STAGE-WRITE September 2024
The Quarterly Newsletter from the Friends of Shanklin Theatre
Chairman’s Foreword
Welcome to the latest edition of Stage Write.
One of my main aims since becoming FOST Chairman has been to be visible and approachable. In addition to attending our regular monthly Coffee, Cake and Chat events, I have been meeting up with many of the members of the incredibly hardworking teams of volunteers that help our amazing theatre to thrive. These include the Front of House team, the Sweet Shop team, the Prize Draw team, the Housekeeping team and the Bar team. I’ve even tracked down the Maintenance team to their man cave in the depths of the theatre (of which I’m extremely jealous). I also met up with our Promotions team at the Chale Show. I was in the Box Office on the Monday after the show and ticket sales were definitely up as a direct result of their efforts.
The FOST summer event was held at Luccombe Hall Hotel on 7th July. The afternoon was a sell out and went extremely well. It was a stunning location with great entertainment and excellent food. Thanks to Mandy Beatty, Katie Denslow and Jacqui Robertson for organising the event. This also gave me the opportunity to introduce myself to the wider FOST membership. The feedback from FOST members who attended the event was extremely complimentary and I would certainly be happy to go there again next year.
At the time of writing, we’re in the middle of our hectic summer programme with some great shows lined up including the fantastic “Beyond the West End,” which is an all-new show. Others include Jive Talkin,’ Showaddywaddy, Rick Wakeman, Sir Geoff Hurst, Will Young and comedians such as Ed Gamble, Jack Dee and Frank Skinner. Hopefully, something for everyone.
I hope you’re all having a great summer. Paul Harris.
A Message From The Editor
So once again, I thank you for reading our September 2024 edition of the ‘StageWrite’ magazine. May I also thank all of our contributors to the magazine, without which, it would certainly make the magazine a whole lot less enjoyable to read. Whilst on the subject of contributors, you will be able to read a superb article from our latest contributor, Alex Ford. Alex volunteers in the theatre’s Box Office and carries out other volunteering roles in Shanklin, Newport and Ryde. Alex certainly knows how to keep himself busy!
The Shanklin Carnivals took place on the 7th & 10th of August, and as usual, the FOST Volunteers went full gusto into the Main Carnival event on the 7th. I had planned to join the parade driving my 1959 Hillman Minx with Sara Sheath, the Shanklin Town Mayor as my passenger. Weeks leading up to the event, I had prepared the car to make sure everything was shipshape and spot-on. On the afternoon of the carnival, I filled the tank up with petrol and drove back home. After parking up I smelt the distinct aroma of petrol fumes, after looking under the car, I discovered the fuel tank had developed a small leak with petrol dripping only inches away from the exhaust pipe! Of course, I could not use the car due to safety concerns. I was bitterly disappointed to say the least. That said, Sara and I joined the carnival parade on foot with our Volunteer colleagues collecting funds for next year’s carnival and had a thoroughly good time doing so.
Thank you to everyone that contributed and came out to support us on the evening.
I look forward to presenting the December Stage Write to you in the winter. Best regards, Michael.
Michael Beston – Shanklin Theatre and Community Trustee. Stage-Write magazine was originally founded in October 2010 by Ron Bird. I would like to personally thank Ron for his continued help & attention to detail in producing the September 2024 Stage Write magazine. This magazine was printed by the NHS Printing Services. Newport - Isle of Wight.
Congratulations to all our winners, each of whom received a £10 Theatre voucher.
Gwyn Dawson’s – ‘A Quick (Autumn) Theatre Quiz’
The answers to this arts-ish quiz all begin with the letter F. If the answer is the name of a person it could be either the first or second name or both. Good luck. Gwyn. The answers are on page 42.
1. Which West Brom supporting comedian is appearing at the theatre In November?
2. What is the name of the only opera composed by Beethoven?
3. In which house on the Island did poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson live from 1853 until his death?
4. In Macbeth, what is the name of Banquo’s son?
5. Who wrote ‘A Room With A View’?
6. What was the first record played by Tony Blackburn at the launch of Radio 1 in 1967?
7. Which Hollywood star was born with the name Frederick Austerlitz?
8. What was the surname of Charlie from Casualty?
9. Which Meryl Streep film of 1981 was principally filmed in Lyme Regis?
10. Milkman Tevye is the main character in which musical?
Best Seats in the House!
On Wednesday 15th May, a thank you afternoon tea was organised for representatives of the groups and individuals who sponsored the major project of converting what was originally an outside male public WC, built as part of the original Theatre construction, into an indoor female WC facility for the exclusive use of Theatre patrons.
In 2022, Terry Pearson and Steve Watts were asked by the Board of Shanklin Theatre Limited (STL) to investigate possible sources of external funding to support this project.
The Theatre received a total (grants and donations) of £26,000 from the following: The Daisy Rich Trust, the Friends of Shanklin Theatre, Sponsored Volunteers’ 7 Wonders’ Walk, the Shanklin Town Council, the Rotary Club of Shanklin, Theatre Trust, Vectis A Capella and Mr Stait.
