'Art In Motion' at Darlington Hippodrome

You may remember a year ago I blogged about my great niece's debut on stage at Darlington Hippodrome performing with The Sandra Welsh School Of Dance located in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, UK

A year on and off we, my two friends and I, went to the theatre again to watch them perform Art In Motion. And what a grand entertaining night it was too. There was everything in this joyous show, tap dancing, ballet, disco and singing.  

                                        

                                        

What an amazing team. Everyone is committed to what they do from the performers to the back stage team. When I go along to a show I always look for the emotion behind the performance. The performers showed this in spades. You could tell in their eyes they had feeling and passion for what they were doing and they connected magnificently with the audience. Their energy was amazing. Well done to all who took part.

Photos taken by Ellie Anderson Photography ©

(used with permission)

 

     

                  

Recommended By Ellen Dean

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'In The Spotlight' at Darlington Hippodrome

On Saturday 6th October I went along with friends and family to Darlington Hippodrome to watch my three year old great-niece Isabelle perform with The Sandra Welsh School Of Dance in their show 'In The Spotlight'. This show was a real treat, and Isabelle's stage debut. I was so excited.

Every member of the cast from the youngest to the oldest (three to eighteen years respectively) gave outstanding performances. There was a full range of singing and dancing. The little ones came on, with chaperones, to a lots of oohs and aahs from the audience - including mine - then the chaperones disappeared into the wings. Did they get stage fright? Not a bit. They performed their routine like little troopers.

The whole show was very uplifting to say the least. One could be forgiven for thinking they were watching a professional West End Show. It was full of life, love and laughter, absolutely bursting with talent. A real tribute to The Sandra Welsh School Of Dance based in Bishop Auckland, County Durham. 

Photos taken by Paul Anderson ©

(used with permission)

                             

   

                             

                                      
   

                                    

Footnote: Isabelle takes her singing and dancing very seriously. I was shopping in Ripon a few days before the show buying an item of clothing for Isabelle. I rang her mother, to ask which size I should buy. Isabelle then came on the phone and started to sing 'You Are My Sunshine' her show song 🎼  She wanted me to sing with her, so I did, much to the amusement of the other shoppers, and staff 😄

Ellen Dean Recommends

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 Musical Society - Forthcoming Annual Concert 4th December 2010

Masham Musical Society will be performing their annual concert 'A Miscellany of Song' in the Town Hall, Masham, North Yorkshire, on Saturday 4th December 2010 at 7.30pm.
Tickets £5 on the door include a light supper after the performance.

Come along and enjoy music from Rogers & Hammerstein, Mercer & Mancini, Lennon & McCartney. And Christmas Carols that you can join in with.

Amy and Sat Nav sing with the sopranos :-) Not to be missed!

Conductor Jonathan Heitler  

Secretary Liz Whelan, Jonathan, Treasurer Anne Gregg 

Chairman Mr. Jim Heaton

Ellen Dean with Amy Addison

Photos taken at the June 2010 society fundraiser 

MashamMusicSociety

New members always welcome

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.

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?

The Prisoner of Zenda

On Tuesday North Country Theatre came to Fearby Village Hall and transformed it into Ruritania.

You might ask why.

They came to perform Nobby Dimon's ingenious adaptation of The Prisoner of Zenda - a novel by Anthony Hope.

It was billed as 'An hilarious ripping yarn of swashbuckling romance' and it was right on the button.

The cast:
Rudolph Rassendyll - Josh Boyd-Rochford
Melbecks, Col Sapt & others - Nobby Dimon
Rose, Lady Burlesdon, Antoinette de Mauban - Vivienne Garnett
Lord Burlesdon, Kind Rudolf of Ruritania, Rupert of Hentzau - Simon Kirk
Heidi, Princess Flavia - Victoria Brazier

Audience participation is always a big part of North Country Theatre productions, and tonight was no exception. We were asked to show our support by choosing either a red or a black flag to wave at the appropriate times. I was a royalist so waved a red flag. Sat Nav (Gloria) waved a black flag in support of Black Michael (who incidentally was a puppet) . . . you had to be there! We also had a line to remember and this made us very much a part of the action.

