The views expressed do not necessarily represent those of the National Operatic and Dramatic Association. Advertisements within NODA Today do not imply endorsement of the products or services advertised.
Welcome
I am thrilled to welcome you to this special 125th anniversary edition! From our modest beginnings at the Grosvenor Hotel in Manchester in 1899, to today’s vibrant community of nearly 2,000 members, NODA has been a constant presence at every stage of this incredible journey.
NODA wouldn’t be what it is today without the unwavering support of its members. From the most remote villages to bustling city centres, amateur theatre unites communities like nothing else. For the last 125 years, you have pushed the boundaries of creativity and brought joy to millions. What an achievement!
The NODA archive is a treasure trove of documents, from magazines to forgotten musical scores. This magazine offers just a glimpse, with stories and articles reaching back to NODA’s earliest days, right up to the challenging times of COVID-19 closures.
But it’s not just about celebrating our past; it’s also about looking forward to NODA’s future. Over the last 125 years, the world has transformed, and NODA has evolved with it. In the past two years, we’ve embarked on an exciting journey of development, and this magazine marks the completion of that project with the launch of the ‘new-look’ NODA. Every bit of this work is designed to keep NODA relevant and thriving for the next generation.
It’s an absolute honour to be elected as the NODA National President for 2024 to 2025. My theatre journey began in 1973, and over the years, I’ve made countless friends along the way. Did I ever imagine that one day I would be president of such an extraordinary organisation? Not in my wildest dreams! But with the support of my wonderful wife, Ann, I’m ready to embrace every thrilling, daunting moment of this adventure—proudly flying the NODA flag and championing the best hobby in the world: amateur theatre!
Graham Liverton
Graham Liverton NODA President 2024-2025
It is an honour to be a part of this successful and valuable organisation at such a momentous time, the 125th anniversary of NODA! Never could I have imagined, when I first became involved with amateur theatre in 1963, that only six decades later, I would have the privilege of being chairman of the organisation which celebrates and supports it.
Reflecting on past successes and looking forward to future opportunities, I am proud of how far we have come as an organisation and profoundly optimistic that NODA’s ability to evolve dynamically will ensure its future longevity. Compare our magazine format from the early twentieth century, with today’s vibrant graphics and informative content, for a visual embodiment of our exciting transformation.
Behind every success, are people; not only our dedicated volunteers, staff and partners but also you, our members and readers, whose dedication, collaboration and passion enriches so many lives. Together we have built friendships, explored creativity and shared memories. I thank everyone sincerely and welcome you all to this, the celebratory edition of our magazine.
Ian G. Cox
Ian G. Cox NODA Chairman of Trustees
Birth of the association
Encore and final curtain
Introducing young performers to G&S
Presidential anecdotes
NODA Head Office
Noises off
NODA Archives
Community spirit
The question of charity
Sound design 101
Shakespeare and the films
10% of the gross
The NODA Library
NODA Scotland Conference
The volunteers and staff of NODA
12
14
Presidents through the years Presidential travels with the chain
18
Creation of a lady
22 Rose of the Border
28
Someone is happy theatre is back!
34
Treading the boards
52 The origins of the wonderful world of pantomime
56 Amdram to Olivier Award
36 What does the future hold?
60 The war years
The birth of the association
15th February 1899
The legend
There is a legend that the association started because of the last-minute illness of a principle in an operatic production somewhere in the North of England, towards the end of the last century.
When such a thing happened in those days, it was indeed a serious matter for the society concerned. In the unlikely event of anybody knowing a substitute, amateur or professional, the difficulties of communication were such that, by the time they could be located and transported to the theatre, it might be too late. It must be remembered that in 1899, the telephone and the motor car were in their infancy.
The desirability of providing understudies is beside the point. The fact is that for various reasons, which may include the injury of a principal and their understudy in some accident, societies do occasionally need a performer for a lead part at very short notice.
Support was probably lent to the legend, from the earliest days, as the provision of substitutes was found to be one of the most valuable services that could be rendered. In the stress of an event, such as a principle going sick at the last minute, the deus ex machina, which could find a deputy at a moment’s notice, was more than likely to be the subject of the legend.
Nowadays, the provision of a substitute is so ordinary an occurrence that is creates little interest except to the society concerned. In fact, the association often does not know when it takes place, as the secretaries of societies communicate with one another directly, in accordance with the instructions and, except in cases of special difficulty, the officials of the association hear nothing of the matter. Unless, of course, the society which has received assistance decides to write to Head Office.
In the early days, when general meetings were reported in full, several records of thanks by societies for such services occur in the minutes. At the tenth Annual General Meeting of the association, which was held on the 12th June 1909, Mr Hadley, the Honorary Secretary, in summarising “the advantages which the association claims have resulted to members from its formation,” said, under the heading of, ‘Assistance given by Principles: “… on many occasions help has been obtained… whilst on other occasions your Hon. Secretary has been enabled at very short notice to fix up principles for societies requiring assistance, who would otherwise not have been able to produce their opera satisfactorily. In connection with this following letter … may be quoted.”
The Grosvenor Hotel, Manchester. The venue of the inaugural meeting of the association on 15th February 1899. Long demolished, to make way for a car park.
‘Dear Mr. Hadley,
Now that our production is a thing of the past, I feel that I should personally like to write and express my very sincere thanks to you, for your very great help afforded to me and our society when we were so hopelessly “In the cart”. I cannot find the words to truthfully express my appreciation of your very prompt action and unbounded kindness.’
A. P. Bulfield
The father of the association Hon. Secretary 1899 - 1901
The original letter, introducing the idea of a Mutual Aid Society.
The writer then refers to various details of the episode, and continues: -
“...the need for a mutual aid organisation in case such a thing should happen again. ”
‘We feel we owe a great debt to the National Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Association, and if you have any waverers or other requiring information re same, please refer them to me.
Once more thanking you and the Council.
Yours very sincerely,’
The need for the association
The legend goes on that the difficulty of finding a substitute in the circumstances which occurred, suggested to societies the need for a mutual aid organisation in case such a thing should happen again. Had the legend been true it would have provided a suitably theatrical opening to the life of the association. The facts of the matter are less exciting.
When a society was considering any particular work for production at the time – that is to say, about the end of the nineteenth century – they often had the greatest difficulty in finding out who owned the performing rights, what rehearsal material was available, where scenery and costumes could be obtained, what they would cost and so on. This is frequently mentioned by the speaker at meetings of the association held in later years, when referring to this period. At the Annual General Meeting, the Chairman, Mr. Nicholas Kilvert, who was also president of the association, in proposing the adoption of the Council Report, said: -
“…I began my little experience in amateur operatic work in 1893, and I thought that none of those who had begun in a similar way during the last few years could realise the difficulties that a small society … had in 1893, in obtaining information which they required in regard to selecting operas and
finding the means to produce effectively. Nowadays, everything was changed, for since the association had been started it had been a mere matter of letter writing to obtain any information required on points such as the cost of production and costume, fees to be paid, or whether certain operas could be obtained at all …”
The seconder, Mr. Monckton, the Vice-President, said that: -
“… I had started a little earlier even than the chairman did. I knew that our initial troubles would have been considerably less than they were if we had had an association that we could have jumped into to get information which could now be obtained through the medium of the present association.”
In those days, in the year 1885, there was no means of ascertaining anything at all.
The true story
In 1897, or thereabouts, the Lancaster Amateur Dramatics and Operatic Society were considering a production of The Mountebanks, and they met the difficulties mentioned by Mr. Kilvert. Evidently they were, or they came into, contact with the Barrow Society, who supplied them with information. The episode is mentioned by Mr. Bulfield, the Musical Director of the Lancaster Society, in the circular letter which he subsequently sent out when he refers to the “ … kindly way in which the Barrow Society came forward and helped us with The Mountebanks, not only by sending us their prompt copy, and giving us the benefit of their experience, but also sending us two of their principal ladies to help us with the details …”
It was evidently this occurrence which put the idea of formation of a “Mutual Aid Society” into Mr. Bulfield’s head. He referred
THE NATIONAL AMATEUR OPERATIC & DRAMATIC ASSOCIATION.
Report of Proceedings.
A Meeting of this Society was held at the Grosvenor Hotel, Manchester on Wednesday, February 15th, at 7:30pm., Major Stack (Sunderland Operatic Society) presiding.
There were present: -
Mr. N.H. Ballard - Altrincham and Bowden Amateur Dramatic Society.
Mr. Roger Bamber - Bolton Amateur Operatic Society.
Mr. N. Kilvert - Brooklands Amateur Thespian Society.
Mr. A. B. Sherwood - Carlise Philharmonic Society.
Mr. G. H. Anderson and Mr. T. Donaldson - Eccles Amateur Dramatic Society.
Mr. C. E. Barrow, Mr. W. Massey, and Mr. A. P. Bulfield - Lancaster Amateur Dramatic and Operatic Society.
Mr. O. G. Whitney, Mr Grant, Mr. Mc.Robie, and Mr. Blackwell - Leicester Amateur Music and Dramatic Society.
Mr. G. H. Skevington and Mr. E. Howe - Northampton Amateur Operatic Society.
Mr. A. Gough and Mr. ---------- - Osmond Amateur Dramatic Society.
Major Stack, and Mr. E. S. Potts - Sunderland Amateur Operatic Society.
Mr. A. Browne, Mr. C. H. Woods, Mr. T. G. Hulse, and Mr. Stanley Wright - Warrington Amateur Dramatic Society - and others.
Letters and telegrams were read from Mr. Hodgson, Hon. Sec., Lancaster Amateur Dramatic and Operatic Society ; Mr. Sedwick, Hon. Sec. Derby Amateur Operatic Society ; Mr. Walter Todd, Hon. Sec. Grantham Amateur Operatic Society ; and Mr. Frank Provis, Hon. Sec. West Didsbury Dramatic Society, expressing their regret at being unable to attend the meeting, but promising hearty support and co-operation, and best wishes of the Society which they purpose joining.
Mr. A. P. Bulfiled, Lancaster Amateur Dramatic and Operatic Society, at the request of the Chairman, explained the scheme ; showing the benefits that would accrue from an amalgamation of Societies throughout the country, and particularly dealt with :- Mutual assistance and protection, the charges for playing rights, the value and loan of prompt copies, loans of scenery, costumes, band parts, scores, librettos, etc ; and the saving that could be effected to one another by affiliated Societies ; understudies, exchange of principals, “strikes” of sections of choruses, the professional amateur, the suggested annual convention, and other matters.
After discussing various heads, it was proposed by Mr. Kilvert (Brooklands Amateur Thespian Society) and seconded by Mr. Browne (Warrington Amateur Dramatic Society) that a Society, based on the lines suggested, be formed. Carried unanimously.
It was decided, later in the evening, that the name of the Society be “THE NATIONAL AMATEUR OPERATIC AND DRAMATIC ASSOCIATION”
Proposed by Mr. Browne (Warrington) and seconded by Mr. Potts (Sunderland) and carried unanimously, that a Committee be formed to deal with the objects and rules of the Society.
Proposed by Mr. Potts (Sunderland) seconded by Mr. Mc.Robie (Leicester) and supported by Mr. Bamber (Bolton) that Mr. A. P. Bulfield (Lancaster) be Hon. Secretary. Carried unanimously.
Moved from the Chair, that the present meeting form a Committee to deal with the details of formation.
Proposed by Mr. Kilvert (Brooklands) seconded by Mr. Massey (Lancaster) that the Committee be formed of representatives from Bolton, Brooklands, Warrington, and Lancaster, each Society to nominate its own representative. Carried unanimously.
Proposed by Mr. Sherwood (Carlisle) and seconded by Mr. Browne (Warrington) that a hearty vote of thanks be accorded to Mr. Bulfield (Lancaster) for the trouble he has taken in formulating the scheme of amalgamated Societies. Carried unanimously.
During the evening, some excellent suggestions were tended by Messrs. Kilvert, Browne, Barrow, Donaldson, and others, for the guidance of the Committee, and the proceedings closed with a hearty vote of thanks to Major Stack for so ably presiding over the meeting.
The Secretary has, so far, restricted his correspondence to a limited number of Societies, but feeling assured that the general wish is that the Association be National, he will feel obliged to members of affiliated Societies by their sending him the names and addresses of Amateur Dramatic and Operatic Societies who might be induced to join this movement.
DEAR SIR,
I shall be glad to receive a list of the works produced by your society since it initiation, and any other particulars that you consider useful to me. Yours sincerely, A. P. Bulfield Hon. Secretary.
A recreation of the original minutes from February 15th, 1899.
the matter to his society, who approved and passed a resolution at a meeting held on the 3rd December, 1898, which is quoted here by the courtesy of their committee: -
“In the question of the amalgamation of Dramatic and Operatic Societies, that Mr. Bulfield be requested to communicate with the various
societies, suggesting a meeting of their representatives, at a central point, to discuss a furtherance of the scheme.”
Mr. Bulfield sent out the letter in January 1899, and the replies were sufficiently encouraging to enable him to call a meeting for the 15th February.
Encore and final curtain Outgoing NODA Ltd
Chairman, Eric Smart, looks back on 31 years of
service
Back in December, I was delighted, together with the chairman and COO, to entertain the head office staff to lunch just ahead of their Christmas break. But this was much more than a lunch to me. Admittedly, the food and the company were excellent, and a thoroughly good time was had by all, but this event marked, what effectively, my NODA swansong! I had intended to step down as NODA Limited chairman in September 2022, but was asked to remain for one more year, which I happily agreed to. My NODA journey has been a long one with many milestones, which I recalled in a poem I wrote for the occasion.
I first became a regional rep way back in 1992, covering Eastern Area District 8. I threw myself into the role, relishing every minute. However, in 1995, our then regional councillor, John Plumtree, was due to take on the president’s chain, leaving a vacancy for the councillor. I was one of three nominees, ultimately being appointed to the role. Again, I took this role on with vigour and enthusiasm. In those days, the Eastern Area covered Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Lincolnshire. Being still in full time employment, long distance attendances at shows proved difficult, but my employers were extremely understanding and many a Thursday evening I would drive two hours to Kings Lynn, for example, in all kinds of weather.
Trips to Grimsby were usually undertaken on a Saturday –drive up in the morning, have a snack, see the show, have some delicious fish and chips and drive back in the early evening. I was so proud of what the eastern societies turned out in their performances – most of the time! We had some excellent regional events, moving around the whole of the area and in doing so made some lifelong friends. I adored being in that privileged position until the time came for me to step into the president’s chair in 2005.