The Shanklin Theatre & Community Trust and STL provided the remainder of the funds to complete the project.
The construction, carried out by Jason Merrin (Redcliffe Renovations) and his colleague Sam, started in August 2023 and the new facilities were opened to Theatre patrons in January 2024.
Our volunteer Maintenance team, led by Neil Reader, took part by painting, fitting doors, reconstructing a window and providing lighting.
Image – the poor condition of the original WC
During the Thank You afternoon tea provided by our volunteer Catering team, Vic Farrow introduced everyone and Steve Watts explained the funding and provided boards displaying photos of the progress of the construction. Neil
Reader then conducted a detailed tour of the facilities explaining what was there before, what had to be done and the various challenges they encountered. Images below – before and after renovation
Congratulations to everyone for completing this big project as the toilets are now the best seats in the House!
Images courtesy of Steve Watts, Neil Reader and Jacqui Robertson
Image below – Jason and Sam from Redcliffe Renovations, with Neil Reader on the right
Update on the Shanklin Performing Arts Centre – Shanklin Theatre and Community Trust
Back in May, planning permission was granted for the new arts centre building. This is great news for the arts, our performing user groups and Shanklin Town. This represents almost two and a half years of work liaising with the IW Council planning officers, our architect, our residents and industry bodies to achieve this.
Visual impression of the new building in Victoria Avenue
There are of course added, but accepted planning conditions applied to the granted application to comply with section 91 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
These conditions vary from additional Bat emergence/re-entry surveys, (of which one of these has already been completed and confirmed no Bats were noted as present).
Additional conditions for foul water and surface water disposal plans, an external lighting plan to provide for a safe and secure environment to reduce opportunities for crime among other important conditions.
The Trustees of Shanklin Theatre would like to thank all those that have supported us on our journey so far. We will of course keep you updated as we progress with the project to fruition. To view the planning application on-line, go to www.iow.gov.uk/environment-and-planning and search for planning application number: 23/02226/FUL www.shanklinperformingartscentre.co.uk www.shanklintheatreandcommunitytrust.co.uk
Visual impressions of the new building in Victoria Avenue
Picnic In The Park at Northwood House
Members of the FOST Events team; Jacqui Robertson, Jill Gontar, Sarah Bucher – Jones, Linda Stoneham and Liz Hinkes promoted Shanklin Theatre, and FOST at The Picnic in the Park event held in the grounds of Northwood House, Cowes, Sunday 9th June.
This was the ninth annual Picnic in the Park event with over 3,500 people attending. It also coincided with part of the weekend when the nation celebrated the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day landings.
Image above – FOST Volunteers Jacqui, Jill, Sarah, Linda & Liz
The event was organised and hosted by Northwood House Charitable Trust on behalf of Cowes Town Council and other community partners who contributed funds to facilitate the event including some of the Town’s sailing and yacht clubs.
Alex Ford - My Work Life on the Isle of Wight
My introduction
My name is Alex, I’m 32 years old and welcome to my write up about my work life on the Isle of Wight. I hope you enjoy reading about where I have worked over the years on the Isle of Wight.
Shanklin Theatre - Ushering/Front of House
Where do I begin.. This is where my theatre journey started! It all started in April 2023 where I was in the middle of volunteering jobs and fancied a change so decided to join Shanklin theatre as an usher. My very first show I did was ‘Lost in Music’ and I was partnered with Sue Foster who showed me the ropes for the evening. During my first year of being at the theatre I have worked with so many lovely volunteers and have made so many new friends and have ushered in some amazing shows during my first year at Shanklin theatre, and have now moved up to working alongside Phil Kelly and Tony Needham and learning different skills within the front of house position.
Shanklin Theatre Box Office
Not long after I started in my ushering position, I wanted to get into other things within the theatre as well as ushering, so I had a meeting with Vic Farrow and Suzie Thurgood to see if I could do some work within the box office with Matt Day. I started working on a Tuesday morning 9:30 am until 12:30pm and my job was varied. I would be dealing with ticket orders coming through online and by telephone, and I would be getting postal orders ready for posting that day and dealing with customer queries over the counter. I thoroughly enjoyed this position. It was great fun..
Shanklin Theatre Coffee Cake and Chat
The 1st Saturday of every month (excluding August), Shanklin theatre holds Coffee, Cake & Chat where anyone is welcome to attend the theatre to meet our lovely team of volunteers and have coffee and cake with friends and enjoy a speaker of a subject.
My role was to welcome people and guide them to the map room and set up our Shanklin Theatre memorabilia table that sells theatre merchandise of different types.
Also if customers were interested in volunteering for the theatre I would help them through the application form and set up the FOST membership with them. Coffee, Cake and Chat runs from 10am - 12noon.
TC’s Shanklin Youth & Community Centre
I started attending TC’s (Shanklin youth centre ) when I was between the age of 13-16 years old and it was run by husband and wife Paul & Bridget Biddlecombe.