The audience were in fits of laughter when the improvised horses appeared and galloped around the hall. And there were loud oohs and aahs during the sword fencing scene, which was extremely cleverly done.

This is the third production I have seen by North Country Theatre, and already I am looking forward to the next one.

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.

The Last Night of the Proms

Last night Sat Nav and I went to Darlington Civic Theatre www.darlingtonarts.co.uk to see The British Philharmonic Orchestra perform The Last Night of the Proms. Conducted by Alistair Lilley (now... I have something very important - and impressive - to share with you.... I am proud to tell you that my great-uncle used to conduct this very Orchestra - see, I knew you'd be impressed!) and lead by Alison White.
They were absolutely brilliant. Jeni Bern and Andrew Forbes Lane were the Soloists, and Mark Langley the Presenter. So with this line up you can guess that we were in for a special treat.

The theatre was full to the brim, but alas unlike some, we had forgotten to take our flags with us!
This meant that we couldn't join in :-(
But the clever theatre staff were prepared and during the interval Sat Nav discovered that suitable flags were on sale at the sweetie kiosk. Naturally she rushed off to buy a couple so we could join in and wave to our hearts content. Which we did, and Sat Nav usually very conservative waved her flag with the best of them!

Now, let me tell you about the fabulous music....well, where to start?.... we enjoyed selections from The Sound of Music, Phantom of the Opera, Mary Poppins, and Grease - with the soloists dressed in 70's gear for Grease.
Sat Nav was in raptures with the medley from My Fair Lady - her absolute favourite film.

We were soothed with gentle tones, totally relaxed, but then they played the Dr Who theme with terrific verve and what came next was a bit of a shock.
We were sitting at the end of the front row of the dress circle next to the right hand box, (yes, you do need to know this) when I was deafened by a scary familiar voice booming out from said box...it was a dalek... and it was shouting as plain as day 'exterminate!!!....exterminate!!!'
I couldn't believe it, - what a ploy and what a shock. The entire audience re-acted....It was brilliant.
Recovered, I told myself - don't be silly there can't possibly be daleks in here - can there? lol!!!

We enjoyed the company of two lovely ladies throughout the concert, Mave and her friend Marjorie from Northallerton. Mave is something of a celebrity - although retired she taught theatrical makeup and her students have gone on to great things. Thanks Mave for giving me your programme :-)

And thanks to the British Philharmonic for giving us such a treat...I know that I've said this before, but I'm going to say this again, IF YOU GET THE CHANCE - GO AND SEE THEM!
Whoops! Nearly forgot...Sat Nav and I are now officailly Promenarders ;-)

'Oh What a Night' - Darlington Civic Theatre

Last night Sat Nav and I went to see Kid Creole (without his coconuts) at Darlington Civic Theatre in a show called 'Oh What A Night!'

We were to meet up with my sister and her friend. We were traveling to the theatre from different directions.... Sat Nav and I heading North while my sister and her friend headed South. We were to meet in the middle, at Darlington.
Sis and friend had decided to have a meal before the show, so when we arrived I phoned her. They were in the Indian restaurant beside the theatre and were told that if they presented their show tickets then they would receive a 10% discount!

I could see the Indian restaurant as we walked towards the ticket office. After collecting our tickets we came out of said Ticket Office and went into the restaurant. Or so we thought!

I looked around and couldn't see my sister anywhere.
A waitress said 'would you like to come this way' I said 'yes, but I'm looking for my sister'. By that time a waiter carrying pizza's walk past us - strange in an Indian restaurant - the penny should have dropped then really. By that time everyone had turned to look at us, probably wondering why we were looking so blank.

I said to the waitress 'is this the Indian restaurant' she said 'no this is the Italian....the Indian Restaurant is next door' lol!!!
How embarrassing is that?

In my defence even though they are next door to each other they do appear to merge into one.. lol!!! That's my excuse anyway...

So we eventually found my sister and her friend enjoying a curry next door in the Indian Restaurant, and they got their 10% off. And the very nice guy in the Indian restaurant brought Sat Nav and I a couple of After Eight mints. How sweet is that ?

