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OAST NOTESOAST THEATRE
TONBRIDGE November 2016
2
DIARY DATES
Saturday, 29th October
Afternoon Tea and
New Play Readings
Sunday, 6th November
Audition:
"A Fine Bright Day Today"
SUNDAY, 6TH NOVEMBER LAST DAY FOR COPY FOR DECEMBER OAST NOTES
Wednesday, 9th November Audition:
"A Fine Bright Day Today"
Saturday, 12th November to
Saturday, 19th November incl.
Play of the Month:
"The Homecoming"
Sunday, 4th December
Annual General Meeting
NEXT MONTH’S PLAYS – “Around the World in 80 Days” by
Jules Verne, adapted by Laura Eason 9th – 13th December. Wealthy
Phileas Fogg bets his life’s fortune that he can circumnavigate the
globe in 80 days. “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens, adapted
by John Mortimer 14th – 17th December. A feast of family
entertainment, full of well-known characters and an ideal way to start
the festive season.
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PLAY OF THE MONTH
“The Homecoming” by Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter has made his presence felt in the world of film and theatre
ever since 1958 and, even though he is no longer with us, his influence
casts a long shadow over us all. Not just as actors, directors or writers,
but also as human beings. Plays such as “The Birthday Party”, “The
Caretaker”, “Betrayal”, and “No Man’s Land” have had many
productions all over the world. His many screenplays include “The
Servant” and “The French Lieutenant’s Woman”. His works are a source
of endless debate and critical analysis.
“The Homecoming”, our November production, is no exception and has
been described as his masterpiece. It takes place in a North London home
in which four men from the same family are living. Max, a retired butcher
and the head of the household, his brother, Sam, a chauffeur, and two of
this three sons, Lenny, a pimp, and Joey, a demolition worker who dreams
of being a professional boxer. His eldest son, Teddy, an academic, comes
to the house in the middle of the night with his wife, Ruth, an ex model.
Why has he turned up, after being away for some years? How does Ruth
affect the household? This play cannot but force us to ask questions of it.
We witness a complex world, of male domination, attempts for power
over others, and a sense of madness. “The Homecoming” is possibly
Pinter’s greatest achievement. It is both challenging and exhilarating. It
is absurd, dramatic and comical. It is so many things. Don’t miss this
extraordinary play.
There is smoking in this production.
Andy Taylor
Director
Do book your seats as soon as possible for this production. Use the
website, www.oasttheatre.com or ‘phone on 01732 363849 or
send an application by post using an application form available
of the theatre.
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COME AND JOIN US! AFTERNOON TEA AND NEW PLAYS AFTERNOON
SATURDAY, 29TH OCTOBER
With the start of the new season, we are holding another of our very
popular New Plays Afternoons, with tea and delicious home-made
cakes, and we invite you to come and join us.
As usual, you will be able to watch new plays performed, directed, and,
in some cases, written by Oast members.
The plays which will be performed are as follows:
“Ladies” written by Scott Kingsnorth and performed by the Youth
Theatre
“What’s Best for Dad” written by Ian Tucker-Bell
“Virginia’s Memoirs” written by Andy Taylor
The event will start at 2.00pm and there will be a charge of £5.00
payable on the door. We can promise you a fun and stimulating
afternoon!
Make a note in your diary for the next New Plays Afternoon on 29th
January, 2017 when the following will be performed:
“On Trial” by Roy Proctor
“Captive Audience” by Keith Lipscombe
“Conversations with my Younger Self” by Ian Tucker-Bell
Looking forward to seeing you all. These afternoons are always
exciting because you don’t know what is coming!
Maggie Hoiles
Sandra Barfield
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100 CLUB – SEPTEMBER RESULTS
£50.00 Mary Fowdrey
£25.00 Barbara Fermor
£10.00 Eileen Hutton
£10.00 Carole Jordan
£10.00 Anne Curling
£10.00 Ivan Franks
Be IN for a chance to WIN! It only costs £13.00 a year and
helps raise money for your theatre. – Prizes every month.