I used to attend every Friday night from 7pm until 9pm and I used to attend with a friend of mine at the time called Dan Sparrow, and over 100 youngsters used to and still do attend: very noisy! We used to play pool and play on the PlayStation game console which was fun and there was a disco and tuck shop. Then the family run business decided to open up on a Tuesday for adults which was a little more relaxed and you could enjoy a bit of adult time. Then when I turned 16, Bridget & Paul Biddlecome asked me if I would consider being a volunteer for the youth centre, so I became a volunteer. I am still an active member of the centre and I am very passionate about my work. My role within the youth centre varies but my main role is to work upstairs in the centre and I am based in the games room which consists of keeping control of the gaming equipment and making sure that there is a fair system of the members playing on the pool tables and Wii consoles. It can be challenging sometimes, but I love it!
I am also an active member of the youth centre’s committee team and we have meetings every so often to discuss youth club matters and finances etc. On a Thursday morning the youth club holds a 40+ club from 10am until 12 noon. Before my other volunteer job took over, I used to attend on a Thursday and help the team with assorted jobs that needed to be done in the club. I work alongside Paul Harris, John Gilbey, and Richard Priest who are friends of Shanklin Theatre.
Tc’s Youth Centre High Sheriff Award
In 2011 I was nominated by Bridget Biddlecome for the High Sheriff award; it was presented by Susan Jean Sheldon. Bridget Biddlecome arranged for me to be awarded the high sheriff award during a youth club night so Bridget Biddlecome contacted my mum and dad and arranged for them to be at the youth centre to watch it being presented. I had no idea this was going to happen… it was a total surprise! I was presented with a stand up trophy and certificate and my name was engraved on to our youth club winners trophy with past people that have been presented this award.
Little Camden Market Shanklin & Little Carnaby Ryde
It all started last June in 2023. I was shopping in Little Camden Market in Shanklin, looking for vinyl, and I got chatting to the owner of the shop, Andy Hawkins, and I was just saying I love these sorts of retro shops my being into the scooter scene and being a big record collector. Andy approached me and asked me if I would like a summer job working in little Camden Market from 10am until 4pm. My duties were to run the shop for the owners on a Sunday and keep it ticking over and I was also placed in little Carnaby from time to time too as it was a busy season being in the height of summer. I loved working here as I’m a keen scooterist myself.
Red Cross Ryde
I started working at the Red Cross in Ryde in the autumn last year and it happened by chance really. I went to watch magician, David Randini who was performing outside the shop for the children. I went along with a friend and the manager asked my friend to help with the collection buckets, so because I was there with her as well I helped out too, and we raised vital funds for people in crisis. And at the end of the event the manager, Barbara, asked me if I would be interested in volunteering for the Red Cross, so I started working at the shop in Ryde on a Friday from 12 noon
until 4pm and I am still volunteering for the shop. My job is working on the till mainly but sometimes I price the donations and distribute them around the shop for display. My manager's name is Barbara and the three volunteers I work with are Hazel, Tracy, and Neil. It’s a really positive place to work.
Mountbatten Hospice
I started working with Mountbatten when I was 16. I needed a voluntary job in between my going into paid work, so my auntie Karen who was a retail manager at the hospice at that time helped me alongside my mum and dad sign up to work for what it was called back then, Earl Mountbatten Hospice. I started working in the Ryde shop on a Saturday afternoon and my manager was Colin White. My duties were varied really. I did a mixture of things, till, sorting donations, pricing and much more. I then wanted to branch out to gain more skills, so as well as working at Ryde I worked at the Newport branch in Lugley Street Newport, that was great fun. All the hospice shops I have worked in entail the same sort of work method. Then I had the chance to go on our delivery van for the day, which entailed working through the furniture deliveries that had been placed for that day and picking up the furniture, which was great fun. I now work in the Shanklin hospice shop two days a week voluntary; my job is primarily sorting the boxes of toys and distributing them. I distribute these on a Thursday after our delivery. I have been working for the hospice for 11 years now and last year was awarded my 10 year service award which I was very proud of.
Alex.
The Tea at the Hall - FOST event at the Luccombe Hall Hotel
On Sunday 7th July, the annual summer open air FOST event took place at the Luccombe Hall Hotel. The food was delicious and copious, and the event entertainer, Simon Howard, encouraged everyone present to dance and sing along to the music. Simon provided plenty of humour on the afternoon and had people laughing at his jokes.
Paul Harris, the FOST Chairman greeted and thanked everyone. People enjoyed the wonderful views from the hotel and visited the terraced gardens. The raffle, with prizes donated generously by members of the community, was very popular.
A great thank you goes to the proprietors of the Lucombe Hall Hotel, Mandy Beatty and Katie Denslow for helping to organise the event and selling raffle tickets, Simon Howard for the entertainment, Paul Harris and the members of the community who donated the raffle prizes: Cinnamon Restaurant, Shanklin Jewellers, B&Q, Morgans Newsagents, Michael Beston, The Theatre Quiz team and FOST.
