Chairman’s report 2014/15
Welcome everyone to the Upham Players AGM 2014/15
I’d like to begin by asking for a minute’s silence to remember our dear friends Margaret Cochrane and Dave Plumb who sadly both died last year and are very much missed. Some of you may also remember Pammie Fernandez who was a member many years ago lending her considerable artistic talents to our advantage; and Pat Osborn who worked so hard on our behalf during the children’s production Keymaster. Both have also died this year and we remember them too.
Margaret and Dave were great members and supporters of the group and I’m sure would want us to continue with the fantastic drama and social events for which they worked so hard.
Our performances and social events this year have, in my opinion, been spectacular as usual!
Hat Fair – June 2014
The Upham Players’ year began with what became known as, the Hat Fair. We had realised the hats in the loft were in desperate need of a good sort out and minor cull so we brought them all down and after sorting them we each chose a hat – or hats in Shelley’s case, to wear to read poems and prose and sing. It was really good fun and the evening was made even more special by the attendance of Maggie and Graham Crawford-Dampier who currently live in Portugal.
Relatively Speaking – Playreading – July 2014
Although not our first choice of play to read, a group of us had a very enjoyable evening reading Relatively Speaking by Ayckbourn. We found it highly amusing and felt the play would be suitable for a rehearsed reading as the size of the roles were too large for us to tackle at the moment. Thanks to Gwyn and Chris for hosting this.
Hello Dolly – theatre trip – August 2014
I’d like to personally thank those of you who came along to the Theatre Royal to support Rosie and her drama group RICNIC in their production of Hello Dolly, I think the overall impression we all came away with was how much energy, enthusiasm and professionalism they all showed.
Dick Whittington – November 2014
Buying in a panto script is always a mixed blessing and one of the biggest issues is that we have to pay a lot in performance fees which meant the profit on this was much lower than for one of our home-written pantos. That said – we didn’t have one so we bought in Dick Whittington and adapted it for our local audiences and it proved to be a great success. The cast were enthusiastic from the start and our teenage members filled the roles of many of the principle characters beautifully. We managed to find some new very young members to join the ‘ratlings’ and they proved to be an instant asset to the group! Rehearsal were fun and the absences of the adult chorus were compensated for by their enthusiasm when they were there! As ever this production was a testament to the amazing team spirit which is the very ethos of the Upham Players – everyone plays their part; fulfils their role but then steps up and does more besides. In this production this was particularly evident in one member especially – Shelley was my right hand woman throughout this production and took on more and more jobs as the time went on. On the performance nights when I was a mere bystander, Shelley was Swanee whistling, whilst moving scenery and props and prompting meanwhile! Thank you Shelley! And thank you to all the cast and crew who worked so hard to make this the popular panto it was.
Carol singing – December 2014
Jaz and Emily organised this well attended and most successful carol singing circuit around Upham last December. We began at the Goddard’s where Donna and Emily provided mulled wine and mince pies. We sang around lower Upham and then drove up to the school and continued from there – stopping off at the Kimble’s for more mulled wine and mince pies! Thirsty work singing! All the money raised was for Margaret and Dave’s chosen charities – The Wessex cancer Trust and Countess Mountbatten Hospice. Many thanks to Emily, Donna, Jaz and Cyn and Roy.
Will’s Sound Masterclasses – January 2015
This was a 2 part training event at which Will taught us how to rig the sound equipment and then how to operate it. It’s a very complicated business and Will managed to explain it in a way which we could all access. I think we’d all like to thank Will for the time and effort he spent in preparing and delivering his masterclasses.
Loft tidy – January 2015
The committee have continued to keep on top of tidying and maintaining the loft space and all out props and costumes. It is a fun way to spend a couple of hours and I think we’re getting quicker and more efficient at it as it has become a regular part of our role as committee members.
Quiz and Chips – March 2015
Our grateful thanks go to Chris Little for compiling the questions and acting as our Quizmaster for the evening. Also to Janette who once again organised a raffle and decorated the tables for us. The evening was a great success and once again it was good to see whole families taking part. The evening was won by ??????????
Mixed Doubles – March 2015
Instead of our usual Spring production, we presented 5 short one act plays to family and friends of the group. They were from an 8 act compilation of plays called Mixed Doubles. All the plays were on the subject of relationships and were very much appreciated by our audience. This production gave Paul, Gwyn, Dermot and Jo the chance to have a first go at directing. They did an excellent job and will hopefully feel confident enough to direct again in the future.
Charity donations to Wessex Cancer Trust and Countess Mountbatten Hospice
We have managed to donate a total of £150 in support of the Countess Mountbatten hospice which supported Margaret in her last days and also to the Wessex Cancer trust which was Dave’s chosen charity. There will be further donations made after the Autumn production.
Future Plans
Absent Friends
Ten members have signed up for a theatre trip booked for June to see Absent Friends by Ayckbourn at Theatre Royal Winchester.
Christmas Can Be Murder
Shelley and her brother Martin have been busy writing a new murder mystery dinner theatre called Christmas Can Be Murder for this November. Rehearsals will begin in September – we may have a read-through and possibly auditions in July to allow our writers to write for the cast they have. There will be parts for adults and teenagers and a younger childrens group who will sing and act out a little panto! Shelley has planned this production so that we can have a Gala night on the Saturday, when the tickets will be a bit dearer and the food a bit more special so that we can raise some more money for the charities we have been supporting this year. It goes without saying we are all very excited to be doing another Murder with Shelley at the helm!
Masterclass at Mayflower
In committee we have discussed masterclasses and rather than buying someone in, it would seem there are many on offer at the Mayflower so we hope to organise a trip to one of those in the coming year.
Committee
As you know, I am stepping down from the role of Chairman this year. I have really enjoyed the challenge of Chairing this fabulous group and am deeply indebted to the committee for their tremendous support throughout the last 5 years. Sometimes I feel as though we are only limping on from one production to the next, but the reality is that although our programme may need to change year on year, we are still a thriving village drama group which serves the community well by putting on 1 or 2 productions per year as well as several social events and gives lots of pleasure to all its members. We should be embracing the changes which are forced upon us by circumstances of availability of members and the restrictions some of us have about the parts we could play now – and go with all the things we do well. Our enthusiasm for acting has not diminished and long may that – and the Upham Players, continue.
And that concludes the Chairman’s report for 2014/15.
Mo Peters
Chairman