Page 22 - OT_70th Anniversary
P. 22

2017                                                 November realised  the performance  of
         Cynthia Cahill offered to direct another play        'Calendar Girls'  by Tim Firth, directed by
         for us and chose  'Quartet'  by Ronald               Jane Barr.
         Harwood.
















                                                                                 'Calendar Girls'


                              'Quartet'                       This had been planned and  advertised for
                                                              many months as it needed a cast of 14.

         We held auditions before Christmas so the  Did  we mention a challenge for  the
         cast, theoretically, had lots of time to learn  previous play?   This one needed the
         lines before starting rehearsals in January.         Yorkshire  Dales  for goodness  sake  and a

         Anyway, apart from it being a most                   field of sunflowers  not  to mention several
                                                              hundred props  (well  it seemed like
         enjoyable play  to be part of,  the highlight        hundreds) many of which had to be made.
         for many  people was the  lip-synching               Thank  goodness  for Wendy Fulcher and
         scene at the end when the Quartet mimed              her     team     for    the     collection    and
         to the actual aria from Rigoletto.                   manufacture of so much stuff.  This was a
                                                              popular play as the  season  was sold out
         'Are You  Being Served?'  by Jeremy Lloyd  before we opened and the cast did it great
         and David Croft  came  next.   This  was  justice.    Quite  an achievement for all,
         directed by Wendy  Berridge and  we all  especially in a small theatre.
         thought she must  be  mad, because a
         working shop elevator was required, not to
         mention several  tents on the hotel  roof
         when the  whole staff of  Grace  Brothers
         moved to Spain for their holiday.











                                                                      'Calendar Girls' 147 handmade sunflowers!

                                                              2018

                         'Are You Being Served'               We began  the year  with four plays in  the
                                                              pipeline, the first of which was 'Curtain Up'
         Well,  with a lot of help from her friends,          by  Peter  Quilter and directed by Cynthia
         some of  them obviously very  clever,                Cahill.
         Wendy got there.  Lots of laughs from very
         happy audiences.







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