The magnificent views from the gardens of Luccombe Hall Hotel Images courtesy of Jacqui Robertson
Shanklin Main Carnival – 7th July 2024
The Carnival Volunteering team turned out in force to support this year’s Shanklin Main Carnival. Starting from Popham Road, the procession made its way through the Old Village and down into the High Street, along Regent Street, Atherley Road and up the steep hill into Queens Road and finishing in Chine Avenue. Hundreds of people lined the roads in support of the Carnival participants. A special thank you goes to Peter Phillips from the Vectis Historic Vehicle Club for providing the royal carriage to our queen, Cilla, and to Arron Grist from Isle Access for lending us the tricycle which allowed Alex to be involved in the carnival. A great evening was had by all!
Photos courtesy of Mandy Beatty, Tony Needham, Michael Beston and the IW County Press. Volunteers - Chris Turner, Alex Ford, Sarah-louise Mcevoy, Linda Stoneham, John Clarke, Heather Whitchurch, Tony Needham, Jacqui Robertson, Carol Paulley, Carol Cusack, Sara Sheath (Shanklin Town Mayor), Jill Gontar, Matt Day, Jane Robert, Sarah Bucher-Jones, Andrew Reed, Doreen Sheath, Mark Sheath & Patch Barry (Ghost Busters), Michael Beston and Peter Phillips & Cilla Morris in the open top MG.
Billie’s Blog – Theatre Volunteer - Vivien Howell
We are so fortunate to have such a variety of shows at Shanklin Theatre with both professional and amateur companies. Our local societies’ productions just continue to raise the bar and earlier this year we were presented with The Savoyards latest phenomenal production of Me and My Girl.
This delightful musical is set in the late 1930s and tells of an unrefined cockney gentleman named Bill Snibson, who learns that he is the 14th heir to the Earl of Hareford.
The action is set in Hampshire, Mayfair and Lambeth and this leads me easily to remind you that the familiar song ‘The Lambeth Walk’ is from this show as well as ‘The Sun Has Got His Hat On.’
Me and My Girl first had a successful run in the West End in 1937. It was made into a film a couple of years later and returned to the West End a few more times as well as touring the UK and appearing on Broadway. Over the years the show has had many well-known cast members, including Robert Lindsay and Jim Dale.
Me and My Girl was last performed at Shanklin Theatre in 1997 and ran for the summer season. One of our own volunteers, Vivien Howell was among the cast of this production and fondly remembers the wonderful time she had alongside Jack Douglas who is probably best known from his days in The Carry On films. Image left –Vivien & Jack
Vivien’s life as a performer has been a whirlwind of shows and first began when she went to ballet school at the age of 10 in Langley, Buckinghamshire. She was given the opportunity to be one of the juvenile dancers in the pantomime at Theatre Royal, Windsor which was an excellent start for her and she continued performing in the next few annual pantomimes.
Vivien then trained at Corona Stage School in Chiswick and subsequently found her own work from seeing advertisements in The Stage newspaper. Early work was at Northampton Theatre Royal in the chorus, a summer season with Tommy Trinder in Brighton and Old Time Music Hall on the West Pier of Brighton.
Image left – Vivien at the bottom right of image
Still at the young age of 17, Vivien joined the company ‘Sandra Productions’ and this led to summer seasons at Filey and Minehead. At the age of 19, Vivien was principal girl in pantomime with Guy Mitchell.
Work was plentiful for Vivien with long summer seasons from May to September, a couple of months off, or doing temp work, and then back into pantomime at the beginning of December. Her talent shone as a dancer but she was sought after as an all-rounder of comedy, song and sketches.
Vivien worked for several people including John Redgrave who cast her in two pantomimes in Plymouth and two summer seasons in Babbacombe. The opportunity then arose for her to work at Sandown Pavilion, one of the prestigious venues in the south, starring with Mike and Bernie Winters, John Boulter and Arthur Worsley to name a few. Vivien had only previously been to The Isle of Wight on holiday as a child but was thrilled to be able to work there and stayed in a little cottage in Sandown.
Image right‘Holiday Spectacular’ poster with Vivien using her stage name as Vivien Russell
Mike and Bernie Winters (Bernie on the left) performing at the Sandown Pavilion in 1978. After a successful six week season at the Pavilion, they decided to end their long career together. They both went on to enjoy successful solo careers. Image courtesy of the IW County Press
By the late 1970s theatre work began to change. The union, Equity ensured fair pay for performers but this cut down the number of cast that the producers could afford for each show. Consequently, getting work was becoming more difficult. Vivien decided to try Promotional Work in London. Her ability to talk with people and demonstrate products gave her plentiful work in large stores such as Harrods, Selfridges and Fortnum and Masons. This tied in nicely with her theatrical work as she could still work in pantomimes and summer season and then take on promotional work in between.
By chance, Vivien met up with an old acquaintance and pianist Frank, and together they formed a double act. They chose to come to The Isle of Wight and worked in several hotels often seven nights a week.
