Studio Theatre
North Devon-based amateur dramatics society bringing theatre-lovers three main productions every year
STUDIO THEATRE
presents
and in the New Year
BLACK COMEDY - A one-act farce by Peter Schaffer
An attractive, but nervous sculptor; his frightfully spoiled fiance and her Daddy; a refined and repressed middle-class spinster and a camp, possessive antique-dealer are all at home when the lights go out. What goes on in the dark especially when a millionaire art collector arrives?
Directed by Cecily Blyther
13th & 14th March 2014 at 8.00 p.m. Tickets £8
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STUDIO THEATRE COMES TO BERRYNARBOR
In the summer months, Studio Theatre is staging three shows, two of which we are pleased to be bringing to Berrynarbor. You can catch Noel Coward's 'Blithe Spirit', directed by Anne Bacon, at the Manor Hall on Wednesday, 23rd July. Other performances are at The Landmark [27th July and 3rd August] and Woolacombe [30th July]. 'When You're Smiling', devised by Mike Bennett and based on well-loved acts of the 1940's, comes to the Manor Hall on Friday, 15th August. It will be at The Landmark [26th July, 9th & 16th August], Combe Martin [1st August] and Woolacombe [22nd August]. 'Musical Magic', our third summer production and a celebration of 10 years of Lee Baxendale's spectacular musical shows, will be performed at The Landmark on the 10th and 17th August.
In the autumn we shall be staging a major musical production of 'Me and My Girl' at The Landmark on Friday, 17th [evening] and Saturday , 18th [matinee and evening] October. We're looking for performers and backstage crew for this production and are holding an introductory meeting on Sunday, 1st June, mid-day at the Landmark Pavilion, with full auditions taking place over the week-end of 6th-8th June. If you would like to participate in this production, please call Lee Baxendale on 07817 018229.
Finally, we need to raise funds to finance all these performances and are holding a fund-raising Car Boot Sale on the promenade at Ilfracombe on Sunday, 22nd June. Sellers from 8.30 a.m. [£6.00 per car, £5.00 if reserved in advance] and Buyers [FREE] from 10.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. Sellers are advised to reserve pitches in advance as our previous sale was popular and spaces are limited. Call Robert Zarywacz on 07971 176044. For full details of all Studio Theatre productions and activities, please visit www.studiotheatreonline.org.uk or call Robert on the number above.
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HAY FEVER
Come and see the monstrous, theatrical and ultra Bohemian Bliss family in action, after they discover that they have all invited guests for the week-end and each has been promised the Japanese Room. This is the start of Coward's sparkling masterpiece, written in only 3 days. He regarded Hay Fever as his best comedy. Set in the 1920's, it is a tale of self-absorbed parents - she an actress, he a writer - and the son and daughter, who at one moment can be charming and affable, and at the next, rude and opinionated. Be amazed at the way their guests have to suffer indignities and humiliation over the week-end, which all adds to the humour of the piece!
See it at llfracombe College at 7.45 p.m. on Wednesday 28th February to Friday 2nd March. Tickets - £6.00 -from Alan Jackson, shoe repairer, High Street, llfracombe, on the door, or telephone Anne Bacon on 882193.
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PRESENTS "HELLO DOLLY"
Our next production "Hello Dolly" is well under way and promises to be a spectacular event which you should not miss! It includes some of the best show-stoppers ever written, including 'Hello Dolly', 'Before the Parade Passes By' and 'Put On Your Sunday Clothes'.
In the safe hands of Lee Baxendale and Pamela Beecham, it really does promise to be a dazzling event. Presented at The Landmark Theatre on Thursday, 2nd November to Saturday, 4th November, with a matinee on the Saturday, tickets are £10 [concessions £9]. The times are 8.15 p.m. and 2.30 on the Saturday.
So, put the dates in your diary and come along and enjoy a wonderful evening [or afternoon] of music and dancing, great acting and eye-catching costumes.
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HABEAS CORPUS
fast-paced comedy and farce touring in July
While
the original Latin phrase concerns the rights of a person against unfair
imprisonment, Alan Bennett's play of the same name
is a far more entertaining affair.
Experience this for yourself when Studio Theatre's fast-paced production
tours Berrynarbor [Ilfracombe and Woolacombe] with its sparkling writing,
comedy and farce.
Far
from being dry and academic, the play is set at the time of what used to be
called the 'permissive society' and handles a range of issues from sexual
frustration to the problems of growing older with hilarity.
Anne
Bacon directs the cast to bring out every comic twist and turn and she and the
cast are looking forward to touring in July.
You can catch Habeas Corpus at Berrynarbor
on Thursday, 20th July, at the Manor Hall.
To find out more
about the production and our entire 2006 programme, please call Secretary Anne
Bacon on [01271] 882193 or Robert Zarywacz on [01271] 879376 or visit www.studiotheatreonline.org.uk
for all the dates, details and booking information you require.
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STUDIO THEATRE
Studio Theatre has begun rehearsals for its November production, NETWORKNOTWORK, written and directed by member Robert Zarywacz.
