Claremont Chat
Claremont Dramatic Society Newsletter
12 Eden Road, Claremont, 7708
Tel: 021 671 2888 Cell: 083 414 7003
email: claremontdramatic@gmail.com
www.claremontdramatic.wordpress.com
August 2012 – Number 113
Hello everyone!
After a busy month and a successful production of The Odd Couple (Female Version) directed by Sheldon Cross, I thought this insert written by Liz Roodt is a thorough and warm encapsulation of what CDS is all about, thank you Liz.
My first time:
I was looking for some excitement. Looking for new people, new ideas, new places. My mother had been in a production of The Winslow Boy in Newcastle, Australia, and said that amateur dramatics was a heap of fun. So I spoke with Mr Google and shortly received a call from an enthused Wendy. Before I knew it, I was within the machine of Marvin’s Room. Fourteen scene changes, new people, new ideas, new places. It was a heap of fun. The world of entertainment started opening up and getting a new perspective on it all was delicious.
The concept of putting a script amongst a group of people, tallying and totalling until you get the bottom line is quite fascinating. After that, I was lucky to be at an audition for The Odd Couple and by some miracle (as I hadn’t prepared an ounce) I got a part.
Working with Sheldon Cross as our very capable director gave me insight into what it is like to be the one on the actual stage. He is a sensitive man – fully compliant with his female side. He would have to be to have put up with all the oestrogen he had to float above. Our show was a success. Whether working in the headlights or in the recessed darkness of backstage, it has refreshed me to be in this new world.
Members Evening – This Friday, 31 August at 19:30 for 20:00
*My apologies to Sheila who became Shirley in the previous newsletter!
Two performances:
‘November Women’ written by Kate McGrath, directed by Sheila Inglis, with Melanie Jessop and Alex Lategan. A one-act play about a supposed troubled young woman and a Social Worker who experience an interesting role reversal.
And
‘Pocket Shots’ written and directed by Candice Williams. Having just returned from the Grahamstown National Arts Festival Fringe, her cast Megan Young, Kelly Maasdorp, Gal Ezra and Rowan Studti will entertain us with this suspense thriller!
Warrant Officers Lee and Singer must move fast to track down a vicious serial killer and their search leads them straight to roommates Paula and Ashley. But, when Warrant Officer Singer becomes involved with prime suspect Ashley, the race to catch a killer becomes a matter of love and death.
What’s Happening
The Gordon Institute for Performing and Creative Arts (GIPCA) will host the first South African Live Art Festivalfrom 22 November to 2 December 2012 in Cape Town. The festival will be housed in a variety of Cape Town spaces such as the Cape TownCity Hall, the University of Cape Town’s Hiddingh Campus and the Baxter Theatre Centre.
As interdisciplinary and genre-crossing work appears increasingly at the fore of local and international art practice, contemporary understanding and appreciation of these practices and their various manifestations is continually evolving. As a result, “Live Art” is a broad term that has come to encompass performance art, installations, experimental theatre and dance, and time-based art of the sort that exists on the fringes of visual and performing art practice. In line with these thoughts, GIPCA invites proposals in two categories, to present work on this ground-breaking platform:
Young/emerging Artists and Established Artists. Proposals should be submitted by Friday, 31 August 2012, via email to fin-gipca@uct.ac.za. For more information, please contact the GIPCA office on 021 4807156 or fin-gipca@uct.ac.za.
Auditions
- AUDITION NOTICE: The Grand: Directed by June Wells, Musical Director: Victor Tichart, for Pinelands Players. Audition is on 1 September, registration at 13:30 at the Pinelands Playhouse.
(please refer to full audition notice below).
Member’s News
– Anthony Lister and Liz Roodt, two CDS members are in lead roles in the Production Blithe Spirit written by Noel Coward , directed by Barbara Basel.
– A big Thank You to Simon Dutton for the stripping and sealing of the Hok floor. What a difference! It looks beautifully clean and shiny.
– Wishing Lynn Moss a speedy recuperation after her op.
Calendar
23 Aug –1 Sept : Peña Flamenca:
a flamenco get-together with dancers, musicians and singers, presented by La Rosa Dance Company, South Africa’s premier professional Spanish performance company. A peña flamenca is a regular social get-together of a group of flamenco locals within a community where each participant has the opportunity to practice their art in a relaxed, informal, spontaneous context, without pressure. The order of peña performances is not planned, although a rough outline of the evening may be given to the guitarist in attendance. For this run the order has been planned but the soloists in each piece vary from one night to another, giving audiences and dancers alike a fresh take on the structure and spirit of each performance. The purpose of creating this production is for the company soloists to hone and diversify their skills. Highlights of this season include two new pieces – the opening piece and a Fandangos de Huelva – the choreography of these pieces and of solos in the Bulería finale has been facilitated by artistic director Carolyn Holden, calling on the dancers to create short solos for themselves within each piece.
14 – 22 Sept: Saint Joanby George Bernard Shaw directed by Richard Higgs for Fish Hoek Dramatic Society at the Masque. This classic play (written in 1923, soon after Joan of Arc’s canonisation as a saint and more than 500 years after her execution) has been described as a “tragedy without villains”. It is a chronicle that sets out the rise, trial and legacy of the seventeen year-old girl who led the French army to victory against the English in the Hundred Years War and crowned the King of France.
28th & 29th Sept: Hottentot’s Holland Society: Shiraz& Friends in Concert” this is to enable HHDS to raise funds for sound equipment. Tickets @ R 85.00 each will be available from Computicket.
