We hope you’re enjoying the sunshine and are pleased to be writing to share all our highlights from the summer so far at The Roses.
Inside this issue you’ll hear from our new Chair, Jane Baalam, as she reflects on her first few months with us in her Chair’s Blog including her experience hosting our very first Patrons Dinner and all she hopes to achieve as Chair. We’ve also included a snapshot of the incredible Community Impact you’ve helped us achieve over the past year by being a member of The Roses Family, from facts and figures about the number of groups and people we reach to feedback from the community themselves. Another of our summer highlights was the performance of We Will Rock You by our talented Roses Young Creatives. The show is all about a dystopian future where live music is banned and we are delighted that with your support we are preventing this becoming a reality by supporting the next generation of artistic talent and putting on a good show – you can find all our upcoming shows that are newly on sale inside too. We also dive into our latest initiative to develop our Creative Health offering. In the last few months this includes developing Dementia Friendly Films and Dementia Café. To ensure we’re doing all we can to get this right we took some of our staff and volunteers on a day out to The Little Theatre Bath to get some inspiration. Plus, don’t miss our Creativity Corner, where you can recreate the delectable dessert from our Patrons Dinner—perfect for a summer treat!
And finally, as we prepare for The Roses 50th year, we would love your help to find more friends and invite you to share this issue and encourage more friends to join the party! Thank you once more for being part of the family. We hope you enjoy this summer issue and look forward to celebrating many more milestones with you.
Warm regards,
Grace End Development Manager
Members of RYC in We Will Rock You Image: Meg Anderson
Chair’s Blog
Introducing our new Chair, Jane Baalam!
We are delighted to announce that we’ve a new Chair of our Board, the lovely Jane Baalam, whom some of you will have met at our recent Patrons Dinner. We are so enjoying working with her already and she was kind enough to share her reflections of her first few months…
“Being a Chair is a new experience for me and I was thrown straight in at the deep end with the Patron’s Dinner in June. What a fabulous way to start out! I got to meet many of our amazing patrons and was genuinely shocked at how many there where in the room - I really hadn’t realised that there were so many supporters.
We had a tour of the various aspects of the theatre (I really loved going behind the scenes of the cinema) and then settled at our tables upstairs in the bar for a taste of the summer menu – I’m a huge fan of Goat’s cheese and so unashamedly tucked into the salads. I know it’s not the obvious place to eat but please, if you have the chance do give the bar a try, there’s plenty to choose from.
Of course, it wasn’t all about the food – this was our opportunity to say thank you! For the generosity of mind and spirit that our patrons show when making their donations and supporting us in so many ways. From the stories I heard throughout the evening much of this stems from the sense of community the theatre develops. That feeling that you are part of a something special in Tewkesbury.
Jess highlighted during her speech that there is much work needed on the theatre. It is feeling its age and with most things arts and culture related, it is also feeling the lack of funding. We are so heavily reliant on funding to keep the story going, and if you have any doubt about it contact Grace and they will be delighted to discuss how you could help. In the meantime, I shall be working with Jess, her team, and the Theatre Trustees to see what we can do to spread the word.
Watch out for updates on our plans for the big 50 anniversary next year. As an old friend of mine was fond of saying, so much to do, so little time!”
Image: Meg Anderson
The Roses Patrons Dinner
Wow! What an evening it was, thank you to so many of you for joining us and starting off the summer in style.
The occasion marked a milestone for The Roses, bringing together long-standing supporters, new patrons, staff, and board members to celebrate our shared achievements and future aspirations.
The evening began with welcome drinks and our new Chair, Jane, and Director, Jess, sharing the recent journey and plans for the coming months and years. With The Roses’ 50th birthday coming up next year, the resounding message was that The Roses has and always will be a place for the whole community.
Next, we were all treated to a behind-the-scenes tour, led by our Technical Manager Will, Projectionist Linda, and Jess talked us through how panto is an all-year-round affair and how everyone fits in backstage in our largest production of the year. Will gave us the chance to try out some of the tech and explained how our goal is to move over to using LED lighting to help improve our environmental status.
Linda, who has been a projectionist at The Roses for 40 years, talked us through how film has changed over the years and talked us through all the different elements of a projection room. In fact, there was so much to share we had to split into groups, and everyone had to choose which bits they were most interested in!
“I was surprised at how small the backstage is. It’s incredible that so many good shows can be put on.” Gold Patrons
After the tour we moved on to the final stage of the night, dinner, featuring our summer menu, expertly crafted by our chef Julie. The tables, as well as being filled with beautiful food, were also arranged to include a favour in the form of a pack of seeds (a pack of ‘Cinderella mix’ - no two guesses why this seed was chosen!) and an array of quotes and facts about just how much our community and youth programmes have grown in recent years with thanks to all you, our supporters, who make this possible.
The Patrons Dinner will now be an annual event, a platform to celebrate our achievements, our vision, and strengthen our connections with cherished supporters. We are already planning next dinner and are eager to build on this year’s success.