You can join at any time, but why not make it NOW?
Ring Rita Carpenter on 01732 358282 or email on
Numbers available – 70: 133: 156: 165: 166 & 167
One of these could be your lucky number.
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AUDITIONS
“A Fine Bright Day Today”
by Philip Goulding
Auditions: Sunday, 6th November – 10.30am
Wednesday, 9th November – 8.00pm
both in the Bar
Performance dates: 22nd – 29th April, 2017
Director: Sara Lacey – 01732 742533, 07879 882237
“A Fine Bright Day Today” has three characters – Margaret, Rebecca
and Milton – and explores love in later life. The action takes place in
Margaret’s kitchen and on a coastal path. The set will be very open
and any prop changes will be carried out by the cast as part of the
action and in full view of the audience.
Margaret is in her 50s. She was widowed when her trawlerman
husband was lost at sea thirty years ago, leaving her with a toddler to
bring up alone. She has a job she’s been in for years, one that she
does well but in which she finds little pleasure. Her home is neat and
tidy, but it’s not a home that has seen much joy. She is disinclined to
change her habits and, over the years, her routines have become
slightly obsessive, although they enable her to maintain the insularity
of her life.
Her daughter, Rebecca, a social-worker, is in her 30s and has been
trying to leave home for a while but is worried about leaving her
mother on her own. The mother/daughter relationship is fraught on
occasion, but there is also humour and a strong sense of
understanding and support between them, born of their
7
“A Fine Bright Day Today” contd.
circumstances. She has quite a sharp tongue at times but is
ultimately a kind woman with the emotional welfare of her
mother at heart.
Milton is a divorced American in his mid 60s, was raised in the
mountains, and has a very dry sense of humour. In the UK on
holiday, he’s a keen amateur photographer and is on the trail of
Bowden Broome, a seascape artist. Milton has his own demons
in the form of an acrimonious divorce following the death of a
child, but in other ways appears to be quite an open character. He
forces Margaret to face a truth – that it’s permissible, indeed
desirable, to be happy.
The play revolves around the relationship that starts to develop
between Margaret and Milton. Just when they thought they had
the latter years of their lives sorted out, and with little thought of
a second stab at a relationship, the possibility of love comes
around.
“A Fine Bright Day Today” is a tender, humorous and kindly
examination of how three people cope with new personal
situations and the resulting frustrations and joys.
As always, the ages shown are for guidance and are playing ages.
I have scripts available, so please contact me if you would like to
borrow one.
Sara Lacey
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ONE POINT OF VIEW
“The Laramie Project" by Moises Kaufman & members of the Tectonic Theater Project
Thirteen years have passed since the Youth Theatre performed “The
Laramie Project”. I remember it well. It is a production which
remains vividly in my mind. The world has changed somewhat since
then. The introduction of civil partnerships in 2004 followed by same
sex marriage ten years later. Society is far more accepting of gay
relationships today than even as recently as 2003. Bearing that in
mind I wonder if there is bound to be a different attitude from
everyone concerned in this production? From the director, through
the actors, and finally with the audience. So I walked into the
auditorium and immediately found myself comparing today’s
production with that of 2003, but I’m going to try and avoid that in
this point of view, and simply judge it on its own merits.
The set was atmospheric and simple. The limp body of a young man
tied to a fence on stage left. Beside it were steps covered in
newspaper print, and with newspaper style headlines emblazoned
across in bold print such as “Gay student is murdered!” The same
style was displayed on the proscenium arch. It was a good set, but I
wondered if it would have been more powerful, symbolically, if the
fence had been upstage centre, with the steps either side of it. After
all it was the heart of the story, and thus at the centre of the play.
Then the curtains closed, silence prevailed, almost, and the curtains
re-opened on to the entire cast standing before us. Initially we were
introduced to Laramie, and the residents’ views of their home town
which came over as the all American town, followed by a description
of Matthew Shepard.
