Bromley Little Theatre

OctoBER’s production ...is Lanford Wilson’s...

THE RIMERS OF ELDRITCH

10th - 18th October at 7.45pm

Call for membership details: 01689 825107

Members’ Box Office: 07917 853621

The play is a character study that focuses on the residents of Eldritch amid a sexual assault and a murder trial, two unrelated events that breed tension and lies, in a tiny, dilapidated ‘ghost town’.

You could describe this play as a mystery. A man has been murdered, but the question is, who is this man? Who murdered him and what were the circumstances?

To solve this mystery, the author, Lanford Wilson, takes us on a puzzle of a journey, breaking down the pieces of this puzzle to show us the outsides and insides of this corrupt, American, middle western , ‘god - fearing’ town, set in the 1960s. Piece by piece, we are introduced to a town made up with middle aged women, ignorant in there loveless gossip and the men, just as run down as the town in which they inhabit. We get a glimpse of sex hungry boys, destined to follow in their fathers footsteps and we meet a shallow, self obsessed girl desperate to escape the suffocating town along with her devoted best friend who is, perhaps, happy with her lot. We see an old, senile woman, obsessed with visions of blood spillage in this ‘evil town’, and we see her over-bearing daughter and we are then lead to question her over bearing fists. We witness a tender relationship between a young man and a dreamy, crippled girl, and a young woman deserted by her husband who finds love again with a younger man. At the centre of this existence is a compassionless preacher/judge who leads his congregation and jury to unconsciously question themselves; and in doing so the pieces of the puzzle are joined together, within the melodic rhythm and fluid language of the text. Thus revealing the awful truth to us the audience but leaving the inhabitants of Eldritch in blind ignorance.

This is a powerful piece of theatre, a thought provoking play, beautifully poetic and truly individual in style. A dramatic pattern of events that will leave you to ponder the town's mystery and revelations long after the lights have dimmed and the play has ended. A definite MUST see.

This vibrant 113-seat theatre was established in 1938 on its present site which was converted from an old Victorian bakery.

The theatre is run as a membership club and limited company, managed by a Board of Directors. The Board is responsible for the general running of the theatre and for the artistic standards. ln addition to the Board, there is a Playgoers’ Committee, representing and elected by the members. This committee is responsible for the running of the bar, coffee bar and front-of-house aspects in general.

BLT receives no external financial support and derives its income solely from membership fees and profits from productions. It is, therefore, vital that our membership continues to grow and our productions achieve maximum audience levels in order to sustain our existence.

BLT presents eleven full-length plays a year; one a month, with a production by the Youth Group in August. Each production begins at 7.45pm and covers an extensive eight-night run, commencing always on a Friday (with no performance on Sunday).

Our purpose is to present the best of contemporary dramas, comedies, thrillers, farces, musical productions as well as the classics. We also aim to present occasional new plays which our members may not normally have the opportunity to see. ln recent years, BLT has given a number of plays their premiere production in the UK.

We are always keen to attract new people to take part in our productions and BLT offers a wide-range of opportunities for acting, costume, lighting & sound design / operation as well as set design and construction. With eleven productions a year, there is plenty of scope for involvement in all aspects of theatre production and management.

BLT is in a fairly unique position within the UK's amateur theatre world, in respect that it has its own fully-equipped theatre complete with sound & lighting systems. Add to this the versatile staging area, a 113-seat / 12-row auditorium (with flip-up West End-style seating), and you will find yourself left with an extremely wide scope for performing a variety of events and productions.

The lighting system consists of 8 dimmer units each with 6/12 outlets. These connect to a patch board containing 84 circuits which supply the lighting points on lighting bars in front and above the stage. Control for these is from computer lighting desks.

Music and sound effects are controlled from the sound box, which contains mixers, CD & Mini-Disc players. From here, sounds & effects can be played to various parts of the stage, auditorium as well as the rest of the theatre. The sound box also controls the Audio-Loop for people using hearing aids.

The forerunner to our theatre - as we know it today - was the Bromley Little Theatre Movement which was started in 1934 by H.Wilson Pook. In 1935, Wilson Pook took a lease on the then derelict and vacant Victorian ex-Co-operative Bakery in North Street. As he recalls:

“I took a lease and designed the conversion. The old Alhambra Theatre in Leicester Square was being demolished and I bought some of the tip-up seats which were proudly installed in their very red plush glory. By 1937, the Bromley Little was up and running. I I had my Theatre”.

Not long after this, Mr Pook relinquished the running of his beloved theatre to the hands of Colonel John Leather and his wife, Betty, known professionally as Bett Pinchard. They brought to Bromley Little many of the disciplines and high standards they had acquired in their professional life. The Theatre continued to run plays at the outbreak of World War II, but the blitz and the call-up of members to the Services, did mean the theatre was dark for most of the war years.

From 1946 to 1965, John Leather presented plays of a very high standard and wide variety. In 1954, the stage was extended to its present size and the number of seats in the auditorium was extended to 113, the number we have today.

In 1961, a professional company, run by David Korda, nephew of Sir Alexander Korda, appeared at the Little Theatre, featuring Prunella Scales, Jerem Brett, Windsor Davies, Eileen Atkins and June Brown (later to play Dot Cotton in Eastenders).

Also in 1960, our President, Michael York OBE, appeared in My Three Angels with Adrian Brine (who also went on to become a professional actor and director). We are proud that many other actors and directors have gone on to achieve great success in the professional theatre.

Bromley Little Theatre is a membership theatre club licensed by the London Borough of Bromley, and as such, you will need to join BLT by becoming a member of BLT’s Playgoers’ Club

What do you get for your BLT membership? Quite simply, the chance to become involved in one of the UK’s finest amateur theatres. By joining Bromley Little Theatre, you have the oportunity to enjoy up to 11 productions a year - whether from the auditorium, the stage or behind the scenes.

Membership rates:

Standard (single membership): £15

Couples (at same address): £23

Student (full-time): £6.00

Junior (under 18 years): £6.00

2008 70th Anniversary Season

FEBRUARY 15th - 23th JOURNEY'S END by R.C. Sherriff.

MARCH 15th - 22nd STEPPING OUT by Richard Harris

APRIL 18th - 26th IMPROBABLE FICTION by Alan Ayckbourn.

MAY 16th - 24th COME BACK TO THE FIVE AND DIME, JIMMY DEAN, JIMMY DEAN by Ed Graezyck

JUNE 13th - 21st A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM by William Shakespeare

JULY 11th - 19th SEE HOW THEY RUN by Phillip King

SEPTEMBER 12th - 20th CHARLEY'S AUNT by Brandon Thomas.

OCTOBER 10th - 18th THE RIMERS OF ELDRITCH by Lanford Wilson

NOVEMBER 7th - 15th NEVILLE'S ISLAND by Tim Firth

DECEMBER 5th - 20th OLD KING COLE by Ken Campbell.