Image: Meg Anderson
Image: Meg Anderson
Community Impact
Thanks to you, our members, The Roses can support people from across the community all year round. Here is just a snapshot of some of the things you’ve helped us achieve this year. –
As a venue we support and deliver over 30 community sessions a month which are either free or offered at a significantly reduced price
– Around 700 instances of people taking part in regular community activity across an average month at The Roses
– Community groups have grown on average 30% across the last 12 months
– We have started four new evening community groups across the last year to widen how the public can engage and take part in different art forms such as drawing, singing, acting and social group games and quizzes
– 86% of Bingo players said their main reason for coming to Bingo was to socialize in a comfortable environment they feel safe in
– Sing for Wellbeing Sessions are 50% funded by Tewkesbury Borough Council until 2025 and have doubled participant numbers in a year
“I LOVE IT HERE, IT’S THE BEST PART OF MY WEEK”
K2Togs
Knitting Member
“I ENJOY SINGING AND I FEEL MORE RELAXED AFTER A SESSION”
Sing for Wellbeing Participant
“IT HAS MADE ME HAPPIER – I REALLY ENJOY SINGING AND MEETING A VARIETY OF NEW PEOPLE. IT HAS ALSO MADE ME MORE AWARE OF MY BREATHING WHICH HAS BEEN HELPFUL”
Sing for Wellbeing Participant
“SEEING YOUNG PEOPLE PASSIONATE ABOUT THE SUBJECTS COVERED GIVES US HOPE THAT THEY CAN CONTINUE TO CHANGE THE WAY THE WORLD SEES THEM FOR THE FUTURE”
Parent of Infinite Creatives Member
“I
NEVER EVER EXPECTED MY DAUGHTER TO SHOW SUCH CONFIDENCE IN HER LINES AND BE CONFIDENT ENOUGH TO JOIN IN WITH THE DANCES, AND I KNOW THIS WILL BE DOWN TO HOW YOU HAVE ALL MADE HER FEEL”
Parent of a Roses Young Creatives member
“MY CHILD IS HOME EDUCATED SO SESSIONS WHERE SHE IS WORKING WITH A GROUP ARE VERY IMPORTANT. IT’S SOMEWHERE SHE FEELS SAFE AND VALUED WHICH HELPS TO BUILD HER CONFIDENCE”
Parent of Infinite Creatives Member
We Will Rock You
They did it again! Our Roses Young Creatives put on a fabulous performance of We Will Rock You this summer and we are so proud of all of them.
Set in a dystopian future where live music is banned and individuality suppressed, the story follows a group of bohemians fighting to restore free expression through the legendary music of Queen. The talented young cast brought this futuristic world to life with an electrifying performance.
Here are some of the star-studded reviews they received:
“It was absolutely brilliant, well done all of you on stage, the first night is hard and you smashed it, I feel so proud of you all.”
“It was fabulous! Lots of hard work had gone into a very polished performance by the entire cast, on opening night too. Well done to ALL involved.”
“It absolutely blew me away! The talent on the stage was outstanding!”
The piece celebrates the timeless importance of music and individuality and here at The Roses that’s what we are all about. We are committed to offering all young people the chance to access the arts and excited that with your support we are training the next generation of artistic talent.
Meg Anderson
A Trip to The Little Theatre, Bath
We’ve been developing new programmes around Creative Health at The Roses in our community department.
Working with Dementia Support services across the county including having training from the GCC Managing Memory Team to learn more about how we can design activities to better support those in our community with Dementia and their friends and family too.
Since May we have had 40 people coming to our new strand of Dementia Friendly Films and we are growing this by creating a monthly Memory Cafe, a sociable and friendly way to talk about Memories of The Roses and Film, over a cuppa and a slice of cake.
Megan, our Community & Wellbeing Producer, organised a trip to Bath’s The Little Theatre for some of the team and volunteers. The Art Deco Cinema has been showing Dementia Friendly Films regularly for a few years, so it was a great opportunity to learn! Whilst of course being a great opportunity for Linda, our Film Projectionist, to see the Projection room and find out more about the history of the venue!
“I found the visit really interesting; it was a lovely old cinema and it certainly gave us some ideas as to what films will work here for us” Roses Theatre Volunteer
If you want to find out more, you can visit www.rosestheatre.org/dementia-friendly-activities
We are very grateful to Gloucester County Council’s Thriving Communities Fund for their investment in this programme.
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New Shows
Here’s a round up of just a few of the shows we have put on sale recently... these have not appeared in a brochure yet!
The Makings of a Murderer 2: The Real Manhunter
THU 13 FEB 7.30PM
Following sell-out shows nationwide, the UK’s top true crime theatre tour is back with a brand-new lineup, this timef eaturing Senior Investigating officer Colin Sutton, who caught serial killer Levi Bellfield and ‘Night Stalker’ Delroy Grant.
Jimi - The Legend Lives On
FRI 21 MAR 7.30PM
Starring John Campbell, widely regarded as the world’s best tribute artist; and featuring his all-star band.
John and his band take us on a musical trip through Jimi Hendrix’s short, but astounding career.
