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FHODS Highlights Edition 87 (May 2024)

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A WORD FROM THE CHAIR

We’re delighted to announce that Michelle Hartley has taken on the role of Events and Marketing Manager at the theatre. I’m sure most of you know Michelle very well, not only from her time as a volunteer and FHODS member, but also from her work is an administrator in the office. This is exciting new opportunity, and I’m sure you will all join me and the rest of the Exec Committee in wishing her all of the best in her new role.

In fact, Michelle has already hit the ground running and secured an interview with BBC South East on her first day in the role, discussing the importance of local theatre and the financial challenges we all face. Michelle’s interview is scheduled to be shown as part of a wider piece on the BBC South East Regional News this Thursday (May 2nd) at 1:30pm, and again at 6:30pm.

With the arrival of Spring, work has been under way on the new outdoor seating area under the capable guidance of Kate Richmond and Robert Emptage. Our next working party will be on May 4th from 10am and anyone that wants to come along and help is very welcome! Hot drinks and snacks will be provided. Also, if anyone has any decent garden furniture that they would like to donate please get in touch. Please let Kate know if you are planning on coming along at accounts@towertheatrefolkestone.co.uk.

Our youth section musical for this year “Into the Woods” took place last week to well attended audiences. Those that were able to come and support were amazed by the quality of this production from such a talented group of young people. Huge congratulations to them all and to those that assisted them with the show, especially Michelle and Andy Hartley who worked tirelessly to give them this fantastic opportunity.

Rehearsals are going well for our two May productions of “Hobson’s Choice” and “Six Dance Lessons” so make sure you book your tickets soon!

As always, a massive thanks to all our volunteers. We are very grateful to each and every one of you.

Alice Hawkins

PERFORMANCE & PLANNING COMMITTEE UPDATE

Huge congratulations to our Youth Section for another phenomenal production with Into the Wood, which wowed audiences recently – we were blown away by the talent on and off stage in putting this brilliant show together. Well done to everyone involved.

Our next FHODS production is Hobson’s Choice – this classic play has been brought into the 1960s and will be on stage 16-18 May – don’t leave it too late to get your ticket! This will be closely followed in the foyer by Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks from 23-25 May. The foyer play is new to FHODS and we hope you will join us in this more intimate setting to enjoy this fantastic play.

Finally, we’re delighted to announce that our November production has now been confirmed and that plans are underway to bring The Railway Children to the Tower. The get together will take place on Tuesday 28 May at 7pm, and auditions will be on 8 June from 10am. Please get in touch with Robert robertemptage@msn.com for more information, otherwise we hope to see many of you at the get together next month.

Julie Morrow, P&P Chair

EUROVISION! YES, EUROVISION!!!

We are delighted to be hosting Eurovision 2024 for all our members and guests in the foyer on 11 May from 7.30pm. The glitter and glam of the finals will be shown on the screen and the bar will be open for themed cocktails and general merriment.

There is a competition running alongside where you can win your very own replica of the trophy. Please ladies and gents, control yourselves!

Please join us, bring munchies, and feel free to dress as your favourite Eurovision winner of yesteryear.

Entry is £2 per person to cover the cost of the television licence, any ‘profit’ will go into the theatre. Your £2 will also enter you into the FHODS Eurovision Sweepstake. You can pay either in advance (and thereby receive your nominated country early to allow for costumes!) or on the door.

Competition

The rules to the sweep are very simple.

Every person will be given a randomly generated number on entry to the event either beforehand or on the door. One number per person. That number will correspond to the country you are now representing and will be in line with the official line-up order. So if your number is 2, whatever country is billed as second on the night, that will be your country to support. At the end of the evening, whichever country comes highest (it doesn’t have to be the actual winner of the competition, just within our group) is the winner and receives the trophy.

And yes! If you are allocated a country to support before the event, you can absolutely dress to impress in that nation’s national colours! Feathers, sequins and glitter not only allowed but positively encouraged.

Our Eurovision night is kindly organised by Becki and Luke, please get in touch with them if you have any questions or to book your place – lucas_1992@hotmail.co.uk or becki.reynolds77@gmail.com. All members and guests welcome.