On with the show.....The curtain went up at 8pm and the audience were on their feet and dancing in the aisles from then on.

Kid Creole (without his coconuts) but with some great dancers, absolutely rocked. I just love 70s disco music. Now...I know that some may call me sad, but I don't care....you can't beat it.

Here's a taste of the tunes, Celebration, We Are Family, Young Hearts Run Free, Oh What A Night, YMCA and I Will Survive, that we - the audience - took over......bloody marvelous.

The show had a fab finale with terrific audience participation. I doubt if Darlington Civic has rocked so enthusiastically before.....not since The Rocky Horror Show, at least!

That's two nights we've had out on the trot and we are 'in the doghouse' with our lovely dog for leaving him twice!!! Just to make us feel extra guilty he has refused to eat all of his breakfast this morning :-(
He'll have to have lots of special attention today to get us back into his good books. In true doggy fashion he is extremely good at making us feel guilty.....

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.

Rock and Roll meets Physiotherapy!

I'd been looking forward to seeing this band for weeks, and to catching up with Andy and Shaun. And as you might already know I love to put on my dancing shoes and make an exhibition of myself.

However...I've had a slight hitch as a couple of days previously I was attacked by the wind!

Again, it's no secret that my daily chores include cleaning up after our lovely Katie (horse) - and I'm a proper little Trojan because I do this in all weathers.
For those of you who are familiar with picking up after horses you will know the tools of the trade. For those who are not I'll try to describe them.... a rake that's hard to describe, but very light, and a scoop that resembles a hood on a stick.

I was working away, I'd emptied several scoops into the wheelbarrow in the field, and was carefully picking my way back through the mud into the top paddock when whooooosh...the wind howled around the corner and picked up the scoop - and me - with such force that I became a kite!
I was momentarily swept off my feet in what seemed like slow motion then dumped down hard right onto a boulder. Would you believe I was surrounded by grass, and mud, but I had to bang my hip on the only sodding boulder!

It didn't hurt at the time, so I got up, laughed about it, and carried on. The wind tried to get me again, but I was ahead of it. It wasn't going to catch me out a second time.
Katie looked somewhat amused by it all - but didn't come to offer any help, but did leave me another deposit!

Yesterday was a different story. I was in pain aaaaaarrrrrrrgggghhhhhh!
But...I was determined I wasn't going to let it spoil my dancing, and it didn't...I had waited too long to see this band.

T-Rex had a support group, so we got an unexpected treat.
And I say treat because you don't always know what you're going to get with a support band. But this group rocked!
They are called 'Helter Skelter'. I understand they come from Huddersfield...look out for them, they deserve bigger things. In fact they could have carried the night.

The Town Hall was packed, standing room only. So, I had to keep dancing to give my hip some physiotherapy. Naturally the T-Rex Tribute band were great.

I nearly forgot to tell you, our friend Brian (my Fling it Here, Fling it There co-star) had been pressured into local village hall duties. Of course being the good friend that I am, I rang his mobile phone and let him here the music. Within fifteen minutes Brian appeared in the doorway with a big smile on his face.

During the interval we all enjoyed yummy chocolate cake courtesy of Andy.
Thanks Andy! It was delicious.

Needless to say I am suffering today with my hip, and am in agony sat here typing this! But it was well worth it ;-)

Masham Players Spring Production 2008

Our spring play for 2008 is the gentle comedy "The Bolt Hole" by Langton
Smith. This is a three act play set in an isolated farm house on Dartmoor
and has a cast of four women and five men.

The reading for the play was held in January and was well attended. Since
then rehearsals have been progressing steadily with a good deal of fun and
laughter. In addition to 'old hands' we are pleased to welcome a new
producer, Susan Rouse, plus four newcomers to the Masham stage.

We wish them all the best and feel sure that they will all enjoy their first experience of "treading the boards" at the Town Hall . . . and we all know what that feels like ;-)

Venue: The Town Hall, Masham, North Yorkshire.
Performance dates: March 13th, 14th, and 15th.
Curtain up at 7.30pm. sharp!
Tickets on sale from Marsden Pharmacy, Market Place, Masham, during normal business hours.