My presidential year was a year that I will never forget and my recollection of the 143 shows I witnessed during that year will long stay in my memory. I could write a whole book on my activities back then and who knows, I may think about it when I get too old to do anything else! Immediately following the completion of my presidential duties, I was appointed the first ever chairman of NODA. I remained in that role for four and half years but when I tried to implement a plan which introduced a series of austerity measures to address faltering finances, I discovered that the council was divided in their support of such, and I, therefore, found my position untenable. I needed to step down. However, I remained a director of NODA Limited and after the passing of two years, found myself taking on the role of chairman of NODA Limited board and remained there until 31 December 2023.
During my years, I have served on the Summer School Committee for many years, ManCom for 9 years and have undertaken duties regarding many one-off projects. I worked alongside three CEOs and of course, Dale, as COO.
Highlights were:
• the sharing in celebrations for the association’s centenary celebrations (not all of which went smoothly, but that’s another story)
• celebration of our Patron, the Queen Mother’s 100th birthday
• numerous annual galas, held all over the country.
• I worked with many trustees and directors and appreciate their unstinting efforts to further the aims of the charity. Long may that continue.
Finally, I feel that stepping away at this point is highly appropriate as NODA Limited is being restructured and the work of the chairman will be considerably reduced. But I am confident that I leave the board and the CIO in good hands. I should also mention that we have very talented and able staff in head office, and I wish them all well. I was tickled on my parting to be presented with some mementos of my 31 years service – not least of all, a bottle of wine called Journey’s End!
Thank you, NODA for 31 gloriously memorable years!
East Midlands - NODA Today Autumn 2019
Introducing young performers to G&S
Stamford Gilbert and Sullivan Players are a friendly, talented group, but, as with many G&S societies, getting young people involved in productions is often easier said than done!
Most groups are usually made up of rather more mature members who probably discovered their love for G&S whilst in a school production and so have been performing it for many years. Nowadays, G&S is less known by school aged children and therefore is to them as yet ‘undiscovered’.
We tried valiantly over the years to reach out and encourage young people but this was to no avail (even for Pirates which we thought would appeal to boys and girls alike!) - we had no replies whatsoever! But one day, a young man joined whose wife ran a local dance school and so started the introduction
of a few new young members. Initially involved as dancers, as show week approached we could see them becoming more and more involved and singing along with the chorus numbers - a wonderful thing to behold! We then realised that, once they have experienced one show, they too fall in love with G&S, are keen to stay on for more and pass their enthusiasm onto their friends.
We now have a regular group of younger members - girls and boys. We have appointed a youth representative who can voice any ideas, thoughts or concerns at committee meetings. She is also unofficially in charge of ‘looking after’ any new young members.
“I went and watched the Stamford G&S Players every year from the age of 6, and loved every single moment of
it. So, when I had just finished my GCSEs it only seemed right to join. I came into a group of adults as one of the first children they had ever had, and was accepted instantly - everyone took me under their wing. The Players have helped me to grow into the person I am today. Without the society, I would not have the social skills I now have or the ability to talk to different age groups maturely. During rehearsals I get treated as an equal to all the other members. Show week is the most exhilarating week of the year. We all join together to make the show the best it can be! I love G&S because it is classic and good for all ages. It has opened up so many doors for me and will forever be a massive part of my life as it has already been for 13 years. I look forward to performing in ‘Iolanthe’ this October, and hopefully in our next year’s show too. G&S has sculpted my life and shall continue to do so!” Elizabeth (18), our youth representative who is playing Celia this year.
We are very fortunate to say that for our next show Iolanthe, all our principals are the correct age for their parts.
I feel, as a past lead soprano and now director, that it is up to us as the more experienced performers, to allow these youngsters to have their chance. These talented and enthusiastic youngsters are the light of the future and without exception are as keen and passionate about being on stage as our stalwart members. They bring a breath of fresh air and vitality to the wealth of experience already on stage in our productions, proving that Gilbert and Sullivan is great fun for all ages – even in these modern times!
Ruth Palmer Director, Stamford G&S
NODA Presidents through the years
Since 1899, the NODA President has been the figurehead of the organisation, leading it through the good times and the bad. In more recent years, the role of the president has become more ambassadorial - flying the NODA flag around the UK, visiting member groups and their productions.
Over the next few pages, you will see how much being NODA President means to the individuals who have given up a year of their lives (some more) to visit the far corners of the NODA membership, celebrating our amazing hobby.
A E S Barker 1930 - 1932
S T Davies
F H Jessop 1924 - 1926
D S Page 1927 - 1929
P C Utting
W B Jones
E Jenkinson 1958 - 1959
F G M Stennett
A K Duncan
Bourn
R T H Perkins
H Cook 1969
W H Timmens
J C Simonson
E A Cocker
J H Bowen
E H Barstow 1914 - 1920
H P Hollingdrake 1921 - 1923
Arthur J. Millar 1961 - 1962
F J Lilley 1963
L D Warne 1936 - 1945
H H Monckton 1911 - 1913
H Brierley MBE 1946 - 1948
Nicholas Kilvert 1899 - 1910
Presidential travels with the chain
Outgoing President, Christine Hunter Hughes, looks back on her travels round the UK and Ireland
As we are nearing the end of our 125th year, I step down as your NODA President, but what a year I have had! I have been absolutely delighted and honoured to have seen a total of 182 shows up and down the country, including visits to Wales, Scotland and Ireland. I have seen shows covering every genre and visited just about every type of venue from professional theatres, community theatres, schools, village and community halls and even a couple of marquees. There was even one which included a ride on a vintage steam train
to see a production of, what else, The Railway Children. I also sent approximately 45 ‘Break a Leg’ cards to societies who had invited me, but I was unable to attend because I was booked out for the whole of their particular run. I somehow managed to have my photograph taken with almost all of the societies that I visited – and put them all onto the NODA President Facebook page, in the hope that member societies could follow my wanderings up and down the country. This of course has given me the opportunity to chat briefly
with the cast, crew and often committee of the societies, which has been as interesting as it has been educational, including a chat with a stage manager who, having taken up all the space in his garage to build a large elephant, was wondering what he was going to do with it now! I have been so warmly welcomed into each NODA Family for the evening I have been with them. I find it quite impossible to vocalise exactly how proud and honoured I feel to have been able to serve NODA in this way, and how very, very much I have enjoyed it, so
much so I feel quite guilty.
I have been in absolute awe at the talent and dedication of everyone involved, the casts of course, but also the technical and stage crews, who often design and build sets and props, or spend hours trailing round charity shops to acquire costumes and more props. I know that we all know that this happens, but to see it day in, day out, up and down the country is a stark reminder of just how many people are involved and enjoying amateur theatre, and, of course,
long may it continue.
At every stage, and on every stage, and behind every stage, are passionate, committed people whose involvement with ‘our hobby’ is a major part of their lives, providing, as it does, a whole range of emotions to keep us all grounded!
I think all I can really say at this stage of my journey is thank you to my friends and colleagues on NODA Council, for allowing me to serve as president once more; and an even bigger thank you
to you, our NODA members, for inviting me and making me so welcome. Especially those who stayed on stage at the end of a production ‘when you just want to get the costume and the makeup off’, to stay and chat and share experiences so that I have been able to make a record which I hope you will share. Thank you all, so much.
Christine Hunter Hughes NODA National President
2023 - 2024
Staged Right Productions - Barnum
Waterloo and Crosby Theatre Company - Stags and Hens
Swansea AOS - The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Sunderland Theatre - Kinky Boots
NODA North East Regional Weekend at Bridlington
WBOS - Love Never Dies
CODYS - Rent Sparkwell ATC - Robinson Crusoe
Presidential anecdotes Past presidents of NODA share memories of their presidential year
John Richards, 1998-1999 (written by Eric Smart)
The president in our centennial year was John Richards and I now relate a tale which he told on many occasions. During his presidential year, he was, as we all were, invited to a place he had never visited before. These were the days before SatNav was invented and he found he and Iris were in the town but not at the theatre. Time was running short, so he called into the local police station, proudly wearing the gold presidential chain. He clearly made an impression on the desk sergeant who immediately arranged for another officer to help him. Not only did he help him but gave him a ‘blue light’ escort through the streets to the theatre!
Ian Wells, 1999 – 2000
One of the many responsibilities which come with being president of NODA is the safe-keeping of the chain of office. On a visit to Oldham, my wife and I were getting dressed for the evening when I suddenly remembered that I had put the chain under the bed, out of the way, when we had stayed with our son in Leeds the night before, and it was still there. This resulted in a frantic chase up the motorway to a half-way point where my son handed it over, and profuse apologies to our hosts for our tardy appearance at the reception organised for us.
Eric Smart, 2005-2006
When I was president, I was invited to Lisnagarvey, in Northern Ireland, to see a super production of The Pirates of Penzance. Having being treated right royally by them, it was with some pride that I relayed to my dear friend and recently appointed Councillor for Northen Ireland and Wales, Derek Gratidge, my wonderful experience. I told him that I’d been to see Lisnagarvey to which he replied - ‘Oh, I’ve not seen her yet!’ How we laughed.
Bob Drywood, 2006-2007
Picture the scene, we (Pat was with me of course) had arrived in Bootle to see a show. (It's a long way from Kent!). No time for food, straight to the theatre. Ravenous afterwards. Could we find a fish and chip shop open at 11.00pm? Luckily, there was a police car parked in the hotel car park. On enquiring of the police women driver, she said, "Follow us" so we buzzed through the back streets of Bootle. (Whoever thought the police drove at the legal limit!) The place was closed. "Never mind," said the police driver, "follow us, again." This time this chip shop was still open. The two police women bought fish and chips too and then departed. So we were stuck in the middle of Bootle , ate the fish and chips and then gingerly, (with several false attempts), arrived back at the hotel, having to rouse the owners, we were safely tucked up in bed by 1.30am.
Margaret Coltman, 2009-2010
It was a great privilege to be president of NODA, I met some lovely people all over the country and what shows they put on were a pleasure to see. Old and young enjoying what they do best, performing to an audience and working together.
Fred Piggford, 2011-2012
24th September 2011, at the Radisson Hotel, Durham, started a wonderful year for me as president of NODA. We had a wonderful weekend in the company of many friends and colleagues. Many invitations had been received to many productions as well as 11 regional conferences and AIMS. Each conference was different, some were weekends , some a full day and a couple were half days. There were several outstanding productions, one of which was a visit to Ireland for Titanic in 2012, on the anniversary of the disaster which was surreal. My visit to AIMS was unbelievable and one which every president should attend. It was an unbelievable year and one which I will remember forever.
Derek Grattidge, 2012-2013
A wonderful and tiring 12 months. Everywhere Connie and I went, we were welcomed by members anxious to talk to the president, and were so grateful that we had taken the trouble to visit their production. A highlight for me was a homespun production, in Beccles, of The Reunion, to which I was pleased to award the President’s Cup. The NODA President is such an important part of NODA and I hope it will continue in the future.
John Barnes, 2014-2015
Ten years have passed since I was elected president; you think you know what the position entails until you start to receive invitations from NODA Societies, the regions and other events and deal with the logistics of the diary and travel. Nevertheless, being the association’s “ambassador” stays in the memory together with the high standard of productions seen across the breadth and length of the UK. Long may NODA continue providing support to its members as it has done for the past 125 years.
Michael Hastilow, 2016-2017
My Presidential year could be summed up in the words from the musical The Sound of Music sung by the Mother Superior ‘Climb every Mountain’. Connie Fisher attended our national conference the first time a patron had been in attendance followed by the chairman stepping down and the finance manager following suit just as we were in the process of converting the association to become a CIO. The lowest point was some two weeks after the NW Conference, when two of our members were lost in the Manchester Arena shootings. A presidential year like no other, thank goodness for a great team of people from head office and fellow councillors.
Nick Lawrence, 2017-2018 and 2022-2023
My honour in the ceremonial role of president was challenged by a train manager on the CrossCountry rail service from Leeds to Exeter. In short, I had had the privilege of attending a performance of The Full Monty, in Keighley, at the behest of Past President Ingram. Despite a definite Yorkshire chill in the air, the show proceeded heartily, but as we came out from the friendly reception the society afforded me, the deep snow added extra excitement. The Holmeses made easy work of driving me to my hotel, but in the morning, the taxi slid its way to the station. No trains! That was not exactly a surprise, but one was promised. I had already decided that there was no point in trying to continue my planned journey north [Scotland was already closed]. It was only later that some wag informed me that there couldn’t be a train to Leeds until one had gone up-the-line. After a lengthy wait in the platform shelter a train finally arrived and I was on my way to Leeds where I was greeted with laughter when I enquired after a train to Exeter. "Go to Sheffield" was the best advice I was given. More helpful advice got me onto a train headed for the West Country, but could it get there before all services were shut down. News had already arrived that Wales was a no-go area. "You’re lying to me," was the train manager’s response when I showed him my ticket. It seemed everyone in the coach turned to look at me. "There’s no way you’ve been to Montrose! "
Jacquie Stedman, 2018-2019
In October 2018, my husband, David, and I attended our first regional conference in Scotland. As national president you are NODA’s ambassador, so you want to do your best. We were piped into the banquet with the regional councillor, the guest speaker and the regional committee, I felt like the Queen! After a delicious meal the guest speaker’s address entertained the guests wonderfully, whilst I was thinking, ‘How can I top that, she’s brilliant?’ My turn came and I stood up, all the diners looked at me expectantly. After thanking them for the warm welcome I looked at the guest speaker, smiled and said, “After such an entertaining address there’s no way I can match that, so best not to say anything,” and sat down to a huge round of applause. I know when I’m beaten.
Christine Hunter Hughes, 2019-2021 and 2023-2024
Hardly an anecdote but my memory of this period was Covid-19! I was installed as president in September 2019, and somehow managed to see 71 productions, up to March 2020, at which time everything was closed down for Covid. I was granted another year so that I could complete a full year but over 2 years instead of one. It did not happen! Things really did not even begin to start again until June 2021, and then VERY slowly and cautiously. Absolute disaster for all concerned seems to sum it up!
Gordon Richardson, 2022-2023
Coming into my presidency as theatre slowly recovered from a pandemic, I was proud to represent NODA amongst societies that needed reassurance, support and help returning to the stage. Despite the remaining reticence I still managed to travel the whole country from Shetland to St.Ives (Cornwall) – meet new lifelong friendships and see that amateur theatre is still thriving. My most surreal and saddening time was arriving in Hull in full ‘Bling’ to hear the Queen had died. Despite sad occasions, it was still the best experience ever!
NODA Bulletin February and June 1968
Creation of a lady Written by Alan Jay Lerner - lyricist of My Fair Lady
It seemed to me, when I graduated from college, that everything that could be said in lyrics had been said. If you were witty, how could you be wittier than Larry Hart? 1f you were romantic, how could you be more romantic than Oscar Hammerstein? We start off, in any art form, eclectic; but it’s an acute problem-how to find an individuality.
