"I think theatre ought to be theatrical ... you know, shuffling the pack in different ways so that it's -- there's always some kind of ambush involved in the experience. You're being ambushed by an unexpected word, or by an elephant falling out of the cupboard, whatever it is."         ― TOM STOPPARD  (Interview, 10 March, 1999)

Tis' the season of Halloween!
The Apparition
John Donne (from Songs and Sonnets, 1633)
When by thy scorn, O murd’reuses, I am dead
      And that thou think’st thee free
From all solicitation from me,
Then shall my ghost come to thy bed,
And thee, feign’d vestal, in worse arms shall see;
Then thy sick taper will begin to wink,
And he, whose thou art then, being tir’d before,
Will, if thou stir, or pinch to wake him, think
      Thou call’st for more,
And in false sleep will from thee shrink;
And then, poor aspen wretch, neglected thou
Bath’d in a cold quicksilver sweat wilt lie
      A verier ghost than I.
What I will say, I will not tell thee now,
Lest that preserve thee; and since my love is spent,
I’had rather thou shouldst painfully repent,
Than by my threat’nings rest still innocent.

The thought of Chairman Mo ...

To Autumn. “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness” – John Keats.
Lovesong – “Compelling, understated perfection. Both poignant and uplifting” – The Stage
MDG’s Lovesong – “Time to buy your ticket so you can share the wonderfulness of our Autumn production” - Maureen Bukht

I love a good quote (you noticed?) – and I love a subliminal message – you have been warned .....

My thoughts this month are very much with our imminent production, as we come to the end of the rehearsal period and move frighteningly fast towards what I can assure you will be a notable performance. But more about that in the appropriately titled “Lovesong” section! (go to the Box Office and buy a ticket)

More generally, let me tell you about one particular evening last week, when many of the aspirations that I, and your committee, have for MDG were being actively realised. On that evening, at home and using both floors of Babbage House, we were rehearsing two pieces of work that couldn’t be more diverse (go to the Box Office and buy a ticket). We were working with the Maidenhead Camera Club, The Bourne End Video Club, a choreographer, a make-up artist, 2 wardrobe mistresses, 1 MD, 2 more musicians, 3 Directors, 1 Assistant Director, 1 budding Lighting Designer and an SM. Amongst our number we fielded established members, new members, returning members, young people, older people and what a lot of skill, enthusiasm and commitment was on show! (go to the Box Office and buy a ticket). Everywhere you looked someone was being creative .... it was thrilling! (And you can see the evidence running in our shop window at Babbage House or by visiting our homepage HERE).

If we want to be an active, productive, remarkable group of creatives, we need to work at it til it becomes the default position – and we will – and we are – and so on.

Thanks to everyone who contributes to and enables our group!

(Now go straight to the Box Office and book your ticket for Lovesong first, then Panto)
 
M

Hello MDG Members!

So! The MDG social activities are thriving and there's lots more to come ...

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As if you didn't know, our wonderful autumn production, Lovesong is next week with the opening night taking place on Wednesday, 2nd November to Saturday, 5th November! ... 

We are having a members night on Friday, 4th November. so, if you haven't already purchased your tickets, please do so quickly to avoid disappointment. All MDG members will be given a complimentary copy of the Lovesong programme on member's night.

After the Friday performance, there will be a curry night for cast, crew and members. A reservation has been made at the Bouchra Indian Restaurant. Please email membership@maidenhead-drama.org.uk to reserve a place or text Liz on 07541 490 102. The address is: Bouchra Indian Restaurant, Westborough Rd, Maidenhead SL6 4AS

In the meantime, please check out the promo video , which was made in conjunction with the marketing campaign for Lovesong. With special thanks to Rod Willott for putting this video together for MDG.

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This month saw a theatre trip to the Court Theatre in Tring to see the powerful musical of Evita. Our very own and the very talented, Haydn Davis, appeared in this emotional rollercoaster of the infamous story of the life of Eva Peron. Thank you to everyone who attended an enjoyable evening.