The Magic of the Musicals

Last night Sat Nav and I were excited.
We were braving the traffic and heading up the A1 again, in the dark ugh, en route for Darlington to see The Magic of the Musicals Show at the Civic Theatre.
For once the traffic was a breeze so we arrived early but, when we got to the theatre, it was under siege. This was obviously a very popular show.

Settled in our seats in the front row of the dress circle - and coincidentally I was sitting next to a fellow author - we waited expectantly for the show to start. Wish the seats were a bit more comfortable though, and, we could have done with more leg room.
At 7.30pm the curtain went up and the theatre became alive with The Sound of Music (and so did Darlington), then together we Climbed Every Mountain, loitered High on a Hill with a Lonely Goatherd, and rode along in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Bliss.

Next up were two of my favourite Abba songs, Waterloo and Mamma Mia. Well . . . I had to sing along, didn't I? (Don't worry, I'd already asked the people around us not to throw their Malteasers at me when I sang!)

Along the way we had some Summer Loving from Grease and lingered for a while on The Street Where You Live (Sat Nav's favourite).

This was one hell of a show. Melanie Stace was the female lead vocalist, and gave a cracking performance. Dr. Hyacinth would have loved her glittery purple dress.
Robert Meadmore was the male lead vocalist. He kindly encouraged the audience to sing along with him - which we did with gusto!
The charismatic Wayne Sleep surprised us all with his vocal talents and his brilliant dancing. He is just so clever . . . his funky version of Swan Lake was brilliant.

We had the absolute joy of live music from The Magic of the Musicals Orchestra (Sat Nav is now seriously considering finding time to go for those Sax lessons she has been talking about for ages . . . I've ordered cotton wool for myself and the dogs to protect our ears!).
Then there were the singers and dancers who were very much a part of this show. What can I say about them except that the girls were as sweet as a Spoonful of Sugar . . . lol!
And my God they must all be really fit to sing and dance at the pace they do.

So, Sat Nav and I applaud them. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and if you can get tickets to see the show . . . GO.
There aren't many performances left as the show finishes its UK run on 19th November at the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham.
BUT, it is in London at the Palladium for one show only on 18th November at 4pm. Don't know what the state of play is with tickets but you might be lucky.
Flying Music presented the show so you might like to check out dates and venues on their website Flyingmusic

Got to go now . . . I need to be On My Own for a little while . . . Sat Nav is going out so I will be Master of the House till she gets back . . . lol!
Wait a minute . . . I forgot to tell you what their finale was . . . very appropriately the entire cast performed I Am What I Am . . . and the entire audience joined in. Terrific stuff.

The Electrical Wizard of the North

So we live in the country - out in the sticks actually - but on Tuesday night The North Country Theatre Company brought their traveling production of 'The Electrical Wizard of the North' devised and superbly directed by Nobby Dimon to our village hall.

We are heavily involved in this happening ;-) We are the box office and afternoon catering team for the company and we also look after them throughout the performance. We know from personal experience just how welcome that cup of tea or cold drink is at the interval. I think Sat Nav's warm mince pies will go down in history they even got a mention in the 'thank yous' at the end of the performance ;-)

We have seen three productions by North Country Theatre now, and had two of them actually performed in our village hall. We like having them here and they like coming. They are a great bunch of actors, terrifically talented and this times production had some brilliant tricks that had us all wondering 'how on earth did they do that?' Of course they weren't telling. But how did Mystic Marie levitate? We all want to know!

The Electrical Wizard of the North was billed as an hilarious ripping yarn from the heyday of the Edwardian Music Hall. It included Hypnotism - Telepathy - Electricity - Mental Suggestion - Magnetic Touch - Clairvoyance. Wow! It was brilliant. I even took part . . . whey! Simon Kirk, who played Dr. Walford Bodie, involved me in one of the telepathy tricks and how he did it I do not know!

They are still touring with this production until December 15th and if you go to their website North Country Theatre you will find out if they are performing near you.
In 2008 they will be presenting an adaptation of 'The Prisoner of Zenda'. I can't wait to see what Nobby will do with this!