3-12 October: Hottentots Holland Dramatic Society“Crimes of the Heart” directed by Kelly Westraad
12 – 20 October Blithe Spirit directed by Barbara Basel for Muizenberg Dramatic Society, at the Masque Theatre
A warm welcome home to our Chairlady, Wendy, who has returned from a trip to the U.K and looking forward to the Members’ Evening that promises to be a heap of fun.
Alex
AUDITION NOTICE
THE GRAND OPENING
Written and directed by June Wells
Music direction by Victor Tichart
on Saturday 1st September at 2pm
at Pinelands Players clubhouse: the Crossing, Pinelands
(From Forest Drive with mountain behind you, take first left after the Vincent Palotti hospital, left at the T-junction into Sunny Road, right into The Crossing, brick building on left next to railway line.)
Production Dates: 2nd to 14th December 2012
PinelandsTown Hall
You will be required to sing a song from the show. For sheet music please contact June
cjwells@mweb.co.za or 021 5318682. An accompanist will be available.
Dialogue auditions will take place at the same time. Scripts will be made available on the day.
Dancing: Please wear comfortable clothing and shoes that will be suitable for dancing on carpeted flooring.
Registration will be from 1.30pm and the audition will start promptly at 2pm.
THE STORY:
Charlie has worked for an insurance company all his life and hated it. Seeing an ad for the sale of the old ‘Grand Nightclub and Restaurant’, he makes an impulsive decision to take an early retirement package, buy the Grand, restore it to its former glory and live happily ever after running it. It’s close to opening night and Charlie is still struggling to find suitable entertainment so he calls on his extended family to help!
IF YOU THINK YOU AREN’T SUITABLE FOR ONE OF THE PARTS, THE WRITER MAY THINK YOU’RE EXACTLY WHAT SHE’S LOOKING FOR AND EVEN CHANGE THE CHARACTER!
COME ALONG, YOU’VE GOT NOTHING TO LOSE!
DESCRIPTION OF CHARACTERS: UNLESS SPECIFICALLY NOTED, ALL OF THE CHARACTERS HAVE TO SING, MOVE & ACT REASONABLY WELL.
CHARLIE – in his mid 50’s, he’s worked for an insurance company all his life and hated it. He sees an ad for the sale of the old ‘Grand Nightclub and Restaurant’, and impulsively takes early retirement and buys it. In keeping with his new image he has discarded his suits and now dresses as he imagines a successful nightclub owner would. He succeeds in looking like a somewhat seedy dope dealer. THIS IS THE ONLY LEAD ROLE – HE CARRIES THE SHOW; MUST HAVE ACTING ABILITY.
LORRAINE – CHARLIE’S not-so-long-suffering wife, early 50’s. At first it all sounded like a great idea but she is starting to have doubts. She is a great cook and dreams of blowing the patrons away with exquisite meals for which she’ll become famous. She’s quite flamboyant and sports leopard skin tights, a bouffant hairdo, tank-top and very high heels (but when she’s working, she wears a pair of furry slippers).
PATRICIA –their eldest daughter, early 30’s. PATRICIA owns her own small printing business and has delusions of grandeur. She believes totally in her ability to do anything better than anyone else. She disapproves of her parent’s venture, embarrassed maybe? But she has come to the party by doing the flyers and posters for them – at cost. GOOD VOICE.
FRANS – PATRICIA’s husband. He’s from Pretoria and is a huge Blue Bulls fan. Very much a ‘man’s’ man but when PATRICIA puts her foot down he is cowed. He says ‘wif’ instead of ‘with’. FRANS is a good guy. He could be very large or small with a big man’s attitude. GOOD VOICE, SINGS IN C&W GENRE AND CAN DO A GOOD ELVIS IMITATION.
NAOMI – the youngest daughter mid 20’s. NAOMI is sweet, star struck and not stupid but very naive. She works in a nursery school and is inclined to talk in a child-like way. She even dresses in frilly clothes with t-bar shoes, very girly. She loves everyone and most people respond by loving her back. She is thrilled about the Grand, dreaming of rubbing shoulders with the stars. GOOD VOICE.
STAN – NAOMI’s husband. STAN works at FNB as a teller and thrills his wife with stories about famous clients who come into the bank. He is delighted at his in-law’s new venture – all his life he has wanted to get into show business, is destiny calling? He makes extra money delivering ‘singing telegrams’ in different costumes and has a repertoire of ‘Happy Birthday’, ‘Hava Nagila’, ‘The Anniversary Waltz’ and ‘Sixteen Candles’. GOOD VOICE.
ARNOLD– early 20’s. The son. He is studying interior design and is very flamboyant. LORRAINE dotes on him. CHARLIE ignores the fact that ARNOLD is gay & continually tries to engage him in conversations about rugby and all those ‘man’ things. GOOD VOICE.
MAC – 50‘s. an old buddy of CHARLIE’s, they were at school together and also worked at the same Insurance Company until CHARLIE retired. He is an extremely anxious person and can’t understand CHARLIE’s ‘throwing everything away’ to open something as financially hazardous as a nightclub. He used to sing in the choir and when he was young fancied himself as another Mario Lanza; CHARLIE has roped him in for this reason, but has MAC’s voice stood the test of time?
MARTY – late 40’s/50’s. MARTY is MAC’s wife. The opposite of her husband in character, she is cheerful and optimistic. She is also loud. MARTY has a habit of hugging and kissing everyone which embarrasses MAC and some others as well. MARTY has inherited some money from an aunt in the U.K. whom she’d never met and she has invested some of in The Grand without MAC’s knowledge.
Claremont Dramatic Society 