Amateur Stage Magazine

The March issue of Amateur Stage is about to be released and you can now pre-order your copy online.

The March issue features a special article about online ticketing, reviews of panto scripts, listings for shows around the country in April and May, loads of news, and all our regular features.

To get your copy click HERE

I'm all emotional. I can't watch or listen to MATILDA THE MUSICAL without getting choked up. At first I thought it was hormones but now I'm not so sure. The music is beyond stunning, the foot tapping, hand clapping, bouncy beautiful memorable score is absolutely fizzwhizzingly scrumptious. The CD is in our car and we listen to nothing else at the moment (even the sublime Rufus Wainwright is taking a backseat) it is laugh out loud funny and brilliantly heartbreaking. Maybe I am crying because we didn't write it. It starts off well being based on a Roald Dahl story. That man was a genius, a gifted writer who was so in touch with childhood, so naturally and effortlessly aware of what children want and need. He lived a life dedicated to making children laugh, cry, think and read. The sort of man who would get a ladder, climb up to the window of the room where his children were sleeping and pretend to be a dream catching giant. 'Those who don't believe in magic will never find it' and he was determined to create that magic for children and adults everywhere. I thought that he was the only person who really understood children. Others try and fail. Others come close but nobody captures the same magic and rebellion that Roald Dahl could. Enter Tim Minchin, all crazy haired and gifted. If I am honest when I heard that MATILDA was being made into a musical I was excited, when I heard Tim Minchin was providing the music and lyrics I was dubious. He is, of course, immensely talented, there is something completely engaging and intriguing about him but I was never a huge fan of his comedy. Now, however, he can do no wrong, he is up there with Roald Dahl in our house. I see him as the second person to really get kids, to understand the magic and rebellion of childhood and I'm not even going to quote lyrics to prove my point. There are too many brilliant lyrics in the show that I wouldn't know where to start but I am overjoyed. A musical that is truly for children, starring amazingly talented children. A chance for them to shine in a world created for them by people who understand them and are very much like them. Following on from a previous rant....this show was not cut down from another show intended for an adult cast with adult themes. This is for the kids. Finally. It is safe to say that I am now obsessed with the musical, in awe of Minchin and utterly jealous that I am not involved with the show in any small way. Sometimes, very occasionally I stumble across something that seems to have been created just for me. It happened about 8 years ago when I discovered Rufus Wainwright and I excitedly threw his name around in conversation only to be met with blank expressions and rolling eyes. I thought, perhaps, I had dreamt him. His music was so far up my street I couldn't believe my luck. Then I had a drought. Not a lot came along that was totally my cuppa. I could pick out good bits from some songwriters, films and musicals but nothing got me boring people like Rufus. Then along came Matilda, award winningly perfect and shaping the future of musical theatre. Bring it on.

In 2011 a reviewer described Edinburgh Theatre Arts’ production of Moll Flanders as “unashamedly amateur”.  Far from being offended, the cast identified with this, as I think many other theatre groups in Edinburgh would.  We are amateur, but we do it exceptionally well, and we are proud of what we achieve.  The amateur theatre scene in Edinburgh is incredibly exciting.  There are many great groups who produce fantastic shows.  Over the coming weeks and months I will introduce you to these groups and their upcoming productions, but to start off these blogs, I want to talk about the World Shakespeare Festival and how Edinburgh fits in. 

 

Open Stages

Last year, the RSC announced a new programme – Open Stages – which was open to any amateur theatre group in the UK.  The aim was to “embrace, develop and celebrate amateur theatre, re-forging the bond with the world of professional theatre”.   Over 260 amateur companies signed up across the UK, with 4 companies in Edinburgh participating – Edinburgh Theatre Arts (ETA), Edinburgh Graduate Theatre Group (The Grads), Edinburgh University Theatre Group and Arkle Theatre Company.   The Grads and Edinburgh University Theatre Group performed their shows late in 2011, with performances to come in April and May for Arkle Theatre Company and ETA respectively.    Personally, this has been an incredibly rewarding experience, not only in terms of challenging ourselves but also as a learning experience. Some of us were lucky enough to attend a skills exchange day at Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow (formerly RSAMD), run by NTS and RSC.  This was a fantastic day which allowed us to meet the other groups taking part, and take part in workshops run by some of the best people in the industry. 