9
“The Laramie Project” contd.
An openly gay 22 year old who is driven to his death by two young
men who claim that their intention was simply to rob him. But the
callous cruelty of his death strongly suggested that it was because he
was gay. They beat him up, tied him to a fence, and he died six days
later. Then we hear of conflicting views and feelings about him
ranging from the religious right to the liberal left. Finally the two
murderers are arrested, tried, sentenced, and imprisoned. This isn’t
the end of the case though. The suffering for those who loved him
continues, and will always do so.
This is an excellent play. Brilliantly written, in a very fair, non
judgemental style. The strong cast performed it very well. I thought
the accents were very good, and the general characterisation was
good. It’s always difficult to play several roles, and to make it clear
to the audience which character you are playing. A couple of points:
all actors, without exception, were using their hands far too much. It
was unnecessary and distracting. As I’ve said, this is a very good
play, and so I think an actor should just let the words do the work. It
doesn’t need a lot else. Less is more. Also some of the movement, I
felt, was unnecessary. On the few occasions when the actors were
still, for example, the courtroom scene, I thought the performance
was stronger. There was a lot of talent on display in the cast. I don’t
like to mention names because this is an ensemble piece and every
member of the cast had obviously worked very hard. So,
congratulations to all.
Thirteen years ago when the performance ended, my criticism of it
was that it veered into sentimentality at the end. This production
didn’t do that, and it was all the better for it.
Andy Taylor
10
ONE POINT OF VIEW
“The Laramie Project, 10 Years Later”
“The Laramie Project” dealt with the immediate events both of the murder
of Matthew Shepard and what followed. “Ten Years Later” had to
examine change, if any, and provide an epilogue to the events. This was
a difficult play from many perspectives: the style of its presentation; the
subject matter itself; the problems of delivering the text in the precise way
the material was gathered.
First, the style. This was an example of what has been labelled,
‘Found text’ arranged in a series of ‘Moments’. There were no scene
changes and each ‘moment’ was presented as an insight into the
tragedy of Matthew Shepard’s murder ten years previously. This was
not your usual box set presentation with a linear narrative. It was an
engagement with the audience on a personal level that demanded a
commitment to follow the text and understand the issues it was
dealing with. The stage was bare except for an arrangement of rostra
at different heights which allowed the characters to present their
material. The notorious fence where Matthew Shepard had been tied
was on one side and two coat stands were available for the change of
costumes. This simplicity allowed the actors the freedom to move
and interact effortlessly between the ‘moments’ without interruption.
It worked. Since the cast changed characters quite frequently the
audience could see clearly who was performing what and when.
When I thought about the subject matter and the language involved I
could only marvel at the maturity of delivery by the cast. In the past
this may have been considered a play of ‘adult themes’. But no
longer. We have to acknowledge that if we are to learn the lessons
of the play then the language and the themes should be discussed at
an earlier age.
11
“The Laramie Project, 10 Years Later” contd.
In an interview with one of the convicted murderers, Aaron
McKinney, played brilliantly by Daniel Holden, I was spellbound by
his responses to the interviewer. That moment of ‘remorse’ was
turned on its head by his delivery as he rationalised his memories and
motives: it reminded me of Truman Capote’s, “In Cold Blood”. And
then there was Judy Shepard, Matthew’s mother, played by Millie
Honnie Smith, whose heart rending conclusion couldn’t fail to elicit
an emotional response to her struggle for justice and to find meaning
in her son’s death.
