Nunsense

A Heavenly Musical Comedy!

by Dan Goggin

An amateur production by arrangement with Samuel FrenchRegistered Charity Number 227035

18th - 25th May 20198pm (Sunday 3pm)Tickets £11 (Sunday £10) members £7.50www.oasttheatre.com tel: 01732 363849

May 2019

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DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

MONDAY 6TH MAY LAST DAY FOR COPY FORJUNE OAST NOTES

Tuesday 7th May Book tickets for “Oklahoma”

Tuesday 7th May Meet the Directors

Friday 10th May Board Games Evening

Thursday 16th May Oast’s “Two Sister” entry inLeatherhead One Act Play Festival

Friday 17th May Oast’s “Effie’s Burning” entry inLeatherhead One Act Play Festival

Saturay 18th toSaturday 25th May incl.

Play of the Month:“Nunsense”

Saturday 1st June Edinburgh Fund Raising Quiz Night

NEXT MONTH’S PLAYS – Hoppers’ Summer Show – 8th & 9th June.Four dozen actors & two great plays to show-case the Hoppers’ actingtalents. “Static FM” by Phil Burns & “Space Museum” by Phil Burns.

“Mindgame” by Anthony Horowitz – 22nd - 29th June. A puzzle-box ofa play. A dazzling thriller and a jet black comedy that twists its waytowards a shocking conclusion.

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PLAY OF THE MONTH

“Nunsense” a musical comedy by Dan Goggin

Sinfully Funny!

This heavenly musical comedy features The Little Sisters of Hoboken,nuns who are hungry for the spotlight having found themselves in a bitof a pickle: their cook, Sister Julia – Child of God, has accidentallypoisoned 52 of their fellow sisters and they are in dire need of funds topay for the burials. What’s a Sister to do? Put on a variety show, ofcourse! And these nuns have got the talent to do it! With their wackyyet surprisingly heartfelt performances, they’ll prove that “whilethey’re on their way to Heaven, they’re here to raise some Hell!” So,lift up your spirits & join a jovial Reverend Mother Regina, a formercircus performer - Sister Mary Hubert Mistress of the Novices, astreetwise nun from New York - Sister Robert Anne - Sister Mary Leo,a novice & a wannabe ballerina - Sister Agnes Aquinas, a hippie nun -Sister Angelica, a nun with a colourful past and finally the delightfullywacky Sister Mary Amnesia who lost her memory when a crucifix fellon her head.

Fraught with hilarity we watch the nuns try to perform their plannedperformances amidst chaos and calamity.

Featuring star turns, tap dancing and with some truly hilarious comicsurprises. This show has it all for ages 9 to 99 and is not to be missed.

So, get thee to ‘Nunsense’ – cos nuns really do have more fun!

Helen ThorpeDirector

Need a break from all the current doom and gloom? Well here is themuch needed antidote. Please do not miss your opportunity to see thiswonderful show. Make sure you book tickets really early, online atwww.oasttheatre.com or by telephone on 01732 363849 or even by postmaking use of an Advance Booking Form which you can pick up in thefoyer at the theatre

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“Oklahoma”!

CHICHESTER FESTIVAL THEATRETHURSDAY, 15TH AUGUST

Please join our annual outing to Chichester which this year will beto see their production of the ever popular “Oklahoma”.

The coach will leave the Oast Theatre at 9.00am to allow ampletime for lunch and a stroll in the city.

The theatre seating will be similar to previous visits.

We aim to return to the Oast at approximately 7.00pm dependingon the traffic conditions!

The cost is £36.00 per person to include the show ticket, coachtravel and driver’s tip.

To reserve your place, please contact Carol Wickham 01732851139 from 9.00am on Tuesday 7th May.

Carol Wickham

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MEMBERS’ EVENING

Tuesday, 7th May7.30pm for 8.00pm

MEET THE DIRECTORS!

The plays for the 2019-2020 season have been selected. Come andhear the directors talk about the play they have chosen to direct.

If you are interested in taking part in a production, either on stageor as part of the backstage crew, you will be able to find out more.

As an Audience member discover the variety of plays you have tolook forward to.

If you would like a backstage tour of the theatre please come at7.30pm.

The bar and coffee bar will be open.

We look forward to seeing you in the Bar Lounge for an interestingand lively evening!

Sandra Barfield & Jo Pierce

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SOCIAL EVENT: Board Games Evening

On 10th May we are having a board games night at the Oast.An opportunity to gather with friends and family, enjoy a fewdrinks And play some great games.

We’ll start proceedings off at 7.30pm.

The bar will be open and there will be refreshments and cakeavailable. There will also be some fundraising in support ofour new Edinburgh Fringe production, “Being Frank”.