I’ve been writing lyrics, professionally, since I940. It’s only within the last few years that I have begun to feel for myself, that I’ve come close to finding something that’s pretty much my own. lt isn’t Hammerstein. It isn’t Hart. It isn’t Porter; it’s my own particular vernacular and the first song in My Fair Lady, ‘Why Can’t the English?’ I think, illustrates what I mean.
The first ten minutes of any musical offering should dictate the style of the entire evening: on what level the work is to be accepted critically and emotionally. Loewe and I wanted Professor Henry Higgins to be the first one to sing. We decided he should not be a singer; he should be an actor who sort of spoke some songs. We wanted the audience to know at the beginning of the evening, before they had heard anybody else, this was what they were in for.
Higgins was going to sing and the question was, what? There was no situation, so obviously it was to be a character song;
it would concern itself with the cornerstones of his personality, his frustrations, his intense interest in the English language. How do you write a comic song of that nature, which is to be spoken, and not have it sound like Coward or Gilbert? We wrote several versions until we finally discovered a key. We didn’t write the song first; it was written much later, the result of having solved another problem. We found that if we could write each comedy song based on some emotioneither frustration, or anger, or disappointment, or bitternesson a definite emotion, we could escape from a humour that came from clever rhymes or from the author’s intrusion of himself. It would come out of the antic of the character.
Look at her-a pris’ner of the gutters;
Condemned by ev’ry syllable she utters. By right she should be taken out and hung.
For the cold-blooded murder of the English tongue!
I can only speak of the second song, ‘Wouldn’t It Be Loverly’, with pain because it was obvious that the leading lady was there and she must have a song to establish her. In a musical play, even with the dialogue of Bernard Shaw, nothing establishes a character as much as a song.
My great frustration was that I couldn’t find a climax for the song without going into someone’s head resting on a knee, and there I was back in ‘Over the Rainbow ’ and ‘The Man I Love’. l went seven weeks trying to find a solution for it. Finally, I couldn’t find a creature comfort that was as climactic
Alan Jay Lerner, lyricist and Frederick Lowe, composer of My Fair Lady
as someone’s head resting on a knee. So the lyric stayed.
Someone’s head restin’ on my knee,
Warm and tender as he can be, Who takes good care of me ... Oh, wouldn’t it be loverly? Loverly! Loverly! Loverly! Loverly!
Every time I hear it, my skin turns a little crabby.
The next song of the play, l think, is a good example of the interrelationship between composer and lyricist. No lyric writer can ever realise himself or his talents alone; I don’t think it’s possible for a lyric writer to ever reach his full expression without continuing collaboration with a composer. The knowledge of how a composer thinks and how he creates and how he feels about work is simply of incalculable influence upon a lyric writer and upon his ideas.
‘With a Little Bit of Luck’ was the introduction of the father, Doolittle, and we wanted a character song to establish him.
“...I said to Fritz one day: “Let’s write a sort of Hyde Park Fledermaus.” He went right to the piano and wrote ‘You Did It’. ”
The Lord above made liquor for tempation.
To see if man could turn away from sin.
The Lord above made liquor for temptation-but With a little bit of luck, With a little bit of luck, When temptation comes you’ll give right in!
We decided the type was to be an English music hall song. The reason is indicative of what is meant by knowing the abilities
and inclinations of a composer: Loewe does not write jazz. He’s Viennese by birth and is more at home in tempo than rhythm.
The song, ‘Just You Wait’, wherein Eliza Doolittle gives vent to her hatred and anger of Higgins, was the song that told us how to write the show.
Just you wait, ‘enry ‘iggins, just you wait.
You’ll be sorry but your tears’ be too late!
You’II be broke and I’II have money.
Will I help you? Don’t be funny! Just you wait, ‘enry ‘iggins, just you wait!
We had written eight songs before we wrote that one, and none of them seemed right. It was after writing ‘Just You Wait’ that we threw out all the others and started over, because it was there that we suddenly saw the value, the whole kind of freshness that seemed to nail down an emotional attitude, an emotional point of view.
I don’t know how to talk about ‘The Rain in Spain’ because we had no idea what its effect would be. We wrote it in about ten minutes. We’re very slow workers; I don’t know what happened. I said one day, “We’d better write something where they scream with joy about the Rain in Spain”. Fritz sat down and wrote it in a very few minutes.
By George, she’s got it!
By George, she’s got it! Now once again, where does it rain?
We thought it would be amusing if Higgins did a little Spanish fandango-and that was the end of it. I think it’s quite obvious to any student that it’s not a great piece of music, nor a great lyric. It’s just a pure, simple piece of business that seems to come out of Eliza’s longing. Certainly it’s nothing anybody should examine twice.
‘I Could Have Danced All Night’ was an unsolvable problem: the reasons were manifold. One was a dramatic one. It was impossible for Higgins to love Eliza; for them to admit to themselves that they felt anything emotional about each other. At the same time, you have to have a ballad in a musical and it seemed like the place for it, but every song we wrote-we wrote seven-said too much. Somehow they seemed to indicate that Eliza was in love with Higgins or that she felt something for him. Finally, we were only able to write the song when we were near the end of the whole work itself and we had written ‘l’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face.’ We said: “There’s the ballad. We don’t have to worry about a ballad. We’ll just go back and write a happy song.”
I could have danced all night! I could have danced all night! And still have begged for more. I could have spread my wings And done a thousand things I’ve never done before.
Writing happy songs is the thing I care least about doing. I’m embarrassed by that lyric. Although, I think the first half of it is very good, it’s not something I’m proud of; it’s not a lyric I enjoy listening to in the theatre. I said to Loewe: “Can’t we make it look a little more interesting? We’ll put the servants in and give it some kind of life other than a girl being ecstatically happy.”
‘Get Me to the Church on Time’ was needed for many reasons. When you have thirty people standing in the wings, somewhere in the middle of the second act, they ought to come on stage and sing. After two intimate scenes, we felt the need for splash and colour; we felt the need for Doolittle underscoring his getting married. The best way by which Fritz could capture that kind of gaiety was the music hall song.
I’m getting married in the
morning!
Ding dong! the bells are gonna chime.
Pull out the stopper!
Let’s have a whopper!
But get me to the church on time!
It has no modern rhythm but it has real vitality. From my point of view, it’s too heavily rhymed and nothing of which to be proud. The last song, ‘l’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face’, is my favourite. Years ago, Maxwell Anderson wrote a book called Off Broadway and for those students interested in writing for the musical theatre, I certainly recommend it. He discusses what he calls the “recognition scene,” that scene wherein the hero or heroine recognises the nature of his problem, be it external or internal, and either conquers it or is conquered by it. We felt that Higgins must have a recognition scene in which he recognises the nature of his problem, albeit obliquely and slightly astigmatically.
Damn! Damn! Damn! Damn! I’ve grown accustomed to her face!
She’s almost makes the day begin.
I’ve grown accustomed to the tune
She whistles night and noon. Her smiles. Her frowns. Her ups, her downs, Are second nature to me now; Like breathing out and breathing in.
I was serenely independent and content before we met; Surely I could always be that way again-and yet
I’ve grown accustomed to her looks;
The only difference is he neither conquers it nor is conquered by it.
“Eliza? Where the devil are my slippers?”
There are tears in Eliza’s eyes. She too understands.
The ‘Ascot Gavotte’ is another first-rate example of how a humorous song is impossible without humorous music.
Ev’ry Duke and Earl and Peer is here.
Ev’ry one who should be here is here.
What a smashing, positively dashing
Spectacle: The Ascot op’ning day.
It’s not enough to be able to write a charming little gavotte. It has to be a very good gavotte, it has to be very good music. An inconsequential piece of music will detract from a song as a whole, no matter how good the lyric may be. It’s very hard - to the point of impossible - for a lyric writer to ever reach any sort of self-fruition without a working knowledge of music; it might be an intuitive knowledge of music. It might be a trained knowledge. I’ve never know a great lyric writer who wasn’t intensely musical, who hadn’t decided in detail about form - not only in terms of lyrics, but of music as well.
‘On The Street Where You Live’ is the song, which, because of the evenness of the music, Loewe cannot stand.
I have often walked down this street before;
But the pavement always stayed beneath my feet before All at once am I
Several stories high
Knowing I’m on the street where you live.
I wrote it that way and he hated it even more. I ran into Robert Russell Bennet and I said to him: “How’s the score Robert?”
“It’s all pee pee music”, he answered.
“What do you mean?”
And he said, “It’s pee, pee, pee, pee, pee, pee.”
From that moment on every now and then when Fritz writes something I’ll say, “Oh no, it’s pee pee music. We don’t want that.”
We had written a rather pee middle part for ‘On The Street Where You Live,’ which went something like:
Some men hate to wait and wait. If by chance the girl is late. I don’t mind the waiting part at all...
I would wait through winter, spring and fall.
And oh! the towering feeling.
Columbia Records was recording the score, and Mitch Miller said, “Oh my God, that’s a very nice song, but the middle part is terrible.”
And Fritz said, “I don’t care what you do to it. I hate it. You can take it out or do anything you want with it.”
As a concession to Miller and because Loewe had no pride in it whatsoever, we took out the pee middle part.
I said to Fritz one day, “Let’s write a sort of Hyde Park Fledermaus.” He went right to the piano and wrote ‘You Did It.’
Tonite, old man, you did it! You did it! You did it! You said that you would do it! And indeed you did.
Not one of the people on stage could really sing, so we tried to write it in such a way that when you were about to throw something at one for not being able to sing, you were distracted by another who couldn’t sing either. As a matter of fact, when we were on the road we discovered that Pickering was singing too long and you couldn’t stand it anymore, so we increased the servants. The whole thing is a sort of ruse to prevent the audience from realising that a lot of very bad singing is going on.
The next song, ‘Show Me’, is a clear example of searching high and low for an emotional attitude in order to avoid saying something that has been said before. We have the obvious place where girl and boy have broken up, the obvious place from a song that always appears in the second act of a musicalglad to be unhappy. We wrote a song called ‘Over Your Head’. No matter how we approached the music and lyrics, it came out full of self-pity and seemed wrong for the character. It bore to me no indication of a proud Cockney girl. We examined the emotion very carefully; we examined it from every conceivable side. We finally arrived at the idea of her turning bitterness and heartbreak into anger against Freddie.
Never do I want to hear another word.
There isn’t one I haven’t heard Here we are together in what ought to be a dream; Say one more word and I’ll scream!
We discovered one day that Higgins became lost in the second act; there was so much music in which he did not participate. I got the idea of ‘Why Can’t A Woman Be More Like A Man’ and went home to work on it. It became obvious that what Higgins really wanted was a friend. He wanted Eliza, but he wanted her to behave as a friend because he didn’t understand the emotional pressure of an intimate relationship.
Yes, why can’t a woman be more like a man?
Men are so honest, so thoroughly square; Eternally noble, historically fair; Who when you win will always give your back a pat. Why can’t a woman be more like that?
It was a bore, it didn’t express anything, it wasn’t amusing. Finally, the idea emerged of doing it in 6/8 tempo, a “manly” tempo;
the whole song came to life and the exact same lyrics became effective.
‘Without You’ is not an important song musically or lyrically, but it’s in the play. The problem was a musical one, Eliza acquires a shoulder and stands on her own feet. In order to capture that in music you would be in grand opera. We decided that she would not protest her independence, but would be very sing-songy about it, conveying a kind of confidence.
Without you pulling it, the tide comes in,
Without you twirling it, the earth can spin.
Without your pushing them, the clouds roll by.
If they can do it without you, ducky, so can I!
The song had just the emotion we wanted - no emotion.
‘I’m An Ordinary Man’, went through many, many stages of development. We first wrote an entirely different song called ‘Please don’t marry me’, we knew that Higgins, being a misogynist with a young girl moving into his house, would have to sing about his hatred of women.
Please don’t marry me, I beg you from the floor.
Please don’t marry me, don’t
marry me.
The very word and look and flattery that every wife deserves... those little things that matter would shatter my nerves.
Higgins would be singing it to Pickering, his friend, explaining to him how he feels whenever he sees a woman. The song - it was small. There was nothing in it with which to act, there were too many rhymes and there was no emotional attitude in the music.
The actual song which was written, ‘I’m An Ordinary Man’, is written in two moods, and those two moods, no matter how good the lyric, could not be possible without those two moods being in the music: the soft shoe feel of tranquillity as he protests his gentleness and innocence.
We had another problem with that song: we had a man who was not a singer. How do you write a climax for a man who doesn’t sing? Usually a baritone can go up to an F or G and you’re home theatrically, so we inserted his turning on the phonograph. The noise gets louder and louder; we had machines give us the climax which, with his vocal limitations, could not give us.
Rose of the Border Costume plot and designs
As part of a project to catalogue the well over a thousand books, librettos and musical scores of long forgotten shows, magazines and photos from the last 125 years of theatre in the NODA archive, this treasure was found. A costume plot from one of those long forgotten titles, Rose of the Border.
Filled with watercolours of the different costume requirements, it gives you a new appreciation to the process of design before computers.
Rose of the Border
Capt. Thornhill - J. Brown
Bessie - Miss D. Barker
Date unknown
NODA Head Office
The home of the association
During the early years of the association, the Scala Theatre in London was home. The office space was cramped and not ideal. It was not until 1929, when 85 Eccleston Square was leased. In 1933, the basement was also acquired. During the course of World War II, the lease expired and temporary accomodation was found at number 8 Eccleston Square. Unfortunatley, during the Blitz, the offices suffered damage twice, neither time disastrously, however, enough to seek alternative office space.
In 1942, the association moved to Emanwye House - above Russell Square Station. There are very few records during this time, other than mentions of the cramped work space and far from ideal set up.
It was not until 1954, when 1 Crestfield Street in Kings Cross was purchased. It was through donation from the membership. A roll of honour of all the groups
that donated was made and hung in the foyer.
Crestfield Street remained home for NODA until 2002, when it was decided, due to the substantial building works required to the building, it would be sold and the NODA Head Office would be relocated. With Peterborough being quite central on the train line, it was chosen as the new home.
The final head office move was again brought round by building repair works, but also due to the change in technology - mainly the internet. In the days of the Lincoln Road office, 13 staff were employed, of which 4, were in membership services. Now with information at the tips of people’s fingers, such large departments were no longer neccesary. So, in 2011, the offices were moved to The Metro Centre, where we call home today.
1 Crestfield Street, Kings Cross - July 1954
Emanwye House, 8 Bernard Street above Russell Square Station - 1942
Lincoln Road, Peterborough - 2002 Metro Centre, Peterborugh - 2011
85 Eccleston Square - 1929
Noises off A new style of sound effects
How many excellent plays have been spoiled? How much good acting marred in the course of a generation, or even a decade by the use, or shall we say misuse, of stage effects?
