"Comedy guaranteed to make your belly hurt!"

That was a quote from one of the audience members after last nights show. They were trying to persuade Mark Conway from Gonzo Moose to add it to all their publicity for the tour! What an excellent show! We were very close to capacity last night and the audience were buzzing the whole evening. From the 'sincere' warning for those of certain dispositions at the start of the play - "if you suffer from incontinence, wear a nappy", we knew we were in for an evening of spookily comedic entertainment.

I think the last time I cried from laughing involved an 80's montage scene and a fake moustache... but Gonzo Moose effortlessly reel you in to the story and really bring their crazy characters to life. They have a way of instantly connecting with everyone in the audience and their obvious enjoyment of what's going on on stage emanates in to the stalls... it was almost as if we were all feeding off each other and it's hard not to enjoy yourself when 100 people around you clearly are!

The highlights for me were the gargoyles ("jump, jump!") and definitely the montage scene which, I've been told was a pastiche to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, but reminded me of a scene from a Richard Curtis movie. I think it takes skill to show the passing of time that effortlessly on stage.

Due to popular demand, Gonzo Moose return to the Bradon Forest Theatre with 'Is That a Bolt in your Neck?' on Friday 30th April 2010. If you can't wait until then we have Angus back with his other company, Publick Transport and The Department of Smelling Pistakes on 2nd March.

I have to add that I'm hoping for the return of Professor Heartbreaker in his own show.... Cariad?

Is That A Bolt In Your Neck?

The Gonzo's are in the theatre setting up as we speak, and look how good the set looks!

Just a handful of tickets left now... call me on 01793 773981 or email me to reserve yours now... you won't regret it!

Gonzo Moose presents...

... 'Is That A Bolt In Your Neck?' Oh man, we just love this company! I'd book them in every week if I could! They never fail to amuse and I'm really looking forward to this show! Tickets are selling out fast so make sure you get in touch to reserve yours. If you can't make 7.30pm this Thursday, 15th October, then make sure you get 30th April in your diary... they'll be back!

Inspired by gothic horror movie classics of the 1930s, Is That A Bolt In Your Neck? is a fast-paced, rollicking ride mixing spooky paranoia, surreal nightmare and frantic farce. Suitable for audiences from ages 8 to 80, this is an ideal family show: packed full of hilarious slapstick, verbal wit, live music and magical illusion.

As lightening flashes across the sky, the rugged silhouette of an old dark house looms into view. Lost in a storm, this seems like the only possible refuge but what happens when you hear mysterious moaning in the middle of the night? Behind every door lurks unimaginable horror.

With comedy and thrills galore you'll gasp, laugh and be amazed at the horrific experiments, the mind-boggling love, and the sensational death-defying finale. This wonderfully inventive and gripping comedy horror features three fearless actors, playing over 30 roles in 75 minutes of fast-paced fun and thrilling action.

Autumn Music Concert

Last night was the first Music concert of the season in the theatre and welcomed many new and experienced students to share their performances with the audience. We were treated to the Concert Band, Junior Band, choirs and soloists - including instrumental and vocal, a very enjoyable evening was had by all and it was a pleasure to hear everyone performing to such a high level. This stands them in good stead for their forthcoming tour of Disney Land, Paris!



It was encouraging to see a few new faces and we look forward to welcoming them back for the Christmas concert.

The next music night in the theatre sees The Dacoits and Jo Stroud. Friday November 20th, 7pm, tickets are £2.

Caught in the Net

Remember our guest blogger earlier this year? One of our directors, Dominic Waldron, has been working with our local amateur dramatic society PADS on the same play he starred in (and blogged about) in Hamburg. This is sure to be an entertaining evening out!

If you think your life is complicated, imagine the life of two-timing taxi driver John Smith who keeps two separate families!

When his teenage children (a girl from one family and a boy from the other) meet in an Internet chat room and are anxious to meet in person, John's already hectic life shifts into high gear as he tries to keep his double life a secret.