Entrance will be free, but please contact Ian Tucker-Bell oneither 07808 701819 or ianrbell@rocketmail.com to let usknow you’re coming.

We look forward to beating you at Scrabble!

Ian Tucker-Bell

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ONE ACT PLAYS FESTIVAL ATLEATHERHEAD THEATRE

If you missed seeing our entries for the Festival plays at the Oast,Sevenoaks or Oxted, please come and support us when we shall bepresenting them at Leatherhead.

Tickets can be obtained from the Box Office at the theatre inLeatherhead – 01372 365141 or online attheleatherheadtheatre.org

Our productions will be presented

onTHURSDAY, 16th May at 7.30pm

“Two Sisters” by Caroline HardingCast:Lizzie GoodallMaggie WeaverDirector:Pamela Murphy

onFRIDAY, 17th May at 7.30pm

“Effie’s Burning” by Valerie WindsorCast:Elizabeth McCreadieKate PetersDirector:Sandra Barfield

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EDINBURGH FUNDRAISING QUIZ NIGHT –1ST JUNE

The Orange Works invite you, your friends, and your families,to join them for a Quiz Night at The Oast Theatre on 1st June,to raise money to take two plays to the Edinburgh FestivalFringe this summer.

Teams of up to six are invited to compete, with prizes for thewinners, lemons for the losers, and a good time for everyone.If you can’t find a team, don’t worry – we will find one for you!

The quiz will begin at 7.30pm. The bar will be open, andfreshly baked cake will be available to purchase. There mighteven be a raffle!

Tickets are £5.00 per person. Please book in advance. Toreserve a table contact Ian or Philip on 01732 885170 or emailianrbell@rocketmail.com

The Orange Works are a small group of Oast Members with apassion for taking original work to the Edinburgh FestivalFringe. This year we will be taking “Trans Pennine” and“Being Frank” – a new piece exploring mental health. We willbe at The Space on North Bridge, Edinburgh from 12th to 24th

August.

Ian Tucker-Bell

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NEW MEMBERS

Just a few new members to welcome this month.

Two new Hoppers –

Melissa Bradburne

And

Charlie Simmons

And adults –

Adriana Capadose who is interested in Acting and Directing.

Rebecca Clow who is also interested in Acting & Directing andTheatre Workshops.

Jonathan Farley wishes to become involved in Acting, Front ofHouse, Coffee Bar and Ice Creams. Well done. We are alwayslooking for new recruits to the last three duties Jonathan.

Welcome to The Oast, all of you. We are so glad to have youwith us and we hope you will enjoy your membership.

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ONE POINT OF VIEW

“The Birds”by Conor McPherson

One of the problems when adapting a story/book for the stage(however good the story) is showing the passing of time.Inevitably the story covers several years and the adaptor has noalternative but to show this over several scenes. And in this case ittook 16, albeit all on one set. In this production the scene changeswere executed extremely efficiently by the cast. But however hardthe Director/cast/and stage management work to handle thesechanges it must eventually slow down the action. And the cast hasto work extra hard to start each scene on a high note rather thancarry on at the level of the last scene. This was achieved withremarkable success in most cases but I thought slowed the action alittle sometimes because of the sheer complexity of the changeswhich took time.

The set was very good and realistic with shutters and bars andaudible locks. Certainly up to the usual Play Group standard. Thesound effects of the birds was very realistic and frightening andadded to the chilling atmosphere. We in the audience felt we hadto duck several times as we were attacked. The lighting waseffective although I thought perhaps it was a little dark onoccasions so that we didn’t get the full effect of the actors’ facialexpressions some times.

The acting was of a very high standard. It is not very easy tomaintain a genuine American accent for a whole play, and whilst itmay not have been accurate in some places, it did not worry ordistract from the whole. Good performances from Vivienne, Karenand Andy, and Patrick Carty who was performing for the first timeat the Oast. We hope we shall see more of him in the future.

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“The Birds” contd.

Overall I thought the production achieved the chilling/frighteningeffect required. Maybe the sudden appearance of Julia requiredmore explanation or suspicion and the ending was a bit sudden, butthis is probably the author’s fault rather than the production. Ithought the greatest compliment came from the lady sitting next tome in the audience. She was a stranger – staying in the hotel nextdoor and came in to ‘pass the time’ but was ecstatic about theproduction and the Oast. It transpired that she was an Am/Dramexpert from the north. She thought the production and the Oastfirst class. And so say all of us.

John Perry

BOX OFFICE RESULTS

A total of 732 seats were sold for “The Birds”, being 82% of thecapacity.

There was one sell out night and 2 additional tip up seats were soldthat evening.

The seats were sold to – 155 (21%) Season Ticket Holders, 239(33%) Members, 333 (46%) Non Members and 3 AssociateMembers.