In 1994, Vivien met David Redstone and Tony Wright who had recently taken over Shanklin Theatre and they cast her in summer season as Madame Dubonnet in The Boyfriend along with Tony Adams from Crossroads. This introduction led to pantomime and then again summer season and other work followed and then in 1996 Vivien was again approached for summer season – this time as Duchess of Dene in Me and My Girl - firstly at Sandown and then the following year at Shanklin Theatre. This began a long friendship with her partner Jack Douglas.
Jack is pictured here in traditional flat cap, spectacles and workman's overalls as the character known as Alf Ippititimus in the Carry On films.
Alf used the one-word catchphrase: "Phwaay!
Vivien’s portrayal of character roles gave her plenty to do and later she was called upon by The Savoyards to perform in Calendar Girls and Sister Act.
In 1994, Vivien saw ‘First Act’ perform in Sandown Pavilion. First Act is a theatre group running weekly sessions
Left – Jack and Vivien.
for adults with complex and additional needs. Vivien was so impressed with the group that she offered her help and continued to work with Carol Laidler for 25 years. Vivien wrote many pantomimes and shows for the group. She continued her instore demonstration work until 2014 until having to care full time for her elderly mother.
Vivien has also been instrumental in training youngsters at ‘Shanklin Stagecoach.’ She helped for 5 years and has had the pleasure of seeing several of these children grow up to be cast in leading roles in London’s West End.
Vivien’s talent and experience has expanded into volunteering at Shanklin Theatre. Whilst she is welcoming as an usher, she can also be found with the Theatre’s Promotional Team at many Island events as well as helping with the Theatre Tours.
Shanklin Theatre is grateful to have such a wonderful asset as Vivien. Billie.
Above – some of the cast members from the 2019 Island Savoyards performance of Sister Act. L-R Libby Pike as Sister Mary Patrick, Vivien Howell as Mother Superior, David Kast as Monsignor O’Hara, Harley Mackness as Sister Mary Robert and Kim Ball as Sister Mary Lazurus
Spring Walking Festival 11-19th May
The FOST walking team guided three walks back in May as part of the 2024 Visit Isle of Wight Walking Festival. This year’s Spring themed walks were all about some of our Island theatres and named aptly as - ‘For the Love of Theatre’ to show different aspects of the lives of theatres.
The first ‘For the love of theatre’ walk was to the Little Bembridge Theatre on the 11th of May. The day was blessed with sunshine and the walking team volunteers (Heather Whitchurch and Chris Turner) guided seven walkers around Bembridge and St Helens finishing at the Bembridge Village Hall.
After some refreshments, Martie Cain, Chairman of the Little Bembridge Theatre Club talked about the history of the club that had been running for almost 35 years. Marti mentioned their latest play ‘Murder by Misadventure’ which was in the final stage of rehearsal. Jane Robert, the Secretary of the club, added information about the set making and the lighting.
Above – Marti Cain and Jane Robert
The second walk of the series, ‘For the love of theatre’ around the Shanklin boundary on the 13th of May took place under hazy skies. The 9.5 miles route took the walking team and walkers through America Woods, to the top of Shanklin Downs and down through Luccombe Village. The paths were lined by many varieties of flowers, illustrating the Island’s outstanding biodiversity. Then, a well-deserved stop took place at Shanklin Theatre for a talk and well received refreshments laid on by our Catering Team.
Many thanks to all the walkers for their generous donations, the catering team (Dot, Christine, Cherry and Anne) and Tony for the Theatre talk in the auditorium. Also, a great thank you to Matt Day, Chris Turner and Heather Whitchurch for their help during the walk.
The third and final walk of the ‘For the Love of Theatre’ series, took place on Thursday 16th of May to a rather wet start from the Ryde Town Hall Theatre. But in spite of the adverse weather, Anmarie Bowler, who was instrumental in setting up the working saving group – Friends of Ryde Town Hall (FORTH) with Zoe Barker, gave an enthusiastic and interesting talk about the history of the Town Hall building and the FORTH‘s project to restore it.
Shanklin Theatre volunteers Michael Beston, Sammantha Cave, Gwyn Dawson and Heather Whitchurch guided 26 walkers through quiet lanes to Quarr Abbey. After lunch, we headed towards Binstead wood which is managed and looked after by the Island charity ‘Gift to Nature.’ After crossing the Millenium arch, we made our way back to Ryde town centre after going through Ryde cemetery.
Above – Members of the Catering Team: Dot Coleman, Christine Harris, Cherry Scudder and Anne Reader with Tony Needham.
A great thank you goes to the walkers and their generous donations. The total from the three walks totalled £190. Thank you! Jacqui Robertson. Photos courtesy of Jacqui Robertson and Michael Beston
Below – The walking group stop for lunch at Quarr Abbey
Shanklin Theatre Front Of House Duty Manager Volunteer
Position
Shanklin Theatre are excited to offer the opportunity for enthusiastic individuals to join their team of Volunteers as Front of House Duty Managers.