'Noises-off' are all so frequently mishandled that the cynic, or the superior professional producer, might often be justified in thinking of them as 'noises-on', just that, and nothing more. And we must all confess that extraneous sounds, when wrongly employed, do distract the attention of the audience, to say nothing of disturbing the action of the play.
Where is the amateur thespian, who, conscious that the roaring thunder was only the propertyman banging together two tin-kettles, that the ‘whirr’ of the approaching aeroplane really emanated from a borrowed carpet-sweeper, that the 'tweettweet' of the little canary came from a slip of paper rolled about in the mouth of the bloated faced comedian? - where is that actor, with such impressions uppermost in his mind on the day of the play, who has not at some time or other missed his lines altogether, or worse still, blurted out the wrong ones?
Which brings to mind the enormous advance that has been made by the use of the gramophone in the direction of
sound effects for the stage.
Today, it is possible for the amateur society to have at its disposal the most realistic effects at an infinitesimal cost. In fact there is no reason why amateurs should not be just as well equipped as professionals.
The whole range of natural and artificial sounds are at their command. To classify them or even enumerate them would be a long job. But here are some at ready disposal. From farmyard cries to fire engines; from the shattering blast of a dozen pneumatic drills to the frou-frou of a Victorian lady's skirt; from the rolling of mighty waters to the whispering of the wind; from clanging cathedral chimes to the song of the nightingale - all these, and hosts of other effects, are available on records and can be amplified and regulated, so as to suit the acoustic properties of any hall or theatre anytime or anywhere.
The reader must not run away with the idea that because these 'noises' are gramophonically reproduced there is anything 'tinny' or mechanical about the sound of them. On the contrary, they are so realistic that they do actually counterfeit the originals.
The advantages of this modern method of using recorded sound
Read how times have changed in our interview with West End sound designer, Matt Peploe, as he walks budding designers through the basics of sound design on page 46
effects on the stage as compared with the old-fashioned makeshift imitations, are many. To sum them up, the right or actual sound, or effect, is secured and the intensity is always exactly what is desired. In other words. a trumpet call could never sound like a penny tin whistle, and lastly, and this is very important, the expense of employing 'props' and relying on 'supers' is entirely banished.
The requisite apparatus can easily be afforded by the smallest society. Any anxiety as to how to work the apparatus, and so obtain the wanted effects, may be banished, since the manufacturers who supply this apparatus, send along to the hirers, experts of long and wide experience, who fit up and manipulate the equipment and so ensure its perfect working order.
Amateur producers would also do well to bear in mind that the Edison Bell Power Equipment can be adapted for supplying incidental music to plays, sketches and other stage works. Readers of this journal so interested should write for particulars to Edison Bell Limited, Glengall Road, London, SW 15, mentioning the NODA Bulletin as the source of their information.
The NODA evolution
How NODA’s look has changed over the last 125 years
The earliest reference of the logo in 1904.
In 1999, the crown was added to celebrate the 100th anniversary.
In 1929, the logo was changed and that base is still used today.
The logo incorporated into a letterhead, with the first reference in 1929.
The special edition NODA logo for the centenary year.
Initially for NODA Limited, this logo was adopted in 2003.
The new NODA logo and tag line
NODA in print
NODA in print has changed dramatically since the first publication in 1911. From the very first publication, to continuing to print during both World Wars and during the COVID pandemic, member stories have been at the heart of every edition. If your group has a story to tell, please do get in touch.
- NODA Today Winter 2021
Someone is happy theatre is back!
Reopening after the COVID closures
From the sudden closure back in March 2020, this small theatre tells the story of its dark months through to getting live theatre back onto stage, with a few detours along the way!
459 days. That was the length of time The Angles Theatre, Wisbech remained closed. The theatre is located in the flatlands of Fenland, Cambridgeshire, at the time of closure, seating only 102 people in a blackbox studio setting. With thousands of performers, students, audience members and volunteers coming through the doors each year, the sudden closure, as with everything in the country, came as a massive blow to the community.
The Angles Theatre is one of the oldest original theatres in the county, built in the 1780s. Its original interior, very similar to the Georgian Theatre Royal in Richmond, has largely been removed over its 200 odd year history. All that now remains on show are two cast iron pillars, an original beam that held up the upper circles and bricked
up doorways into the original seating areas. As with most theatres of this era, after closing in the 1850s, the building was utilised for other purposes - in this case, a grain store, two different churches, a tent store, a school and at one point they considered turning it into public baths!
Refounded in the 1970s, by a group of local amateur performers looking for somewhere to rehearse, the theatre was reopened as The Angles Theatre, providing performance spaces for amateur and professional companies.
March 2020, the first time in the building’s 250+ year life, it was closed with no-one coming through its doors. On the night that Boris Johnson announced the closure of theatres, we left around 10pm, having prepped the building for closure, we were saying, worst case scenario it will be a couple of months before we are back. We were obviously very wrong.
As a trustee, our first priority was survival. We are not a theatre
that turns a profit very often and had very little in the way of cash reserves. Local government rates relief grants certainly helped in those first few months as did the support of local charitable trusts. As more time went by, costs to keep the building closed were increasing and the building itself was deteriorating. Being closed actually gave us time to walk round the building and actually look at it. Normally you are engrossed in the show and do not take the time to notice the state of the toilets or the plasterwork coming away from the corridor walls. It was at that point our ‘survival’ efforts split into two. The survival of the charity and the survival of the building. During the summer of 2020, the government announced its Cultural Recovery Funding scheme administered by the Arts Council. To say we were out of our depth is an understatement. After many hours of rewrites, the application was sent off and our fate was in the hands of the Arts Council. During this time we were also writing applications for essential building works to bring the venue
459 days. That was the length of time
The Angles Theatre, Wisbech remained closed.
up to date in not only comfort, but also health and safety: replacing fire doors and fireproofing, much needed refurbishment of toilets and replacement of badly damaged lime plaster.
After several months waiting for news, we finally received the announcement that we had been successful in our CRF grant application! The morning I found out, I was literally bouncing off the ceiling! At that point we could breathe a small sigh of relief as we knew we could survive as an organisation and actually come out of the pandemic in a stronger position.
As the building work started to progress, new finds were made including an original doorway into the theatre not on any old plans, another original beam that supported the top of the upper circle and wall ties in our gents’ toilets. The auditorium seating was completely replaced, from
second hand seats obtained from Salisbury Playhouse in the 1980s to brand new theatre seating that did not have springs poking out!
For every show, we paint our stage floor using standard emulsion. The last time the floor was replaced was back in 1991, and now had many ridges and unevenness. In some cases when trucks were used on stage, you would have to either take a hammer and chisel to a ridge or use the ridge as a break. In what some people may call a stupid move, one day we thought
Nearly completed new stage floor
20 years of paint layers
we would rip it up and level it. The two test areas we tried lifted like a dream in a big ‘slab’, great this will be an nice easy task...famous last words. Three wrecking bars, an industrial sander, a lot of blood sweat and tears and two weeks later, the stage was ready for levelling. In some areas there was a 5cm difference in height so vast amounts of packing was needed to try and level the flooring. As volunteers and cast members started coming into the venue and seeing the amazing changes, this was the one that everyone was most excited about!
So we had our reopening date set, and in traditional theatre style, we had huge amounts to do before opening night! The gents’ toilets didn’t have working toilets, the bar didn’t have a floor and an entire section of the original wall had been stripped back to bare bricks.
As restrictions eased, we were able to restart in person rehearsals, starting with small groups before bringing in the full company. From July, we had two shows in rehearsals, Educating Rita - a two hander and Shrek the Musical - a big cast show. To ensure everyone’s safety, through discussion with the company, everyone agreed to carry out a lateral flow test before every rehearsal. They were just as interested in getting the show onstage as the theatre and without fail before every rehearsal, messages with photos of negative tests flowed in.
Our first performance! I have been trying to get the rights for Educating Rita for just over 10 years and to have it as our opening show did mean a lot and even more so that the director, who having been in shows since she was a young child and having just finished university, returned to the theatre to make her directing debut. Opening with a two-hander also meant we could ease back into being open. All of our volunteers needed training on new systems and, after such a long time being closed, a refresher. For those who
Georgian doorway uncovered
do not know Educating Rita, it is a huge show to learn, not only the script, but also the ‘English lessons’ throughout, Frank having to teach Rita the intricacies of the English language, on stage, as well as acting the part. One little highlight was Al Duncan, who played the part of Frank, wrote poetry during the show whilst Rita was ‘doing her essays’.
The audience loved every second of it and it was electrifying to hear the applause and cheering at the end of every show. We were back!
No rest for the wicked, as soon as Educating Rita came down, preparation for Shrek started in earnest. Being a small theatre, we cannot hire sets or hire full sets of costumes so with our small budget, everything is made from scratch. After a set design workshop from a recent Rose Bruford graduate, a set box was created and a team assembled to build and dress. Costume production was in full swing and soon it was time for dress rehearsal! We knew Shrek would sell well, but we
were nervous that customers’ confidence in returning to the theatre would not be there yet, especially a very small theatre! Oh, how we were wrong. We sold every single ticket we had a week before opening - this had never happened before! It seemed there was an underground market for returned tickets!
Shrek was the perfect feel good show to have in our opening season and the audience were on their feet during curtain call every night. Young children were experiencing theatre for the first time along with seasoned theatre veterans. It just showed what we have missed for all those months, how tv and online shows could never replace the experience of an up close and personal live show. Live theatre is here to stay... now onto pantomime!
Rob Williams
Angles Theatre, Wisbech Trustee
NODA Today - Summer 2020
Community spirit
The amateur theatre world coming together to support during the pandemic
London Region makes scrubs
Across the London region, willing volunteers have been making scrubs and facemasks to support the huge demand for PPE in the health and social care environment.
Amongst those making this fantastic contribution are: Annie Houseago of Centre Stage and SEDOS, Niki Davarias of Croydon Stagers, Jenny Harris of Maidenhead Operatic, Sue
Fighting Fires - North East
Darren Smith, Production Manager for Guiseley Theatrical Productions, just managed to fit in a performance as Jerry in The Full Monty with Heckmondwike Players the week before lockdown.
Darren, who is a Fire Crew Manager with North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, has since been very busy. He helped support the implementation of Harrogate’s Nightingale Hospital and has delivered PPE to Harrogate District Hospital and care homes. Darren and his wife Alison have supported vulnerable people with medicine collections and drop-offs.
Howlett and Jenny Harper of Havering Music Makers and Sarah Russell and Gill Pigram of St Albans MTC.
Not wishing to single anyone out, but St Albans joined in the Herts Scrub Hub, raising over £10k in 4 weeks, which they turned into 1200 sets of scrubs!
He has been part of the ‘Safe and Well’ telephone conversations and on two consecutive Sundays delivered roast dinners for those in need, including one to John Rushton, a D-Day Landing veteran who was celebrating his 96th birthday.
Members have been doing it all for the NHS in the South West
Performing member and secretary for CODS, Yvonne Youles has hit the headlines with her campaign to deliver over 1000 tubes of hand cream to doctors, nurses and staff at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital
after an urgent appeal. Society life-member and Past-Chairman, Heather Barlow, was a nursing manager inside the hospital too, ensuring distribution of the hand cream to those most in need.
As a personal thank you to the NHS on the longest day in June, he spent 17 hours on his treadmill to help buy a monitor for the Bexley Wing in Leeds Cancer Care department, doing this via Jacqui Drake’s charity ‘Jacqui’s Millions.’
They were not the only people inside CODS doing their bit for the NHS - their wardrobe ladies, Sue Sparham and her friend Rickie Pawsey, have been busy sewing scrubs for the staff.
Theatre and performance groups can legally photocopy sheet music lyrics for variety show and pantomime rehearsals with a Amateur Group Singing Licence
NODA
Treading the boards An extract from the memoirs of Dennis Stallard, who has attended summer school since 1975
I first went to summer school run by NODA, at Ripton in Yorkshire in 1971. The first part I was given was the begger in Fiddler on The Roof before it was released for the amateurs in this country. The following year, when I went again I auditioned for the musical The Most Happy Fella which I had heard of but never seen. I was cast as Herman, one of the four guys who sang the show stopper ‘Standing on the corner watching all the girls go by!’. The following year, again I was cast as Sancho in another musical I heard of but never seen, Man of La Mancha
When you go to summer school you don’t do the full show, only an extract of forty-five minutes, which is edited to make sense. Usually, most of the well-known songs are used in the extract that you are involved with.
When you apply to go each year, you make the choice of which extract you want to be involved with. I was always in Class C, we were known as the ‘Rent A Crowd’ class, because Class A, the opera
class, never had enough men, so we were rented out. I didn’t really like this sort of show, but I went. I remember in Turandot saying to the director that I couldn’t understand what was being sung, she said but their singing in English, but it still didn’t make any sense to me. So when I had to arrest the leading guy, she told me that she would wink at me from the front row when the time came to go.
I have been very lucky over the years at Ripton to get some lovely cameo parts, not a lot to say, but I always seem to get the showstopper of a song. One show which I found very hard to do was the musical The Card
As it was only an extract, the costume changes were terrible. When you do a normal show you might have a song and four pages of lib to change into your next costume but because it’s only an extract, everything is cut to the minimum. Hence I decided to put six costumes on top of each other as it was easier to take them off quickly back stage. Our last change was a minute. We were all on stage in rags and the Countess had come to open the shop, we then had to rush into the shop and come straight out in a red and black costume for the finale. One lady who had never ever worked with our Director, Ray Jeffreys, was taken off with the crowd into the shop in the dress rehearsal and couldn’t get back on stage to give her line at the opening of the finale. On the night
Dennis during the final presentations of the 2024, NODA Theatre Summer School
she stood at the back of the stage in her rags, and took them off behind the chorus and was there in her red and black costume for the line. Ripon Summer School was stopped being run by NODA in 2001, it was still being run by the tutors who were involved originally in Ripon and called Ross Summer School. After Ripon School finished, we moved to Wakefield for four years, then to Scarborough for seven years and then we moved to Lancaster University with the ROSS School. I also attended the NODA Summer School every year, at a conference centre in Coventry, at the Warwick University.
When NODA ran the summer school, I went to the drama one run at the Bristol Old Vic for 22
years. I was the only student who had been every year to the school from 1975 to 1997, when NODA combined all the schools in one venue. The difference with the two summer schools are at ROSS you do three extracts from shows in full costumes and make up where as with the NODA School there are lots of different types of things to do with theatre available to work on and although the different classes do show what has been worked on through the week, on the Friday, it is usually a sort of workshop type performance in front of all the school. In 2015, I went into a panto course run by Nigel Elacot, who is a professional dame in panto. I played one of the ugly sisters from Cinderella, we put together scenes from Cinderella, Dick Whittington and another guy played the dame in the Dick Whittington extract. It lasted about 20 minutes when we performed it on the Friday. After doing this course, I played my first dame part of Widow Twankey in Aladdin in a new theatre in a converted old cinema in Tonyefail called the Savoy Christmas 2016.