And if Evita wasn't enough for Haydn, he's also appearing in Acorn Antiques, The Musical and A Christmas Carol. Details will be placed on social media.

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Details of the theatre trip are:
Date: Saturday, 26th November 2016
Time: 7.00pm
Running time: 2 hours 10 mins approx. including 20 minute interval.
Venue address: Wycombe Swan, St. Mary Street, High Wycombe, HP11 2XE
Once tickets have been paid for and confirmed, an email will be sent to organise transport for the evening.

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If anyone has any other ideas they would like to suggest, you are very welcome to email me at membership@maidenhead-drama.org.uk. 

Liz 

Lovesong – “Deeply moving, potently mixing memory and desire” - Telegraph

Aha – here we are!!! Update and encouragement to come and see this piece!!!

At the start, an 8 week rehearsal period seems a perfectly manageable time in which to deliver the sort of performance that we aspire to. That’s 27 dates, 54 hours and a couple more if we can get ‘em. I have news for you, my friends - it is a task of gargantuan proportions, a logistical nightmare, a test of stamina and commitment and each participant needs the constitution of an ox ... and no, I am NOT exaggerating.

BUT – by the time you arrive at your destination, if it has all worked out, you will be immensely proud and satisfied with what you can offer to the people who will see the work. In this case, it has been a joy to work in collaboration with Jeanette, to have the talent and skill of these 4 actors under our hands and to be supported by all those people who make up the Production and Backstage teams. And so I can pronounce myself “immensely proud and satisfied” of our offer to you. You will doubtless see a few more messages regarding a variety of ways in which you might help us but the most significant thing you can give us now is the opportunity to show you what we’ve done. And I challenge you to see how this piece relates to my selected Quote of the Month.

How do you do this? Go to the Box Office now and book a ticket! Simples!

After a long gestation period, we now have an agreed Protocol showing the pathway to becoming a Director with MDG, together with the method for presenting a project for consideration.

I hope it will encourage you to think about getting involved in this side of the hobby. It is both interesting and irritating in about equal measure, but one of the most satisfying things you will ever do - and we will guide and help you to get it right!

Please click HERE to read the protocol and feel free to contact me to discuss further.

Drew Thomas artistic.director@maidenhead-drama.org.uk. 07887 995671

 

 

 

 

So, rehearsals are in full swing with the principal cast and directors are working hard with chorus strutting their stuff with learning the dance routines, which have been beautifully choreographed by Vicky Dance.

If you are interested in being involved backstage or front of house, 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

THE BOX OFFICE IS NOW OPEN AND TICKETS ARE SELLING FAST.
PLEASE BOOK EARLY TO ENSURE YOU OBTAIN THE SEATS YOU WANT.
Panto performances are at the Desborough Theatre from 
Wednesday, 14^th December to Sunday, 18^th December.

Spring Production Announced

Our own Beth Wood is directing Stags and Hens by Willy Russell performing in the Studio at Norden Farm on 22nd - 25th March 2017

The Marlow Players' forthcoming production is A Touch of Danger by Francis Durbridge to be performed at the Shelley Theatre, Marlow from Thursday, 10th November to Saturday, 12th November at 8.00pm. Tickets are £12.00 for adults.

Max Telligan, a popular novelist, has returned to his London apartment from a business trip to Munich to find his evening newspaper containing a report of his violent death. He subsequently is greeted by a parade of mysterious visitors who seek a pocket sized calculator, threaten him with a poison-tipped walking stick and display photographs of his wife in flagrante delicto. Max has, it seems, unwittingly become embroiled in the activities of an international terrorist group!

"Mr. Durbridge is a master craftsman, with an unequalled record of keeping TV audiences poised on the edge of their seats." - Daily Telegraph

Please register your interest to the membership secretary should you wish to see this production. Email: membership@maidenhead-drama.org.uk.

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Maidenhead Operatic Society's forthcoming production is The Hired Man, written by Melvyn Bragg.

Performances are from Wednesday, 16th November to Saturday, 19th November at the Desborough Theatre, Town Hall, Maidenhead. 
 

