Masham Players Spring Production 2012

I'm going to be Usherette on Thursday 12th April

for

Tickets now on sale for 'A Rise in the Market' by Edward Taylor To ensure you get a good seat book in advance at: - The Community Office Little Market Place Masham Tel: 01765 680200 Opening hours:- Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 15:00 Sunday Closed Or alternately contact us by using the 'Contact' button at the top of our home page and we will book seats for you. Masham Players

A Twist on the Scottish Play - Masham Players - Spring Production 2011

They say that when you're involved with the Scottish Play that things may go wrong. Well, Ron Smith decided to direct and act in Masham Players comedy version of The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen's Guild Dramatic Society's Production of the scottish play written by David McGillivray and Walter Zerlin Jnr.

Did I mention that this was his directing debut? Challenging is an understatement.

Now you're wondering what went wrong  - but where to start! Everything that could have gone wrong did but, Ron pulled it all together and the result was three brilliant performances.
Now he's sleeping at night again and has deleted his therapist from his speed dial :-)

I have to say that these photographs are from the brilliant dress rehearsal (I was unable to attend the public performances) and I laughed my socks off.  Brilliant comedy all round. Congratulations Ron and well done to everyone who took part.

 I know what it's like to direct and having to pull everything together especially after directing Ding Dong last November. But all good fun, eh!

The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen's Guild Dramatic Society's Production of Macbeth (A Play)

Masham Players perform Ding Dong directed by Ellen Dean & Kathy Boyer

Every picture tells a story :-)

If you missed Masham Players performance of Ding Dong - you missed a treat because it was absolutely fantastic!!!

Our excellent cast:
Guy Wilman - new to the Players - playing Bernard Marcellin the aggrieved husband of the naughty Jacqueline played by Sue Smith.
Richard Bailey played Robert Regnier - Jacqueline's lover. But who is his wife?
Throw in the Marcellin's overworked and underpaid maid Marie-Louise (Pam Grimsditch) who also has a keen eye for Bernard, and the high class call girl Barbara (Kathryn Holland) paid by Robert to pretend to be his wife Juliette into the mix, and things start to simmer nicely. . . but then along comes the real Juliette (Julie Prescott)! Result? Complete mayhem! All very oh la la, darlings :-)

How our audiences laughed 😂

Ellen Dean

Ding Dong - Masham Players Amateur Dramatic Society

The time has arrived for our first performance of Ding Dong. WOW . . . are we excited!

Ding Dong!

ELLEN DEAN and KATHY BOYER 

CO-DIRECTORS

OF

MASHAM PLAYERS AUTUMN PRODUCTION

DING DONG

by

Marc Camoletti

English version by Tudor Gates

Performance dates

18, 19 and 20 November 2010

Masham Town Hall

North Yorkshire

Curtain up 7.30pm

Tickets from Masham Community Office

www.visitmasham.com

www.ellendean.co.uk

   www.kbequinetherapy.co.uk                                 

Out of Focus - Masham Players Spring Production 2010

Another brilliant performance by Masham Players www.mashamplayers.co.uk
Under the expert direction of Marjorie Tate, members old and new took the audience by storm.

Out of Focus written by Peter Gordon is a delightful satire of village life. When village groups clash (and don't they just) over the use of the church hall, pandemonium breaks loose. A wonderful mix of characters all with foibles and agenda's of their own!

Due to the severe winter weather when most of the cast members were snowed in and couldn't rehearse for about a month, it's nothing short of a miracle that the play actually happened. Well done!

Masham Players new chairman Ron Smith should be very proud.

The Cast:
Lin Blyth, Luke Charles, Pam Grimsditch, Rob Hall, Kirsty Hallett, Kathryn Holland, Helen Kennedy, Ron Smith, Jonathan Trenholme.

Masham Players - Happy Families Autumn 2009

The cast line up for their third encore!

Masham Players Autumn Production of Happy Families by John Godber went down a storm last Thursday night. They played to a full house and had several well deserved curtain calls.

Happy Families follows the life of John, the son of Dot and Vic, from childhood to adulthood. John was brilliantly played by Richard Bailey, and the audience immediately warmed to him.

Other cast members were:
Jenny Bellamy
Jonathan Trenholme
Jill Davis
Brian Howard Gregg
Jacqui Hedley
Susan Smith
Kathryn Carter
Saffron-Skye Headley

Congratulations to the director Julie Prescott who, in my opinion, cast this play perfectly. And to the cast for their hilarious, and poignant performance. I am a big fan of 'The Royle Family' and this play was definitely on a par with them.

I shall never drink Earl Grey again without laughing, and you might guess that in our house it has now become Early Grey!
And, I can remember drinking Rington's Tea during my childhood.

Another great production, however, I was disappointed again that our National Anthem wasn't played prior to the performance. It used to be - why the change?

Ripon Gazette

Look what I saw today when I went to Masham newsagents to collect my newspaper.