SISTER ACT CAST ANNOUNCEMENT

We’re delighted to announce the cast list for this September’s musical, Sister Act. There was an amazing turnout and the audition panel had some very difficult decisions to make. Tickets are already selling well, so make sure you get yours soon!

The cast list is as follows – please join us in welcoming all of our new members.

Deloris Van Cartier – Amanda White
Mother Superior – Sian West
Eddie Souther – Luke Jones
Curtis Jackson – Paul Moran
Pablo – Jose Barrientos
TJ – Dylan Bryon
Joey – Richard Hawkins
Monsignor O’Hara – Michael Manton
Sister Mary Roberts – Georgia Smith
Sister Mary Lazarus – Charmian Heselden
Sister Mary Patrick – Katy Sherwood
Sister Mary Theresa – Anne Mortimer
Sister Mary Martin of Tours – Natalie Holness
Michelle/ Nun – Hannah Ridley
Tina/ Nun – Karen Marie-Brough
Ensemble/nuns – Rebecca Pyburn, Sheelagh Blackham, Racheal Criddle, Caroline Dowling, Joyce Whawell, Katy-Scarlett Coveney, Dawn-Theresa O’Bryan, Sarah-Louise Smith, Katie Bickley, Pauline Gullidge, Andrea Reid and Patricia Smith

Alice Hawkins (director) & Mike Manton (producer)

FACILITIES UPDATE

Hello all, time for another few paragraphs of fun facts with which you can impress your spouse, emotional support goldfish, gender fluid non-denominational partner(s) or other meaningful domestic cohabitee.

Anyroadup, we’ve cleansed the theatre of another rodent, a juvenile, possibly the heartbroken offspring of the two we murdered in last month’s episode. Fun-fact – a rodent isn’t vermin until it comes into the building, if it remains outside the building it is classed as part of the natural food chain and can’t be touched. So we’ve sealed up as many obvious routes of ingress as possible to prevent further dreary grubby diseased creatures entering the building (although children may continue to use the stage door as usual).

We completed the repairs to the gas boilers, although we had to spend a further £600 on a replacement pump, however we managed to get everything flushed, re-assembled and certificated one hour before doors opened for the first performance of ‘A Murder Is Announced’ so piece of cake. Next problem was that somehow the thermostat controls had been set to come on between 2am and 10am everyday which was costing us a lot of money so we had to work to sort out the controlling software and many thanks to Steve Hawkins for coming through on that.

The coke drinks mixer in the cellar went AWOL as did the beer dispensing system but we called up the Coca-Cola Corporation and Shepherd Neame and said the performance of their equipment was hampering our ability to sell their products and they were both with us within 24 hours and fixed us up. Isn’t capitalism wonderful?

We have had a Fire Risk Assessment performed by a competent person and we are a ‘medium risk’. That’s not so good and will involve us working through various actions in order to bring us up to fire code. That’s going to take time and money but as ever we’re rectifying past problems and we’ll work through the steps and do what needs to be done and we’ll be OK.

Finally a big welcome to Robert, our new theatre technical manager who has already had a noticeable impact around the building and with whom I am very much looking forward to working with over the coming months.

Paul Milton, Exec Committee

THE DRESSING BOOK – THE RUDE MECHANICAL THEATRE COMPANY

The Rude Mechanical Theatre Company is bringing its latest show, The Dressing Book, to Lyminge on Sat 22 June on Tayne field.

This original play by The Rudes is a comedy for six actors, but gentle, poetic and tender, using material we have garnered with the help of The V&A. It is set in the late 18th Century, but plays games with time and social status and has a twist in the tail.

It follows the ‘social round’ of Maybelline Erstwhile who records which dresses she wears for each event in her ‘dressing book’ – and the men she encounters while wearing them. The play opens a window on the way clothes were a means by which men could control the separated public and private worlds of women. Through a process of magic realism the action changes to the 1960’s and her clothes, which had been her prison, now set her free.

“In turn hilarious, touching & provocative, the play shows how social expectation, especially relating to how women should look, both in their body shape and their clothes, is still as relevant today as it was in 1795.”

