Quote of the Month

“I switched to thoughts of the play. It was by far the healthiest item to concentrate on. Rehearsals were only days away; there is something wildly exciting about a company assembling for the first time on stage. There is also something strangely sexy about it. I can't pin it down, there just is.”
 

― James Kirkwood Jr., P.S. Your Cat Is Dead

Thoughts of Chairman Mo ...

New beginnings! Ah – how I love that notion.....

As a Secondary teacher, my favourite day of the academic year was not the day the exam results came out, no matter how brilliantly my students (and therefore me) had done, sometimes against all the odds.

No – the very best day was when the Yr 7s came to their new school, in their very fresh uniforms, faces alive with expectation, for the start of the rest of their schooldays.

Even if it was not my direct responsibility to be in the playground as the parents left their darlings (I’m serious, I use the word advisedly, and it wasn’t always a positive thing, either), not my direct responsibility to stand at the door to greet them as they entered the building as a senior school student for the first time and not my direct responsibility to feel their every emotion, I always found the combination irresistible.

To be there at the start was magical. So exciting and stimulating to see the job ahead, to have some part in the development of the individual and the whole, to enable and then to share the rewards, however they were manifested. (By the end of the year, my responses were invariably more tempered......)

Even though it’s been a while since I had that particular experience, I get a similar sort of frisson every time I start to work on a new piece of theatre, and it definitely IS my responsibility. And aren’t I lucky? Still frisson-ing after all these years!!

So there you have it, Lovesong people! When we meet for our first rehearsal next Tuesday, I’ll be standing at the door to see your shiny faces, alive with expectation, unafraid because you just don’t know what is in store! I am so up for it!

Note to self – must ask Simon Kelly if the thought of Jack and the Beanstalk gives him a frisson?

Hello MDG members!

We hope you had a pleasant Summer! It goes too quickly! But have no fear, as Autumn is just around the corner and lots of exciting things happening in September with rehearsals for our Autumn and Christmas productions commencing.

In the meantime, the social activities are in full swing too.

MDG QUIZ EVENING

Our Quiz evening is all set for Saturday, 24th September in Maidenhead at 7.30pm.

Tickets are priced at £5.00 per person to include a light finger buffet and we need teams of six please. Please feel free to arrange your own teams or place requests on Social Media to construct your team.

Please contact membership@maidenhead-drama.org.uk to register your interest and to obtain details how to arrange payment prior to the event.

The venue will be in Maidenhead town centre and will be announced on Social Media, via email and the MDG website.

Hope to hear from you soon!

Liz

 

We are making a bit of a break with recent tradition by starting rehearsals for the Autumn production in AUGUST!

So we are bucking the “nothing doing until September” trend that grips the rest of the universe so we can hit the ground running .......

Alongside the inimitable Maggie Jinks, we are welcoming three actors new to us, Tori Tompkins, James Tynan and Paul Jones. I have worked with Paul before, in the days of the Maidenhead Players, Tori will be familiar to those who know Tarrystone Players and James is a complete newby - because he has only recently moved to the area.

Jeanette Talbot and I are well rested, have done our prep and now just can’t wait to get going!

We have some fantastic production people signed up but there are a couple of key positions that we need to fill asap. Sam is our Production Director for the whole group and she is particularly managing this production. So would you contact her if you would like to join the team please. We need an SM, an ASM and there is a specific opportunity for those with an interest in sound to be mentored during the design phase and to op for the actual performances. And!, And! – we need someone who can make a great big leafy branch of a peach tree –with pickable fruit!!!! Never let it be said that MDG don’t offer a myriad of opportunities.

J and I are equal opportunities workers, we love a bit of team spirit and a bit of a learning experience – are you up for any of that?!

Anyhoo - looking ahead to the performances I’m going to say right now that seating will be limited because of the layout that we are using. Box Office opens Sept 1^st and I can only recommend early booking.

You know me, people, and my mantra – value for money, bang for your buck!

Just waiting to hear from you, one way or the other......

Yours excitedly
M

Hi all!

Liz has asked me to write a piece on my role at The Prince Edward Theatre and Aladdin. But, first, let me give some facts and numbers.

The Prince Edward Theatre is one of eight Delfont Mackintosh Theatres (DMT) in the West End and is the biggest theatre in the group with 1,716 seats. Just before Miss Saigon started, the theatre benefitted from a £30 million refurbishment programme.

Now, on to Aladdin. So, when I applied for the job and got an interview, I didn't think I would get it, since there were about 200 people who applied for it. But about two hours after my interview, I had a phone call and got the job! ... To say I was over the moon was a understatement. 

We had two full weeks of training which was very intense, as we had a hell of a lot to learn and had a lot of tests to pass. DMT standards are very high but, then you add on Disney’s standards and they are even higher and Cameron Mackintosh likes to pop in unannounced, so everyone has to be on there game all the time. 