Working with our Ushers and other front of house personnel, this is a key role within our Theatre operation and we are seeking people with management skills and experience.
The main requirements are:
• being customer focussed
• having supervisory experience
• being able to think on your feet
• being able to commit to regular shifts at the theatre each month
Full training will be given and you will be joining our team of Duty Managers in order to assist on a rota basis for our various shows.
If you feel you have the skills and experience outlined above, and would like to discuss the opportunity further, when we can provide you with further details on the responsibilities and activities associated with this key role, we would be delighted to hear from you.
Contact details:
Autumn 2023 Stage Write Crossword Clues – By Matt Day
This edition’s crossword is David Bowie themed. There are 14 Bowie songs within and all other answers relate to him…. Some connections are pretty obscure. Good luck! Matt
The answers are on page 42.
ACROSS
7. Shanklin Theatre pantomime at Christmas 2021 (6, 3, 3, 5)
9. And 10 across. Queen & David Bowie’s 1981 number one hit (5, 8)
12. Mad; insane… (8)
13. … lunatic drummer of The Who, Keith ____ (4)
14. And 20 across. Character and symbol in George Orwell’s 1984 (3, 7)
15. Move suddenly through surprise or shock; leap in the air (4)
17. And 16 down. 1942 film and 1982 remake about humans transforming into felines (3, 6)
18. Day of rest and religious worship (6)
19. Brian ___ : member of Roxy Music; producer for Bowie; a music phenomenon twice over? (3)
20. See 14 across
23. Skin condition caused by friction of clothing during exercise – jogger’s ______ (6)
24. Preposition in American English; anagram of Ruth (4)
25. Wrath; rage (5)
26. Scoring units in a tennis match (5)
30. Insurgent (5)
31. Pic E: gold medallist at men’s trap shooting at 2024 Olympics, _____ Hales (6)
32. Alters; amends (7)
33. Untruth (3)
34. Computer failure; accident (5)
35. Move to music (5)
1. Dam ready to break? Not in reality (8)
2. David Bowie hit single that reached number 10 in 1972 (7)
3. Pic A: film, TV and stage musical which uses this logo (4)
4. Nineties pop band which had hits with 5, 6, 7, 8 and a cover of Tragedy (5)
5. Pic B: guitar hero and songwriter (4, 9)
6. Class with fewer clothes? (6)
7. Primary colour (4)
8. Of the adolescent years (7)
11. Warmth found in the attic (4)
14. Cheerio (3)
15. Pic C: English fashion model and icon of Swinging London, ____ Shrimpton (4)
16. See 17 across.
17. Celestial body seen from Earth as a bright spot with a trail (5)
18. Not quick or fast (4)
20. Destroy by fire (4)
21. Pic D: Martha _____, US singer who played Shanklin Theatre in 2014 (6)
22. Animals, birds, insects etc of a particular region (8)
26. Magical figure in the Aladdin story (5)
27. Roadside lodge for drivers in America (5)
28. Bar that’s hit between shifts? (5)
29. Transparent material prone to breaking (5)
30. Pic F: Lou ____, Velvet Underground singer and guitarist (4)
32. Vehicle reversed into tractor (3)
The answers are on page 42.
Bucket Fund Collection Report
May 2024 - £759.56 - 12 shows
June 2024 - £447.09 - 7 shows
July 2024 - £748.89 - 13 shows
May had a great line-up. From the psychic June Field to our summer season show Beyond the West End, the latter raising over £350.
Tribute Shows included Genesis Connected, Abba Reunion, The Roy Orbison Story, and T Rex - Get it On. The top collection came from The Fureys - £114.
More tribute acts appeared in June: £80 from Think Floyd; £43 from Elvis - the King’s Voice, and £51 from the Beach Boyz - Goodbye-Brations!
July: Theatre Train’s young performers presented a four-show run of We Will Rock You, getting £155.
Lost In Music had them dancing in the aisles, in an evening of charttopping hits on 6 July, then on the 20th we had more pop music from the Bowie Experience.
Finally, July closed with £150 from AD ASTRA, with two nights of amazing spectacle by Shademakers UK. Do not miss this the next time round!
Finally, a new King Charles III £1 coin has been announced, so we hope some will be donated to our SHANKLIN THEATRE BUCKET COLLECTION!
Thank You! Alana Bird. FOST collects funds through the Bucket Fund on behalf of Shanklin Theatre.
Our tour guides welcomed 23 volunteers from Stockport Plaza Theatre. It was very interesting talking to them as they also saved their Theatre from demolition and restored it to its former art deco glory.
You can see the history of the Stockport Plaza Theatre here: https://stockportplaza.co.uk/heritage-restoration/
You can take a 360 degree tour here: https://stockportplaza.co.uk/aboutthe.../360-degree-tour/
Many thanks to Eve Moss from Stockport Plaza Theatre for organising the tour, Tony Needham & Viv Howell, our tour guides and Pauline Ivey for helping along.
