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More Doom and Gloom

More Doom and Gloom

Just when we thought everything was getting back to normal, we’re struck with the doom and gloom of the Omicron variant.  All the theatres are at risk again.  I am only glad that Southend Shakespeare’s production of Flare Path finished just in time. Although the local theatres are still open, the regulations re masks, vaccines and social distancing that had started to relax a little, have become more stringent again.  However, our production was a great success, even though the audience numbers were still down on previous years.  We even had the Terence Rattigan Society come along and they asked us to hold a Q and A session.  Even better, they informed us that our production was the best they had seen.  It made all the toing and froing with RAF costumes worthwhile. 

The downside from now on is that our theatre owners HQ, have merged with Trafalgar productions, and it appears that life for local amateur productions will be extremely difficult from now on. The organisation owns numerous other theatres that need to book tickets for shows, professional and amateur.  However, they are all booked through one central telephone number.  Therefore, people who can’t book online are having difficulty buying tickets, as the phones are always engaged.  This is affecting the size of the usually sell out audiences. What nonsense is that? 

Additionally, new fixed rostra has been purchased via a government grant, to enable the organisation to upgrade the Studio theatre.  This venue is predominantly used by local amateur groups, of which there are several.  Now they can only stage their productions end on.  This is extremely limiting, surely, the purpose of a studio theatre is to be flexible?  Several planned future productions, amongst them The Revenger’s Tragedy, and Romeo and Juliet, were intending to utilise three sides or perform across the front longwise.  Not only that, it will also lead to lighting problems.  From now on the lighting will be in a fixed position leading to dark corners and shadows on the stage and no special effects.  We had already experienced some of this with the Flare Path production unable to have a flare path lit up through the window.

However, worst of all the company has decided that as well as a booking fee, buyers of tickets must now pay a transaction fee of £3.75.  This adds nearly five pounds to tickets purchased by theatregoers, which I think will make our punters think twice before attending our shows.  

On that happy note, let’s hope that 2022 is a better year for all theatres and productions.


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    flare path Q and A1
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The Boys are Back in Town

The Boys are Back in Town

At last, it looks like the theatres are coming back to life.  One of the local theatres is actually open and performing shows. I managed to obtain tickets for Six, the musical about the wives of Henry Viii.  It was absolutely brilliant, the energy, the clever lyrics, costumes and presentation. It was so good to be back in the theatre again and not wearing masks.  The theatre did ask that everyone took rapid flow tests before they came, but I wonder how many did, as the place was packed.  However, the local theatre that we use for our amateur productions is still closed. It has listed our shows in its advertising brochure though, and tickets are on sale at the box office, so fingers crossed.   A friend Ashton More has also written a musical performed at the Chelmsford Theatre utilising local actors (professional and amateur) but mainly consisting of schoolchildren and it was a big success.  Our Lindisfarne play, Don’t Dress for Dinner, that was cancelled at the start of lockdown is now rescheduled.  However, as always happens some of the cast are now unavailable so auditions have had to be held to recast, but now it is up and running and rehearsals start soon.

 Other groups are also busy holding auditions for this year’s autumn shows and I have acquired a part in Terence Rattigan’s Flare Path and have even offered to sort out costumes – mainly RAF uniforms. It always surprises me how many men have no idea what their measurements are, and they provide the most ridiculous information for costume fittings. No doubt, it will all be sorted out before they actually get to wear the uniforms and find they don’t fit.

 It felt most strange to see people turning up with their scripts and it is obvious that everyone is desperate to get back to the acting world again.  In addition, there are several local film shorts in production, including my script Feet of Clay that we finally managed to film, and it is now at the rough edit stage.  If the stills are anything to go by it looks incredible.  Meanwhile, onwards and upwards.


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