Friends of the Belgrade Theatre. October 2015

Spring 2016 season on sale now As you may know we’ve recently launched our Spring 2016 Season, which includes two of our very own Belgrade productions; The Sisterhood, an adaptation of Moliere’s Les Femmes Savates directed by Hamish Glen, and Red Snapper, which was developed as part of our Critical Mass programme for new writers from BME communities.

We also have 2 co-productions with other venues, A Raisin in the Sun – with Belgrade Theatre, Eclipse Theatre Company & Sheffield Theatres and Wipers – with Curve Leicester and Watford Palace Theatre.

As ever we have some great touring productions visiting the Main Stage this season including Dial M for Murder, Jackie the Musical, Heartbeat and The Perfect Murder. Families can enjoy The Giant’s Loo Roll and Pongo’s Party.

We are also delighted to announce that our Community & Education Company will be a partner in NT Connections 500 and will be staging Children of Killers and What Are They Like. Acting Out will also take to the stage with a new production, Heritage.

But of course before then there is Christmas at the Belgrade, with 3 festive productions to pick from, Beauty and the Beast, Santa’s Rusty Robot and Vampomime.

More details of the whole Spring 2016 season can be found at www.belgrade.co.uk

Events

 Page to Stage events  Meet & Greet and Read Through – Mon 2 Nov, 11am Welcome the cast of Beauty and the Beast on their first day at the Belgrade and sit in on an all cast read through of the script.  Dress Rehearsal – Tues 24 Nov, 7pm Attend the first half of the final dress rehearsal of Beauty and the Beast.  VIP Night – Fri 27 Nov, 7pm Join us on the VIP Night of Beauty and the Beast and see how the Panto has changed since the dress rehearsal and find out how it all ends.

Page to Stage costs £20 and can be booked at Box Office (024 7655 3055) or online at www.belgrade.co.uk

 VIP Nights

 Beauty & the Beast – Fri 27 Nov, 7pm  Vampomime – Tues 8 Dec, 7pm

As part of their membership, Writers’ and Producers’ Circle members are invited to join us on the VIP Nights for Belgrade produced shows.

October

It can’t be that time of year again already….can it?

Oh yes it can!

Yes, Autumn may have only just arrived, but here at the Belgrade, our thoughts are never far away from panto season! With preparations for this year’s festive extravaganza, Beauty and the Beast, in full swing, we were thrilled to be joined by Writer, Director, Dame and – let’s face it – all round panto legend Iain Lauchlan – earlier this month, who treated us to an exclusive sneak preview Mark Walters’ enchantingly ‘beauty-full’ set designs for the show.

Iain – who will be reprising his role as Dame ‘Clarabelle Crumble’ in this year’s panto – was also on hand to fill us in on the secrets of Crumble’s Parisian-inspired wardrobe!

C’est magnifique non?

With each of Iain’s flamboyant outfits lovingly created from scratch by the Belgrade Theatre’s dedicated wardrobe team, keeping abreast of the demands of Dame Clarabelle’s seasonal wardrobe is a full-time job, as Iain explains.

So what flamboyant costumed creations can we expect from Coventry’s resident trendsetter this year?

We caught up with Coventry’s very own ‘Queen of Glamour’ to find out more….

Can you tell us a little bit about the character you’ll be playing this year?

This year, I’ll be playing Dame Clarabelle Crumble – who runs the local pub.

Then of course, there’s her son. He’s called Willie Crumble because he’s in love with Beauty…and he keeps wanting to tell her that he loves her! But Willie Crumble? He might just….

Where does the action take place?

This year’s panto takes place in France, which is quite different! We’ve got lots of different locations this year including the enchanted forest, where we meet some strange creatures, the local pub which Dame Clarabelle runs with her son Willie and, of course, the Beast’s castle – which really is something to behold.We’ve gone big on the purple this year and, as always, there’ll be lots and lots of glitter!

What can you tell us about the costumes featured in this year’s show?

‘’Clarabelle is nothing if not a trendsetter so we’ve really gone all out this year…Paris is, after all, the fashion capital of the world! Mark Walters, who is designing this year’s show, has gone with a ‘steam punk’ feel – very couture!

I’ll be superhero at one point as well as a garden gnome and a pineapple!

And, of course, I’ll be paying tribute to a famous Parisian landmark or two!

As a Writer/Director, you rely upon your designers’ eye for detail and specialist knowledge of materials. It’s a collaborative process which involves working closely with the Belgrade Theatre’s wardrobe department who work flat out from July onwards to help create these costumes from scratch. I was at Wardrobe for a 2nd fitting last week and the costumes are looking incredible! Coventry really is in for a treat this year!