Certainly the cast handled the text well. The delivery was aided by
the Narrator’s introduction of each character, a job very well done by
Emma Willmont who, like the conductor of an orchestra and without
hesitation, kept the pace of the play to time. Since the dialogue
consisted of interviews, letters and other source material of the time,
these had to be presented accurately and this they managed
convincingly. There were also some examples of gender reversal:
Lucy Britten, playing the part of Father Roger Schmit, was well
handled by a simple transformation with the wearing of a tippet (scarf
worn around the neck). Her words offered a key to the changes that
may have been affected: “…I’m much more courageous now than I
was before Matthew. Matter of fact, I wouldn’t have been saying to
you some of the things I am saying today if it wasn’t for Matthew
Shepard. I talk about sexual identity a lot more now. I don’t talk
about it every Sunday, but I do talk about it whenever the scriptures
enable it to happen”.
There were no prompts when I saw it and the American accents were,
on the whole, well-rehearsed and convincing. There were lighting
issues at times, but I understand there were technical problems with
the lighting board and time was lost during rehearsals to get things
12
“The Laramie Project, 10 Years Later” contd.
perfectly aligned, but it didn’t detract too much. There was the odd
occasion when a character was in the shadows.
In the final analysis I was moved not only by the production but also
by the many responses I saw on the social media.
Congratulations to the director, Jason Lower, assisted by Toby
Robbins in this instance and backed up by a backstage crew which
included a host of Oast members both young and …not so young.
AEW
BOX OFFICE RESULTS
A total of 603 people attended the performances of the two “Laramie
Project” plays. This is 67% of capacity.
There were 136 (23%) Season Ticket holders, 123 (20%) Members,
225 (37%) Non Members, 118 (20%) Students and 1 Associate
Member.
448 tickets were booked online, being 74% of the tickets purchased.
Brian Perryman
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PLEASE! PLEASE!!
If you have never come to an Oast Youth production, and it does
appear that tickets bought by our regular audience members are
lower for the Youth, give it a try. Just once, you will NOT be
disappointed. The standard of their productions, from every
aspect, is so high, and they do make up a big part of our acting
membership and truly deserve your support.
Book your seat for their next performance in December, and I’m
sure it will be the first of many!
Why this plea now?
“The Laramie Project”…the emotions portrayed by these young
actors moved me to tears, it was an amazing production in every
way.
A devoted fan. (Not a parent!)
14
NEW MEMBERS
We are very pleased to say that the following have agreed to renew
their Associate membership for a further year:
Susan Adams Business Services
Willetts Farm Dairy Ice Cream
Worldwide Travel Insurance Services
Their continued association with us is so much appreciated.
There have also been a number of new recruits to our Membership,
Hoppers in the main, and all are most welcome and we trust will
enjoy being with us:
Lucy Brown Sam Coomber
Hannah Coton Jake Hall
Daisy Homewood Alex Jones
Esme Medd Millie Medd
& Layla Murphy are all new Hoppers.
Jenni Everett joins the Youth Theatre
and the following older people have joined as Audience Members:
Ian & Margaret Cox Wilna Roberts
Tim Hansell and Dawn Quest join us as Actors
and Ann Molyneux has put her name down to do -
Acting, Directing, Art, Front of House, Coffee Bar, Ice Creams &
the Bar.
15
AGM NOMINATIONS AND RESOLUTIONS
Nominations are now in. I would like to thank all those who sent
in their forms. This year we have seven nominations, and with
only five places to fill on the Management Committee, we will be
holding a vote. Voting will take place at the AGM on 4th
December. If you are unable to attend the AGM but would still
like to vote, voting slips can be downloaded from our website
www.oasttheatre.com or obtained from the Oast Theatre on
Wednesdays between 9.00am & 12.00pm, and evenings when the
Box Office is open, or, alternatively, you can send an sae to The
Returns Officer, Tonbridge Oast Theatre, London Road,
Tonbridge, Kent, TN10 3AN. Voting slips to be returned to the
Oast by 4th December.
Nominations for this year are:-
Valerie Galbraith – nominated by Judy Beer
Philip Holden – nominated by Jason Lower
Shirley Browning – nominated by Maggie Hoiles
Kate Robbins – nominated by Laura Collins
Brian Perryman – nominated by Laura Collins
Laura Collins – nominated by Valerie Armstrong
Phil Porter nominated by Cathryn Gahan
For the role of Honorary Treasurer – David Keith has been
nominated by Frankie Gahan. For the role of Honorary
Secretary – Elizabeth Portlock has been nominated by Michael
Hoiles.
