Drama Group News - May 2004
Hyde Heath Fete - Sat May 15th on the Common - Drama
Group will be running a book Stall - please bring your books for sale direct to
the common on the day - before 1.30 pm
Sunday August 15th - Bar - B - Q at Anne Lloyd Jones
house from 12.30 pm - all DG members welcome - please let Anne know for numbers
on 783613
Friday September 10th - AGM & Auditions - Village Hall
- 8.00pm
Sat 2nd October - Quiz Night - 8.00pm - Village Hall
40th year celebrations - the group will celebrate 40
years next year and is proposing a special pantomime production for Jan 27th,
28th & 29th 2005
January 22nd - 24th 2004 -
"Lord Arthur
Savile's Crime"
WHO
DUN WHAT … TO WHOM AND WHEN AND HOW !
Lord Arthur Savile's Crime - the latest offering from Hyde Heath Drama Group -
is a Who Dun It with a difference.
It is obvious from the start of the play who dun it, the problem is who did he
do and how did he do it? Oh - and the butler is in the thick of the action.
The comedy by Constance Cox is set in Victorian times and based on a short story
by Oscar Wilde.
Directed by Anne Lloyd-Jones, the play revolves around the antics of the young
Lord Arthur Savile (played by Chris Kay) in the days leading up to his marriage
to the lovely Sybil Merton (Claire Mitterhuber). After having his palm read by
an oily fortune teller called Podgers (Rodney Edmeades) Arthur is told he must
commit a murder - just the one. His lordship - not overburdened with brains -
feels duty bound to complete his grisly task before his marriage, so aided and
abetted by his ubiquitous manservant, the redoubtable Baines (Howard Elson), he
sets about his quest to systematically dispose of members of his dysfunctional
family with disastrous and often hilarious results. Enter Herr Winkelkopf (Adam
Wood), a Prussian anarchist, to lend a catastrophic hand, as the three of them
devise a whole series of complicated yet incompetent murders.
Lord Arthur Savile's Crime is being staged at Hyde Heath Village Hall on
Thursday, January 22nd; Friday, January 23rd; and Saturday, January 24th at
8.00 p.m. Tickets are £6.00 (including refreshments) with concessions on
Thursday and Friday. Available on 01494 776193 or on the door on the day.
:
A DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY
Lord Arthur Savile's family.
Back row - Left to right: Podgers (Rodney Edmeades) - he predicted the
murder; the Dean Of Paddington (Charles Pain) - the second murder victim; Herr
Winkelkopf (Adam Wood), he made the bombs and the exploding umbrella; Lord
Arthur Savile (Chris Kay), our dim-witted hero and would-be serial killer; Lady
Windermere (Erica Elson), the third murder victim; and the butler Baines (Howard
Elson), he devised each of the murders.
Front row - Left to right:
Sybil Merton (Claire Mitterhuber), our heroine and bride to be; Lady Clementina
Beachamp (Betty Barclay), the first victim; Lady Julia Merton (Margaret Edmeades),
the mother of the bride.
For more information please contact: Howard Elson on 01494 785873
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HYDE
HEATH DRAMA GROUP SPRING PRODUCTION 2003
In these uncertain times, laughter is the best medicine — and farce is always
good for a laugh and popular with theatre audiences. For their spring
production, Hyde Heath Drama Group is presenting a double helping of comedy in
the form of two one act plays.
The first play - HOUSEKEEPER WANTED - concerns the plight of Victor whose wife
has recently left him.
After vainly attempting to housekeep for himself and failing miserably, he
contacts an agency for professional help. Unfortunately the diverse bunch of
applicants the agency sends along for the job drive Victor almost to the edge of
insanity.
Play Two starts with an amazing revelation.
SEX !
"It's the only thing that sells tickets these days," says Gordon, Chairman of
the local Drama Group and thus begins the chaotic and hilarious build up to
LAST
TANGO IN LITTLE GRIMLEY.
The Drama Society is in trouble. Membership has dwindled to four and the
audiences are not much bigger. If they don't come up with an answer soon, the
group will be forced to fold. In face of such adversity, the company devises a
startling and revealing solution to solve all their problems.
And they say life imitates art.
Both plays are produced and directed by Erica Elson.
LAST TANGO IN LITTLE GRIMLEY and HOUSEKEEPER WANTED will be staged at Hyde Heath
Village Hall on Wednesday, April 30th, Friday, May 2nd and Saturday, May 3rd at
8.00 p.m. Tickets are priced £6 with concessions on Wednesday and Friday.
Contact Sylvia Brown on 01494776193.
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Drama Group participated in the Village Hall Celebrations 2001 Evening on
March 24th - Full set of pictures - ClickHere -
allow a few moments !
Hyde Heath Drama Group
Newsletter September 2002
The 2002/2003 season of the Group commenced on 6th September
with the A G.M., followed by auditions.
Anne Lloyd Jones resigned as Chairman of the Group, and was thanked for her
hard work during the past three years. She has agreed to continue as Social
Secretary.
Adam Wood was unanimously elected as Chairman and Erica Elson
agreed to be Vice-Chairman. The Edmeades are continuing as Secretary and
Treasurer for this year, with Betty Barclay and Sylvia Brown continuing as
Subscription Secretary and Village Hall Booking Secretary. The rest of the
Committee consists of Howard Elson, Joyce Guthrie, Moira Little and Claire
Mitterhuber.