Over his 38 year career in the entertainment industry, Iain has worked on many dramas and television series including BBC’s Playschool for eight years; the very successful Fingermouse series; BBC Playdays, Storytime and Fun Song Factory but is perhaps best known for as the writer of the BAFTA award-winning children’s television series, The Tweenies.

Also returning to the Belgrade panto this Christmas is Craig Hollingsworth, who played the Dame Trott’s faithful sidekick and son Wishee Washee in Aladdin last year. Craig will be joined on stage by Jessica Niles in the role of Beauty and Charlie Bowyer as the Beast/Prince plus a full supporting cast which includes Gordon Watkins in the role of Maurice, Jenny Phillips as The Enchantress and Scott Blake as Dork.

Completing this year’s festive line-up are a talented cast of 24 local performers aged 9-16 who together make up the production’s three teams of pantomime chorus, Roses, Briars and Thorns. The 24 young performers successfully auditioned for a role in this year’s festive pantomime earlier this year following record turn outs attracting young talent from as far afield as Birmingham, Nuneaton and Tamworth.

Tickets for Beauty and the Beast are available now from the Belgrade’s Box Office on 024 7655 3055 priced from £14.50 to £23.00, with child and concession tickets from £9.50.

Family tickets are priced from £36 to £66 and cheaper tickets can be purchased online via www.belgrade.co.uk

My experience of my apprenticeship at the Belgrade Theatre

Emma Madden

If I had to put my experience of the past year I’ve spent working at the Belgrade Theatre as the Community & Education apprentice into words, I’d have to say it has been a massively positive and formative experience.

When I arrived on my first day as an awkward ex-sixth former, with more experience planning a yearbook than a theatre session, I was nervous to say the least. I had never worked a full time job before, let alone in an office, so from leading last minute drama games, to understanding how to use Excel spreadsheets, I felt pretty daunted.

I started to pick up tips from work colleagues who soon became so supportive and kind to me, I could call them my friends. Orla, a drama worker who led Saturday Drama with me for the first two terms, encouraged me to lead a drama game every week to build my confidence, Keith taught me all I needed to know about how to run the databases, make registers, use my online diary and so much more (although I probably now hold the Belgrade world record for the apprentice who broke the computer system the most times) and Zoe continually answered my random confused questions such as how to put my ‘out of office’ on my phone and how to fit all margins on a page! These are just some examples of individuals from the C&E team who have constantly helped me, until I could do the work without any assistance at all, which was a crucial part of the time I spent as the apprentice.

Due to the competitive nature of the arts industry, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to work in the field I have for the past year if it wasn’t for an apprenticeship, and the experience and knowledge I’ve gained has been invaluable.

When working full time in a professional environment alongside theatre makers who know more about writing and crafting plays than any group of people I’ve ever met before, I often wondered (over my 12 months here) how long it would take before their drama orientated finesse rubbed off on me, and although even at the end of my apprenticeship I still finish phone conversations to strangers with an inappropriate ‘see you later’, I believe I have, somewhat, broken free from being the Brick Tamland of the Community and Education department, and have transformed into a much more capable and mature young person, just in time for starting university in October. I’m extremely grateful to the Belgrade for giving me this opportunity as I’ll no doubt that the skills and insight I’ve gained here for years to come.

Spot a Star in the Cafebar

On the first night of a week-long tour the theatre’s management team host a drinks reception for the cast and crew of the show in the Cafébar.

Why not stay for a drink after the show and see if you can spot a star.  3 Nov – Flare Path  9 Nov – The Mousetrap

Friends Reviews We want to hear from you. If you attended a show at the Belgrade recently and want to release your inner theatre critic please send your reviews to friends@belgrade.co.uk. *We cannot guarantee that your review will be published.We will publish positive and negative reviews in line with our policy to be Open, Honest and Down to Earth.

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 Community & Education Company We have been a very busy department in the last few months. Following on from our successful Inspiring Curiosity: In Our Own Words Festival in July, we hosted the Inspiring Curiosity October Festival, a 2 week festival of professional theatre for children. We took 7 touring TiE shows and workshops to local Primary and Secondary schools; presented 8 theatre productions for children and young people from age 2 and above, at the Belgrade Theatre; and ran a wide range of drama and arts workshops for ages 8-18 during the half term holiday.

