Reminder: Buddy auditions tonight!

The Chocolate Theatre are auditioning tonight for thir next production, THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY, which will run from 30th June to 2nd July 2011 at the Arts Centre.

Auditions are tonight at Holy Rood Jnr School in Swindon. It's a great opportunity for a young man who enjoys performing art, though be aware, it is a very large part to learn with approximately 20 songs!
 
Contact Michaela Kearns on 07962 222190. If you can't make tonight, Michaela will try and squeeze you in before next Friday... but be quick!

Applications for NYT's 2011 auditions and interviews are now open!

Just seen this via Theatreworks on Twitter and thought it worth a repost (Harley, I'm thinking of you here!):

National Youth Theatre is Britain’s biggest youth arts organisation. We have over 50 years’ experience of proving that outstanding ensemble drama gives young people the tools to discover their voices, describe their lives and grasp opportunities for change.

We will be holding workshop-based acting auditions and technical interviews to join NYT in 30 venues across the UK throughout February 2011.

Apply online at www.ideastap.com/nytapply. The application fee is £30 per person and our application process will allow everyone to individually select their own audition date and venue.

A bit of trumpet blowing... parrum pa pa!

I know this is not theatre related, but I'm going to shamelessly use this post to rave about my sisters new job and to show some support to our local football team. Yes, they are connected! 

Kate Cady (dear big sis) has just been appointed as Head of Sports Therapy at Swindon Town Football Club. A job that she has been determined to have since we saw our first football match in 1990 - Swindon vs Sunderland, in the play-off final. Some people said as she was female it would never happen, but hats off to her for realising her dream!

Celebrate with the team by taking advantage of one of their current ticket offers:

On Tuesday 5 October, Town face Torquay at home for the 2nd round of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy. The match starts at 7pm and advance tickets are just £10 for adults and, here's the sweet bit, FREE for under 16's! You have to be accompanied by an adult, but with a ration of one adult to three 'youths'.


Huddersfield Town are the visitors this Saturday 25th September (3pm ko) before Plymouth Argyle are in Town next Tuesday 28th September (7.45pm ko). With two games in close proximity, fans have the chance to attend both for one great price!

The Arkell's Stand / Don Rogers Stand
Adult £27
Concs. £22.50
Junior £13.50

Town End
Adult £24
Concs. £18
Junior £13.50

This ticket offer must be purchased by 5pm, Friday 24th September. This offer will also be available for Season Ticket holders to bring a friend for half price for the Plymouth Argyle match if purchased  by Friday 24th September, offer will be subject to STFC conditions.

Please call the STFC Box Office on 0871 223 2300 for more information or to book your tickets.

Kate will be starting in November, so make sure you give her a huge cheer when she runs on for the first time :o)

Come on Swindon, come on!

"'PC Load Letter'? What does that mean?"

I'm aware that the theatre site needs an update with our next show, The Confetti Maker (Wednesday 29 September, 7.30pm)... but there is a problem with iWeb. After the latest iTunes update the program does not want to open. I've tried all suggested solutions and am about the throw the computer out the window. Just kidding, but I'm pretty frustrated. I'm working on it though and will have the new details up ASAP. Bear with me. And if you have any suggestions on how to fix the problem, let me know! Thanks :o)

Don't you just love that?

You know... when you have certain expectations about something and it turns out to be so much better than you imagined? And that's what I loved about Francis the Holy Jester... the imagination. Mario Pirovano was on stage, alone, for almost two hours. There were no props or costumes. No masks, music or sound effects. Just one man and his talent for storytelling. That was the great thing though - you didn't need any of that. You could see the people and places he was talking about. Mario brought four stories of Francis of Assisi to life with so much energy and passion that we felt a part of the story too.

Our audience, as usual, was made up of primarily students and for the first show of the year, we had an excellent turn out. I admit, I was a little worried that the show might be a bit 'high brow' but everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy Mario's animated performance and I happily confess my error of judgement. There is something quite relaxing and, at the same time, engaging about Mario's wonderful Italian accent and I found myself quite riveted by the stories he told. If only every lesson could be taught this way!

Mario seemed to be on a high after the show and treated us to a book signing. He complimented our students on their ability to respect a totally different kind of performance from what they are used to, so extra kudos to all of you who made it. Let us know what you thought of the show and more importantly, let Mario.

Anyone for Bingo? No? How about a new music venue in Swindon then?

Exciting news to report! It's just been reported in The Link that the old Mecca Bingo hall in the town centre is to be opened as a new music venue!

"We have a few twists and additions that will make us different to other venues planned on the build, and we will continue to add to the look and feel even when open. The opening is planned for the end of November with dates to be announced shortly." Steve Causer

How exciting! The venue will hold up to 2000 people... can I put in an early request for Mumford and Sons, Biffy and Fenech-Soler?

Do you remember Green Eyed Zero?

You may remember this exciting and creative company when they came to the Bradon Forest Theatre with In The Shadow of Picture Frames. We all loved their delightful heartfelt piece which combined creative physical imagery and the a use of new media and technology. It looks as if they've taken the next piece a step further...

"Ground-breaking multi-touch screen technology has been developed especially for this performance to allow performer and set to become intrinsically one, where the real and unreal combine in a feast for the mind.

By simply touching the screen with any part of their body or any object, the performers can directly interact with the screen in real-time while on stage. Manipulating images, videos or virtual objects, they create unique digital landscapes and animations enhancing the visual impact of the imagery created.

This is a unique feature that has never been used in performance before making it a huge development for performance arts."

How cool does that sound? If we don't manage to get Green Eyed Zero back at Bradon Forest then I'll let you know of their tour dates as soon as they've posted them. This is a company not to miss!

What are you doing next Tuesday?

Why not come and enjoy the opening performance for the 2010/2011 season at The Bradon Forest Theatre! You're in for a real treat... Mario Pirovano, Dario Fo's long term associate, performs Francis the Holy Jester, a one man show fresh from Edinburgh festival. The Stage writes;

"...Pirovano delivers Fo's characteristically folksy monologues about Francis of Assisi with a verve and informality that closely resemble Fo's own performance style."

When else would you get to see the work of one of the worlds greatest playwrites up close and personal in our 100 seat theatre?!

"Pirovano performs with enthusiasm and high energy, accompanying every line with movements, facial expressions or gestures that sometimes approach the manic style of Robin Williams but that, like his stories, are rendered friendly and unthreatening by his obvious pleasure in sharing with us."

With ticket prices at only £5 for students and £6 for adults, you can't afford to miss it!

Call me now on 01793 773981 or email over your booking. See you next week!

Can you help us?

There's less than a week until the students return to the theatre and our guest director is working hard on final preparations for The Memory of Water, our first student production of the season. There are a few props that we need... can you help?

Whiskey bottle (empty)
Medical books 4-5
Glass breast pump with a rubber end
"Garry Glitter" style shoes
A sheet of florist designs
A dressing table (with a draw)

Drop me a line if you have any of the items... and to reserve your ticket for the show!

Wednesday 6 and Thursday 7 October, 7.30pm. Tickets are £4 for adults and £3 for students.

Preparing for next season

Are your diaries to hand? You can download the Autumn season flyer to easily add the dates for all the amazing shows coming up in to your calendars. We like to make things easy for you :o)