Ray Cooney's fast-paced farce was nominated for the 2002 Olivier (Britain's Tony Award) and the 2001 Evening Standard Awards for Best New Comedy, and Carpenter Square Theatre is staging its Oklahoma premiere.

Friday 9th, Saturday 10th October

Doors open at 7:30pm
Show Starts 8:00pm

Licensed Bar applied for.

Tickets
Adults £6
Concessions £5

Tickets available from
Sue Richardson 01793 772581
Purton Spar Shop
Lindsay Hall 01793 771890
On the door.

Autumn Music Concert

There are only a few tickets left for tonight's music concert - the first of the year! I can hear them all practising and it sounds wicked, so if you can make it to the theatre this evening for a 7pm start, contact me to reserve your ticket!

New look theatre website

Excuses, excuses, I know. But you see I have a very good reason for not keeping to my 'weekly posting' promise! You see I've been working on our brand new theatre website.

We were using pages from the school's 'learning platform' but felt that after the success and positive feedback of the festival website, it was about time to launch a more professional site for the theatre.

You may also have noticed that I've update the blog banner to match the new site and logo. Check out the site at bradonforesttheatre.co.uk and leave a comment to let me know what you think!

Here's a summary of the season so far though... stick with me, I'll be back on track now!

• The Hot Dots was a brilliant show. "A surprisingly moving story told through physical means. The company's superb physical skills brought the piece to life leaving the audience enthralled. Thank you for a fantastic evening!" David Calder

• The Bradon Forest Theatre Company performed an excellent version of The Farndale Avenue's Townswomen's Guild Dramatic Society prodcution of Macbeth. They had the whole audience roaring with laughter... one of my favourites so far!
  

• The Thursday is the first music concert of the year. Featuring solo and ensemble performances by Bradon Forest students as well as a few big numbers by the Concert Band. The students are warming up for their forthcoming tour of Disney Land Paris, so come and show your support!

• We have just booked The Dacoits and Jo Stroud for the first gig of the year. Friday 20th November at 7pm. Tickets are just £2!

Right, I'll speak to you all again very soon!!

New year, new season begins here!

Ok, I'm going try something new this year... I hereby promise to make at least a weekly update every Friday. Things got a bit manic at the end there, what with the Big Top Festival and everything! I'm still in the process of catching up (after the summer break of course!) but promise to post a review and pictures shortly. This will be just a brief one today though. I need to point you to the new season page on the website. We have a few things booked in already including The Hot Dots, Gonzo Moose's new show and Publick Transport to name just three! Make sure you check out the full listings.

The first show is next Wednesday 16th... So & So Circus Theatre present The Hot Dots. Curtain goes up at 7.30pm, as usual, and tickets are £5 for students and £6 for adults. Reserve yours today by calling me on 01793 773981.

Festival updates

There are only 15 more days to go until the first ever Big Top Festival! Make sure you get hold of your tickets before they sell out... festival passes are available from only £22!

Click on the swishy new flyer on the right to enlarge. They have been especially designed by none other than Callum Barrett from CB Design... hasn't he done an amazing job? We're really grateful to him for taking the time out to work on us for this exciting project.

Detailed on the inside pages are all the high profile events, but makes ure you check out the back page for the full line-up. There are so many shows you just won't want to miss!

Also, make sure you stop by the website for information on all the participating performers... there's so much going on and it's all on your doorstop!

Is it June already?

Oh my... what, really? Where did that time go? Planning the best festival ever is where it went! Well, OK... perhaps not the best festival ever. Reading '96 was a pretty good one... but can I go as so far as to say the best festival in a school ever?

Check out the Big Top Festival website for lots of new updates and the finalised line-up. There is so much to go and see over the weekend and you can do it all for only £22 for a festival pass! Now... can we say the best value festival ever? Oh yeah! Except maybe the free ones... they're pretty good value. But then normally have the big cheeses supporting them, like Radio 1.

Anyway... back to the Big Top. Check it out and get yourself a ticket! I can personally recommend The Little Prince, the Music Evening and DO NOT MISS Circomedia! See? If you're coming to see at least those three shows, you may as well buy a festival pass and come and see it all!