100 years of
I
AAODS
t all began way back in 1911 when several well respected members of Abergavenny’s community came together to form Abergavenny Amateur Operatic Society and perform their first production ‘The Nautical Knot’ at the Borough Theatre. This show was staged with the express intention of raising funds for the local Victoria Cottage Hospital and Dispensary – this being before the advent of the NHS. With a vast amount of local musical talent and under the musical direction of the local church organist of the time Mr WH Carr, the show is reported in great detail in Abergavenny’s local newspaper The Chronicle, as being a resounding success with many standing ovations throughout. This then marked the start of a long and proud history. The Society has produced a musical every year since, with the exceptions of 1915 – 1918 & 1941 – 1946, and since 1981 at least two shows a year. In 1961 the society changed its name to Abergavenny Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society as it was decided to perform plays as well as musicals. In 1983 a separate Junior section was formed with their first show ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’ being performed in 1984. There has been great diversity of musical productions, from the evergreen Gilbert & Sullivan Operettas, and shows by Franz Lehar and Rodgers & Hammerstein with more unusual productions such as San Toy, Les Cloches de Corneville and Katinka to this year’s show ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum’ by Stephen Sondheim. Much of the history of the Society has been catalogued and this year to mark our Centenary a book has been produced, ‘One Hundred Years of Abergavenny Amateur Operatic & Dramatic Society’. Within its pages there are lots of photographs from shows including one from that first ever production and much interesting reading. Reproduced is a balance sheet from 1919 showing ticket sales of £166 2s 3d with expenses including costume hire of £22 6s 6d, band & conductor’s fees £46 8s 6d and NODA Subscription of £1 11s 6d – somewhat different from today’s costs! Also noted in the book is a past member from the 1950’s, Alexander Grabner who under his nom de plume Alexander Cordell wrote the famous ‘Rape of the Fair Country’. Another member who has gone on to find fame is Oliver Thornton. Oliver joined our Junior section in 1990 and performed in several shows for the Society before studying at the Mountview College in London and securing roles in Starlight Express, Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera and most recently winning acclaim as Adam/Felicia in Priscilla Queen of the Desert. Several of our recent Juniors are currently studying at drama school or are applying to, so there could well be other famous AAODS members on the West End stage in the future and we already have one who is making a name for himself on the small screen. Our celebrations for the year begin with a blessing and concert on 27th February ‘A Celebration of AAODS Past by AAODS Present’ in St Mary’s Church, where the Society’s first musical director was organist. As many past members as we have been able to contact have been invited and it is hoped to re-establish old friendships.
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We have had a commemorative bench made and flower bed planted in Linda Vista gardens where there is a flagstone laid showing the inauguration of AAODS, thus ensuring there is a permanent memento of the Society for all residents to enjoy. Our local museum is also showing a display of memorabilia through the years. As mentioned before the show we have chosen for the Senior section is Stephen Sondheim’s ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum’ a show not previously performed by us. We are very fortunate to have the services of Ken Caswell as Director and Ross Leadbeater as Musical Director. Ken began directing in 1986 and since then has directed productions of plays and musicals all over the world. His work includes productions of Sweeney Todd, Fiddler On The Roof, Oliver! And La Traviata. As an Associate Director for Cameron Mackintosh Ltd, Ken has directed seventeen productions of Les Misérables worldwide. He directed our 2010 production of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ and his expertise and way of working raised our standards tremendously. His direction will assure that we bring out all the humour in this musical farce. Ross was previously our musical director in 2008 but left when the choir of which he is a member ‘Only Men Aloud’ won the BBC Last Choir Standing competition. He has toured and recorded with them but was able to fit us into his busy schedule this year and is also directing the Church concert. ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum’ will be performed at the Borough Theatre 9th to 14th May and is assured to be a laugh a minute. For our members we are holding a Masquerade Ball on June 4th and tickets have already sold out! It is certain to be a great evening to celebrate our history & toast our future. On September 10th we return to the Borough Theatre with a ‘one off’ concert – a retrospective of past shows and it is hoped we will have guest performances. In November our Junior section will perform the highly enjoyable ‘The Wizard of Oz’. This section of the Society is a very committed and talented group of young people whose membership changes constantly as they move away, but somehow they still maintain a very high standard of production. In 2009 they were awarded the accolade of ‘Best Junior Production’ in the Wales & Northern Ireland NODA Region for their 2008 production of ‘Les Miserables (Schools Edition). Since then they have performed ‘Moby Dick the Musical’ and ‘Beauty & the Beast’ completely different genres but performed with equal aplomb. No doubt ‘The Wizard of Oz’ will receive standing ovations as have their last shows. We are indebted to the band of volunteers, stage crew, front of house, ticket sellers, wardrobe personnel etc who continue to support us off stage as without them no show would be possible. Their hard work is often unseen, but is very much appreciated by us. And so we look to the future. We are most fortunate to have talented people continuing to join our Society in both Junior and Senior sections, and I feel assured that AAODS will still be performing to appreciative audiences for many, many more years to come. Jill Murray Chairman, AAODS
WALES & IRELAND 21/02/2011 10:41:55