalwarts from the 50s, 60s 70s and 80s, Ken Busby was honoured for
his long outstanding service to the group. Over 80 people enjoyed an evening
of good food, reminisce, cabaret and dancing. Such a success that we have
decided to make this an annual event.
(This year, November 28th, and tickets will be hard to come by !)
All the hard-work towards the end of the year came to fruition in January with an outstandingly successful panto; oh yes it was !
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It hardly seems possible that after all those months of hard work that the panto has come and gone. And what a success it was!
Three 'Sold Out ' performances and the other two houses with good audiences, from the financial point of view we could hardly have done better.
The success was matched by the the on-stage performances both by the actors and the excellent Sally Pond dancers.
Every performance was very appreciatively received by the audiences and there have been many complimentary remarks about the level of entertainment provided to both young and old.
Congratulations are in order to all of the cast, the dancers, and the back stage gang, the sound and lighting technicians, and the set builders, but most of all to director Gerry de Faoite; as the old cliché goes "without her this would not have been possible".
The DVD of the show will soon be available to members for training purposes and the date of the evening showing will be advised shortly.
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Ken Dalston does not often appear on the stage for Manor
Players these days, but he is behind the stage most weeks presenting his Punch
and Judy shows at all sorts of functions from children’s parties to corporate
events. You can find information about Kendal Entertainments at
www.kendalentertainments.co.uk
Please feel free any Tuesday or Thursday evening to come and meet some of our members and directors, view the facilities at the Riverside Arts Centre, and have a chat about joining us in any capacity to help us continue presenting great theatre in Sunbury. Contact 01784 452589 or email info@manorplayers.org
Whoever you are, we will be pleased to welcome you to participate in our future varied programme of events. All ages are welcome and we undertake a wide range of Drama, Comedy, Pantomime and Musicals.