542 transactions were made online, accounting for 74% of thetransactions made.

Brian Perryman

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ONE POINT OF VIEW

OAST YOUTH THEATRE

“Oast Assortment”

When I heard that the planned Youth Theatre production had beencancelled, I wondered how Jason and his cast could manage to getan alternative programme together in time. However, the YouthMembers, in the true tradition of the Oast, (that the show must goon), selected a series of short plays and put all their energy,enthusiasm, and creativity into producing a wonderful fun-packedevening’s entertainment. Well done Jason and also LukeMorrison, both of whom were instrumental in seeing that theproduction went ahead. This was Luke’s directorial debut.

I loved the contemporary and minimal set, which worked brilliantlyfor both the Youth plays and the Trinity Youth Theatre’sproduction, which formed the second part of the evening.

The sound and lighting worked really well enabling the twoexcellent and highly confident link men – Richard Miller and LukeMorrison – to take us through seamlessly from one play to the next.

Praise too for Alison Miall’s costumes – loved the link men’s attire!

The first play, entitled “AUTO-INCORRECT”, took a hilariouslook at what can happen when high-tech goes wrong. Nat Holmesgot every ounce of comedy out of the script and, while making uslaugh, still managed to show the sheer desperation of having nocontrol over what he was saying when trying to impress a new girlfriend over dinner. Ellie Mustill-King played Claire, his long-suffering date, with elegance and sophistication.

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“OAST ASSORTMENT” contd.

This was followed by “RATBOY”, in which Liam Kinsella Swanplayed the title role who perceived himself a very disillusioned anddepressed rival to ‘Superman’, and who was seeing a psychiatrist.Liam commanded the stage with confidence and energy but at thesame time showing us his vulnerability. A lovely characterisation.Bryce Tiltman, as Dr Oscar, gave a natural and under-statedperformance with a quiet calm which worked as an excellentcontrast to ‘Ratboy’.

The third play, “PRESS CONFERENCE”, was actually written byYouth Member Jacob Watson, who must be congratulated onproducing such a satirical view of these all too familiar events! Thecomedy here came from Nat Holmes as the Politician, and his twoAdvisors, Jacob Watson and Liam Kinsella Swan. Nat gave a veryamusing performance as the bumbling politician desperately tryingto carry out his Advisors’ instructions to no effect. Jacob and Liamwere the perfect double act getting every bit of humour out of theircharacters. The three reporters were totally convincing and theywould not have been out of place on ‘News at Ten’. LauraKuenssberg eat your heart out!

Another completely contrasting play came in the form of “GOINGALL THE WAY”, demonstrating the disadvantages of a SatNav.Jamie Holden was totally truthful and believable as the car driver.This enabled the SatNav, Matthew Ferdinando, to bring out muchof the humour, which he did perfectly. They worked so welltogether. Finally, Jacob Watson appeared as the Policeman, andgave us yet another lovely character.

This was followed by “ROOM IN THE WOMB”, a very amusingview of what happened when ‘Sperm’, played by Liam KinsellaSwan, and ‘Egg’, played by Auriel Tiltman met in the womb.These two actors were perfectly balanced and their individualcharacters were well-drawn. Congratulations to both of them.

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“OAST ASSORTMENT” contd.

The next play, “SHADES OF PINK”, was about three menthreatening to shoot each other, but never managing it! These wereplayed by Sam Baker, Jacob Watson and Jamie Holden, and it wasa true ensemble piece requiring them to remain in a triangularposition while moving in different directions at the same time. Thismust have required quite a bit of practice and it worked perfectly.They all deserve equal praise for this entertaining performancewhich demanded both energy and concentration.

The final play, and probably the one with the greatest audiencereaction, was “A FAIRY STORY” – a wonderfully amusing takeon the story of ‘Sleeping Beauty’. This was actually written by thecast and performed by the Ensemble. Every cast member broughttotal energy, vitality and enthusiasm to their performance. Thiswas a male ‘Sleeping Beauty’ and a human spinning wheel thatrolled onto the stage – brilliant idea and very funny. A trueensemble piece which showed just what wonderful teamwork thereis in our Youth Theatre.

Congratulations Jason, Luke and the Youth Theatre! The Oastshould be so proud of you all!

The second part of the evening was The Trinity Youth Theatre’sproduction of “Variations” by Katie Hims. This was full of vimand vigour and, again, brilliant ensemble playing. Well done to allof you!

Maggie Hoiles

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THE LITTLE THEATRE GUILD NATIONALCONFERENCE 2019As the representatives of the Oast Theatre we recently attended theconference near Birmingham, hosted by Highbury Theatre, togetherwith attendees from thirty nine other amateur groups. A great deal ofeffort had obviously been put in by the entire membership to ensure avery interesting and informative few days. We learnt a lot about howothers run their theatres from informal conversation and from the OpenForum at the AGM.

