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CASTING DIRECT

Dear On Cue...
I don't know if this counts as news but we have opened a new web site devoted to casting and actors. Not just professionals but anyone wanting to find a way in to the business. we have over 400 casting directors registered, a jobs noticeboard and a facility for video and audio streaming and all for the amazing price of Ł10 plus VAT for life. The site is aimed at anyone who wants to work from extraing to leading parts in film, tv and theatre. there is no bar to anyone on our site and there is the definite opportunity for people not normally seen in the archives of Spotlight. The site address is www.casting-direct.com. Please visit and if you have any questions please telephone us on 01293 863500.
Yours
Phil Peck

A CURTAIN CALL AWARD WINNER Dear LINDA and all at the Bournemouth Daily Echo
Thank you so much for a lovely evening at the Carrington House Hotel last night. The food was very good (I enjoyed the vegetarian option) and the entertainment was excellent.
It was much enjoyed by the three drama groups I am associated with and I only wish I could have stayed longer, but I have to go off to work now!
Many, many thanks for putting in a good word for me with Swan Theatre, too! It was tremendously rewarding to do one of those 'once in a lifetime' roles twice - and before I had had time to forget most of the lines! It would be lovely to see more classic plays performed by the many talented local groups.
Again, congratulations on a splendid evening and thank you for your support of local drama,
Yours,
Pam Goldsbrough

A BARE BONES AWARD

Bare Bones Theatre, as winners of the New Forest Festival, were invited to perform at the National Drama Festivals Association's 29th British All-Winners Festival held in Hertford from 22-27 July. Ryan Gregg, Jamie Hill and Tony Feltham, under the direction of Barry Baynton, were highly commended for their performance of act 2 from Bent by Martin Sherman.
In addition, the company won the Backstage Award for the best lighting, sound and stage management team. The Backstage Crew were - Lighting and Sound: Russell Parker, Stage Management: Richard Neal, Chrissie Neal and Eddie Colton.
As Richard Neal says, It was quite bizarre really. I've never before encountered a festival that awards a backstage trophy. We were pleasant, didn't throw any luvvie tantrums, struck up a good rapour with the festival's own technical crew, had a good laugh and hey presto - we win!

Bare Bones Theatre was formed this year by Barry Baynton and friends from Wimborne Drama, All Saints Dramatic Society and St Lukes Players. They got together in the spring of this year with little budget (hence the name!) to enter in and enjoy the fun and experience of the local drama festivals hardly expecting to go all the way to the British finals!

CURTAIN CALL AWARDS 2001

The Daily Echo Curtain Call Awards event is the high spot of the local amateur theatre year. This year the event took place on October 6 at the Carrington House Hotel in Knyveton Road. In addition to the Awards Cermony there was an excellent dinner, a cabaret from some of the musical societies and a disco until the early hours. The names of the nominees and award winners were flashed up on a giant screen. To see details of the Drama award winners this year, click the link below.

Curtain Call Drama Award Winners

BOURNEMOUTH THEATRE GROUP

Paul Smith has recently started a Yahoo group called Bournemouth Theatre, which all members can use to post messages pertaining to any Theatrical event in Bournemouth, or in fact any relevant subject which takes your fancy and will interest the other members of the group. The group email address is bournemouth-theatre@yahoo.com or you can contact Paul at webmaster@caughtintheactproductions.co.uk

WANDA THEATRE

Wanda Theatre is unique. It is part of Word in Action of Wimborne set up by R G (Greg) GREGORY to spread the arts to people of all cultures world wide. The arts include literature, poetry and of course plays and theatre (in the round) and each year they hold a Festival in the Round, which next year is at Wimborne on Wednesday, July 24th to Sunday, July 28th 2002. You are invited to either take part either as performers or as general participants and your presence would be warmly welcomed. There will probably be companies there from Ghana, The States and the Far East and I'm sure you will find it a unique experience. For further details see Greg's article entitled Wanda or visit the Wanda Theatre web pages.

LINDA KIRKMAN REVIEWS

I never realised that Linda Kirkman, The Bournemouth Daily Echo's Amateur Drama correspondent, was such a busy lady. She, or one of her colleagues, sees almost all Amateur Drama productions in the area and reviews each one - only missing those where she is not informed about the production until the last minute, or when too many productions occur on the same nights of the same week.
The expertise that Linda brings to her reviews of Amateur productions in the area does much to enhance the standing of the groups concerned, as a professional review by an experienced critic helps to sharpen their skills.
Linda has kindly agreed, with the consent of the Echo, to provide ON-CUE with an unedited copy of each of her reviews. Hopefully, this means that in the coming season each one of her reviews will appear in these pages.

ON-CUE ARCHIVES

Only current articles, reviews, etc will be shown in the main menu in future, earlier articles and reviews will be archived so that newcomers to these pages can still read them if they wish. Details of these items will usually be listed.

WIMBORNE MUSICAL THEATRE SOCIETY

No, this is not a new society, but is the Broadstone Light Operatic Society in their new guise. The Society renamed themselves earlier this year and intend to present all their musicals at the Tivoli Theatre, Wimborne in future. Their next production will be in June and is BRIGADOON - see their group page for details.

VERWOOD YOUNG PEOPLES THEATRE

This group (under the auspices of Verwood Amateur Dramatic Society) presented SCROOGE at the Verwood Memorial Hall in March 2001. The youngest cast member was four and the eldest fifteen - the assembled cast can be seen if you CLICK HERE.Scrooge may have been a miserable old so and so, but this cast look full of the joy of spring. For photographs of four of the main characters go to 'PHOTOGRAPHS' in the main menu, then look under archives for Scrooge

BUMS ON SEATS

The Theatre Trust have recently produced a report complaining about seating and other accommodation in London Theatres.
They say that the London Palladium seems to have less legroom than most, as it is only 19 inches from the front of your seat to the back of the seat in front. The Phoenix Theatre has a more comfortable 27 inches.
They also complain about the facilities in the interval - usually a choice between the bar and the loo - although the queue for the ladies frequently does not disappear by the time the next act begins. The men meanwhile fight for attention in the bar.

What happens in our local theatres? Amateur drama is more often than not, presented in Village or Church halls, although a few fortunate groups have access to their own (or hired) purpose built theatres.
Leg room doesn't seem to be the problem in most venues locally, however, as most audience complaints are usually concentrated on the uncomfortable plastic seating. The Angel Players responded to these complaints by putting cushions on the seats, made by the ladies in the group.There's no queuing down in Lilliput either, as those same ladies take coffee and biscuits around to the audience.

Welll, they are the angels!

WEBSITE OPENING COMMENTS

"Amateur Drama is not so much a hobby, it's more a way of life!" At least that's what I was told when I was rehearsing my first play 'The Ghost Train',more years ago than I care to remember. During my chats with many group contacts over the last few weeks the phrase came back to me, as there are so many enthusiastic people out there, beavering away and doing every job imaginable to get the show on the road.
When the average members of the public see an amateur production, few realise that apart from the actors on the stage taking the applause there are often far more people back stage, ensuring that every minute of the production goes off without a hitch. We salute them all!

Don't forget - if you are in Amateur Drama, this is your website - I shall be relying on you to fill these pages with news, gossip and information that will have our local surfers returning to the site time and time again!
RAY SMITH