Information Pack
Who are AMP?
Alloa Musical Players, or AMP, was formed in 1952 as The Alloa Amateur Operatic Society. In 2000 we became Alloa Musical Players, and 70 years on we are still going strong, with members from late teens into their 90’s! Our aim is to be a thriving, inclusive community theatre company for Clackammannanshire.
Alloa Musical Players is affiliated to the National Operatic & Dramatic Association (NODA).
What does AMP do?
Except during global pandemics, we usually perform annually in the springtime in Alloa Town Hall. Recent productions have included 9 to 5 The Musical, Chicago, Little Shop of Horrors and Sister Act. We also often run additional
workshops over the summer to develop drama, dance and performance skills, and there are opportunities for community performances, such as the Alloa Christmas lights switch on.
When & where are rehearsals?
Our main performance rehearsals take place on Monday, and often Wednesday, evenings from 7:15pm to 10:00 p.m. As we get closer to performance week, Sunday afternoons may also be used for rehearsals.
The majority of rehearsals take place in Alloa Rugby Club (FK10 1QW) and there’s plenty of on-site parking. If you need a lift, just let us know.
Do you have to audition?
AMP is an inclusive company. Everyone is welcome, and there
are no auditions to join the ensemble. You don’t need to have any experience or training to join in. You might be asked to sing a few lines for our Musical Director, but that’s just so that we can work out whether you are a soprano, alto, tenor or bass.
Our only auditions are for named parts in the show. If you are interested in auditioning for a part, details of audition dates and materials will be announced at the first few rehearsals of a new show. Everyone is welcome to audition for any part, even if you have never had a part before or are new to the company.
What does it cost?
The cost of rehearsing and staging AMP’s annual performance is in the region of £20,000. Much of this is met by ticket sales and
front-of-house activity, as well as fundraising through community events, sponsorship and grants. The annual membership fee for AMP is agreed by Trustees in advance of each show, and helps cover the cost of putting a cast member on stage (including costumes, props, insurance and more). You can choose to make a single payment or, as many of our members do, set up a regular weekly or monthly payment. If you are a UK tax payer, you can also add GiftAid to your donation to allow us to claim an extra 25% back on your donation from HMRC at no cost to you.
We also know that everyone has different circumstances and the fee might be unaffordable, so we have a sponsorship programme to help cover the costs for anyone who may be struggling. If you feel you could benefit from this, please tick the box on our membership form and someone will speak to you in confidence about it.
If you choose to audition for a principal role, an audition fee of £50 is required before the audition and is non-returnable. If you stay for the show, this counts towards your membership fee.
If you wish to have a copy of the
script/score/libretto to take away, there is also a £10 non-refundable hire charge.
We also expect our members to sell as many tickets as possible for our shows, as this is how we make most of our income.
Is there a social side to the society?
Alloa Musical Players is a family. We want you to feel welcome, and there are plenty of opportunities to get to know each other outside of rehearsals.
We all love the pub, so feel free to join us after rehearsals if you like! If you’re not a fan of staying out on a school night, we have other organised social events throughout the year. These range from quiz nights, to treasure hunts, to our Christmas Party (with party games, of course!), and we’re always
looking for other ideas. These events also help us to raise funds to help put our show on stage, and we encourage you to bring family and friends along.
Keep an eye on our Facebook page for updates.
Sounds great, how do I join?
You can just turn up at a rehearsal, but we know that can be a bit daunting, so if you’d rather get in touch first there are a few options:
• Search Alloa Musical Players on Facebook and drop us a message
• Email alloamusicalplayers@ hotmail.co.uk
• Call/text Rob McDermott (President) on 07587 145302 (leave a message if no answer)
If you like it and decide to stay (we hope you do!) we will ask
you to sign up as a member. Apart from showing a commitment to the company, this is also for insurance purposes and to confirm you agree to comply with the constitution and rules of the society. You can find more out about that at the end of this pack.
I want to get involved, but the stage is not for me!