Let me walk you through a normal show day for me. We start a hour before the show when we all meet up for a briefing where we are informed about any info for that show, such as if any VIPs and any hospitality in attendance or things we need to keep an eye on then we get given are slots if we are selling programmes or ice cream. Next is the rota where we go through all the front of house positions together with the evacuation positions for that area, which we get asked every day. The rota changes every week so one week we could be in the stalls the following week, we could be in the foyer. In total, there are 35 different positions at FOH, for which they all have different tasks and responsibilities. 

Once you find out where you are, you’ll then head to that position and implement the pre-show checks. Then you get ready for the incoming the show is divided into three parts; the incoming, interval and outgoing. Once everyone is seated, the duty manager will give clearance, then we get ready for latecomers. 

There are two latecomer points the positions are split in half so 17 of us will come out for the first latecomers and the others stay at there positions. Then once that is over they will go back and take off the others so they can do the second latecomers. We have a TV where the latecomers can still watch the show then will take them in and show them to there seats once it's at the right point. 

Then you get on with any jobs and get ready for the interval. If you're in the auditorium, you remain there for the whole show looking out for people filming, taking photos or causing dispassion. Aladdin is copy writed so if we do see people taking videos or photos, we have to ask them to delete it in front of us, which is some times fun! Once the interval starts you you’ll i’ve be selling ice cream, selling programs or standing on the door with plastic cup’s trying to make sure people can't take glasses into the auditorium. Once the interval is over, you then go back and start your next set of jobs and get ready for the outgoing. Once the show is over and everyone has left, it's then time to start the pick up once that is done, then it's home time. 

It’s safe to say that working on all those shows with MDG over the last six years and working at the Theatre Royal Windsor for two years has helped me get were I am now. True, I’m not working backstage but, DMT are very big on training so maybe one day I’ll get a chance to do it. My advice is don’t hold back if you what something strong enough and you have the drive and ambition you’ll make it. Everyone has to start somewhere. I’m moving up to London in a few weeks, but I’ll try and find time over the panto period to pop in and have a catch-up with everyone. 

Hopefully, I might see some of you at Aladdin very soon and all the best for any upcoming shows.

All the best 

Ben

Christmas Panto 
 

• Idle Jack: The principal boy
• Princess Rose: The heroine
• Dame Trott: Jack’s Mother
• Dozy Den: Dame Trott’s foster-son
• Buttercup the Cow
• Fairy Beansprout: The good fairy
• Poison Ivy: The evil witch
• The King: A destitute monarch
• The Prime Minister: In fact, the entire government
• The Giant Blunderbore: An evil giant
• The Giant’s Housekeeper
• A Chorus of villagers, guards, slaves …

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Here are the dates for your diary:

Panto preview date: Sunday, 4th September from 14.00 to 16.00
Boyn Hill Cricket Club (off the A4), accessed off Highway Road, Maidenhead SL6 5AD

Audition date: Sunday, 11th September, venue TBA
Rehearsal start: Monday, 26th September 
Rehearsals will be held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

If you are interested in being involved in Panto, please email Samantha Partridge or click HERE for further details about all the various backstage roles that go towards making a successful production.
Please see the website for further details www.maidenhead-drama.org.uk 

Panto performances are at the Desborough Theatre from Wednesday, 14^th December to Sunday, 18^th December.

Gangsta Granny

Thursday, 24th November - Sunday, 27th November
High Wycombe Swan
Tickets £19.50 each w/o discount

Richard James, who wrote 'The Dreaming', which won MDG the Henley Festival, has been touring the UK in this popular production of Gangsta Granny, written by David Walliams. The show comes to High Wycombe in November and is selling out fast.

As usual, ten people would be required to attend to qualify for a discount on ticket prices.

Please email membership@maidenhead-drama.org.uk to register your interest.

Many thanks.
 

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Mick Craig and Huw Mordecai are appearing in “Improbable Fiction” for East Berkshire Operatic Society, at the Pinewood Theatre in Wokingham. Performance dates are from Thursday, 29^th September to Saturday, 1^st October. 

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Matt Filmore, Tilly Rose Mitchell and Scott Kitson are all appearing in “Made in Dagenham, The Musical" for S.M.W.T.C. Productions at Norden Farm Centre for the Arts. Performance dates are Tuesday, 13^th September to Saturday, 17^th September. ... Liz, your Membership Secretary, will be working behind the scenes on this production.

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Should any members be interested in seeing these productions and providing we gather a group of 10 (to qualify for discount), we will facilitate the visits.
 

For those, who were able to attend the recent social gathering at The Maiden's Head, thank you for coming along. It was good to catch up, see familiar faces and meet new ones.

There will be plenty of other opportunities for members to meet and in particular, on Thursdays after rehearsals have taken place. You don't have to be a part of the productions to attend. We want to see you and have your company!

Please keep a look out for updates on Social Media, but information will be emailed to all members.

Hope to you soon!

We want to hear from you!