Dennis attended the Operatic Summer School in Ripon from 1972, and, when the three schools merged, he used to come to us and then straight on to Ripon Operatic Summer School (or ROSS as it became).
His encyclopaedic knowledge of musical theatre was a cherished resource of students and tutors alike and his final performance from Guys and Dolls in his class this year, ensured there was not a dry eye in the room.
Such dedication deserves to be recognised and on Friday 9th August, at the sharing of the week's work, we were delighted to make a presentation to Dennis with a photograph of all of the students and a card which was signed by everyone. Dennis is a very recognisable personality and will be sorely missed by us all; he is the last attendee of those early times. We wish him well
Jacquie Stedman - NODA Theatre Summer School Chairman
Sarah Osborne - NODA Theatre Summer School
Director
Want to know more about the NODA Theatre Summer School? Visit noda.org.uk
Booking opens for the 2025 courses on 1st December.
Dennis Stallard
What does th
2024 not only marks the 125th anniversary of NODA, but also the launch of the ‘new-look’ NODA. But what are NODA doing to ensure we stay relevant for the next 125 years?
e future hold?
1899, the year the Victoria and Albert Museum foundation stone was laid, Noël Coward was born in a hotel in Manchester and the National Operatic and Dramatic Association was founded. I wonder if those original members ever imagined that the ‘mutual aid’ group would still be here today?
It certainly has not been plain sailing these last 125 years. The organisation has survived through amongst other things: two World Wars, a worldwide pandemic and financial difficulties, but here we are, approaching our next test... ensuring we survive and thrive in these changing times.
Groups today still face challenges that our founder groups faced, recruitment of new members, advertising struggles, rising costs and an uncertain economy. How many groups have not had to put a call out to the local area looking for men to be in the company or have had to scale back their productions as the venue cost has soared?
In 2022, NODA trustees recognised the need for change to secure the future of the charity. With membership numbers slowly falling for the last decade and the pandemic changing the future for so many groups, an ambitious plan was created to overhaul our current membership offer and repackage it in a new brand.
In October 2022, a member survey was launched with the help of Indigo Ltd, to assess what our members valued with their membership and how they thought we could develop. Following this work, a new brand strategy and identity was created ensuring NODA stays relevant in the ever-changing market.
So, what does the new brand mean? The brand has been
developed with the input and help of a number of colleagues from across the organisation and external specialists, to ensure that it is equally reflective of our ambitions for the future but also authentic to our organisation.
At the heart of our new strategy is a challenge: to ensure that NODA, in the future, fulfils its potential and has the greatest impact going forwards. That challenge is for us all to make sure that NODA is known for and respected for being valued, visible and relevant.
Valued: NODA must recognise that we are here for the benefit of our members and volunteer community. So, we will always provide support and services of the highest quality and effectiveness for them, as well as helping to create opportunities so that we can help them to be the best they can be and to thrive.
Visible: We are going to take a leading role in promoting the unique benefits and positive impacts of this wonderful pastime, as well as supporting our members to spread the word. Together, we will continue to inspire all the audiences and stakeholders who can help our members, and NODA, to thrive.
Relevant: To thrive, we must make sure that we celebrate, support and champion all of amateur theatre and that, as well as providing the support and services our members need, we are at the centre of conversations about amateur theatre and its many benefits. By supporting members, championing the sector and responding to issues and opportunities on their behalf, we can continue to inspire and create opportunities for individuals, groups and their communities.
The outcomes of the
membership survey in 2022, gave us a great insight into the state of the membership and what you are looking for:
• The majority of the membership is engaged and satisfied.
• Groups are struggling to recruit new members, trustees and committee members.
• Members want an increased training offer.
• Members want information in a clear and concise format.
• Support developing youth offering and demystifying safeguarding.
• Members feel NODA is oldfashioned and ‘unchanging’ with change not being a priority.
So, what does that mean and how do we put that into practice?
Training
NODA’s main training offer comes in the form of the NODA Theatre Summer School, a oneweek residential course. Each year, around 12 to 14 courses are created, each offering a diverse range of disciplines –from Shakespeare to physical theatre, musical theatre to
theatrical make-up. With firstclass professional tutors, it is an amazing week of theatre education with like-minded individuals. But that is just one week per year. What else can we do? Through the member survey, many respondents wanted more training, not just in stagecraft, but in marketing, finance and general group management too – all the areas that we know we need but aren’t as fun as performing!
So, over the coming months, you will receive a training specific survey, this will allow us to
develop a programme to cover the entire membership and the courses that people want.
Youth Development
Let’s face it, we aren’t as young as we used to be, (as my knees tell me every time I stand up) and we have to look to the future. Ensuring young people have access to the arts is probably the biggest priority for NODA, as well as its biggest challenge. How do we get young people involved in theatre? With arts cutbacks in schools at an all-time high, university courses being
cancelled and a recruitment and retention crisis in technical theatre, what can amateur theatre do to lead the charge?
It all starts at the source – at the grass roots level, ie with you, our members.
The Arts Taking Part Survey, commissioned by the DCMS, says only 29% of children participate in theatre and drama activities in school and 25% outside of school, compared to 60% of children taking part in competitive sport in school and 35% outside of school.
Within the 11 regions of NODA, there are so many amazing groups that support young people on and off stage, and we want to support you and create opportunities for more groups like you to exist and thrive.
After receiving grant funds from the Benefact Group, we are developing a much larger bid to the Arts Council to create our youth development strategy. If the grant is successful, this work will begin in 2025.
Our youth development strategy will not just concentrate on performing, but getting young people involved in the technical arts. Conversations with the ABTT (Association of British Theatre Technicians) on how our organisations can support each other meet our aims; ours being more young people involved in amateur theatre, and the ABTT’s, getting more young people interested in a career in technical theatre.
Simplifying our language
Another point raised within the member survey was
simplifying the language used in our communications and online resources. Who can say, when they read through their insurance policy for instance, they know exactly what they get? A lot of member groups do struggle to recruit
NODA Theatre Summer School 2024. Photo Credit: Barry Hall
committee members, and a lot of people filling those roles were ‘volunteered’ for them, we want to make sure their job is made as easy as possible. By working with our insurance partners, Lloyd and Whyte, as well as our legal and health and safety partners, we will be making our online resources and insurance documents as clear and concise as possible. With things like insurance policies, there will always be legal jargon, but we will try to break that down and provide that clear guide members need.
Increasing awareness of the importance of amateur theatre
There’s strength in numbers, and that holds true for NODA membership. A government survey highlighted that around 9,000 amateur theatre groups operate across the UK, collectively contributing an estimated £180 million to the UK economy. This isn’t just about economics; it’s about the profound impact on individuals and communities.
Amateur theatre offers much more than entertainment. It’s a vital outlet for boosting selfesteem, building confidence, and improving physical health. Whether it’s the thrill of a standing ovation or the camaraderie in rehearsals, the benefits are vast. We’ve all experienced those intense warm-ups where the choreographer pushes us to our limits—proving that theatre can be as leisurely or as physically demanding as you choose. The positive effects on both physical and mental well-being are undeniable.
Yet, despite these benefits, amateur theatre was largely overlooked during the COVID-19 pandemic. Restrictions were challenging, to say the least, and the support from the government was insufficient for our needs. This highlighted a critical issue: the lack of recognition and
Whether you are staging a musical, an opera, a play, a concert or a pantomime, as the UK’s leading amateur theatre membership organisation, NODA is here for, ever y show, ever y rehearsal, ever y curtain call – here for our members ever y step of the way.
From just starting out to centre stage; village halls to professional venues; NODA exists to celebrate, connect, support and amplif y amateur theatre and theatre groups across the UK.
We provide invaluable services, expertise and resources that help thousands of our member groups create and produce theatre, that enhances lives and benefits communities ever ywhere.
Whatever your passion, level of experience or stage of life, we are here to help ever yone enjoy the unique benefits, opportunities and sense of community that live performance can bring.
NODA
For ever y stage
For every stage of your production, NODA is here for you
support for amateur theatre at the policy level.
NODA’s mission is to change that. We aim to champion amateur theatre from the grassroots to the highest levels of government. We are committed to ensuring that this incredible pastime is not only recognised for its cultural and economic contributions but also supported so that it can continue to thrive and enrich lives across the UK.
Over the last two years of the membership and rebrand
noda.org.u
project, we have come up with hundreds of ideas and projects and I could fill up this whole magazine with them. Some ideas are easy to implement and some may take a few years, but what we want members to take from this relaunch, is that NODA is here for you - at every stage. We want to hear from you, your opinions, your issues, your successes as, NODA is truly nothing without you, its members.
Rob Williams
Marketing and Publishing
Executive and Project Lead
The Mask - July 1911
The question of charity
An extract from the only surviving copy of the second and very last edition of ‘The Mask’, NODA’s first national publication.
In the April issue of The Mask, Mr W. H. H. Eaton, in his article on “The Importance of Raising the Average” wrote:
“To keep your end up on the sickly, sentimental appeal to charity is more degrading and demoralising than to hold a bazaar. I nearly said, ‘it is obtaining money under false pretences.’ I never see billed the work ‘In aid of local charities’ without experiencing an indescribable nausea. If you cannot exist as a society without dressing up as a waif and stray, and ‘making up’ as being in the last stage of consumption in order to get assistance, do not attempt to exist at all. It is not honest.”
In our contributor’s notice of the performance of My Friend the Prince, by the Eastbourne Amateurs, which appears in the present issue, the subject is again raised from a similarly hostile point of view; in Mr Moody’s letter to The Yorkshire Evening Post, re-printed in this
issue, a further reference is made to it; and a letter which appears in our correspondence columns also deals with it. We may therefore reasonably assume that the quest is engaging the attention of more than one of our societies.
It is undoubtedly the fact that practically all amateur stage societies, whether playing drama or opera, make use of the charity appeal in one form or another. Even those few which do not expressly lure their patrons into the theatre by a formal announcement that the proceeds of the show will, in some devious way, relieve the long-suffering philanthropist of some portion of his annual generosities, contrive to let it be known, by circular or otherwise, that they have, in former years, made certain contributions to this or that charitable institution, with an inference that if the generous patron is of sufficient number, something of the kind may possibly occur again. One society, which shall remain
nameless, prints in prominent figures at the top of all its notepaper, the amount of a fabulous sum which presumably represents the result of its artistic activities during its highly successful career. Others support cots in the local hospitals, and again others cannot pay their way and drop out of the National Association, but there is seldom any anxiety to advertising this last form of charity.
The only difference between the boast that you will have given more money to charity than any other society in the Kingdom, and the boast that you have given a better rendering of, say, The Yeoman of the Guard than can be seen anywhere else in the Kingdom, is that the latter is vastly worthier of pride than the former, in as much as anybody with money can give it away, but anybody with an opera society cannot necessarily play an opera, even indifferently well. Yet to print the latter boast on your notepaper, no matter how true it might be, would be looked
upon as vain-glorious; while the former boast is applauded to the skies, and one begins to acquire an idea that there is something peculiarly distinguished about it.
Then, again, are we really out there in the interests of charity? If we are quite frank most of us will probably admit that our chief aim as amateurs is to amuse ourselves. There are just a few of us who are very seriously inclined: who are satisfied that they are the prophets of a heaven-sent message to the nation to show it what sincere art really is. The mantle of the Greek drama has descended upon them. For centuries, the English stage has been notoriously in a very bad way. No playwright of any merit has been known until generations have tramped over his grave. No musician with an instinct for the stage could possibly come out of England. (In these strictures the sacrosanct Savoy Alliance is of course carefully expected). And as for players and operatic artists and producers - what does the English stage know of them?
We are concerned here with the common or garden amateur who makes as much as he can of the limited material at his disposal, and leaves the result more or less to providence and a too lenient public. Why does he persist in dragging an indiscriminating world into an unhealthy theatre for at least a week in every year? Is it in order to ‘swell the coffers’ of the local infirmary, or to ‘attain fame’ by endowing a cot? It it?
Not a bit. It is to amuse himself, to gratify a personal ambition, to strut about and preen his fine feathers in the public eye. Let us be honest and admit that charity is very much a secondary consideration.
If that is agreed would it not be well if we all ceased to make use of so unfair an appeal? A modern writer has said:
“We pass along the Strand and see a respectable young widow standing in the gutter with a baby in her arm and a couple of boxes of matches in one hand. We know she is a widow because of her weeds, and we know she is respectable by her clothes. We know she is not begging because she is selling matches. The sight of her in the gutter pains our heart. Our heart weeps and gives the woman a penny in exchange for half-penny box of matches, and the pain of our heart is thereby assuaged.”
Are you aware Mr. Amateur that when we make use of that unfair appeal “In aid of Local Charities,” we are standing in the gutter; we are pretending to be a respectable widow with a baby to support; we are laying ourselves open to the imputation of attempting to get a penny for a half-penny box of matches; and in probability the public come to see us for a reason very like that which led us to buy matches from the respectable widow? If our show is worth doing at all, let us have the courage to stand by our belief in it. Why
should we hide behind a hired baby? Why descent to the dodge of the weeds and matches? Why give the public an opportunity to conclude that we have labelled it a fool from whom money may be extracted by any sort of hollow pretence? Let us be honest and announce that we have at least a penny’s worth of matches to offer in exchange for a penny. Never should we let it be hinted that, but for our charity appeal, we could not exist for more than two consecutive seasons. Yet that very thing is being hinted at all over the country.
At the same time, if unlike the Penzance King, we are able to make this particular variety of piracy pay, by all means let us give away our superfluous wealth. But we need not make any fuss about that. It was better not to tell it in Gath, not to publish it on the streets of Askelon, lest the Philistines confound us with such organisations as exist merely for the purpose of maintaining these charitable institutions, most of which, in a well-arranged social fabric, should by now have ceased to exist. We all have artistic ambitions and they cannot both benefit by being kept rigorously separate from our more sentimental interest in the material welfare of our fellows. Moreover, in the matter of charity, it was once and for all well said, “When thou doest alms let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth.”
Adverts from the July 1911, edition of ‘The Mask’
Sound design 101 West End
sound designer, Matt Peploe, shares how to set up your system
We spend our lives surround by different sounds and soundscapes, whether that be the light chatter and sound of an espresso machine in a suburban bistro, or the clacketing of tracks and the rustling of newspapers on an overcrowded commuter train. Our lives are full of contextual sonic information, all of which tell their own story. Sound design can seem daunting at first, however, the ability to create a world around a performance and to dynamically present a rich script and score to an audience is a fulfilling experience.