Our shows couldn’t run without the dedicated team of volunteers who work behind the scenes (sometimes literally) to get the show on the stage. These include stage crew, prompts, dressers, make-up and hair, front of house team, costuming,
props, set building, marketing, catering, tickets sales, and more. If you’re interested in any support role we’d love to speak to you. Just get in touch for a chat.
We don’t ask our support team to contribute financially, however we’d love for you to still become a member.
AMP Trustees
Rob McDermott (President)
Leanne Cook (Treasurer)
Allan Farrell
Lesley Kettles
Laura McPherson
Caitlin Smith
Kirstie Young
AMP Bank Details
If you choose to set up a standing order to contribute to production costs, our bank details are:
Alloa Musical Players
Bank of Scotland
Account Number: 00335686
Sort Code: 80-05-28
Our Main Activities
• To hold workshops and rehearsals in preparation for one or more weeks of performance annually
• To openly recruit participants and volunteers across a range of skills to benefit from this activity
• To fundraise in support of the organisation and for other good causes
• To also provide small entertainment events for the local community
• To partner with other community groups and charities to mutual benefit
• To upskill and support volunteers to administer the organisation: financial, contractual, governance, marketing & communication, workplan, artistic programme, community interface, fundraising
AMP is committed to protecting your personal information in line with GDPR requirements.
Delivery of our Activities
Rehearsals are twice-weekly - occasionally three times as productions approach. Open/
welcome/recruitment events are held as well as feed-back and focus sessions two or three times a year involving the members in the direction of the organisation. Small groups meet to plan fundraising, publicity initiatives or small concerts. One or two purely social events are also held. Sessional workers are engaged each year: Musical Director, Artistic Director and Dance Director.
Members too have the opportunity to take their first steps in directing smaller pieces. Active membership of the National Operatic and Dramatic Association provides access to skills development for members at reasonable cost. Volunteers are recruited/supported to fill key roles: Stage Manager, Wardrobe, Props, Box Office, Front of House management - as well as a host of other tasks.
Benefit to the Public
Rehearsals and occasional workshops led by musical/drama/dance practitioners provide opportunities for local people to participate and to gain skills, confidence and friends, and to have fun. We do this by collectively researching, selecting, rehearsing and performing musical theatre to local audiences every year. We sing and dance a great
deal which is highly therapeutic. We have newcomers each year and a few leave, keeping our membership around 30 performing and a further 20 or so volunteering in a range of roles, building confidence and self-esteem. Ages range from teens to eighties, making this a truly intergenerational activity and members come from diverse backgrounds and are openly recruited with no fee. We aim to be as accessible as possible and to reflect our community in our membership. We take the same approach to building our audience and provide at least one low cost preview performance. We also build skills and experience in budgeting, marketing & fundraising, committee work, and all the backstage and front-of-house tasks.
We provide an outlet to showcase other community groups such as local musicians, crafters, Rotary Club and more - and we contribute to their running costs by hiring their premises for rehearsal. We will provide small concerts for community groupsmostly for elderly or isolated people - or to help them fundraise.
We promote this work in newspapers, on social media, by email and by word of mouth in our community. Our marketing volunteers work hard to
grow audience numbers year on year so that more local people benefitand to sustain the group financially. We also research and write about our performance material in our programmes providing background information and quizzes about the context of shows and the learning to be gained from their study. We keep records of the group’s long history and mark key anniversaries as they come round. As the group has existed in our community since 1952 we are also fulfilling the purpose of keeping alive a culture and heritage of local community theatre.
We call on the skills of other community groups to support our activities and thus also help them to fulfil their purposes. We help other community groups to fundraise for themselves or their chosen good causes. We provide an outlet for local college design, fashion and makeup artists to gain real experience. We entertain community groups either at their own events or by providing group concessions for them to attend our shows. We rent space at the premises of other community groups which helps to sustain them. Our members gain skills with us which are transferable to other groups to which they belong and to the home and the workplace.