26/11/2010

Players Christmas Party now Jan 2011

Please note that the date for the Players (renowned) Christmas party has been moved back from 11th December into the new year. As a result, it will transform into the Players Renowned New Year party. Watch this space for the new date, likely to be early January 2011 - with live music and hot-pot.

24/11/2010

Children In Need audience collections at "A Christmas Carol"

An impressive £574.00 was raised from audience collections after the Friday and Saturday performances - thanks very much to all who contributed !

23/11/2010

Remember Carol Brown who moved to France about 3 years ago? Read on..

Retired? Me? not on your life. Iv'e never worked so hard, but I believe its good for the soul. We have decided not to open up gites for reasons I will explain later, however we are converting the barn into self contained accommodation for friends and family who want to visit. It will be some time before that happens as we still have the main house to finish converting, the grenier (attic) in particular. The gite market has been saturated and clients are becoming more demanding as time goes by. They require exclusive use of a swimming pool, satellite TV and many other luxuries. It would be difficult also to contain our children and prevent them from making any noise to disturb the guests. Also some of our animals would have to go particularly the cockerel. He is so noisy and randy. We have a Beagle called Rug, our cat Ember (these 2 are sworn enemies) We have 2 ducks, 3 hens and a cockerel called Flashman. We get a surplus of eggs usually but they are not laying at present so we have to suffer the indignity of buying them from the supermarket. We also have a large pond with 3 very big koi carp and about 4 goldfish plus a very small frog and lots of interesting water critturs. We are visited regulaly by the most beautiful dragonfies,butterflies and birdlife. We are surrounded by fields which are farmed for grains or sunflowers. We have made a lot of friends both french and english, and the boys are doing very well in the local school. They are speaking french now as if they always had.  I keep myself busy making jams chutneys and other preserves, plus cooking for the family. Jacky my daughter in law and I go to pottery painting sessions and when the better weather arrives, we will be out with the camera and painting pictures of our lovely village and the surrounding countryside. I do miss the Players though, for the productions and the camaraderie. However I do believe there is a drama group in Verteuil sur Charente, a lovely village not far from here (They have amost wonderful Chateau). When my french is a bit better I intend to join them. I am attaching a few pictures for you to see and show to whoever is interested.
Give my regards to everyone who remembers me and please keep in touch.
Lots of love
Carole   ------ See a slide show of Carol's home over to the right ----->

01/11/2010

dsp Newsletter November 2010

“A Christmas Carol” at The Grange School Theatre, Hartford
Rehearsals are well under way for this month’s production - Charles Dickens’ classic ‘A Christmas Carol’ adapted by John Mortimer, to be performed at the Grange school theatre starting at 7:30pm on November 16th, 18th 19th & 20th plus a  Saturday matinee at 2:00pm as well as the evening performance on the 20th. The story is the traditional one of Scrooge the miser who on the approach to Christmas is visited by the ghost of his late business partner Jacob Marley who warns Scrooge of the peril to his mortal soul if he does not reform. Marley tells him that he will be haunted by three spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come who will show him of the chances he has missed in life, the mistakes he has made and what awaits him if he does not change his ways. Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchit (Scrooge’s impoverished clerk) and the rest of the Cratchit family’s Christmas Dinner tells their part of the story as does the jolly Fezziwig and the other characters we have come to know and love.
A Christmas Carol is a new venture for the Players in that it is being produced in association with The Grange School Hartford. The cast includes many students from the Grange and with Linda Sunners from the Performing Arts faculty of the school as co-director with Phil Perry of Davenham & Sandiway.
And tickets for the show…..
Another new venture for A Christmas Carol is that tickets can be booked on-line or by phone from Quaytickets – see details below.
Prices are £7 & £5 [children and concessions] and are also available via Paulette on 01606-79779.
Click on quaytickets (phone 0843 208 0500)
 or phone Paulette on 01606 79779
Owing to the larger venue, please note that we require payment on booking to avoid logistical problems, but if you wish to take a chance on some tickets being available, you can still pay on the door.
“A Christmas Carol” is a large production and offers of help backstage or with props and costumes or scenery painting will be gratefully received. We are in need of any props relating to the Victorian age, such as lanterns, top hats, walking sticks etc.
Please contact Phil Perry  01606 46382 if you can help.
Goodbye to Sue Tamblin !
Our chairman, Sue Tamblin, is sadly leaving us soon and I am sure many of you will want to say goodbye. Sue has been a member of our players for many years now but is moving to a beautiful new cottage in Cornwall with her husband Nick.
As the sole Sandiway survivor of the merger with Sandiway Players about 12 years ago, she has been a regular and active member, not only as our Chairman, but in many productions. Sue’s highlights include winning the ‘Best Actress’ award from the Cheshire Theatre Guild as Auntie Ivy in  “Girls’ Night Out”.
Some other memorable parts Sue played were Sister Robert Ann in “Nunsense”, Helga in “Allo Allo”, Lady of Letters in “Talking Heads” and most recently Ida in “Cemetery Club”.
We won’t let Sue go without marking the occasion and so are having a little get-together after our committee meeting on Wednesday 24th November at 59 Church street. Please come along from 8.30pm and join us in saying farewell and wishing and her husband, Nick all the very best for their new life near St. Austell in Cornwall.


DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Tuesday 16th Nov – Opening night of ‘A Christmas Carol’ at The Grange School, Hartford 7:30pm
Wednesday 17th Nov – No performance
Thursday 18th Nov – ‘A Christmas Carol’ at The Grange School, Hartford at 7:30pm
Friday 19th Nov – ‘A Christmas Carol’ at The Grange School, Hartford at 7:30pm
Saturday 20th Nov – ‘A Christmas Carol’ at The Grange School, Hartford. Matinee at 2:30pm and Evening at 7:30pm
Wednesday 24th Nov - Committee meeting at 7:30pm followed at 8:30pm by a farewell nibbles and drink evening in the bar for Sue Tamblin
Thursday 25th Nov- Jazz Evening with 6PAC Jazz sextet. Tickets from DAN office on 01606 41597 or see http://www.danarts.info/p/brochure.html
Saturday 11th Dec - Our renowned Christmas party with music, dancing and a hot-pot supper. For tickets and details phone Paulette 01606 79779
Thursday 16th Dec- Jazz Evening with Sarah Ellen Hughes. Tickets from DAN office on 01606 41597 or see http://www.danarts.info/p/brochure.html
OUR NEXT PRODUCTION – “BILLY LIAR” 15th-19th March 2011
Our Spring production at Davenham is ‘Billy Liar’ produced by Paulette Anderson running from Tuesday 15th to Saturday 19th March 2011. Auditions are already scheduled for Tuesday 15th Jan 2011 and Thursday 19th Jan at 7.30pm and Paulette will be looking for five women and three men of various ages to fill the cast.
CLUB NIGHTS
The forthcoming production of ‘ A Christmas Carol’ is going to be a very exciting and challenging venture for all and is going to employ most of our acting members plus a huge amount of backstage help. So if any of you are available for helping with front-of-house, including sales of tea, coffee, wine etc we would be grateful for your help. Please contact any of the committee if you can spare an evening. Because of this heavy commitment, club nights are suspended until after Xmas. Until the Spring, then, thanks for your support. And don’t forget, you can find up-to-date news about our events on our blog on http://dsp-davenham.blogspot.com/ or via our website at  http://www.davenhamplayers.co.uk/.