It was this kind of creativity that excited and drove a passion to pursue sound design and engineering as a career. I have been fortunate enough to creatively work on some of the world’s largest shows, both in the West End and worldwide, while designing and mixing some of the biggest names in the industry. Productions such as &Juliet, Joseph at the Palladium; Bat out of Hell, Starlight Express
NODA Today Summer 2020
West End and Bochum; Rocky Horror, Prince of Egypt and many more. However, none of this would have been achievable without my many years working on amateur shows, something I still have a keen passion for. When I was 15, I was fortunate enough to be invited to my local amateur theatre to get involved in the technical aspect of their shows. Not knowing anything really (although thinking I did), I was placed on follow spot for my first production, Bugsy Malone. A few productions later, I was allowed to sneak over to sound. This was my playground: a chance to experiment, learn and make many mistakes, and most importantly, how to get along with people. This world became my second family. The joy we all have of getting together on a Friday evening and somehow putting together a show to open on a Tuesday, to an audience, is an exciting experience. Although this opportunity led me to move onto professional theatre, I still always return to this world and still enjoy it as much as anything else that I do. Hopefully, I can help pass on some tips and tricks to help with your creative journey.
Preparation is key. It will keep you on the front foot resulting in less stress and more creativity. It’s a well-known phrase across the industry that the performers have weeks to learn their parts. However, we have to piece it all together in a few days over
technical and dress rehearsals. Although there is some element of truth in this, there is plenty you can do to stay ahead of the game. A clear plan and understanding of what the piece will allow, will allow you to get the most from your design. Start by reading the script. Look at piecing together, in your head, how things may sound. What soundscapes might there be? Also important, is creating a relationship with the director, choreographer and musical director. Learn their vision of the piece, talk about the creative construction of the show. It will soon lead to ideas. I try not to refer too much to other companies past productions as I feel this can dampen your own creativity, even though the story may lead you to the same results. Make it your work.
Once we have an understanding of what the vision of the piece is, we can now start to look for supporting material, sound effects and soundscapes. These can all be thought about and collated before you get to the venue. I like first to source my ‘accented SFX,’ i.e. gunshots, doorbells, running cars, ensuring all are within keeping of the story’s period. It’s also good to give yourself options, as this will save you time in the long run. Next, I can look at soundscapes and music beds. How to add subliminal messages to help create the tone of a scene. Take a scene synopsis of a script, along
with the set/prop design and write down five key sounds for what you imagine you’d hear for the location of each scene. Put yourself mentally in that space: this will give you a good base to start building from. Maybe some scenes repeat themselves allowing you to repeat soundscapes and music beds? However, adding a slight twist or additional accent will reduce the feeling of material repeating itself. Try changing the pitch or reverse a specific element for a unique variance and a change in mood. Maybe you can layer multiple sound effects together, or create your own Foley sound effects? Although there are many a website with thousands of sound effects available, perhaps you could create your own? Create a fire by snapping twigs and rustling a carrier bag, or the sound of seagulls flapping their wings by opening and closing an umbrella. Having all of this material ahead of the production allows you to sit with the director and run through them together. Nobody likes surprises. It also gives you more time to re-source material should changes need to be made. Why not take the material into the final run-through rehearsals? This will aid with performer timing and familiarity. Tip – don’t forget the power of silence. Going from a busy sonic scene to nothing can help pull your audience in for an emotive section of the performance.
“ I’ve made more mistakes than I care to remember. It’s what makes us better engineers. ”
How do we now playback the material consistently each show? There are a couple of key options for either Windows or Mac. I like to use either CSC Show Control or Qlab. Both have free options available to allow you to experiment. However, it’s an essential asset if you do multiple shows. Both will enable the creation of sequential cue stacks containing all of your SFX, soundscapes and console automation should it be needed. It also allows for easy editing. Fade Ins/Outs, crossfades to new SFX. You can use this software offline in rehearsal rooms, which can be a great aid. This software can output audio straight out of your headphone socket on your computer. However, for better quality and flexibility, I would recommend purchasing, or hiring, a 4-8 channel sound card to run with your software. A soundcard will allow you to better distribute your sound effects, instead of being limited to a FOH left and right source.
Maybe you could add additional ‘spot’ speakers on stage that are hidden in the set? A speaker in the car of Chitty to locate the engine sounds, or upstage speakers used for the sound of distant traffic. If there is the budget, maybe you can sneak in a few rear surround speakers, to have some soundscapes appear from behind as well as out-front, helping envelope your listeners? Experiment and play!
Cast microphones are a vital component of any sound design and something that requires thought. The first consideration is quantity. Read through your script, and create a scene breakdown of who needs to be heard on a scene by scene basis. Although the ideal would be for everyone to have their own microphone, sometimes budget doesn’t allow this and therefore mic swaps will have to occur. Next, where do we want to place the microphones? Is the show suited to microphones taped down
the face or positioned within the hairline, or are headsets the best option? Headsets positioned carefully at the corner of the mouth will give you the best level before running into problems and therefore my default. Sometimes, however, aesthetics do not allow for this type of position, and so, the forehead is the next best option. It is worth spending time ensuring the microphones are well-positioned, and, most importantly, secured on the performer to eliminate unwanted movement. The smallest of movements mid-song, or between scenes can drastically result in unwanted tonal changes or level drop, turning your sound design from great to mediocre. Negotiate with the production team to allow an hour with the cast ahead of tech rehearsals, to fit the cast with their microphones ensuring a ideal position and secure fit is achieved. Make sure the performer feels comfortable with the position. Work with the cast by showing them the position you are aiming for. They will then be able to keep an eye on it throughout the show and aid you by moving it back into position if they notice it move. Utilising a second person in your sound team, to aid with fittings and adjustments throughout the show, will greatly help you maintain a clean sound.
Sweat is another issue that causes problems. Sweat cues can be added for your team onstage to wipe down unwanted moisture, or carefully spray air around the capsule to clear out sweat at troublesome moments in the show. Wrapping mic packs with balloons will help to stop sweat from entering the mic pack circuitry. Make sure you check each microphone before each performance for sweated out microphones (these will sound dull tonally, and are sometimes a lot quieter). Also check for breaks in the cable/connector; better to find these issues ahead of the show. Some sweated out microphones can be recovered
Cast member wearing a DPA headset microphone
by cleaning them with air and placing them in a small container with silica gel or rice overnight. Strong RF testing is also a must. It’s worth putting time into these steps as it’s the one thing that will make or break the sound of your show.
Plays are another variety of show that we all have an involvement in. How do we need to approach this genre differently from a musical? Maybe radio microphones for all the cast is not financially viable? The dialogue is still just as important as that in a musical and therefore we need to make it heard. What can we do? We can look at zoning out the space. Grid out your stage on a plan in 2m2 sections and look at how we can cover each of those sections with boundary microphones. Make a blocking list during rehearsals of which zone each performer is in, at each moment in the show. This means you can turn on only the required mics for the zones that the performers are speaking in. This will result in a cleaner and more stable sound. Maybe you can use smaller, more located spot sound effects speakers on stage? These are more subtle, allowing more sonic space for the spoken word. However, you will still be able to shock audiences with accented sfx: door slams, thunderclaps etc when the script allows. This adds excitement and anticipation.
Another component of your design is your PA. Quite simply, the job of this is to ensure every element of your venue is covered with sound. Maybe in deeper rooms, you need to utilise a more distributed system by placing delay speakers halfway down your auditorium? This means you don’t have to run the system at an uncomfortable level for people sitting at the front, near your main system, to reach people at the back. Also, ensuring your cast can hear a monitor mix onstage comfortably is an important factor. Give yourself ample tuning time to walk around
the space, listening to familiar music allowing you to tonally set the speakers to suit their position within the space. Remember a lot of rooms can be very reflective, so keep as much sonic energy off the walls and reflective wooden floors. Apply drapes and dampening where possible.
Walking on stage and spending time with performers ensuring they are comfortable with what they are hearing can help you get a better performance. A happy performer will mean a happy FOH engineer!
Now it’s down to the mix. The exciting part, what all the work has been for. Remember to look for dynamics in a piece. Where can you pull the level right back to draw the audience in? Where can you lift the level to create excitement in the room? Remember, without dynamics, the show just sits in either an uncomfortable place for 2+ hours, or it becomes an unenergised show. Listen to your audience, ride their reactions, along with the performers’ dynamics. Also receiving good, or more importantly, negative feedback from a first performance should
be welcomed as it aids drastically in improving the sound for the second show. Never be frightened to ask. Where possible keep as few a mics open as possible at any one time. This technique is called line by line mixingsomething to practice as it will help with clarity and stability. Tip - make sure you, or a member of your team, walk around the space, if possible during final rehearsals, to ensure there are no dead spots or uncomfortable areas. Remember sound is a subjective medium. Everybody likes to listen to the tv at different volumes. We have all had tv volume wars at home! Listen to your audience, however, always remain confident in the decisions you make.
This just touches the surface of what we do and the excitement that we can find in sound design. Remember, preparation will lead to great creativity. Never give up, and always keep learning. I’ve made more mistakes than I care to remember. It’s what makes us better engineers.
Matt Peploe Sound Designer Matt Peploe Sound
Show control software - Qlab
Shakespeare and the films
The move from stage to screen
The news of the impending release (October 9th) of a film by Reinhardt of Midsummer Night’s Dream sets one wondering as to the suitability of Shakespeare for the cinema, and also if Max Reinhardt will succeed where so many others have failed. Previous attempts to film Shakespeare have been singularly unsuccessful, I do not consider that Fairbank’s production of Taming of the Shrew should be taken seriously.
In considering the suitability of Shakespeare for the films, it is necessary to remember the kind of theatre for which he wrote, and how he obtained his effects in it. Shakespeare’s theatre, which was open to the sky, had for stage, only a platform jutting out into the auditorium. There was no scenery, and the changes had to be indicated by putting up vague signs such as “Rome”, “Athens” etc. Having, therefore no extraneous aids, Shakespeare’s actors had, by the force of their personalities and their oratory, so to fire the imaginations of their audiences that each individual beholder invented for himself the setting in which the scene was supposed to have been played. In other words, Shakespeare’s was an oral theatre.
It was the greatness of his thoughts and the beauty of his words that mattered.
With all due deference to the great strides that have been made in the art of film production, it must be
admitted that the sound or oral parts falls considerably behind the visual. There are many things that can be done on the films better than they can in the ordinary theatre, but the production of sounds is not one of them. It might be seen then that if the oral part of Shakespeare is the most important, and that is the part which cinema will have the greatest difficulty in reproducing effectively, there is but little scope for the production of Shakespeare’s plays on the films. In the days before the talkies, this certainly was so. (As an example, Forbes Robertson’s silent production of Hamlet may be cited.) But that was a long time ago, and the film industry has made great strides since then.
I have remarked that among the requirements of a Shakespearean actor are a fine voice and the power to make his audience use their imagination. It is one of the real difficulties of the cinema that celluloid cannot transmit that indefinable something which is the living stage. Some audiences have little to no imagination to fire, but it does not seem impossible that, in the hands of a great producer, the art of the cinema might be brought in to provide a background for Shakespeare’s words so that they may come home to the most lethargic spectator. Of course there are dangers. It would be easy so to overload Shakespeare’s words with background and what may be called cinema-craft, that instead of helping to bring out his meaning it becomes
obstructed. This sometimes happened on the ordinary stage. Another danger is that in order to get in all the cinematography, the producer may be tempted to cut much of the dialogue and so fall into the difficulty which beset the silent films.
But Reinhardt is a great producer, for fifteen years the film magnates have been to persuade him to turn his attentions to the cinema. But only recently has he admitted that the technique of film production has reached a point at which he takes an interest in it. He has chosen a play in which the art of the cinema must definitely have, in certain respects, an advantage over that of the living stage, because fairies, imps and other inhabitants of dreamland are notoriously difficult to present in the flesh.
With all these things taken together, namely, a great producer who is now provided with the means not only of giving the audience Shakespeare’s words, but also of assisting their imaginations in the places where ordinary stage would breakdown, a play especially suitable to the medium, and Mendelssohn’s beautiful music easily available, there seems to be a possibility that an event in the theatre is about to take place, the like of which has never been seen before. We shall await October 9th with interest.
Dumayne Warne
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TRW embraces the mission of NODA, an unmatched contributor to the fabric of theatrical presentation.
We are proud to be a NODA Gold Corporate Partner and look forward to continuing our journey together.
Presenting and producing a pantomime
The origins of the wonderful world of pantomime Oh...yes
it is!
The word pantomime doesn’t in fact actually appertain to the definition of mime – it evolved from the Roman ‘pantomimus’, which refers to an actor and not a type of performance. The great Roman dancers Pylades & Bathylos perfomed in vast arenas without using words whilst still conveying their meaning, and thus was born the art of pantomime.
A form of pantomime was initiated by the Romans during the midwinter Saturnalia, when men dressed as women and vice-versa and slaves became masters and masters slaves. Thus evolved the topsy-turvy world of present day Christmas productions, with dames, principal boys and penurious royalty – the poor becoming wealthy at the finale. With the advent of Christianity, these entertainments, which had become amoral and out hand, ceased and were discontinued for hundreds of years.
The first recorded pantomime
performance was devised by John Weaver, the dancing master of Dury Lane. He claims the year to be 1702, but in all probability it was a few years later.
Until 1843, a law was in force which made it illegal to act for hire, gain or reward, any spoken dramatic performance unless it had royal patent. Monopolies were held by Dury Lane, under the direction of David Garrick, and Covent Garden, directed by John Riches.
Riches had made so much money from his pantomime presentations at the Lincoln’s Inn Fields Theatre, that he leased land in Covent Garden and built his own theatre, which now competed in intense rivalry with Dury Lane. Each vied with the other to produce more elaborate and stunning scenes and effects to draw the crowds, and courted bankruptcy in the process of trying to outdo each other.
These pantomimes were very different from what eventually
followed because they were based on allegorical and historical events, tied together with the characters of the Italian commedia dell’arte. Commedia dell’arte later came through France to England in the form of the harlequinade, which featured the loves and trails of Harlequin, Columbine, Pierrot, Clown, Pantaloon etc.
Many technical items evolved with these shows and are still in use today – wings, traps, pulleys, cloud and smoke effects. Even the first naturalistically painted canvas backdrops found their birth with pantomime. These revolutionary ideas even had their own featured details exploited on the extremely verbal playbills.
To get around the lack of royal patent, may theatres engaged musical artistes for which no patent was required. They charged for this piece, but then allowed their audience to remain for a dramatic performance, which was given gratis afterwards. Hence bird
whistler appeared between the acts of The Merchant of Venice by this subterfuge. In 1788, the law was minimised and theatres were permitted drama for sixtyfive nights a year. By 1800, royal patents were held outside London by many towns and cities, and, in 1843, the law was totally repealed. Many new theatres flourished, to the extent that most towns could boast three and sometimes four pantomimes running from Christmas until Easter.
