These are

A Rose in the Courtyard by Craig Sodaro

and

Mr Scrooge and the Spirits of Christmas First by Susan Lyttek

Production Dates
Production dates will be determined according to invitations and the availability of casts during 2012

A Rose in the Courtyard will be available for performances from July.

Mr Scrooge and the Spirits of Christmas First will be available for performances from October.

These will be toured separately or together in various ‘packages’ around local churches where invited and taken to specific local village theatres.
If any church or group wishes to consider one or all of these plays during 2012, contact the co-ordinating Director, David Henty
on 440076; email david.henty@shadestheatre.com)

More details and synopses of the plays can be downloaded in a Microsoft doc file.
or obtained from the Coordinating Director, David Henty; telephone 440076; email david.henty@shadestheatre.com
Details of all performances of these plays can be found on the Page
for the Programme of Events 2012

Director : David Henty

This pantomime was an adaptation by David Henty of The Christmas Pantomime written by Kim Williamson. For SHADES’ first ever pantomime, this was an enormous success. The audience loved the characters, the slapstick and the witty simple pantomime humour. The Story of Natas, a nasty man trying to stop a local drama group from staging their Nativity Play, was well enjoyed. A strong cast contained local Councillor Rob Cooke, Sally Marchant (drama teacher at William Parker Sports College) and Tom Watling, a dancer with West End Experience.  SHADES Theatre Company was pleased to have the support in the show of DanceMoves School of Dancing and Performing Arts, from Bexhill-on-sea, who brought extra vitality and visual enhancement to the show with their accomplished dancing (notably their Cats number) and colourful costumes. Also supporting were Open Door Entertainers from MENCAP, who were a joy to watch, with their enthusiasm and uninhibited involvement in their acting, singing and dancing of Footloose.

The Hastings Mayor, Kim Forward and local MP, Amber Rudd, both attended the matinee and enjoyed the performance. Amber Rudd wrote

“A fantastic show. It managed to be entertaining while promoting a serious message, which is an achievement. I was impressed by the enormous number of different ages and abilities that participated. My enjoyment was particularly enhanced by sitting behind the Rainbows who loved every minute and joyfully howled replies when invited to.”

Those who were unable to attend missed a thoroughly entertaining curtain raiser to Advent and preparation for the coming of the Lord Jesus.

Some photographs and video clips can be viewed on the Gallery Page.
A DVD by Howard White is available should anyone wish to see the show. Contact David Henty on 440076 or email david.henty@shadestheatre.com .

This was the final tour performance of Clerical Errors and took place at The Salvation Army Temple Ore,  on Saturday 23rd October 2010 at 7.30 p.m.

Clerical Errors takes place in a small disused Methodist Chapel. A family of vagrants has taken over the Chapel. The parishioners are not at all happy, even though the Chapel is not used. No-one wants to take the family in and the Social Worker is called to deal with them. Julie’s outspoken views and the plight of her family moves the Minister enough to persuade him to bed down with them in the Chapel as a squatter in order to prevent their eviction and the family being split up. Can they hang on until their dad is released from prison in five months’ time?

The play looks at a number of social issues, particularly homelessness and has a strong Christian message for all of us. Written as a hilarious comedy, it should appeal to all ages, Christian and non-Christian.

All proceeds went to the work of The Salvation Army in the UK

For photographs and video clips, go to the Gallery.

This was the third tour performance of Clerical Errors and took place at Battle Memorial  Hall on Saturday 16th October 2010 at 7.30 p.m.

Clerical Errors takes place in a small disused Methodist Chapel. A family of vagrants has taken over the Chapel. The parishioners are not at all happy, even though the Chapel is not used. No-one wants to take the family in and the Social Worker is called to deal with them. Julie’s outspoken views and the plight of her family moves the Minister enough to persuade him to bed down with them in the Chapel as a squatter in order to prevent their eviction and the family being split up. Can they hang on until their dad is released from prison in five months’ time?

The play looked at a number of social issues, particularly homelessness and had a strong Christian message for all of us.

For more information contact  01424 40076 or email info@shadestheatre.com using the contact form on this link.

Clerical Errors takes place in a small disused Methodist Chapel. A family of vagrants has taken over the Chapel. The parishioners are not at all happy, even though the Chapel is not used. No-one wants to take the family in and the Social Worker is called to deal with them. Julie’s outspoken views and the plight of her family moves the Minister enough to persuade him to bed down with them in the Chapel as a squatter in order to prevent their eviction and the family being split up. Can they hang on until their dad is released from prison in five months’ time?