For details – Therudes1948@gmail.com, 01323 501260

Stephen Sondheim's Into The Woods (FHODS Youth Section production, 2024)

FHODS Highlights Edition 86 (March 2024)

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A WORD FROM THE CHAIR

With spring just around the corner this feels like a good time for new beginnings and we are very pleased to inform members that we have successfully recruited two new members of staff to fill the Technical Theatre Manager role and to share Michelle’s role as Administrative Assistant. Robert (Technical Theatre Manager), and Ella (Administrative Assistant), will be starting with us on 3rd April and I am sure all members will join us in warmly welcoming them.

Huge congratulations must go to all involved in our recent production of “A murder is announced”. With packed audiences, there was a real buzz as people were leaving the auditorium having thoroughly enjoyed the show. As always, thanks to all of our volunteers, your continued support is vital and hugely appreciated.

We have several exciting productions in the pipeline at the moment. Rehearsals for Hobson’s Choice, our May play, are well under way, Beauty and the Beast, our summer musical, has started rehearsing, Six Dance Lessons, our first play to go on in the foyer, is also rehearsing and if successful, we hope to use the foyer more for similar productions.

A reminder that there will be a get together on Tuesday 26th March for our September musical Sister Act at 6pm in the foyer. For further information please email either Alice Hawkins (director – a.bell3@btinternet.com) or Mike Manton (producer – mikemanton@gmail.com).

Also another reminder to members about our next working party day on 14th April from 10am at the theatre. We are hoping for good weather so that we can continue clearing the outside space around the office and containers to make a nice seating area for members and eventually customers. We look forward to seeing lots of you there.

Finally, some sad news for members. Reana, our wonderful Events and Marketing Manager has decided the time is right to pursue new adventures and will be leaving us at the end of April. Reana has worked tirelessly in the office for almost 6 years and her commitment, dedication and passion for the theatre will be greatly missed. Reana would like to reassure members that we will still see her, as she would like to continue volunteering at events and visiting the theatre regularly, which we are all very pleased to hear. I am sure all members will want to join me in thanking Reana hugely for her contribution to the theatre and to wish her success and happiness for the future.

Alice Hawkins

PERFORMANCE & PLANNING COMMITTEE UPDATE

Our first production of the year, Agatha Christie’s A Murder is Announced, was a huge success – congratulations to the production team and cast. We had a near-sell out show – thank you to all of you who came to guess whodunnit!

Our next production is from our talented Youth Section who will bring us Into the Woods on 19-20 April, closely followed by the classic Hobson’s Choice on 16-18 May, brought into the swinging sixties. Tickets for both productions are now on sale – don’t leave it too late to get your seat! Auditions for our September production of Sister Act are on 7 April – as always, our auditions are open to members and non-members so please do spread the word.

Panto 2024

The deadline for submission for Aladdin is fast approaching – you can submit a proposal to P&P at jules_morrow@hotmail.com until 31 March. We’ll be announcing details of the successful team next month.

2025 Programme

We’ve been delighted to have some fantastic proposals for next year’s programme, but if you are interested in directing it’s not too late! Expressions of interest for 2025 close on 7 April, with the deadline for proposals on 5 May. So if you are thinking about proposing a show but haven’t yet been in touch, please do email me at jules_morrow@hotmail.com before 7 April and we can support you to develop a proposal by the May deadline.

As always, if you would like to get involved backstage do let me know, we’re always on the look out for new people to help to make our productions the best they can be.

Thanks so much for your continued support and I hope to see you soon at one of our upcoming productions.

Julie Morrow, P&P Chair

NEW FHODS MEMBERSHIP SYSTEM

Dear members, we are pleased to announce the launch of our new FHODS membership management system provided by MemberMojo.

You should’ve received an email on 18th March telling you all about the new system. If did not receive an email, please check your junk folder and email settings and be sure to add mailer.fhods@membermojo.co.uk to your allowed senders list if you use junk filters.

If you still do not have the email, then it may be that we have an incorrect email address for you on the system (we did get a few failures) — or we don’t have your email address at all. Please contact our membership secretary Michelle Hartley: membership@fhods.org.uk so we can correct this for you!

N.B. I included the wrong email address in that email – apologies if you’ve tried to make contact by it! The correct email address is membership@fhods.org.uk.

MemberMojo provides automated renewal reminders and an online payment system, meaning you can renew your membership at your convenience and even pay by credit/debit card online.