In 1879, Dury Lane, now controlled by Augustus Harris, brought great changes. Realising the great popularity of the music halls, he persuaded its stars to play in his Christmas productions, much to the chagrin of his straight actors, who deplored the arrival of the low-down, common, variety people (a barrier that can still be found in evidence today!). However, Harris persisted with his plans and brought the great Joseph Grimaldi to Dury Lane with such success. Even today, clowns are nicknamed ‘Joeys’ after the great artiste who died tragically
young.
These artistes brought their own songs, acts and business into the shows and yet again another profound change started in the presentation of pantomimes. Other great names working under Harris’s banner were: Little Tich, Vesta Tilley, Marie Lloyd and Dan Leno. Leno was one of the greatest dames ever and is revered to this day for his playing Widow Tawnkey, Mrs. Crusoe and, most famously, Mother Goose. The harlequinde was now mainly dropped, except for a token appearance as a prologue and we moved into the world of fairy tale.
Not all of these changes were applauded, as Charles Dickens quoted in 1896, “then came the deluge – the floodgates of music hall opened and all that was agreeable about the good comic pantomime was drained out.” However, the public did not agree, and, when in 1912, King George V commanded a royal pantomime performance, the seal of approval
was conferred on a branch of showbusiness that, until then, no decent lady and certainly no child could view with ease.
So began pantomime with music hall stars which, in varying degrees, was the forerunner of today’s productions. However, we now substitute television personalities into the time honoured roles and plots of yesterday’s stories.
And so, we come to a couplet first written in the nineteenth century and which still applies today:
“Three things are required at Christmastime: Plum pudding, beef and pantomime.
Folks could resist the former two. Without the latter none could do.”
Presenting and producing a pantomime by Robert Marlowe 1984
10% of the gross
The age old conversation around performance rights
“If we pay a royalty of 10 percent, as per the contract, our profit will be reduced to £x.” From time to time comments suggest that while many societies are willing to pay for the hire of scenery and costumes, for the use of a theatre or hall, or for the services of a professional producer and musical director, the payment of royalties is regarded as unfair tax upon hard earned box office receipts.
Costumes have to be made, which costs money. They arrive, they can be seen and handled, and the hire fees and carriage costs are readily recognisable as costs which have been incurred and have to be reimbursed. Is the payment of royalties really something different? Is it a form of unavoidable tax upon a society’s activities?
Let us consider how a new show, not professionally produced in the West End, reaches the amateur market. Let us suppose that the originator is a publisher. He conceives the idea of a show based upon the life of Handel, Charles Dickens or Rudolf Valentino. This is discussed over a period of months with possible authors and composers. The music maybe original, but it maybe decided to use Handel’s own melodies, Victorian ballads or American blues. Many hours of research will be necessary to select something suitable and, if copywrite music is required, the owners have to be approached for permission to use their property. The musical score is meanwhile taking shape in the composer’s or adaptor’s mind: an opening chorus for each
act, a suitable finale for each, solos, duets and ensembles and sufficient chorus numbers in between. All along, the author is working on the book: a balanced cast, sufficient minor characters and a story with climaxes which coincide with the musical construction. When all this has been agreed, work can commence on the detailed libretto and musical score. The final draft will probably take several weeks of concentrated work, after which both script and score are ready for publication. The score will almost certainly be printed, while the libretto maybe duplicated initially until it is has been seen on the stage at least once and any alteration can then be made in the light of experience before it is printed. The score has to be engraved (this costs approximately £4 per page), checked, printed and bound and the publisher then takes delivery of a first print of 2,000-5,000 copies according to the estimated demand. The basic cost of a score will depend upon the print order, but the total outlay is likely to be £1,500/£2,000. Libretti, if printed, will cost a further £400. Band parts (however they are produced) all have to be handwritten. Authors require an advance of £500 on account of royalties and by the time the work is announced, the promoter will probably have expended something approaching £3,500.
Now comes the cost of promotion, leaflets, catalogues, advertisement, letters to societies, reading copies to be lent out (incurring heavy postal charges), scenery and costume firms have to be supplied with details and,
with luck, the first contracts may be issued within a few weeks. Six months later, the royalties will begin to flow in and the publisher sees the first return on his twelve months work. Broadly speaking the cost of printing scores and libretti will be recovered by the income from sales, like any tangible commodity, and subject to any author’s royalties, which may have been agreed. If there is a regular stream of bookings, a modest profit will eventually result. Success may mean a reprinting within a couple of years, but with costs rapidly rising year by year, a reprint (after the first attraction of the work has worn off) is not necessarily welcome. The royalties received may be shared 50/50 (or in some cases 75/25) by authors and publishers, as will hire fees, so that it will probably take a dozen reasonably big productions before initial costs have been recovered. After that, in the second or third season perhaps, a profit begins to show. But not every show is a winner. In a list of twenty shows, ten maybe regular money spinners, five have a fluctuating popularity and five are rarely performed. The successes have to pay for the failures. If a show has enjoyed a West End run, the problem is different but not dissimilar. The score may already be published, but the owners, authors or management, knowing they have a valuable property, will probably require more before they are willing to release it on to the amateur market.
There are all sorts of ancillary responsibilities and services, all of which cost money. Band parts have to be stored during
the summer on racks which may be empty at the peak of the season. They have to be booked out, despatched and received back. Stocks have to be maintained and they have to be cleaned after each loan. This costs rent, as does space for storing 3,000 vocal scores. Even the obtaining of returns, the calculation and collection of royalties is by no means simple. For every ten societies that pay up automatically before the due date, in accordance with the terms of the contract, there is one that requires several promptings. A significant number will still not have paid three months after the production.
Societies rightly expect prompt and efficient service from publishers, along with a regular flow of new shows. A living theatre demands the work of living authors, but this depends upon their receiving an adequate reward for their labours. Royalties are indeed the life blood which keeps the stage alive.
King Charles III in Hamilton
Photograph by Matthew Murphy
North East - NODA Today Spring 2019
Am dram to Olivier Award
Former North East Editor, Tony Harris together, with Christine Castle and Neal Edlin compiled some questions to put to Michael Jibson who began his career in amateur theatre and most recently appeared as The King in Hamilton, his performance winning him an Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a musical.
When did you first perform?
My first ever performance (apart from school Christmas shows) was with Hessle Theatre Company in their 1994 production of Oliver! at Hull New Theatre. I was thirteen. My Mum had been involved with the company and asked me and my brother Paul if we’d like to be in it, so we auditioned. My brother played Oliver and I played The Artful Dodger. I loved it and I suppose it changed my life. Before that, all I was interested in was football and sport.
What was the biggest hurdle you had to overcome as an aspiring actor and how did you manage it?
Dealing with my friends who thought that what I was doing was silly. Acting, singing and dancing wasn’t cool. I remember once I’d been on Blue Peter with the National Youth Music Theatre (I’m now
a patron of the company) and my English teacher surprised me and showed it to the class on the school TV. I was very embarrassed as some of my class mates laughed at me. It was hard, but I stuck to it and tried not to let it bother me.
Who influenced you as a performer when you grew up?
There were a few people who helped me and taught me along the way. My Mum paid for me to have private lessons with Geoff Annis, a trained actor who lived in Hull and taught Drama. He was also involved with Hessle Theatre Company. He taught me the basics of Shakespeare and how to work on text. He gave me confidence and encouragement. Then the people I worked with at The National Youth Music Theatre inspired me to want be a professional actor. One memory sticks out though: when I was fourteen my brother and I got the opportunity to be in the 1995 revival of Oliver! at The London
Palladium with Jonathan Price. Working with him and watching him on stage was a masterclass. The detail and truth that he brought to Fagin still inspires me today.
Who do you look up to (as an actor/director/etc.)?
I look up to actors and directors, writers and producers who are brilliant at what they do and are also lovely people. The industry can sometimes be a very strange place and I admire people who can switch between the madness and normality. I’ve worked with a few now, so it’s great to see how different people work and I take some wisdom to every job I do.
Could you tell us a little about your time with Hessle Theatre Company?
I joined Hessle in 1994, and stayed with them on and off until I was eighteen. I was in their productions of Oliver!, Joseph, Hello Dolly, South Pacific, a
short play called Runaways (that my Mum’s friend Linda Burgess actually wrote!) and many concerts. I have very fond memories of singing with the concert party. I was the youngest one involved, but I got to sing all the songs from the shows we all loved at the time: Les Mis, Phantom, Martin Guerre, Blood Brothers and many more. That’s where I gained the confidence in my singing voice. I would often sing the song ‘If I Can’t Love Her’ from Beauty and The Beast as a solo, which I then went on to sing for my Drama School audition, which then got me into GSA. The cool thing is that, singing Les Miserables and Beauty And The Beast with Hessle, at the time I only ever dreamed about being in those shows and I actually got be in the movies of both of them instead! I was offered Les Miserables in London when I first left drama School at twenty one but had to turn it down to play Joe Casey in Our House
How do you cope with auditions? Do you get nervous?
Yes, I always get nervous. I always prepare and do my homework. Sometimes it can be very last minute, but usually I find a way to drop everything and be on top of the material. The thing about being an actor is you’re only ever as good as your last audition or job, so I always
try and be the best I can be for whoever I’m meeting as you never know where it may lead. I’ve missed out on jobs in the past because I’m not right for the role, but then got to work with the director at a later date because of an audition I did for something else.
What’s the best method for you in learning lines?
These days I use an App on my phone called LINE LEARNER and I couldn’t do without it. It’s like a voice recorder but it means you can run the lines with yourself. Or I grab someone and work with them. I also break the big speeches down into thoughts as that always helps. Then I run them all the time! I’m usually running lines when I’m not doing something important. My plan tonight is to work on my lines for a project that’s coming up. Any chance I get, I learn and get them under my belt, especially these days with TV castings being so last minute. I’d rather not go to a meeting if I don’t know the scene inside out.
What’s the last thing you do before you step out on stage / the curtain goes up?
I usually take a deep breath! What do you do when you’re not doing theatre?
In terms of the work I’ve done, I actually mainly work on TV or in film, so I’m often filming. I also write. I co-wrote and starred in the film The Lighthouse, which was nominated for five Welsh Baftas and won one! I’ve also been the co-director of the new musical Eugenius!, which I’ve been developing with the writers for the past four years. My commitment to Hamilton meant that I had to take a back seat when it opened in London at the Other Palace, meaning I became the creative consultant. Also, my wife is the Welsh actress, Caroline Sheen, so I’m often on daddy duties with our daughter Flora when she’s working.
If you had a magic wand, what show would you do next?
Hamilton will be hard to top, but I’d love to do another Sondheim musical.
What advice would you give for youngsters thinking about a career in theatre?
Indulge in every aspect of it. Go to the theatre whenever you can. See the best and the worst theatre. Help out backstage. Be an assistant director. Help with the lights. Paint the set. Read about its history. Find out about the older shows that have influenced the new ones...and be a nice person.
Oliver 1995, Palladium
Les Miserables 2012
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Whether you are staging a musical, an opera, a play, a concert or a pantomime, as the UK’s leading amateur theatre membership organisation, NODA is here for ever y show, ever y rehearsal, ever y curtain call – here fo r our members ever y step of the way.
From just star ting out to centre stage; village halls to professional venues; NODA exists to c elebrate, connect, support and amplif y amateur theatre and theatre groups across the UK .
We provide invaluable services, expe rtise and resources that help thousands of our member groups create and produce theatre, that enhances lives and benefits communities ever ywhere
Whatever your passion, level of experience or stage of life, we are here to help ever yone enjoy the unique benefits, opportunities and sense of communit y that live performance can bring.
NO DA
For ever y stage
NODA’s annual Programme and Poster Competition is a very popular competition for groups and highlights the promotion of amateur theatre in the UK.
With the launch of our new brand, the criteria for the competition has been changed. This new criteria will apply to entries for shows between 1st January and 31st December (1st July to 30th June in Scotland) in each of these years and come into effect 1st January 2025 (1st July 2024 for Scotland).
Check out the NODA website to download the new logos and the introduction to NODA, in a variety of colours, as well as the new criteria. noda.org.uk
noda.org.u k
The war years Ensuring NODA’s survival during the war years
interprets every mood and its noblest function remains to work upon man’s shoulder and to inspire his spirit with exaltation. There let (drama) remain true to this ideal, placing the highest things first always, and the humbler things too will not and must not be forgotten. This latter problem has to some extent been solved as regards the provision of stage plays and concert parties for the troops by ENSA, the Entertainment National Service Association. But aside from this lie, the needs of the workers for the Civilian Defence Service, the evacuees, the emergency munition workers, to say nothing of these more normal groups that have come back to look to the theatre as chief source of amusement and intellectual life.
A period known as the ‘phoney war’ followed the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, as the nation braced itself in anticipation of imminent attack. Apprehension gripped the capital where risk of bombing was greatest and everyone who could, sought sanctuary in the country. The atmosphere was tense with normal bustling streets eerily quiet, especially after dark when blackout was enforced. Activity was largely confined to air raid wardens at ground level and fire watchers on the roof tops. All theatres were dark for several weeks.
The October 1939, issue of
‘Wartime Drama’, a monthly bulletin issued by the British Drama League, contained an article written by Geoffrey Whitworth, the league’s founder, who wrote eloquently of the task ahead. Reminding readers of the broader need for theatre in wartime to “hearten our people for their great task, the maintenance of their good humour, their courage and their will to victory,” he continued:
“In saying this we do not suggest that the stage has nothing to offer but “entertainment” in its aspect of anodyne or restorative. It includes these excellent and necessary things. But drama
To cater adequately for this sudden necessity would seem to be beyond the scope of any voluntary organisation. Yet failing some adequate action by the government we must do what we can.”
Needs and requirements of the Armed Forces remained paramount throughout hostilities with the value of entertainment, self-produced or by others, officially recognised at the highest level as an invaluable morale booster. ENSA and the newly-formed Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts (CEMA) were both supported and financed by the treasury. Entertainment of troops in the capital was co-ordinated by
Dorothy Mason, Arthur Sexton, Lionel Dumanye Warne c1938. A rare photograph featuring three major figures in the development of NODA. Arthur Sexton spent most of his working life at NODA and Lionel Dumanye Ware served in various capacities for almost 50 years.
a London District Theatre Unit, similar arrangements pertained also in other areas. It was even suggested that amateur concert parties might adopt the name ‘NODA Parties’.