The play looks at a number of social issues, particularly homelessness and has a strong Christian message for all of us. Written as a hilarious comedy, it should appeal to all ages, Christian and non-Christian.

For more information contact  01424 40076 or email info@shadestheatre.com using the contact form on this link.

A Charity performance with free admittance and a retiring collection, £587 was raised for the Charity Hope Kitchen (charity number 1131550).

Hope Kitchen is an inter-church soup kitchen in Hastings, which feeds homeless people on Thursday and Saturday evenings. Funds are being raised to purchase a property for a rehabilitation centre for people with addictions.

Clerical Errors takes place in a small disused Methodist Chapel. A family of vagrants has taken over the Chapel. The parishioners are not at all happy, even though the Chapel is not used. No-one wants to take the family in and the Social Worker is called to deal with them. Julie’s outspoken views and the plight of her family moves the Minister enough to persuade him to bed down with them in the Chapel as a squatter in order to prevent their eviction and the family being split up. Can they hang on until their dad is released from prison in five months’ time?

The play looks at a number of social issues, particularly homelessness and has a strong Christian message for all of us. Written as a hilarious comedy, it was enjoyed by the packed audience who, it seemed, could not stop laughing!

In the presence of the  Mayor, Maureen Charlesworth and local MP Michael Foster, the Company performed many memorable sketches and excerpts from its past productions. Rev’d Chris Sears, one of SHADES’ Chaplains, said Grace before the buffet and also gave thanks for the Company’s 25 years existence. Photographs and video clips were shown of every major production since the first in 1991 at William Parker School (now Phoenix Arts Centre).

Besides those living in Hastings and neighbouring towns, past members had travelled in from as far away as Wales and Northamptonshire in order to take part or simply to join in the celebration. Good wishes were sent via a video clip from Portugal and a card from Australia.

Some songs from the Music Hall in 1998 and The Last Bomb Shell in 2005, gave the audience the opportunity to have a sing-along and the delightful voice of Leigh-Anna Harris (aged 10), singing Love Changes Everything (from the last production All the World’s a Stage in 2008) entertained us to the end.

The evening was most memorable and nostalgic for its members, past members, friends and family as well as for many of the Company’s loyal supporters, without whom it would not be celebrating this anniversary and on whom it depends for the next 25 years!
New members are always welcome for acting, back stage work or organization!

For photographs, video clips and reviews, go to the Gallery.

Dates and Venues
25th July at St John’s Church Hall, Pevensey Road;
8th August at Sedlescombe Village Hall;
19th September at Fairlight Village Hall;
3rd October 2009 at His Place Community Centre, Silverhill

Director: David Henty

The Cast (click image for a larger picture)

For more photographs, video clips and reviews, go to the Gallery.

The parts we choose to play in life affect everyone around us, as does the way in which we play those parts. All the World’s a Stage looks at this life-question, which we all have to face. Involving the youth of our town as its contribution to Hope 08 (a Churches’ national initiative for evangelism), SHADES has teamed up with  the Nicola Rodmell School of Performing Arts, adding songs and dances from popular West End Musicals to provide you with  toe-tapping entertainment and  a thought-provoking message.

For photographs, video clips and reviews, go to the Gallery

October 20th and 21st 2007 at Phoenix Arts Centre, Hastings

What is the meaning of life?
What was the significance of the birth of Jesus Christ?
The Seven Ages of Man reflects on what Christ’s life has to say to each one of us as we move through the different (st)ages of our own lives.

The compilation of this revue is due to the hard work of  John Lyttle, whom many of you will remember as one of the founders of SHADES back in the early 1980s at St Helen’s C. of E. Ore.

Explaining his vision and concept for this show, John writes;

 “The Pythonesque view comes down to seeing life as finally meaningless and the best we can do is ‘always look on the bright side of life’, but can say nothing about how or why we should, or indeed may, do this, particularly when life does not appear to have a ‘bright side’.
The birth of Jesus Christ 2000 years ago shows us, at the very least, that our own lives possess a value which goes far beyond the continuous determination to keep going because there’s no alternative to despair.  
Employed effectively by the character Jacques in Shakespeare’s As You Like It, we may use the vehicle of the ‘Seven Ages of Man’, which itself portrays a cynical basis, to give a framework for looking at different aspects of human life and attempt to show that the Incarnate God has something to say to us in our progression through the Seven Ages. They have had to be interpreted somewhat freely, as it’s difficult to find material to make an Age that just has material about Judges or Soldiers, but it is nevertheless possible to examine one key feature extracted from those Ages. For example, the Soldier – the self-centred ‘My Way’ part of us; the Judge – the self-satisfied, greedy part.”

For photographs, video clips and reviews, go to the Gallery