MemberMojo also provides a member portal where you can view and edit your personal details, check your membership number, review your payments and create/change your password.

Please let us know if you have any questions or feedback about the new system!

Ben Forrest
FHODS Exec Committee.

GET TOGETHER AND AUDITIONS – SISTER ACT

A reminder that the get-together and auditions for Sister Act are approaching fast.

Based on the 1992 film, it is set in the fabulous late-1970s Philadelphia. When disco diva Deloris Van Cartier witnesses a murder, she’s placed in protective custody where she won’t be found: a convent. Disguised as a nun, she finds herself at odds with the rigid lifestyle of Mother Superior. Using her unique talents, Deloris breathes new life into the church and community, ultimately blowing her cover. Will Deloris and her newly found sisterhood be a match when the murderer shows up?

Sister Act will be performed September 13-21. We will be having a get-together at the Tower Theatre at 6pm on Tuesday March 26 and auditions will be from 1pm on Sunday April 7.

Details of auditions and all audition pieces are now available on the FHODS Audition Website.

FACILITIES UPDATE

Right chaps, settle down, time for the fun stuff. In the past month we’ve had so much fun. We’ve had a rat! (“Dead for a ducat!”). It was running around in the auditorium, we tried to sign it up for crew but it wasn’t interested. I was asked what we should do about it. Apparently ‘The Pied Piper’ was the wrong answer, honestly there’s no pleasing some people (“That’s just what Jesus said sir!”).

So anyways we got in the pest control guy and we laid some traps for mice and rats and we put down some UV powder (in the crawl space beneath the seating). UV powder? Yep, what happens is the critter comes and snacks on the bait and treads in the UV powder, then a few days later you come back with a UV lamp and all the little footprints and tail swishes glow in neon yellow and you can figure out the comings and goings. Clever huh? There were quite a few footprints. And there were two dead woodmice, one male, one female, so if not already a breeding pair then a pair capable of breeding. So it wasn’t a rat in the auditorium it was a woodmouse, which is quite a bit bigger than a house mouse and leaves behind different sized turds – isn’t this fun?!. Oh the glamour of a life in the theatre.

We spent a lot of time getting in a contractor to quote for secondary glazing throughout and after much chasing they finally announced they didn’t want to do it as it was too hard and difficult. Yay. Also due to the extensive rains we’ve had some water ingress issues but I have a foolproof plan to counter this – I’m going to wait for it to stop raining. OK, it’s a nuisance but for the time being it’s bearable and we’ll look at addressing later.

We had a gas engineer in to service the boilers (legally we are obliged to hold gas safety certificates for those). Sadly the upshot was that we ended up with stickers on our boilers saying ‘Danger. Do not use’. The boilers had not been correctly wired together so in effect one was doing all the work. Also as the radiators have not been flushed for some time and all the crud that builds up was feeding back into the boilers, which in turn was causing the expansion tanks to leak water onto the the internal electrics. But other than that it was fine. The repair bill for that is £3,200 (that’s for a full chemical flush and two full boiler strip out repairs/replacement of life expired components and the gas safety certificates).

I’m sorry but I have to have those certificates. I know it sounds boring (probably because it is boring), but it’s actually quite important. We might be an amateur society but we’re a professional business and we need all the certificates every professional business needs, no-one cuts us any breaks because we’re a charity.

To continue that theme, during March, we are going to commence engaging with a Fire Risk Assessment consultant. It’s a legal requirement for us to have a Fire Risk Assessment and we don’t got one. That will lead to new adventures – correct positioning of fire escape luminaires, monthly fire extinguisher inspections, fire alarm testing, all sorts of grooviness. We need to instigate a regular fire safety programme, I know it’s really dull and I’m sorry I’m spending more of your hard earned money on more stuff you won’t see, but without these things our insurances won’t be valid and we’ll be attracting liabilities which could, worse case, shut us down. These are things that profesional businesses have to do and we just have to grit our teeth and work through it. Sorry.

Generally we need to move into a PPM regime. PPM is Planned Preventative Maintenance and we’ve not really been doing that consistently. It’s like having your car serviced, MOT’d etc. Currently the tyres are bald, the brakes grind, the oil needs changing and worst of all you can’t get Test Match Special on the radio (I know right! Nightmare!).

