The Boy who Carved Birds

by Ken Etheridge

A Rose in the Courtyard

by Craig Sodaro

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

The Boy who Carved Birds and A Rose in the Courtyard will be rehearsed during February and March and be available for performances from April.

Mr Scrooge and the Spirits of Christmas First will be rehearsed during August and September and 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)

Synopses of plays and characters can be downloaded as a Microsoft doc file from this link.
More details can be obtained from the Coordinating Director, David Henty; telephone 440076; email david.henty@shadestheatre.com

SUNDAY 29th JANUARY – 3 p.m. – AUDITIONS for SHADES’ Touring programme of Three One Act Plays

THURSDAY 22nd MARCH 2012 7 p.m: Annual General Meeting
(Members and Member Friends only; Friends are excluded from voting)

CAST 01

CAST 02

FOR SHADES

FAIRY GODMOTHER:   Sylvia Atkins
DAME DAISY:   Tom Cooke
NATAS:   Rob Cooke
NOMED:   Sally Marchant
MISS ISABELLA PRIMM:   Belinda Stewart
BUBBLE:   Heather Brown
SQUEEK:   Darren Maylam
CAT:   Tom Watling
RICHARD:   Michael Page-Mitchell
NORMAN:   Grant Peters

TOWNSFOLK
Leah Bowen, Charlie Cooke, Francesca Hill, Melanie Hill, Vanessa Hill,
Chloe Laskey, Deborah Rust, Lucy Skelton, Becky Stevens, Laura Stevens

FOR DANCE MOVES

The Company  (Senior Group)
Tasha Kingsnorth, Laura Mead, Russell Stocker, Kate Thompson,
Tom Watling, Ella Wormley-Healing
Junior Group
Chloe Seal (soloist in Away in a Manger), Maisie Adams, Gemma Blatchly,
Stella Griffiths, Georgeena Hesmer, Emily Hobbs, Chiara Ricciardi, Katie Stevens
Infants Group
Paige Barnes-Kilgour, Chloe Dawson, Lily Denman, Phoebe Goldsmith, Ellen King,
Millie Rose Leverington, Ayanna Patel, Evie Remnant, Natalie Seldon, Anya Singh, Ella Smith

FOR OPEN DOOR ENTERTAINERS

Barry Bodkin, Hayley Buckley, Stephen Godfrey, Susan Nixon,
Donna Poulton, Gary Rudge, Martin Jeffries, Kira Mahoney-Nash,
Val Paine, Robyn Hall, Jenny Hayler

MUSIC TEAM
Keyboard 1:   Helen Bird  
Keyboard 2:   Sophie Phillips
Percussion:   Stuart Jordan

PRODUCTION TEAM

FOR SHADES THEATRE COMPANY

Director:   David Henty
Musical Director:   Helen Bird
Choreographer:   Viv Wormley-Healing
     Assisted by  Sue Lindsay
Stage Manager:   Nicola Evans
    Assistants:   Jonjoe Blackman, Ryann Hunter, Ian McNulty, Adrian Rust
Set Construction:   Ian McNulty
    Assisted by Paul Reed, Dick Harrison, Frank Spall
Properties:   Pam Reade
Costumes:   Sylvia Atkins, Julie Henty, Sue Lindsay, Sally Marchant, Anne Megit
House Manager:   Paul Reed
Publicity:   Nicola Evans

FOR PHOENIX ARTS CENTRE

Venue Manager: Chris Smith
Assistant Venue Manager:   Ellie Smith
Front of House Manager:   Sarah Webber
Stage/Technical Manager:     Billy Palmer
Assistant Stage Managers:   Phoenix Crew
Sound Technician:   Bradley Cave
Lighting Technician:   Sam Cave  
Follow Spots:   Phoenix Crew 

Click here for the write and review by the local MP, Amber Rudd

PHOTOGRAPHS  Click the photos to make them larger.

Video clips to be published shortly

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 .

SYLVIA GREY                 Amy Shortman
MRS MARTIN                  Jeannette Martin
JULIE BRIGGS                 Heather Brown
GRAN BRIGGS                Betty Simpson
PETE BRIGGS                 Kasie Rust
JAMES MARTIN               Robert Cooke
THEODORE BROWN       Tom Cooke
MISS PEARSON              Annette Porter

PRODUCTION TEAM

Director                          David Henty
Stage Manager               Nicola Evans
Assistant                       Jonjoe Blackman
Set                                Ian McNulty
Lighting                         Ryann Hunter and Julian Rumball
House                           Janet Crawford

Photographs

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.