Baby Announcement

MDG wishes to congratulate our new member, James Berkeley and his wife, Marthe on the birth of their second child, Madison, who was born into the world on 1st October.

We wish them and Madison's little big brother, Tommy all the very best for the future.

Shakespeare Addiction
 

Best Things In Life Are Free? Try FutureLearn

This September I joined a course with FutureLearn. I’d stumbled upon it through looking at The British Library web-site. It was a course about the history of printing and performance, a partnership which included Shakespeare’s Globe, and was presented by King's College London. What a broad theme, but using Shakespeare to achieve its aims turned out to be very fruitful. ‘Shakespeare: print and performance’ was the title (part of Shakespeare400). He has a canny way of providing worthy examples for whichever aspect of literature or you are interested in! It lasted four weeks, for a few hours a week, delivered via e-learning. It involved posting comments about the course content, short exercises, and you were encouraged to ‘like’ or comment on the posts made by other students.

We looked at Tudor London and the development of theatre and printing, and this connected with outbreaks of plague. There was an interesting look at the styles of dramatic arts across the globe and how this applies to adaptations today, and very early tours of Shakespearean plays (the Germans of that era experienced Shakespeare with a slap-stick twist to overcome the language barriers). This leads to consideration of translations of text (for those interested in Star Trek- including an example of how Shakespeare applied to Klingon!). It explained the whole deal about Quarto and Folio. The differing version could even alter aspects of how a character is perceived by audience and actor, so elegantly shown by two performance clips of the same monologue (different editions) of Ophelia (from Hamlet).

How editing choices alter the imagery created was also highlighted. How the sonnets were compiled and read was discussed. A change with the times was elegantly surmised in a clip performed using Shakespearean style rehearsal techniques. They had just their own lines and cue lines (no complete script for them!), and learnt these mostly on their own, only coming together as a company shortly before they were due to perform (first nights could be the cheap seats as a result). Backstage jobs differed too. Imagine that! It did make for a slight ‘rabbit in the headlights’ look, looking for your cue line! The actors in the clip were interviewed afterwards, and had some great observations.

They really had to focus hard on the other actor. It was a revelation (and relief) for one of them to be told that, when the interviewer was an audience member, the fact she couldn’t have known the other actor had lines about observing her tears (she subsequently produced them after the line) it hadn’t been noticed (she had already taken on enough expression). TV and film must be making us perceive theatre audiences are subtly reading actor’s faces much more closely than they can (no excuse though in chorus, from the audience I can lip read your off-task conversation, and notice if you are dropping the character!). Might have been a more useful rehearsal method that it first appears then!

I’ve got the bug! They are all written and run by established Universities. They are free! There is only a charge if you require a certificate. Thought I’d put the word about. If Shakespeare still doesn’t appeal to you, they will still have something else to offer. If the one you’d like to do is not yet running you can register your interest. I shall now just have to entreat you to excuse any unashamed Bardolatry I possess! https://www.futurelearn.com/

By Anna Hughes

Membership Renewals and Payments
 

We have been busy updating records on our membership database, but it's work in progress. Whilst we endeavour to send the MDG newsletter out to all members, at present, there may be details which need updating and/or missing from our records.

Liz, our friendly membership secretary, is currently busy updating details and whilst she is in the process of ensuring the accuracy of the information, we will continue to email the MDG newsletter to everyone on our membership list until the end of this year. Thereafter, the newsletter will only be sent to those members who have paid their subscription fee.

Subscription renewals are due every April and October and renewal reminders will be sent out during these months.

Once a subscription fee is paid, by an renewing or new member, an acknowledgement will be sent to that member to confirm safe receipt of payment. New members to the group will also be sent a welcome pack.

To pay and/or renew your membership, please click HERE. When transferring payment, please ensure you place your 'surname' and the word 'subs' as a reference. So, for example, 'Allen subs'. This will keep our Treasurer happy!

Should anyone have any queries in this regard, please email membership@maidenhead-drama.org.uk.

Thank you for your patience.

We want to hear from you!