In other news. We bought a new drill! It’s yellow! It’s dead sexy and has two battery packs and we bought it using our new trade account card from Wickes which means we get 10% off from now on. Generally with regard to workshop kit we’re in not too bad a position but we have had a tendency in the past to buy on the cheap and when it comes to power tools and the like you generally tend to get what you pay for and we want the good stuff.

Finally I’ll end with a topic that most people are keen on. Chocolate! You will see that in the green room there is now a fridge. It has chocolates and soft drinks in it. If you fancy a snack take what you want and leave the money in the tupperware tub. It’s an ‘honour system’ (honour? You lot? Yeah whatevs). There is no surveillance, Big Brother is not watching you (you’re really not that interesting, get over yourself). If you take something please pay for it and we’ll use any profit to buy more equipment for the workshop. Look at it this way – by eating chocolate you’re making a real difference. Pork out to help out innit?

Paul Milton
Exec Facility Manager

INTO THE WOODS – APRIL 19-20

The Youth Section are working super hard on Sondheim’s classic musical, but ticket sales need a push!

This group are the next generation of FHODDIES, and we would really appreciate the support of FHODS members coming to see the show. With the amount of members we have, it would be easy to nearly get full houses, so please, please do come and support them.

Tickets are only £11 for adults and £8 for under 18’s, so it’s a relatively cheap night out to be treated to some incredible performances from our younger members.

We had a photoshoot last weekend, where we actually went ‘into the woods’, and got some lovely teaser pics. They have an Instagram account for anyone who would like to check it out @FHODSYOUTHSECTION, and they are posting updates and some of these pictures regularly.

Sondheim musicals are tricky to perform, those who were in Company and Sweeney Todd will be able to tell you! But the amount of work, talent and passion these youngsters have, are handling it like a duck to water – so please come and support the show.

Thank you in advance

Michelle Hartley – Youth Section Co-ordinator

INTO THE WOODS SET BUILD – SATURDAY APRIL 13, 10AM

Calling all handy people! We will be starting the set build for Into the Woods on the above date and time, it would be wonderful if we could have some volunteers to come and help us put the set up for this show. Usually, cast members will help with the set build, but as this is a Youth Production, legally they are not allowed to help, so we need you!

If you can, please come along for however long you can, bring your own tools (if you have them), and there will be tea, coffee and cake, and I might even bring some sausage rolls!

If this is something that you can help with, please let me know on michelle.candles@gmail.com

DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST – JUNE 28-30 & JULY 4-7

We are so excited to announce that we now have a complete cast for the show, welcoming Steve Hawkins into the role of Cogsworth.

We had some incredible auditions for our Children’s Ensemble and our Dancers, with over 40 children attending, and we are pleased to announce the children cast below and their performance dates, so family and friends can get booking!

Children’s acting ensemble Team A:

Tilly Seward
Astrid Bonfante Horrox
Penelope Spickett
Edith Ireland
Telilah Jepson

Children’s acting ensemble Team B:

Lyla Giles
Elodie Fordham
Annabel Prineas
Sofia Wright
Miles Record

Dancers Team A:

Thomas Arnold
Annabelle Gibson
Hattie Sparks
Milla-Eve Swarbrick

Dancers Team B:

Oliver Minns-Wilson
Darcey Parry
Violet Hawkins
Orla O’Callaghan

Senior Dancers:

Annabel Gosford
Lottie Binks
Charlotte Flutter
Lilly Husk

Footstool/Dog: Samantha Hartley

Show Dates and Teams:

Friday 28th June – Evening -Team A
Saturday 29th June – Matinee – Team B
Saturday 29th June – Evening – Team B
Sunday 30th June – Relaxed Matinee – Team A
Thursday 4th July – Evening – Team A
Friday 5th July – Evening – Team B
Saturday 6th July – Matinee – Team A
Saturday 6th July – Evening – Team A
Sunday 7th July – Singalong Matinee – Team B

Senior Dancers and the Footstool will be in every performance.

Don’t forget that we have a Relaxed performance of the show on Sunday 30th June, and an exclusive Sing-a-long performance on Sunday 7th July. So if you’ve ever wanted to channel your inner Belle or Beast, then this is your chance!