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AGM NOMINATIONS & RESOLUTIONS cont.
RESOLUTIONS
There is a resolution that has been submitted to change the age range
of the Youth Theatre. It is proposed that it should now be from 14
years to 19 years.
If you would like a copy of the minutes from last year’s AGM before
4th December, please contact me on [email protected]
Elizabeth Portlock
Hon Secretary
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The Report and Unaudited Financial Statements, having been
formally approved by the Management Committee, are now available
from David Keith – Hon Treasurer at [email protected] or
telephone -01732 458876.
Do try to come along to the AGM on Sunday, 4th December at
3.00pm. This is the most important meeting of the Club and your
opportunity to hear what has been going on during the year and to air
your views on any point you feel strongly about.
See you all there.
17
HERITAGE SATURDAY
We had exactly 100 visitors to the Oast on Saturday, 10th
September. A big increase on last year.
Our enthusiastic group of members made them all welcome and,
as usual, the visitors were amazed at what goes on here! Several
people went away with membership forms.
The Art Group show outside was a great attraction and the rain
did keep off until late afternoon!
Many thanks to everyone who helped on the day.
Jo Pierce
Next time you visit the Oast ...
... go in to the Roundel Bar to look at the stunning 1920’s wedding
dress on display and read about it. This was given to us a little
while ago. There was work to be done on it, one sleeve was
totally detached! This work was done by Maralyn Ingham, one
of our sewing ladies. Cathie Morris did the research into the
owner of the dress and discovered some amazing facts about it
and found a photograph of the wedding!
Jo Pierce
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PARKING
Our new season is well underway so I thought I’d take this
opportunity to gently remind you all to make sure you park
respectfully and carefully when at the Oast. Last season we had
a few complains about parking in surrounding roads. In
particular, Stacey Road. Please make sure that when you park
you check that there is enough room for an ambulance or fire
engine to get through to the site safely.
Many thanks.
Elizabeth Portlock
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OAST YOUTH THEATRE
WORKSHOPS – NOTE WEDNESDAYS
Wednesday, 2nd November – Hallowe’en workshop – come in costume!
Wednesday, 23rd November
CALENDAR
All of our upcoming dates can be found in the OYT calendar:
http://oastyouth.co.uk/oyt-calendar
“THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR”
Isi Thomas and Emma Sutherland are in “The Government Inspector” at
the E M Forster. Tickets are a fiver if you are over 16 and £1.00 if under.
I am going on Friday, 25th. November. Join me?
“LARAMIE” and “BASSETT”
Well done to everyone involved in all three plays – you did yourselves
and me proud.
Jason
OAST THEATRE
TONBRIDGE
THE OAST THEATRETonbridge Theatre & Arts Club
OFFICERS
Box Office: (01732) 363849 [email protected] ROAD TONBRIDGE KENT TN10 3AN TEL: (01732) 350261
www.oastheatre.com
Tonbridge Theatre & Arts Club Registered Charity No. 227035
LAURA COLLINS [email protected]
DAVID KEITH [email protected]
ELIZABETH PORTLOCK [email protected]
BRIAN PERRYMAN [email protected]
ANNIE YOUNG [email protected]
PHIL PORTER
LYN PORTER [email protected]
MAGGIE HOILES [email protected]
JO PIERCE [email protected]
JASON LOWER [email protected]
Chairman
Honorary Treasurer
Honorary Secretary
Membership Secretary
Editor
Premises Manager
Hirings and Rehearsal Bookings
Publicity
Wardrobe Representative
Youth Theatre
01892 7501131
01732 458876
01732 300551
01732 354368
01732 352084
01732 835460
01622 813573
01892 528166
07812061753
01732 835460