We were the audience to the first staged presentation of “Rubbish”, aplay written by one of the members. It was very well done. Sometimesamusing, but showing the serious implications when collectingdevelops into hoarding. We also joined the public to see theHighbury’s current play, “Rules for Living” which concerned adysfunctional family at Christmas. Again, amusing but with darkovertones, and very well acted. There were various Workshops to join.The one we chose was actually an entertaining talk from the writerJenny Landreth, telling us how she researched, and came to write herbook entitled ‘Am Dram’, shortly to be published. She now has verywide and knowledgeable views on our hobby…resulting in aninteresting discussion. We intend to buy her book!

For three hours on the Saturday afternoon everyone, no excusesaccepted, joined in creating ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’. No one hadany idea exactly what this would involve, the circus … but how? Wewere split into four groups, sound, lights, props and performers, withno choice where we ended up. There were members from every aspectof theatre, and it was apparent that the idea was to completely forgetcomfort zones. There was panic on a lot of faces! However, the endresult, we all agreed, was fantastic, great fun and very enjoyable. Thoseon the technical side learned a lot and others improvised in a way theyhad not imagined they could!

We hoped you might like to hear about our very worthwhile weekendwith the opportunity to learn more and to tell a lot of people aboutour own super theatre club.

Kate Robbins & Shirley Browning

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100 CLUB – MARCH RESULTS

£50.00 Mr & Mrs Curtis£25.00 Ms P Warren£10.00 Mr A Chant£10.00 Mrs L Kirk£10.00 Mrs E Hutton£10.00 Mr D Raven

Have YOU thought about joining?

It only costs £13.00 per year!

It helps to 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 358282Or email on 100club@oasttheatre.com

For available numbers – check with Rita.

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ART GROUP NEWS

The Art Group AGM was held on 19th March with three main itemson the agenda – the election of the Chairman for the ensuing year,the Tuesday afternoon practical sessions, and the organisation ofthe Annual Exhibition.

The election saw Gordon Court in post again as Chairman.

The general discussion around the practical sessions, which weregenerally agreed to be running satisfactorily, also brought up manyideas as to how we could generate more interest through a muchmore proactive use of the Club’s website and these will beprogressed.

The dates of the Annual Exhibition were agreed to be 21st to 29th

July to coincide with the production of “Charley’s Aunt”. Theexhibition will be open in the Janet Young Room with stewardsavailable to provide information and process any sales from anhour before the start of each performance until the end of theinterval.

Gordon Court

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THANK YOU BARBARA

After just over forty years of dedicated service, Barbara Fermorhas decided, sadly for the Oast, to call time on her Front-of-Houseduties.

She began, she tells me, in 1976 when Leslie Cooper was in chargeof the Front-of-House team. When the Oast introduced an eight-show schedule and the Sunday afternoon performance was born,Leslie saw it as safe for women to be Front-of-House! Sundayperformances ended mainly in daylight: evening performances, forthe most part, did not. As a result, Barbara became a Sundayafternoon FOH fixture. Her ‘uniform’ was black and white as thiswas the closest approximation to the men’s dress code.

Barbara also created table decorations for many plays. Thesedecorations always reflected the theme of the production.

So: no longer will Barbara roam the auditorium or chivvy patronsto their seats.

The Oast thanks her for her dedicated service: she will be muchmissed.

Phil Porter

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NOTES FROM THE WARDROBE

The V & A exhibition has just opened in London giving tributeto Mary Quant, the designer who popularised the mini skirt,described in the Evening Standard as ‘the gymslip of thepermissive society’.

In the Roundel showcase we have a typical 1960s Mary Quantdress. Neat, brief, crisp and youthful which would have beenworn with the new craze for tights and maybe white boots madein plastic!

Jean Bruce

OFFICERSChairman PHIL PORTER 01732 835460

chair@oasttheatre.com

Honorary Treasurer DAVID KEITH 01732 458876treasurer@oasttheatre.com

Honorary Secretary ELIZABETH PORTLOCK 01732 300551secretary@oasttheatre.com

Membership Secretary BRIAN PERRYMAN 01732 354368membership@oasttheatre.com

Editor ANNIE YOUNG 01732 352084editor@oasttheatre

Hirings and Rehearsals LYN PORTER 01732 835460Bookings hire@oasttheatre.com

Premises Manager PHIL PORTER 01732 835460

Publicity MAGGIE HOILES 01622 813573marketing@oasttheatre.com

Security Manager DEREK ROSE 01732 358845security@oasttheatre.com

Wardrobe JO PIERCE 01892 528166Representative wardrobe@oasttheatre.com

Youth Theatre JASON LOWERyouth@oasttheatre.com 07812061753