Up and down the country the amateur theatre scene resembled a patchwork quilt, as it did for much of the war. Here and there, particularly in rural districts, groups managed to carry on virtually uninterrupted, while others combined to produce fund-raising concerts and small shows. But it was a different story in larger towns and cities. On the initiative of Freddie Lloyd, longtime controller of Scala Theatre, an organisation called London Amateur Stage was formed in December 1939, with the Lord Mayor as president. Members of various societies combined to present four plays at the Fortune Theatre and two musicals at the Scala. Plays comprised: An Inspector Calls, And So to Bed, Berkley Square and Dinner at Eight, the musicals being Bitter Sweet and The Desert Song, with part of the latter being broadcast live by the BBC Home Service. The Vagabond King was in rehearsal when the venture was forced to disband in 1940, as the Battle of Britain commenced and the bombing of London began in earnest. In addition, the Musical Director, Norman Bidgood, was called up and Freddie Lloyd himself joined ENSA.
At NODA, the Emergency Committee took charge and temporarily shut HQ for normal business while arrangements were made to disperse nonessential assets and records elsewhere. As in 1914, many members suspended productions decimating their own income and leading to gradual decline in subscriptions received by the association. HQ reopened in November 1939, as the expected
blitz failed to materialise. At that stage though, activity and services were at a greatly reduced level and there was soon office space and personnel to spare.
An attempt to sublet part of 85 Eccleston Square, proved abortive. It was situated in a vulnerable location close to the railway sidings on the approach to Victoria Station and just across the River Thames from the prominent Battersea Power Station – both likely targets for the Luftwaffe. Despite a grant from the Carnegie UK Trust, which ensured survival of the association for the duration of War, it was still necessary for the staff to be laid off and for the director and secretary to take a reduction in salary. Although in his 44th year, Tommy Bamford, whose acclaimed book ‘Practical Make-up for the Stage’ had recently been published, rejoined his regiment in summer 1940, leaving Arthur Sexton virtually single-handed in the office. The crisis was averted when a former staff member was able to return, until she too was required to report for National Service in May 1943.
A supplement to the 1939-40 NODA Year Book was issued in October 1940, and gave members guidance on some aspects of wartime modus operandi. Emphasising that traders and rightsholders were adopting a most helpful attitude, appreciating the risk of last minute cancellation, members were urged to remember that permission should always be obtained for ‘songs from the shows’ where more than two members were involved from any particular show. Fees were normally waived for entertainment for the forces so long as performances took place in barracks or camps and
“...he took part in the Normandy landing and was mentioned in despatches, Tommy Bamford resumed full time at NODA in August 1945.”
Thomas Banford, Secretary of NODA from 1934 to 1954 and director from 1954 until his retirement in 1962
no charges whatsoever were made for admission, sale of programmes etc. The association was always prepared to negotiate on behalf of member societies and Arthur Sexton’s technical knowledge and vast range of contacts must have been invaluable in this regard. Circulars were available giving advice and suggestions on the composition and building of concert party programmes.
Six issues of the ‘NODA Bulletin’ appeared in the war years, slim editions being published in January and April 1940, and each January from 1942 to 1945. News was censored, printing was difficult and paper rationed. In 1943, the familiar pink cover was replaced by a dingy khaki one! Inevitably, there were sad tidings, enemy action accounting for the loss of both secretary and treasurer of Aberdeen Lytic OC, while Redcar & District AOS lost its president, chairman, treasurer and another member of the committee. Occasional lighthearted items relieved the gloom such as a reminder that ‘Frederic’ in The Pirates of Penzance came of age on 29 February 1940. Contact with the membership was thus maintained as circumstances permitted.
The Eccleston Square offices suffered bomb damage in April and May 1941, before NODA’s lease expired in 1942, where alternative accommodation was taken at Emanwye House, 8 Bernard Street, above Russell Square Tube Station. Removal costs were met from the HQ Establishment Fund. Life could not have been much fun for Mr. Sexton. Together with difficulties experienced on a day by day basis, by virtue of austerity, enemy action regularly disrupted his journey into Central London from Balham and in July 1944, he was rendered homeless when his house was badly damaged in an air raid. Testing times, particularly for a man already past retirement age. Although much activity concerned the library, there were
more important decisions to be made and, fortuitously, the association’s President, Lionel Dumayne Warne, was in London throughout the war and in almost daily contact with the director.
The War Emergency Committee met on 17 occasions between September 1939 and August 1945, usually at NODA HQ though the Grand Hotel in Manchester was used in September 1944, when London was under siege from Hitler’s V-2 rockets. Arthur Sexton attended every one and Dumayne Warne missed only two. Post-war policy was discussed several times, especially once the Allies began making positive progress towards victory. Though concert parties and G&S Operas were produced at various ‘Stalag’ POW camps in Germany, no records survive of assistance by the association.
The Little Theatre Group, formed by the British Drama League just before the war as a pro am venture, attracted over 40 disparate organisations. Its primary object was to encourage the presentation of plays in small capacity venues and included a Free German Society as well as a Yiddish one. Several little theatres were bombed. Despite black-out, problems with permits to serve refreshments at rehearsals, the
need to carry gas masks, lack of private transport etc, more amateur activity took place than in the first war. In the black days of 1940, no fewer than 16 groups affiliated to NODA, five of them newly formed.
It is possible that the Northern Polytechnic OS was the only amateur operatic society in London to play continuously throughout hostilities, as it had been between 1914 and 1919. The most remarkable wartime record must be that of Jersey Green Room Club which put on 18 productions despite German occupation. It even survived a dissolution order undaunted, though a minor change of name was necessary for a short while. Perhaps the best manifestation of official optimism was the formation of the War Office OS in Whitehall – where the men have always known best! This proceeded VE-Day by about a year.
Following a tough war during which he took part in the Normandy landing and was mentioned in despatches, Tommy Bamford resumed full time at NODA in August 1945. Reunited with Arthur Sexton, the two colleagues must have frequently swapped wartime experiences as well as speculating on the future.
85 Eccleston Square, London SW1. The association moved to 8 Bernard Street WC1 after bomb damage in 1941.
How would a revived national television network affect the theatre? How long would it be before an enlightened government would grasp the nettle and abolish the hated Entertainments Tax? How many societies which dissolved during the war would revive? Thanks to a dedicated director and president, who together, and with the goodwill of many others, kept the structure intact, NODA would be on hand to help, advise and support its membership – in peace as it had in war.
Let the final thoughts on World War II rest with the ‘Tynesiders’, apart from various amateur groups in the Newcastle area which toured Northern Germany in September 1945, entertaining British troops. Performances of a 90-minute programme delighted Units in Hamburg, Lubeck, the island of Sylt (now the most expensive seaside resort in a reunified Germany) as well as along the Danish border. Here, some escaping German POWs made a pathetic attempt to hijack the coach in which the intrepid thespians were travelling. Perhaps this sad episode amid the ravages of bitter military action caused some of them to reflect on the wonderful musical legacy shared by the two principal European antagonists. At all events the NODA flag was carried proudly aloft.
John N. Young
A Century of Service
NODA 100 Year Celebrations 1999
The NODA library
...aimed to consist of over
50,000 volumes
In 1906, at a meeting of the NODA council, a matter was considered which turned out to be “perhaps, the most important single thing that the association has done for affiliated societies.” To create a library of vocal scores, libretti and prompt books for the use of members. This resolution was passed, and so began the NODA Library, which aimed to consist of over 50,000 volumes.
The weight of this great number of books was an important point in considering the suitability of premises for use by the association. Failing special strengthening of the floors, the basement must be used, but basements are notoriously prone to damp and other disadvantages, and so may also be unsatisfactory. When the time comes for the association to have its own premises, the council will give special attention to housing the library, and they hope to provide spacious accomodation with a proper reading room.
Over the next 50 years, the library grew through grants and aquisitions and by 1938, held 19,948 volumes. After WWII, the library continued to operate
and NODA Limited became the rightsholder for Tams-Witmark including Kiss Me Kate and My Fair Lady. Later representing the Chappell collection as well as acting for Joef Weinberger.
In 1984, a notable ‘first’, an arrangement whereby prisoners of Wormwood Scrubs would bind vocal scores for the NODA library. The stock was depleted when the entire collection of full length plays were donated to the British Theatre Association and in exchange, NODA members gained access to the full BTA library without further subscription.
Today, the library is considerably smaller and is held in storage. Over our 125th year, NODA Head Office staff have been sorting through the boxes and have found so many ‘hidden gems’. Scores for long forgotten shows, librettos and magazines dating back to Victorian times.
Our ambition is to make the NODA library available again, but in digital form. A project is underway to access how we can digitalise the library and make those scans freely available.
Long Service Awards Celebrate your service with a long service award
First introduced back in 1930, the NODA Long Service Awards have become the ‘must-have’ item for members.
From badges to medals, there is something for all budgets. Show off your long service with the 25 year long service medal. You can add a silver bar for every 5 years additional service up to 50 years, when you will be entitled to the 50 year gold bar and, at 60 years’ service, the exclusive diamond bar. If you wanted something a bit less formal, then the long service badges fit the bill. A different badge for every 5 years of service.
Visit our website to see the full range of awards along with pricing.
How do I apply?
If you are a member of a group, the group will have to apply on your behalf. This can be done via our online application portal or by hard copy form. If you are a NODA individual or joint member, you will be able to apply directly for your award via the online application portal or by hard copy form.
What qualifies as ‘service’?
The awards are intended for those who, week after week, attend rehearsals or spend many hours backstage, or on administrative work, and whose services are essential/ indispensable to putting on shows.
When does my service start? Service starts from your first amateur/school show and from any age.
I have had several years out, how do I work out my service? Your service does not have to be continuous, but you can only include the years you have been active. The only exception to this rule is the years your group were not active due to COVID-19.
I have performed with other groups, do those years count?
As long as your current group is a member of NODA, or you are an individual member of NODA, you can include your service with another group as long as your current group is happy to confirm that service on your application form.
NODA Scotland conference 70 years of tradition
Ask any member of NODA Scotland if they are going to Peebles this year and they know instantly you mean are they attending the NODA Scotland Conference.
From 1904 until 1953, the conference had been held in a variety of locations across Scotland including Dunblane Hydro and Gleneagles Hotel, until in 1954, the NODA Scotland committee decided to try Peebles Hydro. That first year must have been a great success because the conference has now been held there every year since – a run of 70 consecutive conferences only broken in 2020 due to Covid.
Opened in 1881, following three years of building, the original Hydro was burnt down in 1905, with the current building being completed in 1907. Over the years an additional wing was added and rooms upgraded to ensuite removing the need for guests to queue up to take a bath before getting ready for dinner. Anne Cruickshank who has been attending the conference at Peebles since the first one in 1954, a record in itself, vividly remembers the rush to be first in the queue for a bath each evening. Since being acquired by Crieff Hydro in 2014, the Hydro has undergone extensive refurbishment to every bedroom as well as the main public spaces.
The format of the weekend
has changed very little in 70 years. Guests arrive from late on the Friday morning and gradually the noise levels rise as old friendships are renewed and new ones formed. Dinner follows the welcome drinks reception and then there is a chance to enjoy a traditional Scottish ceilidh, or let your hair down on the dance floor at the disco. A late-night sing along allows those who wish, to continue socialising into the wee small hours.
Saturday during the day is filled with a range of workshops covering movement, singing and drama as well as topics such as make-up, marketing and safeguarding. Saturday evening sees everyone in their finery for the black-tie gala dinner with a guest speaker. Another evening on the dance floor is followed by the midnight cabaret performed by a NODA Scotland member club. The evening is rounded
off by another late-night sing along.
Sunday brings the conference to a close with the AGM, attended last year by around 250 delegates, and the presentation of Programme and Poster Competition trophies.
So, on the face of it, a fairly standard conference but ‘Peebles’ is much more than just a standard conference for so many reasons:
1. Peebles Hydro and its location in the Scottish borders provides a wonderful setting at the end of October, with the views across the valley from the dining room, and many of the bedrooms, simply stunning with trees in full autumn colours.
2. The date is always carefully picked to ensure it is the weekend the clocks go back giving an extra hour in bed or,
for those that wish, an extra hour in the bar!
3. The town of Peebles itself with its traditional high street full of unique, individual shops, provides great shopping opportunities for those not taking part in the workshops.
4. The addition of a fancy dress theme on a Friday evening, every few years, adds to the fun of the night. Where else could you witness a range of diverse characters enjoying a ceilidh.
5. Sitting down to dinner both nights and the spontaneous singing of show tunes throughout the meal, including the now legendary ‘Do You Hear the People Sing’ with napkins being waved head high.
6. The singing of the 23rd Psalm, after the midnight cabaret on Saturday night, by over 300 delegates to bring the formal part of the evening to a close. Whilst the origins of this tradition are lost in the mists of time it is certainly a rousing finale.
7. The fact from Friday lunchtime until Sunday lunchtime, NODA Scotland has exclusive use of the Hydro and all its facilities, creates its own unique atmosphere. The weekend is a highlight for the Hydro staff who, despite the increased workload and long hours, volunteer to be on duty so they can be part of the
unique weekend.
8. The requirement for Sunday lunch to have minestrone soup, roast beef, macaroni cheese and trifle on the menu.
Since Covid, numbers have grown steadily to the point where we now require two dining rooms and a second hotel to accommodate all 330 delegates (the maximum possible) who are booked for this year’s conference. It is great to see an age range spanning 18 to well beyond 80, all coming together to share
the enjoyment they get from amateur theatre.
As NODA Scotland prepares to celebrate 70 consecutive conferences at Peebles Hydro, we remember all those who have gone before who have helped to shape what is a unique event in the NODA calendar.
Traditional – yes, tired and old fashioned – certainly not, the best weekend of the year –definitely! Here’s to the next 70 years.
Whether you are looking for something traditional like Jack and the Beanstalk or Cinderella, or something a bit different like The King’s New Clothes or Sherlock Holmes there is something for every group pantoscripts.org.uk
NODA Corporate Partners There to support your next production
Andrew Lloyd Webber Licensing alwshowlicensing.com
ALW Show licensing is the home to The Really Useful Group’s theatrical licensing for schools and amateur theatre groups.
Concord Theatricals
concordtheatricals.co.uk
Concord Theatricals includes the catalogues of R&H Theatricals, Samuel French and Tams-Whitmark, plus dozens of new signings each year.
PARTNER
John Good Limited
johngood.com
John Good is a publisher/printer founded in the 1980s to produce programmes and print to the arts industry, becoming the leading publisher in the field.
GOLD PARTNER
Nick Hern Books
nickhernbooks.co.uk
With over 1,600 plays in our catalogue, from exciting new drama to popular classics and literary adaptations, there’s something for every amateur theatre company, school or youth group to perform.
Printed Music Licensing Ltd pmll.org.uk
PMLL represents the rights of music publishers. On their behalf, PMLL issues licences to allow the photocopying and arranging of sheet music as part of education and beyond. GOLD PARTNER
Theatrical Rights Worldwide theatricalrights.com
Theatrical Rights Worldwide are the agents for Spamalot, Grease, All Shook Up, The Addams Family and many more, including the newly launched TRW Plays.