To be staged at Studio Theatre, llfracombe College, from Wednesday, 16th to Saturday 19th November, this new full-length comedy examines the complex relationships within a group of business people who meet regularly at breakfast network meetings to boost their business.
Meet the colour consultant who not only wants to change your dress sense but run your life for you; the fiery PR lady who manages her clients by shouting at them down her mobile phone; the property developer without planning permission for his middle-aged spread; the health-food distributor with constant nasal congestion; the financial advisor with his eyes on your investments for his own profit and the friendly craftsman who is as solid as his furniture, but has none of its polish!
Bang up-to-date, NETWORKNOTWORK is firmly based in the modern world of business and individual entrepreneurs, providing entertainment and comedy for everyone.
For further details, please call Robert Zarywacz on 879376 or visit www.studiotheatreonline.org.uk.
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STUDIO THEATRE'S NEXT PLAY
Our musical Lee Baxendale is facing a great challenge - to direct a non-musical play! It is "A Laughing Matter" by April De Angelis, and is set in the 18th century. In it the diffident playwright, Oliver Goldsmith, meets successful and notable people of the time, while trying to get backing for his play "She Stoops to Conquer", a classic still performed by amateurs and professionals today.
"A Laughing Matter" will be at Studio Theatre, llfracombe College on Wednesday to Saturday, 9th to 12th March at 8.15 p.m. Tickets £6 [£4], students £2. Look out for posters and publicity.
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Summer Comedies at the Landmark - Studio Theatre will be presenting a Double Bill of hilarious comedies from the pen of Alan Ayckbourn. If you want a laughter-filled Sunday evening out, then look no further than the Landmark Theatre on Sundays 8th and 29th August.
Old Tyme Music Hall - we announce the welcome return of the summer season of Old Tyme Music Hall, directed by Pamela Beecham. It will take place on Fridays and we are confident that it will play to full houses, so don't forget to book up in good time.
Broadway Magic - After last year's acclaimed 'And All That Jazz', we bring more musical theatre to the Landmark with Broadway Magic. Once again, adult and young studio theatre join under the direction of Lee Baxendale to perform a show for all who love musicals. The show will include comedic scenes and some stunning dance routines, choreographed by Anna Whatley and with a cast of over thirty singers and dancers, this production promises to be an all singing, all dancing spectacular, with something for everybody. Broadway Magic can be seen at the Landmark at 8.15 p.m. on the 1st and 22nd August.
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Our new production is a play by Edward Bond, "Bingo". Set in the early 17th century, it features Shakespeare at the end of his life, a meeting with Ben Johnson and also deals with the iniquituos field enclosures of that time.
The performances will be at the Studie Theatre, Ilfracombe College, in the week of 21st June. Please look out for further details in the press and on posters. We do hope you can come.
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Our next production is 'Abducting Diana' by Dario Fo. This playwright, an Italian Nobel Prize winner, also wrote 'Accidental Death of An Anarchist', which played to an appreciative full house at The Landmark recently. In the play, Diana Forbes-McKaye, a millionairess media boss, is kidnapped. Madly crazy farce follows as the ruthless press baron struggles to out-wit her clumsy captors. Nothing is quite what it seems, apart from the riotous hilarity provoked by this surreal drama.
Come and see 'Abducting Diana' at the Studio Theatre, llfracombe College, from Wednesday to Saturday, 26th - 29th June, at 7.45 p.m. Tickets £5 [£4 and students £2.50] may be obtained from the College [864171] or Alan Jackson, Shoe Repairer, High Street, llfracombe, or, if available, at the door.
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ILFRACOMBE
Our next production will be Young Studio Theatre's Musical "ALICE". Great entertainment from an enthusiastic cast. Their past performances, 'Dracula' and 'The Revenge of Sherlock Holmes' were highly successful.
So do come along and enjoy this musical approach to an old favourite. At The Landmark Theatre on Thursday, 14th February at 7.30 p.m. and Friday, 15th February at 1.30 p.m. and at 7.30 p.m. Seats £5.00 [£4.00], Young person's ticket £2.50.
Our March production is a comedy by Alan Ayckbourn, 'A Chorus of Disapproval', to be held in the Studio Theatre from 12th to 15th March. See the posters for further details.
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Studio Theatre are presenting two one-act plays and a selection from the musicals, at the Landmark Theatre:
- Sundays 5th and 19th August: 'Love Among the Lentils' by Alan Bennett. One of the six monologues, Talking Heads, Susan, the vicar's wife, tells her story that is in turn touching, very funny and always real, 'Words of Advice' by Fay Weldon. A couple in a shaky marriage try to sort out their differences by consulting the members of their families, but their visits stir up more than their problems!
- Sundays 12th August and 2nd September, the selection from the musicals called 'Stage by Stage' a wonderful presentation of local talent, singing, dancing and acting in a most professional way. Entrancing!
All the shows commence at 1.00 p.m. and last approximately one hour. Tickets: £3.50 Family Tickets £10.00.