Thank You Event For Volunteers
Graham Biss, High Sheriff held a reception to honour Island Volunteers, at the County Show Ground on Sunday the 7th of July. Volunteers, including Alex and Grant from our gardening, housekeeping and bar teams, were invited to spend the afternoon in the company of others from a variety of volunteering organisations. Over 100 volunteers attended from all over the island on the day.
"We were treated to a buffet of sandwiches and cakes, glass of wine and tea or coffee, with live music from a guy on acoustic guitar. Luckily, the rain held off but it was very windy. The High sheriff thanked everyone for the time they give up as volunteers across the Island to the numerous causes. It was a lovely two hours spent with some lovely like-minded volunteers." Alex Goodwin, Shanklin Theatre Volunteer.
Three special awards recognizing exceptional volunteer service were presented to volunteers, Paddy McHugh from Newport Carnival and Riverfest, Helen Blake from Wight Aviation Museum and Mark Evans from Pyle Street Pantry.
One attendee said: “It’s really nice to have the opportunity to get together like this, and talk to other voluntary organisations. So often we feel we are beavering away alone, when in reality there are lots of us working on so many different projects.”
Image left –
Alex & Grant awarded with 1st prize in the 2023 Shanklin in Bloom‘Community Gardens’ category
"Volunteers are not paid – not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless."
A Major Investment into the Theatre’s Stage Lighting System –Graham Broadbent
On the afternoon of Wednesday 29th May, Shanklin Theatre hosted a product demonstration presented by Tyler Lloyd, who is the Business Development Manager for ChamSys, the company that supplied our new lighting console.
The demonstration was partly a 'how to' training session of their software and partly demonstrating other products ChamSys produces some very nifty tricks that their equipment can do. Attached are some images from the event that were taken by Pete Humber from StageGear Ltd, and as he states below, he is happy for us to use them.
We had representatives from Medina Theatre, Trinity Theatre and StageGear Ltd in attendance, including myself there were about 10 people present. I have had some positive feedback from Pete Humber as well as Tyler Lloyd - we are looking into the possibility of arranging a ChamSys training day here sometime in the future as a version of ChamSys is running in four or five venues across the Isle of Wight now.
With such a positive response to this local product demonstration, I will try to arrange others in the future from other companies, especially ones that we as a Theatre might be purchasing equipment from in the future.
Image – the ChamSys MagicQ MQ250M Stadium Console
Below – the ChamSys MagicQ MQ500M+ Stadium Console
Grand Prize Draw Winners - 6TH July 2024
1st E J Ducary £500 Lake 1641
2nd Carrie McReynolds £200 Lake 2545
3rd Peter Grace £100 Kent 3313 (Given back to Theatre)
4th Tia Nicholson £75 Wootton 3633
5th Miss G Cocker £75 Shorwell 0871
6th Janette Lyon £50 Barry South Wales 3237
7th D Jones £50 Cheshire 4976 (£10 Given back to Theatre)
The Draw took place in the theatre bar under the supervision of the FOST Committee.
The Prize Draw team is an important part of the Theatre, raising funds for its maintenance and upkeep. The team is a dedicated group of volunteers who work well together selling Draw tickets before shows. Prize draw tickets are £1 each and available to purchase during evening shows in the auditorium, at the Box Office when open, at the monthly Coffee, Cake and Chat and at some external events attended by FOST.
The Draw date is printed on the ticket.
FOST PATRONS
The FOST committee recognises the value of the support of our FOST Patrons and would like to express their gratitude by offering them additional benefits. Printed
FOST ‘Stage-Write’ Newsletter - Patrons who normally receive ‘Stage-Write’ via email may choose to have a printed copy delivered to them. Patrons Social EveningA biennial event for FOST Patrons will be organised at the Theatre in recognition of their contribution. The current FOST Patrons list (dated 15/08/24) is:
Sandra Aldridge
Ellis
Elizabeth Allen Isobel Ellis
Shirley Armstrong Jo Everitt
John Ash
Graham Benson
Patricia Metcalf
Sylvia Fallows Kay Mottram
Nicholas Finney OBE Josh Murray
Christine Benson Jacqueline Flux
Veronica G Bingham
Michael Bingham
David Bird
Alan Rodway
Patricia Rodway
Michael Sayers
Rosemary Sayers
Cherry Scudder
Michael Murwill Doreen Sheath
David Frankling Wendy Murwill
Peter Gibson Anthony Needham
Caroline Gibson
Ruth Bird Sue Godden
Ron Bird Linda Graham