Michelle Hartley – Director

Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks

FHODS Highlights Edition 85 (February 2024)

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A WORD FROM THE CHAIR

I would like to begin by thanking Myra, Paul, Adam Button and all those that came along to the “working party” day for all the hard work they have put in to making the theatre look so tidy and organised. What a difference it has made in all areas, and I know work is continuing in the work room and also in the containers outside, where we store many larger set items.

We will be holding another “working party” on Saturday 13th April from 10am to work on tidying the outside space behind the office and around the containers. We have lots of gardening tools, so would appreciate any members with green fingers, or just some enthusiasm, to come and join us. This is currently a wasted space and we would eventually like to make this into a nice seating area for members and customers.

We hope to see you all at our next quiz night on Friday 1st March. We raised around £400 for the society last time and it would be amazing to beat that, plus you will be guaranteed an entertaining evening.

Rehearsals are well under way for our upcoming production of “A Murder is Announced” and tickets are selling well, so we wish the cast and crew a successful and enjoyable run. Make sure you get your tickets quick……

Rehearsals have started for our may production of “Hobson’s Choice” and we are pleased to announce that our summer musical “Beauty and the Beast” has been cast, apart from the children’s ensemble and dancers. Auditions for those roles will take place on 2nd March and you can contact Michelle Hartley if interested. michelle.candles@gmail.com

Alice Hawkins

PERFORMANCE & PLANNING COMMITTEE UPDATE

With rehearsals for our first four shows of the year in full swing, and our summer musical cast just announced, the theatre is a hive of activity. There’s just three weeks until Agatha Christie’s A Murder Is Announced opens – Folkestone seems to be full of murder-mystery fans as tickets are selling quickly so don’t leave it too late to get yours before they sell out. Following that, our talented Youth Section are bringing us Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods in April, followed in May by Hobson’s Choice and new for 2024, our foyer play Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks.

We’re on the lookout for shows to fill our 2025 programme – if you are interested in directing, have an idea for a production you’d like to share, or would like more information on how to get involved please drop me a line at jules_morrow@hotmail.com

We’re also still open for proposals for our 2024 Panto Aladdin. If you would like to bring this show to the stage in December, then we’d love to hear from you. You’ll need a draft script and a proposal, but we can help you pull the plan together if you need support, and work with you to build a team to make the show really take off!

The deadline is 31 March – if you are interested, or have a proposal to submit, please send it to jules_morrow@hotmail.com by the end of next month.

Julie Morrow

GET TOGETHER AND AUDITION NOTICE – SISTER ACT

Sister Act is a feel-good musical comedy based on the 1992 film, set in the fabulous late-1970s Philadelphia. When disco diva Deloris Van Cartier witnesses a murder, she’s placed in protective custody where she won’t be found: a convent. Disguised as a nun, she finds herself at odds with the rigid lifestyle of Mother Superior.

Using her unique talents, Deloris breathes new life into the church and community, ultimately blowing her cover. Will Deloris and her newly found sisterhood be a match when the murderer shows up?

Sister Act will be performed September 13-21. We will be having a get-together at the Tower Theatre at 7pm on Tuesday March 27, with auditions from 1pm on Sunday April 7. The show and cast will also be featured on the FHODS float at the Hythe Venetian Fete on August 21.

Character Breakdown

Ages are of the characters and not necessarily of the actors portraying them.

Deloris Van Cartier (Female, 25+, vocal range F#5-E3)
An aspiring performer, trying to find both fame and a place in the world. When forced to hide in the convent, she initially refuses to embrace her new lifestyle but learns to embrace it when she works with the choir. Loud-mouthed and sassy, but ultimately caring.

Mother Superior (Female, 50+, vocal range E5-D3)
The head of the convent, sarcastic and a bit stiff. Extremely protective about keeping her sisters away from the outside world, which puts her in direct opposition to Deloris and her musical teachings.

Sister Mary Robert (Female, 18+, vocal range A5-F#3)
A postulant, abandoned as a baby and raised at the convent. Shy and soft-spoken, but singing with Deloris lets her find her voice. Her wallflower lifestyle has made her live a shell of a life.