Dates for your diary!  The upcoming performances for Open Stages in Edinburgh are:

Arkle Theatre Company – We Happy Few, April 2012 (Dates TBC) (Edinburgh & Melrose)

Edinburgh Theatre Arts – MacBeth in Scots (translated by Robin Lorimer), 1^st – 5^th May 2012 & August 2012 (St Ninian’s Church Hall, Comely Bank Road, Edinburgh).

There will also be extracts from some of the plays at Traquair Shakespeare Festival on 27 May 2012. 

SCDA One-Act Playwriting Competition

 

However, before any play can be brought to life by a great cast of actors, we need good scripts.  Scottish Community Drama Association (SCDA) has launched their ‘Play on Words’ One-Act Playwriting Competition for 2012-13.  Entries are invited from any aspiring playwrights, with the deadline being 30 June 2012.  Entry forms and full rules are available from www.scda.org.uk or by email from headquarters@scda.org.uk.  
 

As a friend of Amateur Stage we're pleased to bring you this special offer for tickets for all the final stops on Helena Blackman's Journey To The Past tour.

Since Disney's first full length animated movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarves graced cinema screens in 1937, animated films have touched the hearts and lives of billions of people the world over. From the captivating 1950s portrayals of classic fairy tales such as Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty to the reawakening of the ancient Chinese poem Mulan and the romanticised retelling of the lost Romanov Princess Anastasia during the late 1990s, animated films have continued to enthral audiences old and new through their dream like imagery and use of some of the most famous and magical songs in the history of film. During the 1990s alone, 6 Academy Awards for 'Best Original Song' were awarded to animated films including Aladdin, Beauty and The Beast and Tarzan to name but a few.
Audiences are in for a treat as they hear songs written by some of the most famous songwriters of the stage and screen including Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, most famous for their collaborations on Disney classics including The Little Mermaid and Beauty and The Beast, Tim Rice and Stephen Schwartz, who has since gone on to write the lyrics for theatrical favourite, Wicked. 
 
Helena will take her audience on a nostalgic ride through a wealth of timeless songs, including moving renditions of Disney Classics; 'Part of Your World' (The Little Mermaid), 'Colours of the Wind' (Pocahontas), 'A Whole New World' (Aladdin); songs from Disney's latest animated fairytale Tangled and the Oscar Winning Beauty & the Beast;and songs from An American Tail, The Land Before Time, Thumbelina and the show's title song 'Journey to the Past' from Anastasia; as well as many, many more. The intimate performance, with Helena just inches from her audience, is sure to have most reliving the soundtrack of their youth, whilst allowing younger generations to discover these enchanting musical numbers for the very first time.
 
Helena Blackman first captured the nation's attention and the unfailing support of Andrew Lloyd Webber on the BBC's 'How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?'. Since then, Helena has gone on to headline the acclaimed UK tour of Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific and starred in the West End première of Stephen Sondheim's Saturday Night. Helena released her highly successful debut album 'The Sound of Rodgers & Hammerstein' in February 2011, launching the album with a concert at the Delfont Room in London's West End. Subsequently, she toured the UK as a guest artist with number one charting classical singer Jonathan Ansell, rounding off the year on a high with a stunning performance of the songs from her album at the prestigious Elgar Room at the Royal Albert Hall.   

You can now save 25% off on tickets purchased for the entire tour when you quote AMSTAGE when booking online (www.journeytothepasttour.com), in person and through the phone.

Dates and venues are as follows:-

Saturday 25 February    Birmingham Conservatoire    0121 303 2323
 
Saturday 3 March    Aylesbury Waterside Theatre    0844 871 7607
 
Thursday 8 March   Epsom Playhouse      01372 742 555
 
Thursday 22 March       Greenwich Theatre      0208 858 7755
 
Saturday 31 March     Arts Depot, Finchley      0208 369 5454
 
Saturday 7 April     Cardiff Millennium Centre     0292 063 6464
 
Thursday 12 April    Redditch Palace Theatre     01527 65203
 
DON'T MISS OUT

Necessity is the mother of invention and 'Lucky Bucket Productions' was born out of necessity. We were invited to provide a musical for a group of 30 young people between the ages of 8 and 18 to perform. We took up the challenge and then quickly realised we had never written a musical before, or a play, in fact the longest thing we had written was a shopping list. In retrospect I have no idea what made us agree to take on the task, maybe it was just one of those strange moments when fate intervenes. Anyway, the theatre group were really stuck for suitable material and we were about to provide it. Fortunately, the show was a success and the cast and audience responded positively. We then went on to write a show every year to be performed by the same group and eventually built a large catalogue which is now available to all schools and theatre groups.