I just had to go home, grab my camera, and go back to get a shot.

Well done Masham Players for putting on a great performance, and good on the Ripon Gazette for telling the world via this billboard!

Note these dates in your diary. The Autumn Production will be performed in Masham Town Hall on 19th 20th and 21st November 2009.

Sleepers Awake presented by Masham Players Spring 2009

The spring production of Masham Players Sleepers Awake by Alan Griffiths was billed as a lighthearted play.


I went along to the opening night, Thursday 19th March, and was entertained throughout.

The programme said:
A strange visit from the electricity board man followed soon afterwards by a visit from the gas board man, may cause a wedding to be postponed and the promise of a holiday in Scotland that no one wants. For Mr & Mrs Rainbow these strange events bring something almost surreal into their normal quiet lives. Will they be able to cope with what is asked of them? Or will the whole episode end in absolute chaos and danger?

The audience loved it!

The play was superbly directed by Marjorie Tate, and the two new members, Elizabeth Wilcox and Charlie Andrew, were exceptionally good.

The cast of six performed with gusto. Jonathan Trenholme and Susan Rouse, as Mr. and Mrs. Rainbow, played their parts extremely well, particularly the hilarious karate scene, and the reaction of their neighbour, Doreen, was played to perfection by Pam Grimsditch.

Add to this Ron Smith and Charlie Andrew playing Ivan Gromyenko and George Phipps Sanderson with enthusiastic exuberance. And Elizabeth Wilcox as Sharon, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Rainbow, whose wedding may have to be postponed, and what do you get? An absurd situation, but a situation that the audience loved.

At the end of the performance I heard comments like: perfect casting, brilliant acting, just the right length, and the best yet!

Congratulations to Masham Players for another outstanding production.

HOWEVER, I have one criticism.

There was no National Anthem played at the beginning of the performance, and I, among many others, would like to know why not?

Masham Players present Darling Mr. London

I am not a particular fan of farces but when Masham Players played to an almost full house on Thursday 20th November 2008 with their autumn production Darling Mr. London - a farce by Anthony Marriott and Bob Grant - directed by Brian Howard Gregg, this one really gripped me.

The stage set was perfect. It had so many doors I was left wondering how on earth the cast managed to remember which way to turn!
This was a fast-paced play well acted that had the audience laughing long and loud.

It was set in the home of Edward Hawkins and was full of over-the-top characters, absurd situations and mistaken identities.



The situations in this case arrive at the home of Edward Hawkins in the form of Miss Europhone contestants looking for their darling Mr. London. Edward valiantly tries to hide them and the truth from his wife Rose. Throw in a curate who thinks the pompous brother-in-law is a secret drinker, who thinks the curate is a secret drinker. Lock mother-in-law in the loo. And there you are. A wonderfully funny situation.


I must congratulate the cast on their expertise in French, Italian and German.

The cast included some familiar faces: Kathy Boyer, Richard Bailey, Jonathan Trenholme, Kathryn Carter, Jackie Jones, Jill Davies, Ron Smith and two new players Sue Smith (wife of Ron) and Helen Kennedy.

It was a very enjoyable night and the evening was perfectly rounded off with a supper included in the ticket price.

Masham Players - The Bolt Hole

As you know I love my amateur dramatics. And last night I was usherette and ice cream seller for my local am. dram. society, Masham Players, in North Yorkshire.

The second the curtain went up on the brilliant set the audience knew they were in for a treat. And we were off on a journey of laughs.

The new director, Susan Rouse, did a cracking job with her casting and they did her proud.

Marjorie Tate, Julie Prescott and Gill Davies played the parts of the three elderly sisters (Joanna and Tessa Hamshaw and May Jones) who inherit an isolated property in the middle of Dartmoor (The Bolt Hole).
The chemistry between these three actors was a joy to watch, and they captivated the audience from the word go.
The sisters are looking forward to peace and quiet after living in London, but things don't turn out as they imagined when guests drop in and become almost part of the family. Complications arise when their niece visits, bringing her fiance, who just happens to be a Detective Inspector. You might guess that the 'guests' are not as innocent as they should be. There were lots of laughs in this comedy which was acted well with great timing (very important) and gusto. They deserve a pat on the back.

The cast and crew work long and hard to bring these productions to fruition. It takes hours to build the set, hours of rehearsals, hours on admin and advertising, and it's all voluntary. The Thursday night audience was treated to a supper courtesy of the Players and all of this puts demands on busy lifestyles.

The new cast members did a great job - I know from personal experience just how hard it is to learn lines and then deliver them convincingly. Well done!

However, I have to say that the entire cast were brilliant. In my opinion they were a credit to Susan's casting and direction. She is no stranger to treading the boards herself being an accomplished actress. She should be proud of her 'Director' debut.
I think she may have found it a bit weird though having to direct her mother (Marjorie Tate) who played the somewhat dizzy sister May :-)

I really enjoyed this play - it made me laugh. I think it was great choice.