Sister Mary Patrick (Female, 35-50)
A nun of the convent. Consistently perky, enthusiastic, and easily excitable.

Sister Mary Lazarus (Female, 50-70, vocal range B4-F3)
A nun of the convent and the head of the choir. Rather deadpan and the least welcoming of any of the nuns, but she gets caught up in Deloris’s soul music.

Monsignor O’Hara (Male, 40+, vocal range G4-E3)
One of the heads of the convent. Constantly concerned with financial matters, though soul music surprisingly puts him in a different mood.

Curtis (Male, 30+, vocal range Ab4-A2)
A club owner, notorious gangster, and Deloris’ boyfriend. Cocky and controlling, always on the verge of violence.

Eddie (Male, 25+, vocal range B4-Ab2)
The desk chief at the Philadelphia police station and a high school classmate of Deloris who helps get her into hiding. Faces a lot of nerves when under pressure, causing him to sweat profusely. He still yearns for Deloris after all these years, and dreams of being her hero.

TJ (Male, 18-30, vocal range Eb5-Db3)
Curtis’ nephew and one of his thugs. Deft and cognizant of the fact, constantly in a state of ignorant bliss.

Joey (Male, 30-40, vocal range Eb5-Bb2)
One of Curtis’ thugs. Believes himself to be quite the ladies’ man.

Pablo (Male, 25-40, vocal range F5-C4)
One of Curtis’ thugs. A natural follower, constantly speaks in Spanish.

Sister Mary Martin-of-Tours (Female, 40+)
A nun of the convent. Clearly in her own world, but has her moments of surprising clarity.

Sister Mary Theresa (Female, 60-70)
A nun of the convent, the oldest of the group. Decrepit at a glance, but secretly packs a punch.

Michelle (Female, 20-30, vocal range F5-Bb3)
One of Deloris’ back-up singers. Lippy and always quick with a retort.

Tina (Female, 20-30, vocal range F5-Ab3)
One of Deloris’ back-up singers. A little thick and naive.

Ernie (Male, 25-35)
One of Curtis’ thugs. Initially thought to be a mindless yes-man, he turns out to be an undercover police informant.

Ensemble will consist of women and men who will portray various characters in the show, including backup dancers. The roles of Michelle, Tina, and Ernie will be played by ensemble actors.

The Sister Act Creative Team

Director – Alice Hawkins
Musical Director – Steve Hawkins
Producer – Mike Manton
Choreographer – Sophie Burgess-Adams

Further details and audition pieces will be available on the FHODS Audition Website soon. For any questions, please contact Alice Hawkins (a.bell3@btinternet.com) or Mike Manton (mikemanton@gmail.com).

CAST ANNOUNCEMENT – BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

It is with deepest pride, and greatest pleasure, that I can now announce our cast! (did you see what I did there!?)

We’d like to start by saying a massive thank you for the time, patience and commitment given by everyone who auditioned, and to our panel – it was a very long and cold day, and greatly appreciated. We had 46 people turn up to audition on the day, and saw over 60 different auditions (not including the ensemble workshop) for 12 Principal roles and 18 ensemble roles, and we still have the children’s acting ensemble and dancer auditions to come on Saturday 2nd March.

The standard we saw on Sunday was absolutely phenomenal, and we as a panel were blown away by all the performances presented to us. It also made our decisions incredibly difficult, and there have been ongoing discussions constantly since. Well done everyone for an outstanding day of talent!

Our wonderful, talented cast are as follows:

Belle – Sophia Jones
Beast – Robert Emptage
Gaston – José Barrientos
Lefou – Luke Jones
Maurice – Graham Burgess
Lumiere – Richard Hawkins
Cogsworth – Still to be cast
Mrs Potts – Alice Hawkins
Madame De La Grande Bouche – Friesia Schuil
Chip – Cora Prineas
Babette – Georgia Smith
Monsieur D’Arque – Damian McGuire
Les Filles De La Ville – Jasmine Bradley, Eden Law & Abbie Shepherd
Beggar Woman / Enchantress – Kate Wright
Ensemble: Sam Parry, Trudy Cocks, Trish Smith, Ben Prineas, Isaac Tomlin, Jack Willcox, Ava Wright, Andrea Reid, Pauline Gullidge, Nicola Jarrett, Karen Prineas, Emma Franks, Amanda Angus, Sarah Smith & Katy Hydon

Once again, thank you all so very much for your patience, talent and energy – we can’t wait to start, and we know that with this amazing cast, the show is going to be fantastic!