Alana Bird Tony Hagan Marie
Amy Bird Christopher Hardy
John L Brett Lorraine Harley
Margaret Bristow Neil Hedges
Elaine Carter
Debbie Clement
Chris O'Connell
Hester
Holland
Andrew Corkish Jan Hookey
Charlotte Corkish Vivien Howell
Paul Coueslant John Hulse
Maggie Currie
Kelvin Currie
Shirley Smallman
Anthony Smith
Tony Smith
Rumit Somaiya
Peter Stockman
Tricia Sztypuljak
Victoria Thornton-Field
Marion O'Driscoll Sue Thurgood
Roy Trevatt
Jeremy Turk
Dorothy Uren
Sir Paul Walker
Payne Lady Annie Walker
Rodney Walmsley
Jackson
Jones
Beryl Daniels Steven Julians
Lynda Darby Gwyneth Kersey
Larry Darby Fiona Klein
Martin Darch Geoff Klein David Pointer
Jean Davies Simon Lacey George
Gwyn Dawson Paul Larner
Carole Dennett Julie Larner
Louise Diffey Tim Marshall
Marilyn Dyason Dr
Brenda Dyer
Nick Mattocks
Sarah McCarthyFry
Ian Ward
Sonja Ward
Ann Ward
Janet Wardle
Anne Watson
Heather Whitchurch
Maxine White
Kevin Wilson
Riggott Su Wompra
Anthony Wood
FOST CORPORATE SPONSORS
FOST Corporate sponsors are businesses passionate about the Theatre who support it with their Corporate membership. In return, their company is advertised in our FOST website which is open to anyone and our FOST newsletter circulated to over 700 members from the Isle of Wight and beyond. Corporate membership is £100 a year
ISLE OF WIGHT DISTILLERY
DELYSIA FARMSHOP
John and Diane Day
Philip Jennings CAREPRINT.UK
SHANKLIN JEWELLERS
Paul Denslow THE SNOWDON
Michael and Sally Beston THE VILLAGE INNShanklin THE CLIFTON
David Beeson TLDESIGNWORKS
Tim Leal
FIRST ACT Theatre Group ISLAND WEBSERVICES
Tim Marshall
RON BIRD & SON
JANE OLIVER
Gardening Team – A Message from Suzie Thurgood
Hi all
You will have noticed when you arrive at the theatre that we have a wonderful display of seasonal flowers in the tubs around the theatre, which have won prizes for the last three years. These are maintained by a very small team (two at the moment) of dedicated volunteers who are now desperately looking for some help.
Do you enjoy gardening or know someone who does? Are you fit and active? Able to help with watering, planting, tidying the tubs, sweep up any debris in the car park, litter picking, weed spraying etc? Can spare the odd hour or so?
Please email me and I can put you in touch with Alex. Thank you. Kind regards, Suzie. FOSTvolunteers@shanklintheatre.com
Join the Housekeeping Team
Would you like to enhance the customer Theatre experience by keeping the Theatre all sparkling clean?
Join the Bar Team
Would you like to enhance the customer Theatre experience by providing refreshments?
Join the Duty Manager Team
Would you like to enhance the customer Theatre experience at show time by ensuring everything runs smoothly?
For more details on these volunteering vacancies, please contact Suzie: FOSTvolunteers@shanklintheatre.com or just pop in at our next Coffee, Cake & Chat event on Saturday 7th of September 10am-12 noon.
ACROSS
7. Beauty And The Beast 9. Under 10. Pressure 12. Deranged 13. Moon 14. Big 15. Jump 17. Cat 18. Sunday 19. Eno 20. Brother 23. Nipple 24. Thru 25. Anger 26. Games 30. Rebel 31. Nathan 32. Changes 33. Lie 34. Crash 35. Dance
DOWN
1. Daydream 2. Starman 3. Fame 4. Steps 5. Pete Townshend 6. Lesson 7. Blue 8. Teenage 11. Heat 14. Bye 15. Jean 16. People 17. Comet 18. Slow 20. Burn 21. Reeves 22. Wildlife 26. Genie 27. Motel 28. Space 29. Glass 30. Reed 32. Car
Bowie songs: Beauty And The Beast; Under Pressure; Big Brother; Cat People; Sunday; Changes; Starman; Fame; Blue Jean; Teenage Wildlife; Heat; Slow Burn; Jean Genie; Motel
Answers to Gwyn’s Autumn Quick Quiz
1. Frank Skinner (tickets are available)
2. Fidelio
3. Farringford Lodge
4. Fleance
5. E.M. Forster
6. Flowers in the Rain by The Move
7. Fred Astaire
8. Fairhead
9. (The) French Lieutenant’s Woman
10. Fiddler on the Roof
FOST Executive Committee:
Chairman – Paul Harris
Membership Secretary – Christine McCarthy
Policy & Support Officer – Michael Beston
Promotional Officer – Jacqui Robertson
Secretary – Liz Hinkes
Treasurer – Peter Frankling
Volunteer Liaison Officer – Suzie Thurgood
Volunteer Training Officer – Tony Needham
Contact: FOSTpromotion@shanklintheatre.com
Stage-Write magazine, published by the Friends of Shanklin Theatre.
Whilst every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of Stage-Write magazine, the publishers do not accept any liability or provide any guarantee that the information is accurate, complete, or up to date. The publisher and its contributors have used their best efforts in preparing these pages and this publication, but make no warranty of any kind, expressed or implied, with regard to the information supplied.
Editor: Michael Beston, September 2024.