In the middle of the October Festival, on Weds 21 and Thurs 22 October we hosted the Inspiring Curiosity Conference. A 2 day conference exploring the relationship between theatre and learning, reflecting on TiE’s past and discussing what its future has in store. We were delighted to be joined by a wide range of academics, practitioners and Belgrade TiE Alumni such as Professor Jonothan Neelands, Gordon Vallins,Vicky Ireland MBE, Highly Sprung and The Guardian’s Lyn Gardner.  Front of House We are approaching our busiest time of year for Front of House – Panto!

Preparations are under way to create our traditional sales counter in keeping with the Beauty and the Beast theme from which to sell an array of flashing wands and merchandise! We are gearing up for what we hope will be a busy Christmas period which will include our Alternative Christmas show, Vampomime and for smaller children, Santa’s Rusty Robot.

During the recent TiE October Conference, we provided Operational support, together with Front of House staff, to ensure that all the delegates were greeted and well looked after for the duration of the conference.  Development September was a busy month for us, as we had VIP Nights for Crush and The Silver Sword together with our Directors’ Club Annual Party and Gala Night. In addition we launched our Making Memories campaign, which has had a positive start and raised nearly 20% of its target already but we still have some way to go before Christmas. To promote the campaign we will be taking part in Giving Tuesday on 1 December – look out for more details.

We also welcomed back Lexy, who is now Mrs Troth – so if you are wondering who is emailing you now you know.  Production Preparations are now in full swing for Beauty and the Beast, this year’s Pantomime. Rehearsals are due to start in the next few weeks and the workshop team are working hard to complete set, costumes and props. We are also working on the set and costume for the alternative Christmas show, Vampomime, which is set to open in B2 early December. Looking ahead to post-Christmas, preparations are being made for our next season, notably The Sisterhood and Red Snapper. A busy time ahead for the Production team!  Communications With two new team members – Emma Rowan and Sairah Rehman now fully settled into the Communications Department – all thoughts turn to the annual Christmas campaign and the arrival of not one, but three Christmas shows including our brand new, alternative festive comedy Vampomime! With outdoor promotions being booked in by the day and the seasonal advertising bookings coming in thick and fast, our events calendar is filling up quicker that Dame Clarabelle Crumble’s festive shoe cupboard! Meanwhile, the preparations are already underway for Spring as we set about distributing our bumper Spring 2016 brochure to audiences across Coventry, Warwickshire and beyond.

Dangerous Times for Arts and Culture

“At the beginning of the summer two major reports came out that trumpeted the economic value of arts and culture to the UK economy. Recently we’ve published our own Annual Report which is necessarily upbeat and positive, broadcasting how successful we are at producing and presenting a vibrant, varied and quality offering of theatre and community arts activities to our City and Region. We are a business in the business of being seen to be successful so that we will continue to attract customers and funders.

Joanna Reid

Despite the very big cuts already received across arts and culture, Government are intimating yet more cuts are coming, of between 25% and 40% via the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and also another round of cuts to Local Authority (LA) spending. The cuts to LA spending are a double whammy for arts organisations outside London who usually receive funding from their LA (For some reason London local authorities do not invest in arts and culture. Odd that).

If you care about you, your family and your friends having access to quality arts and culture in your city and region; if want your City to be a place that buzzes with entertainment and excitement and attracts businesses to the locale, please write to your MP today. Please tell him or her that arts and culture must be protected in the current Comprehensive Spending Review. That it makes economic sense to protect that funding. And more importantly, that arts and cultural organisations make a place worth living and working in.”

Full Blog post, published on Wednesday, 7 October 2015: http://www.belgrade.co.uk/news-and-blogs/blogs/dangerous-times-for-arts-and-culture

Friendly Hello!

We would like to say a friendly hello and welcome to new or renewed Friends of the Belgrade Theatre:

       

David and Sandra Burbidge (Producers’ Circle) Michael and Lindsey McDonagh (Producers’ Circle) Mrs Patricia Milsom (Actors’ Circle) Miss Marie Healey (Actors’ Circle) Mr Colin Tysall (Actors’ Circle) Mrs Lynn Hills (Actors’ Circle) Mrs Margaret Scott (Actors’ Circle) Mrs Marion Newall (Actors’ Circle)

Stage Bites

Belgrade Kitchen is now open and offering Friends of the Belgrade Theatre a 10% discount, so make sure you check it out for pre-show dining. Situated on the first floor, Belgrade Kitchen will be open before most performances from 5pm until 8pm with last orders 30 minutes before show time. See a sample menu at www.belgrade.co.uk