Do come and spend an enjoyable hour with Studio Theatre.
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A NICE CLASS OF PERSON
First performed in November 1986, 'A Nice Class of Person' will be presented, once again by Studio Theatre, in The Landmark on the evenings of 22nd and 23rd June, with a matinee performance on the 24th, as part of The North Devon Festival.
The play was devised by Edwina Cooper and myself from documentary evidence and the memories of older residents of llfracombe. In essence it is an entertainment based on the activities taking place during a summer's day in Ilfracombe in 1926. It is not fiction, but neither is it absolutely factual. We have invented a few people to carry on the action and have squeezed time a little; though everything we portray did happen during the 1920's, most of it in the July of 1926.
'A Nice Class of Person' is a community play, written from information given by older residents and performed for local people by local people. It is a mixture of fun, music, action and a little sadness. Above all, it is a warm and nostalgic glance, over the shoulder, of a community, at a past that will soon be beyond our reach. I am looking forward enormously to the production, however, I am conscious that almost all the principal contributors who helped us via their memories in 1986, are now no longer with us. For me, therefore, there is an extra determination to keep faith with the story they told us and pass it on to new generations.
Jon Bell
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Ilfracombe College
THE REVENGE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES
It's all go as Young Studio Theatre get ready to produce this all singing all dancing musical. Over 30 College pupils will don Victorian costume to bring the production to life at The Landmark Theatre on Wednesday, 28th February, Thursday and Friday, 1st and 2nd March at 7.30 p.m., and Friday, 2nd March at 1.30 p.m. Tickets £5.00 [Concessions £4.00, School Students £1.50].
With book, music and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse [writer of Scrooge]; fantastic sets and costumes by Studio Theatre; a full orchestra under the direction of Neil Perrin and the whole production directed by Lee Baxendale, this show promises to be one not to be missed!
Studio Theatre's next production will be 'A Little Like Drowning' by Anthony Minghella. Spanning nearly sixty years, Leonora recalls in short, beautifully observed scenes, the peaks and troughs of her life. For further details, please look for the posters.
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ILFRACOMBE COLLEGE
Studio Theatre is celebrating the Noel Coward centenary year with a production of 'Present Laughter' at the Studio Theatre, Ilfracombe, 17th to 20th November. This was one of the many delightful plays written by the 'Master' and he had himself in mind for the leading role of Garry Essendine. So please put the dates in your diary and come along to enjoy an evening of sophisticated comedy.
Don't forget the Theatre Club on the 4th Thursday of each month, in the Studio Lounge, 7.30 p.m.
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LANDMARK THEATRE - 'ANNIE GET YOUR GUN'
Ilfracombe Pantomime Society and Studio Theatre present the first musical in the new theatre by members of the community for the community. The village is well represented with George Powell [Barton Hill] in one of the leading roles as Chief Sitting Bull, and Kirsten and Hannah Baddick being part of the strong team of dancers for the spectacular Wild West and Indian numbers.
The Show runs nightly from Wednesday, 9th December to Saturday, 12th December at 7.45 p.m., with a matinee at 2.30 p.m. on Saturday, 12th. Tickets from the theatre box office [324242], £7.00 [Concessions and matinee tickets £5.00].
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'CRIME AND PUNISHMENT'
Studio Theatre, Ilfracombe College, presents 'Crime and Punishment' by Dostoyevsky, 25th to 28th March. A strong, dramatic play involving guilt, love and redemption, and with a cast of 30 actors [some from Berrynarbor], it contains tragedy and humour and will make thoughtful entertainment for a wide range of audience. Please make a note in your diaries - you will not be disappointed.
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llfracombe College
Following their recent very successful run of Nell Dunn's seriously gritty but humorous play, 'Steaming', Studio Theatre are planning a large-cast production for March 1998, which it is hoped will encourage new members to come forward and take part.
If you are interested or would like more information, please contact either the Secretary, Peggy Strudwick [8822641, or the Chairman, Chris Jackson [883343].
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For its 75th Production, Ilfracombe Studio Theatre is presenting "A MURDER HAS BEEN ARRANGED" by Emlyn Williams, at the Pavilion Theatre on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 25th, 26th and 27th June, at 8.15 p.m.
Tickets, £5.00 and Concessions £4.50, may be obtained from The Pavilion Theatre Box Office [10.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m.], Tel: 862228
Book your tickets now for this suspenseful play set in the reputedly haunted St. James's Theatre, and discover for yourself if the legend is true.
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MAN ALIVE!
A Hilarious Farce by
John Dighton
Pavilion Theatre,
Ilfracombe
Tuesday - Thursday,
27th to 29th June, 8.15 p.m.
Studio Theatre's summer production is this highly amusing farce set in the shop window of Hathaways, a large department store in Oxford Street, on the opening day of the New Year's Sale. Shop employees prepare for the onslaught of shoppers, blissfully unaware that the dummies they pose and dress are talking about them ... then a triple strength sun lamp is turned on, with disastrous and hilarious results.
A thoroughly entertaining evening at the theatre for all the family
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