There have had to be one or two cancellations and alterations
to the programme of events and dates given in the last Newsletter.
Due to lack of response, the Quiz Night which was to be held
on 14th September has been cancelled. It is hoped to hold it on 9th November, so
please try and make up a table of eight, or contact Anne Lloyd Jones if you
would like to be included on a table. The tickets will be £7.00 to include a
fish and chip supper. Please bring your own drink and glasses.
The other cancellation, unfortunately, is the production of
"Sleuth", which was to be staged on 24th to 26th of October. The producer, Erica
Elson, was unable to get a licence as it is being produced professionally. The
scripts have been purchased, so hopefully we shall be able to put it on in the
future.
The auditions for "Cinderella" which Sally Carrington is
producing on 24th, 25th and 26th January 2003, were held after the A.G.M. The
script read very well and the music is from well known songs from the Gilbert
and Sullivan operas. so it should be great fun. The main characters were nearly
all cast, but there will be lots for "extras" to do, with auditions for children
at a later date. Rehearsals are starting this Friday.
The annual, financially very necessary, Jumble Sale is on
Saturday, 21 st September, and we are trying holding it in the morning so that
we should be finished by lunch time. Last year's Sale was financially successful
(we made a profit of £191), but was very hard work for the very few helpers.
Please do come and lend a hand. Jumble can be brought to the Village Hall
through the back door from about 3.30 p.m. on Friday, 20th September for an hour
or so and the back door will be open again from 7.00 p.m. when we shall be
sorting for as long as the producer allows during the rehearsal!
May we remind you that subscriptions are now due, payable to Betty Barclay.
This is now £8. 00 per year, with a reduction for juveniles,
The new Chairman, Adam Wood, wishes you all well and says that he is looking
forward to the new season. If you have any queries or matters you would like to
bring up, please contact any of the Committee. The first meeting of the new
Committee is on Thursday, 17th October.
ROOTS AND
RECOLLECTIONS
I first became aware of drama being
performed in the Village Hall in 1949 when I played one of the fairies
in extracts from 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. Yes! - Shakespeare
in Hyde Heath! Among the cast I remember Ivy Channer as Bottom the
Weaver (Ivy's daughter Jane owns the Post Office now), Nellie Wills and
Tui Addison (of the Hall kitchen fame), were two of the other artisans
and the director was Camilla Renwick, who also played Puck. I next
remember taking part in several plays produced by Sir James and Lady
Shelly o the casting lists included such village names as Freddie
Caudery, Teddy Winterbottom and Phyllis Bird.
1962 saw a Camilla Renwick
production reaching the final of a local drama festival with a play
based on women's lib. set on a desert island. My most vivid memory
of this one was that we are wore grass skits. Sadly, it wasn't
long after that Tui died and Camilla moved away, causing things to go
quiet on the drama front. But not for long!
1964 - under the canopy of the
Evening W.I. and aided by the talents of three village men; Alan
Deveroux, Eric Morton and Glyn Davies, 'A Midsummer Madness' was
performed. The production was so successful that it went to our
heads - we drunk all the profits at the end of play party. This
brought a severe reprimand from the higher echelons of the Federation of
Women's Institutes causing me great embarrassment as I was the current
president of the Evening W.I.
Nevertheless, the seed had been
sewn and in 1965 an inaugural meeting was held to assist in the birth of
Hyde Heath Drama Group, as we now know it. The first production
was 'The Hollow', an Agatha Christie murder mystery. On the heady
days that followed! Three plays every year. Such
enthusiasm! Such hard work! During the early years we
received several 1st and 2nd class certificates at the Chalfont drama
festivals and actually won the Bucks W.I. Drama Cup one year, with a
play about statues. Most of the women belonged to both the Drama
Group and W.I. - this went a long way to restoring good relations!
All through the years our
philosophy has been 'never be afraid to attempt the impossible' - worry
about casting and logistics after choosing the play! Consequently,
our list of productions is quite impressive. As well as including
'Boeing-Boeing', 'Sailor Beware', 'Alfie', 'The Importance of Being
Earnest', several Ayckbournes, countless farces etc. we also have
performed more difficult productions. These include plays by: Joe
Orton, Pinter, Ibsen and Bennett and title: 'I am a Camera', 'The
Killing of Sister George', 'Gaslight', 'The Heiress' and many
more. Our musicals include; 'Jack the Ripper', 'Oh What a Lovely
War', 'Happy as a Sandbag', several pantomimes, 'Oliver', 'The Wizard of
Oz', 'The Fosdyke Saga', 'Underneath the Arches' and of course our most
recent success 'Andy Cap'.
We are always looking for new
members because people come and people go - even if some of us do seem
to go on for ever! Anyone interested in treading the boards,
helping backstage - or even with administration - we will welcome you
with open arms. Do contact Anne Lloyd-Jones, our chairman,
or myself. We are a friendly group who enjoy socializing together
- we have bowling evenings, quiz nights, theatre trips, barn dances and
BBQ's. We would love to have you with us.
Thank you for your support over the
years and don't forget our next production - details above
Linda Hadden
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