Our latest Interview offers more panto talk…!
The Phoenix Players are staging their annual pantomime - Jack and the Beanstalk, opening Friday 25th January.
Vivien Martin, who plays the title role, talks to us about starring as Principal Boy for the first time!
The show runs 25th-27th January & 1st-3rd February, nightly at 7.30pm. With Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2.30pm.
For tickets and enquiries, call the box office on 023 9247 0545 or click here to visit The Phoenix Players’ website.
Our latest Interview is with The Portchester Players’ Kay Sumpner!
She is at the helm of their latest theatrical offering - Aladdin!
Read what Kay has to say about rehearsals, traditions, and tights!
The show runs January 18th - 19th & January 25th - 26th, with evening performances (7.30pm) and matinees (2.30pm) at Portchester Community Centre. For tickets, call the box office on 023 9237 7175 or 013 2931 0306.
Click here to visit the Portchester Players’ website!
We have a new Interview online with Tony Dart who plays Farmer Hogget in CCADS’s production of Babe, The Sheep-Pig this week at New Theatre Royal!
The popular children’s book The Sheep-Pig by Dick King Smith was released as a film titled Babe in 1995. David Wood’s stage adaptation was first performed in 1997 at The New Victoria Theatre, Woking - and now in 2007 CCADS bring it to Portsmouth!
A show for children of all ages - and anyone young-at-heart! And if you’ve already seen it, don’t hesitate to leave your Comments!
- Felix
As promised, here is the full array of actors, plays and musicals all waiting with baited breath to discover who, which and what will be crowned with the groovy glass awards…
Not literally, of course!
Yes, thanks for the clarification! As I was saying, here are the star-studded shortlists:
In the running for BEST AMATEUR DRAMA are (in no particular order)…
CCADS’s Katherine Howard, Bent and Closer; Bench Theatre’s Dead Funny, Frozen and His Dark Materials; The Southsea Shakespeare Actors’ Henry V; One Off Productions’ The Crucible; The Phoenix Players’ Torch Song Trilogy; and Interalia Theatre’s Doctor Who: The Evil of the Daleks.
The BEST AMATEUR MUSICAL nominees are (in no particular order)…
Portsmouth Players’ Thoroughly Modern Millie and Titanic; South Downe Musical Society’s Kiss Me, Kate and Oliver; University Dramatic and Musical Society’s La Belle Helene; Chichester Festival Youth Theatre’s Peter Pan; The Phoenix Players’ Aladdin; Fareham Musical Society’s Annie; CCADS’s Grand Hotel; and Kalimasu’s A Slice of Saturday Night.
In the category of BEST AMATEUR ACTRESS, we find (in no particular order):..
Jeanette Broad for The Killing of Sister George and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (both HumDrum); Ingrid Corrigan for Frozen (Bench Theatre); Francesca McCrohon for Katherine Howard and Closer (both CCADS); Irene Skelton for Torch Song Trilogy (The Phoenix Players); Marie Ridley for Annie (Fareham Operatic Society); Emma Carter for The Crucible (One Off Productions); Alice Corrigan for Dead Funny (Bench Theatre); Helen Stoddart for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (HumDrum); and Sally Evans for The Crucible (One Off Productions).
The BEST AMATEUR ACTOR list consists of (in no particular order)…
David Penrose for Dead Funny (Bench Theatre); Nathan Chapman for Frozen (Bench Theatre); David Lippiett for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (One Off Productions); Jonathan Fost for Katherine Howard (CCADS); Matt Beresford for Henry V (Southsea Shakespeare Actors) and The Crucible (One Off Productions); Tony Dart for Katherine Howard (CCADS); Jamie Papanicolaou for Titanic (Portsmouth Players); Ben McCready for The Fifteen Streets (The Phoenix Players); James George for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (HumDrum); and Malcolm Chewter for Torch Song Trilogy (The Phoenix Players).
Phew! That’s a whole lot of talent!
Yes, it is! Are you suitably impressed?!
I AM! I was just thinking how impressed I was when you said “Are you suitably impressed?”
Excellent!
Well, there we go – that’s the full roster of glittering talent that is at this very moment being sifted and scrutinized! The Guide readers’ votes are in and tonight one winner and two runners-up in each category will be announced!
As theatrical as all this seems, it would be naughty of us if we didn’t also mention that there are many other categories too – Best Pub, Best DJ and also awards for professional theatre production and tour! There, we have mentioned them! We wish them all luck, of course, but it is the wonderful world of local theatre that thrills us and so we say Viva the Portsmouth ‘Oscars’!
All winners and runners-up will be listed right here on TJ and we’ll endeavour to interview several of the triumphant about their experiences in the worthy cause of theatre-making!
- Felix and Harry
Okay, so the headline is a little bit fantastical – but if one pretends for just a moment that the other categories for pubs, nightclubs, and tourist attractions, etc, don’t exist, then The Guide Awards do seem like Portsmouth’s very own star-studded ‘luvvie award ceremony’! Particularly as this year the gala event is being held at the magnificent and recently re-opened Kings Theatre!
The Guide, the ‘What’s On’ supplement in Portsmouth’s local newspaper (ingeniously titled The News), has for the last couple of years rewarded local achievement with snazzy awards for theatre, music, tourism, catering, and so on – and the whole of Portsmouth is currently holding its breath as we await the results!
The nominations are in, the votes have been counted, the shortlists have got even shorter, and on 12th November (little more than three weeks away) all will be revealed!
Several of the actors, actresses, and theatre companies, who are in the running are featured on Theatrical Jottings – and Harry and I would like to wish them all very good luc…Agh! What am I thinking?!…Harry and I would like to bid them ‘Break a leg!’.
Phew, I think I just about saved that one!
A full list of the amateur theatre contenders will be published on Theatrical Jottings in the next few days and the winners will be emblazoned upon the blog after their evening of glory!
We will also endeavour to bring you interviews with the winners – and maybe even a few runners up for good measure – talking about their award-winning performances or productions!
- Felix
You can now reach Theatrical Jottings by going to www.theatricaljottings.com - which is all very exciting!
The other address www.theatricaljottings.wordpress.com can still be used, so there is no particular need to update any links to the blog at present, however we now have a more easily remembered address for use in situations such as:
“Hello, I’m Felix and this is Harry- take a look at our blog at www.theatricaljottings.com.”
or
“My interview is now online at www.theatricaljottings.com!”
…that sort of thing.
- Felix
and Harry
Our second interview to be posted this week is now online in our Interviews section! Read about Denmead Operatic Society’s production which celebrates the music of Lloyd Webber!
- Felix
The interview with Irene Skelton about the Phoenix Players’ production of A Murder Is Announced is now online! Go to our Interviews section to read more!
- Felix
We have added a brand new article to our Articles section and it’s all about things such as leg-breaking, swearing and coal-throwing! It’s not quite as alarming as it seems, however, as Felix gives us the practical point of view to some of theatre’s supersitions!
We have also finally updated the Journal with a quick glance at the productions being staged in the next few weeks.
Last, but not least, I would like to mention that an interview with Miss Marple (aka Irene Skelton) from the Phoenix Players’ production of A Murder Is Announced and an interview with Mark Donalds (who will be talking about Denmead Operatic Society’s latest show, Aspects Of Lloyd Webber) will be making an appearance within the next week!
- Harry
We have just added a new production interview for Fareham Musical Society’s production of Fiddler On The Roof. The interview is with Graeme Clements, the company’s Chairman, who is also playing the role of Tevye. Check our Interviews page to read this and other interviews!
- Harry