Tickets £33.50
Lost In Music
SAT 22 MAR 7.30PM
Embark on an electrifying journey through the sensational 70s. This world class band and dazzling vocals are set to transport you straight to the heart of disco fever. Don’t miss out on the feel-good show of the year – join us, lose yourself in the music, and leave your worries behind!
Jive Talkin’
FRI 28 FEB 7.30PM
Jive Talkin’ is renowned as the original and very best Bee Gees tribute show, and is the only Bee Gees tribute show that has actually performed with the original Bee Gees! This show is a truly amazing experience and an opportunity to hear all the great Bee Gees hits, including Tragedy, Night Fever, Massachusetts, Stayin Alive and, of course, Jive Talkin’.
Tickets £27.50 – £32.50
Music in the Bar: The Ciderhouse Rebellion
TUE 1 APR 8PM
Profound and eloquent, epic, haunting and dramatic, masters of improvisation The Ciderhouse Rebellion sees virtuoso musicians Adam Summerhayes and Murray Grainger combine to produce incredible spontaneous tapestries of sound.
Tickets £30.00
Tickets £35.50
Tickets £18.50
Music in the Bar: Miranda Sykes & Jim Causley
TUE 4 MAR 8PM
Two of the UK’s most iconic voices have finally combined as a duo and will be touring a new album in 2025. “The Last Of The Singers” is a collection of traditional, self penned and contemporary songs bringing their magical voices together.
Tickets £18.50
Mugenkyo Taiko
Drummers: In Time
THU 3 APR 7.30PM
As Europe’s longest-established taiko group, Mugenkyo are widely recognised as the ground-breaking pioneers of this exciting art-form, thrilling audiences at thousands of performances worldwide, now returning with their first new show in five years.
The King’s Voice
FRI 7 MAR 7.30PM
In Stoke on Trent in the early seventies, a young Gordon Hendricks played to an imaginary crowd. Little did he know then that his performance in his potteries home would lead to a phenomenal career impersonating The King, working with his legendary musicians in years to come.
Exciting Science!
SAT 15 MAR 2PM
Tickets £30.00
Tickets £33.50
Seven Drunken Nights - The Story of the Dubliners
SAT 17 MAY 2.30PM & 7.30PM
Steeped in song, story and revelry, this spectacular tale celebrates The Dubliners, Ireland’s favourite musical sons in authentic style. This criticallyacclaimed production spans half a century, invoking the spirit of Ronnie Drew, Luke Kelly, Barney McKenna, John Sheahan, Ciaran Bourke and Jim McCann.
Tickets £32.00
This brand new, exciting and educational show will amaze and astound all ages from 4 years upwards. With fun and fact filled experiments, watch in amazement as we recreate a volcanic eruption; turn a vacuum cleaner into a missile launcher or take aim at you with our smoke blaster! Prepare to be amazed! Tickets £16.50 – £18.50
Talon: The Acoustic Collection
THU 29 MAY 7.30PM
Sitting on bar stools and armed with no more than their trademark four-part vocal harmony, acoustic instruments and laid-back banter, Talon will leave you simply spellbound.
Tickets £27.50 – £32.50
Creativity Corner Delicious Dessert Time
Welcome to Creativity Corner, where we share a creative activity you can try at home. This month we are sharing the Chocolate Brownie with Raspberry Coulis, Vanilla Ice Cream and Fresh Cream recipe our chef, Julie, treated us to at the Patrons Dinner earlier in the season.
Ingredients:
– Chocolate brownie
– Vanilla ice cream
– Fresh cream
– Fresh raspberries
For the Raspberry Coulis:
– 1 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen)
– 2 tablespoons sugar
– 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions:
1. Bake your favourite chocolate brownies and allow them to cool slightly.
2. Make the Raspberry Coulis:
– In a small saucepan, combine raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the raspberries break down and the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes.
– Press the mixture through a fine sieve to remove seeds for a smooth coulis.
3. Warm the Brownies just before serving.
4. Assemble the Dessert:
– Place your brownie in a large glass.
– Drizzle with raspberry coulis.
– Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
– Finish with fresh cream and
A Little Help from Our Friends?
Being a Friend of The Roses makes a huge difference to the support we can provide our community as you’ll have read in this month’s issue. Next year The Roses turns 50 and we would love to have as many friends join the party as possible. We would be so grateful if you can help us by inviting your friends to become ours.
Friends’ membership starts at £4.17 a month and in return for joining as a friend we are delighted to be able to offer a range of perks...
––Priority Booking: If we think a show will sell out fast, we offer the chance to pre book to all members.
––Credit Your Spend: If you find you can’t attend a performance, we’ll put the credit on your account.
––Exclusive Discounts: Friends receive discounts on film at The Roses.
––Quarterly Chronicle: All our members receive The Roses Chronicle which includes an update on all the activities and impact you help us host and a sneak peek at the shows coming up but not yet on sale.
If you’d like to find out more about our membership programme or have ideas, we would love to hear from you. Please contact Grace.End@rosestheatre.org
Thank you once again for being part of The Roses’ Family!
