April Newsletter

Our last production ‘Steaming’ directed by Jerry Park from Nantwich, proved to be a resounding success with full houses each night. It’s amazing how the people roll up when a bit of bare flesh is on the cards!! We welcomed new member Mandy James amongst the cast and hope she will be with us for a long time to come.

Thanks go to all the people who helped backstage and to Arthur, Bob and their crew for building such a fabulous set.  Due to illness and accident, we struggled  to get enough backstage help  and with a cast of 7, there were precious few members left to offer to do this immensely important job.  Please do offer your help if you are not acting in the play, for every 1 person on stage there are 2 backstage doing their utmost for the smooth running of the play. A big thankyou to Mike Beddard , Sheila Hetherington , John and Ailsa Booth and Jan Johnson who stepped in at the last minute to help Barbara[ stage manager] with props and costumes. Thank you too to Annie Wilson and the bar and front of house staff.

It is not easy being a visiting director, and not being familiar with the group, but Jerry did a great job and travelled a fair distance to direct for us and we hope he will do more for us in the future. He must like us a little bit as this is his second play with us and in this one he had to put up with 6 women [as did poor Pete, being the only man in the cast!!!] Thanks Jerry !

Our next production is ‘Moonshine’ - a beautiful and funny Irish play by Jim Nolan, directed by Barbara Crellin in week beginning 19th May.  Please note that there will be no Saturday performance for this play so it will run from Tues to Fri. Also please note our new policy that all bookings should be paid for in advance.

Barbara has cast her play and has started rehearsals. We welcome new member Peter Brammall and returned member Jon Bowen amongst the cast; also new member, Shaun Dunne, who is bravely treading the boards for the first time.

Due to many spillages from drinks in the auditorium during the last play, the committee have decided that NO DRINKS ARE TO BE TAKEN INTO THE THEATRE DURING A PERFORMANCE.  Drinks will continue to be allowed during music and social events.

A local children’s drama workshop called, coincidentally,  ‘The Young Players’ - see http:/www.youngplayers.co.uk/] use our theatre every Thursday after school and plan to put on their Spring performance in May. How nice it would be if these youngsters could be the Davenham Players of the future.

Talking of new members, please could I remind you that there are still some outstanding subs to be paid from existing members and that you need to be a member to be in a play.  £15 and cheap at the price!!!

Dates for your diary.
24th April -  Jazz -  Amy  Roberts
26th May - read through of ‘The Female of the Species’ by Joanna Murray- Smith [to be our November production] 7.30pm
20th-23rd May - Moonshine By Jim Nolan 7.30pm start  Tickets £8 from 01606 835582 or www.danarts.org
29th May -  Play Reading- Female of the Species led by Paulette Anderson
30th May -  Jazz- Nicola Farnon
5th June – Quiz night –run by Jamie Morris £1 pp. Teams of 4/5. 7.30pm for  an  8pm start. No need to book , just come along.
7th June  - Litfest Event-An evening with the ‘Archer’s’ script writers
12th June - Jazz - Phil Robson Trio
20th June – Litfest Event-Lizzie Enfield & Ian Williams
25th June - Litfest- Julia Crouch- Crime writer.
26th June - Chris Bannister – Chris came in Nov and was well received singing many of John Denver’s songs This time he will be performing his own material.
24th July- Audition  for ‘ The Female of the Species’ which is to performed  19th-22nd Nov and directed by Paulette Anderson 7.30pm. There are 6 characters - 3 of which are female –
1  x student age, 1 x 20’s-30’s,  1 x mature 60ish . 3 male - 2 x 30ish and 1 x 60 ish. Come along to the read through & to find out more. Play copies are available from me.  Hope to see you at all or at least, some of these events.

Paulette.