The three year old youth group YoungBLODS are watching old episodes of 'Star Trek' to understand the wonderful 'send up' script and music of Dazzle written by John Gardiner with music by Andrew Parr.  The show will be staged at the Bexhill High School on 13th and 14th April.  Meanwhile, back at the rehearsal hall, the older BLODS are testing their tonsorial dexterity and grappling with the music of Elton John and the text of Tim Rice in the South East Coast Premiere of their 'Aida'.  It won so many awards on Broadway and ran for over 1,000 performances.  I wonder why it was never staged in the West End?  It will now be staged at the famous De La Warr Pavilion from 27 to 30th June.
Bernardo

Dear Amateur Stagers,

Thank you for being part of our growing community which is now heading towards the 1100 member mark at an astonishing rate.

We are looking to get as much news on the site each week as possible and we are now looking to recruit some regional bloggers who would be interested in posting regular updates about what is happening in their local areas. It doesn't need to be in the form of a full constructed essay just a "News from our area" type blog that outlines anniversaries, openings, auditions, or anything that might be of interest in your area.

It's a great way to get news about amateur theatre out there as it will also be picked up by search engines like Google and help spread the message that amateur shows are worth seeing. Please note this is a volunteer position - we can only offer fame and notoriety.

Can we tempt you to put fingers to keyboard and blog on a regular basis for us. Musicals, drama, festivals, we're keen to hear about it all.

Let us know if you'd be interested by emailing editor@asmagazine.co.uk.

JOB OPPORTUNITIES AT THE NATIONAL

Come work at the NT! We have a number of Customer Service and Usher roles currently available. Applications close today (Thursday 16th Feb) at 6pm. If you’re interested, more details are available HERE

THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY SEEKS AMATUER AND SEMI-PROFESSIONAL THEATRE GROUPS FOR OPEN AIR PERFORMANCES THROUGHOUT SUMMER 2012

The Dell
Stratford-upon-Avon
Saturdays from 9 June to 25 August 2012
www.rsc.org.uk

The Royal Shakespeare Company is offering amateur and semi-professional theatre groups the opportunity to put on a play at The Dell, the Company’s open air performance space in Stratford-upon-Avon, on Saturdays throughout summer 2012.

Now in its seventh year, The Dell provides a great platform for these groups to work with the RSC and to present their work to a large audience. Last summer’s season of open air theatre at The Dell saw record breaking attendances. Over 6,000 people watched 36 performances by 20 theatre companies, schools, universities and community groups with more than 1,100 people attending over one weekend alone.

With the World Shakespeare Festival taking place in 2012 this year’s season at The Dell offers a fantastic opportunity for amateur and semi-professional artists to perform to an even wider audience.

In keeping with the spirit of the World Shakespeare Festival, where thousands of artists from around the world will perform in the UK, the RSC is keen to see a broad mixture of performers from different nationalities and backgrounds playing at The Dell this year.

The Dell Co-ordinator Nicola Salmon said:

‘The Dell offers amateur and semi-professional theatre companies the chance to perform at and work with the RSC.

‘In addition to providing a stage we also hope to offer different opportunities for companies to promote their performances and to supply skills training with our professional artists.

‘We’re also expecting large numbers again this year, especially with the World Shakespeare Festival taking place.

‘The World Shakespeare Festival is a truly international, culturally diverse event with companies from across the globe taking part and l would really like to see this broad cultural mix reflected at The Dell.’

Performance times at The Dell are available on Saturdays from 9 June to 25 August 2012. There are two performance slots a day, although the exact time of each performance may vary.

Anyone interested in performing at The Dell will need to submit an application from which can be downloaded from the RSC’s website.

The closing date for receipt of completed applications is Monday 19 March 2012.

For further information and to download an application form please visit www.worldshakespearefestival.org.uk/stratford-upon-avon/the-dell.aspx  or contact Nicola Salmon via email: thedell@rsc.org.uk.