Michelle, Andy and Sophie

CAST ANNOUNCEMENT – SIX DANCE LESSONS IN SIX WEEKS

We’re delighted to announce the cast for Six Dance Lessons in Sex Weeks, our first studio theatre production in the foyer. Performance dates are May, 23, 24 and 25, and tickets are on sale now!

Lily Harrison – Anne Mortimer
Michael Minetti – Ben Forrest

FACILITIES UPDATE

January has been a very busy month for us. With the theatre being mostly dark we’ve had the opportunity to get in and do so some much needed work to the old girl. Chief amongst these has been a complete overhaul of our electrical systems. We are required by law to have an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EIRC). An EIRC is to the theatre what an MOT is to a car and we didn’t have one. Now we do. It wasn’t cheap and there was a lot of work involved but happily we are, at last, ‘legal’.

Also we had a finding of asbestos in the cellar and this had to be removed by specialist contractors, this is now complete and the cellar has been returned to service. Those two jobs together have cost us in the region of £35k so that’s most of 2023 profit gone before we start 2024. Yay.

Looking ahead, the ‘next big thing’ is a heating re-circulation system for the main auditorium. As is well known, the back of the auditorium heats up while the front rows freeze, I can explain in detail the reasons for that if anyone is interested but basically ‘Ye canna change the laws o’ physics’ (actually it’s The Second Law of Thermodynamics but whatevs).

The plan is to install a double redundant heat re-circulation system (‘double redundant’ is a clever way of saying if half the system goes down it will still operate at 100% efficiency) and the intention is that when the back of the auditorium reaches a certain temperature then silent pumps will kick in, suck in warm air which is pumped through ducts down through wardrobe, under the seating and expelled at floor level in the front of the auditorium and establishes a circular warm air flow. Also this should reduce our energy costs. It’s not cheap, but we’ve got a design and a quote which we are using to chase some ‘green grant money’ with FHDC and currently we’re flat out with that as the grant window is closing fast.

Fire Risk Assessment. It’s a legal requirement for us to have a Fire Risk Assessment and there is a slight technical problem at the moment in that we don’t got one. We are going to source quotes for that and once the electrical works are complete (i.e. once the thing mostly likely to burn us to the ground is finally made safe), then we’ll address the FRA. This may very well lead to more works (and expenditure).

In other news. We’ve now got an EPC – Energy Performance Certificate (another legal requirement – ours lapsed and for some reason this was missed). We asked the EPC surveyor to rate how energy efficient we are and once he’d stopped giggling he gave us a D rating. We’re getting quotes for insulation and secondary glazing and will be seeking grants for same.

The car park pot holes are being filled and disclaimer notices have been put up advising car park users that cars are parked at their own risk (and on a wholly unrelated point if anyone knows how to hotwire an SUV please get in touch with the fundraising team).

The heating system has received it’s annual maintenance and we have upgraded that to have a wifi interface that will link into the heat re-circ system, slight problem in that it doesn’t work because the wifi signal isn’t strong enough so next steps are to install signal boosters, this will hopefully also improve the operability with sum up machines used to facilitate bar/tea/ice cream sales in the foyer (which will make us more money which I will promptly spend on more stuff you can’t see).

We also need to address the boilers which have fallen into disrepair and flush the radiators which hasn’t been done. We’ve sourced and replaced the failed light bar winch in the flies, that was one of those easy five minute ‘take out the old unit, drop in the new one’ jobs that wound up taking 3 of us 4 hours. We’ve put up pictures and certificates of past productions in the green room and dressing room areas. We would like to decorate the stairs and corridors with playbills from past productions (just like we used to do at The Little Theatre) so if anyone has any of those they could lend us for photocopying please let us know.

Sorry this has been a bit of an essay, but we’ve spent a lot of time rectifying things and it’s your theatre and you should know what is going on and on what we are spending your money. I hope future updates will be much shorter and even less interesting.

Paul Milton
Exec Facility Manager