LAST UPDATED 26 July 2008
Wharfedale Festival of Theatre
You may recall that the group’s April production of An Inspector Calls received a glowing written assessment from Bernard Riley the adjudicator of the ‘Wharfedale Festival of Theatre’. Subsequently the committee was informed that the play had received five - YES FIVE - nominations for the Festival’s annual awards:
Best Director: Mike Newman
Best Actor: John Wise
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Kathy Jackman
Best Stage Presentation
Best Overall Production
This is a significant achievement as the Festival is a more substantial event than it used to be with a larger number of participating groups from a wider geographical area including many from Leeds and Bradford as well as Harrogate and Ripon. The event organisers also reported that overall production and acting standards are now much higher than was the case a few years ago.
The Festival’s awards evening was held on 12th July and we are very pleased to report that An Inspector Calls received the following awards:
Best Stage Presentation - Joint first place: Lesley Hoyle collected a shiny cup on behalf of the large team of people who put so much effort into dismantling our old flats and designing, building, decoration & dressing the set.
Best Director - Second place: Mike Newman. As well as directing, Mike involved himself in every aspect of production and so was a major factor in the play’s overall success.
Best Programme: There are no advance nominations for this award but we have now won it two years in a row. Fred Benjamin who also produced last years winning programme collected the award. Special mention should be made of Pam Leach who made John Wise pose rigidly for over an hour in the freezing cold outside Burley Hall whilst she and Mike Newman photographed him from behind (his best side) for the programme’s evocative front cover.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THOSE WHO WERE INVOLVED IN THIS OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION!
Treasure Island
The next major production for the group will now be the Xmas spectacular, Treasure Island.
Auditions for this were held on Thursday 5 June and Monday 9 June 2008 and a fine array of talent was on show. No final decisions have been made about casting the show yet so if you are interested in taking part, on stage or in a support role, and couldn’t make the auditions, please contact Pam Leach. This is a very major production and requires a large cast of performers as well as a small army of people to help with all the other aspects of the production.
Rehearsals will start in September. As this is still quite a long way away there may be a few interim play-readings and the like to keep us amused in the mean time. More information on this is to follow.
