In Alan Bennett‘s play, staffroom rivalry and the anarchy of adolescence provoke insistent questions about history and how you teach it; about education and its purpose.

The action of the play takes place in Cutlers‘ Grammar School, Sheffield, a fictional boys‘ grammar school in the north of England. Set in the early 1980s, the play follows a group of history pupils preparing for the Oxbridge entrance examinations under the guidance of three teachers (Hector, Irwin and Lintott) with contrasting styles.

Hector, an eccentric teacher, delights in knowledge for its own sake, but the headmaster ambitiously wants the school to move up the academic league table; Irwin, a supply teacher, is hired to introduce a rather more cynical and ruthless style of teaching.

CAST

Irwin                                      Francis Pindar

Hector                                          Ian Creese

Headmaster                     Richard Peachey

Mrs Lintott                               Lisa Arnold

Posner                                     Oliver Bying

Dakin                                    Johnny Craze

Scripps                  Richie Halsey-Watson

Timm                                                    TBA

Rudge                             Laurence Easton

Lockwood                          Ashley Gillard

Akthar                                  Dan Shepard

Crowther                      Stewart Tomkins

2012

Freewheeler’s Film Night

Wed 8 Feb at 7.30 pm

Items include: the comedy series ‘Shady Oaks’, an autobiographical documentary from Peter Messer, ‘Recorded Messages of Love and Hate’.  There will be Q and A after each film.

Tickets:  £10, carers free, disabled half price

The History Boys by Alan Bennett.  Directed by Nathan Farrell

Tues 6-Sat 10 March 8 pm

In Alan Bennett’s masterpiece staffroom rivalry and the anarchy of adolescence provoke insistent questions about history and how to teach it, about education and its purpose.

Tickets:  adults £12 (£9 on Tues),  children and students £10

In the studio

Thurs 22-Fri 23 March and Thurs 29-Fri 30 March at 8 pm

Our Day Out by Willy Russell presented by the Senior Nomes directed by Nina Holmes

When Mrs Kay’s class set out on a coach trip, for some the only time they had ever left the city, nobody knew of the adventures to come.  The play highlights the fact that old and young alike, our judgement on others can always change – if only for a day.

Two by Jim Cartwright presented by the Young Nomads directed by Kate Raye

‘Two’ – a gentle play with incredible depth, observes several couples with all their eccentricities and histories, in a pub over the course of an evening.  The Young Nomads bring you an array of multi-faceted characters and relationships which they hope you will enjoy.

Tickets:  £9

Communicating Doors by Alan Ayckbourn  in association with Mid Surrey Theatre Co directed by Murray Stephen

Tues 17-Sat 21 April at 8 pm

Three women have urgent business in a hotel.  One has narrowly escaped being  murdered, one is about to be murdered and the other was murdered two decades before!  Time travel at its best in this thriller/comedy.

Tickets: adults £12, (£9 on Tues) children and students £10

Hello Dolly by Jerry Herman and Michael Stewart in association with Bookham Light Operatic Society directed by Jackie Shearer

Wed 16-Sat 19 May at 7.30 pm, Sat matinee at 2.30 pm

Meet the irrepressible widow Dolly Levi a professional matchmaker who “puts her hand” into the affairs of wealthy bachelor Horace Vandergelder and three other couples.  Enjoy intrigue and fun with Jerry Herman’s delightful music with hits such as ‘Hello Dolly’ and ‘Put on your Sunday Clothes’.

Tickets: adults £14, (£12 for matinee), children 12 yrs and under and students £10

Working the Musical presented by Showdown Theatre Arts as their annual international show

directed by Carli Jones, Becky Mossing and Donald Hicken

Sun 27 May at 4 pm and 8 pm

The hopes, dreams, joys and concerns of the average working person are the focus of this unique, extraordinary musical.

tickets: £8, children and students £6

Flipside Dance School End of Year Showcase directed by Deborah Rich

Sat 16 June at 2 pm and 7 pm

Flipside Dance School present their annual end of year show for all family and friends.  This year’s production is a showcase of the students hard work throughout the year incorporating all styles of dance.

Tickets:  adults £12.50, children under 12 yrs £7.50

Nomes Summer Show directed by Nina Holmes and Kate Raye

Friday 29 June-Sunday 1st July

Play in a Week directed by Brandon McGuire

Monday 23  to Sunday  July 29

Performances on Saturday at 7.30 and Sunday at 3.30

Tickets: £10

Play in a Week is an integrated theatre production rehearsed, staged and performed in one week.

Rent by Jonathon Larson directed by Stephen Whittock

22-25 August, 29 Aug-1 Sept at 7.30 pm

An exuberant East Village rock version of La Boheme.  Artists, addicts and impoverished young people find the salvation of love within each other and prove there can be a better world where art thrives and everything good is free.

Tickets:  adults £14, children and students £10, £9 for all on Wed 22 and Wed 29

Fawlty Towers by John Cleese and Connie Booth directed by John Norris

16-20 October at 8pm

Three episodes from the series.  Communication Problems, Basil the Rat and The Psychiatrist.

Tickets: adults £12, children and students £10, £9 for all on Tuesday 16 Oct

Stepping Out by Richard Harris directed by Laurence and Wendy Armitage

20-24 November at 8pm

This hilarious play follows the progress of eight people at a tap dancing class.  From treating the class as a social occasion they develop the skills and cohesion that lead to a spectacular finale.

Tickets: adults £12, children and students £10, £9 for all on Tuesday 20 Nov

2013

Fiddler on the Roof by Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick and Joseph Stein directed by Stephen Whittock

January 24 to 3 February  evenings at 7.30, Sun and Sat matinees at 2.30 (no performances Mon or Sun evening)

Tevye, a poor dairyman, tries to instill in his five daughters the traditions of this tight-knit Jewish community in the face of changing social mores and the growing anti-semitism of Czarist Russia.

Tickets:  adults £14, children and students £10

All enquiries to rent2012@hotmail.co.uk

Production dates are 22 -25 Aug and 29 Aug – 1 Sept.

The wicked Sheriff is growing rich on the many taxes that he is forcing the poor townsfolk to pay and he is just about to become even richer. Pip and Penny, recently orphaned and heirs to vast fortunes have been entrusted into his care and he is hatching a horrible plan to make sure that he will inherit the cash and marry Maid Marion into the bargain.

All that stands in his way is the very brave and dashing Robin Hood and his Merry Men, (and women), the fearsome Nanny Coddle, brainless Dave Knave (the wannabe outlaw) and a rather overworked Fairy.
Will they succeed in thwarting the evil plot and beat the Sheriff and his villainous henchmen?
Boo the scheming Sir Silas Rottingham, Sheriff of Nottingham, and his henchmen as they plot diabolical deeds to steal the fortunes of the innocent babes, and cheer our dashing hero, Robin Hood and his Merry Men (and women) as they do their best to thwart the evil plans!

This is a traditional family pantomime with something for everyone.  A hero and a feisty heroine, an extremely nasty villain, silly jokes, a magnificent Dame and some very lively and upbeat songs.  Come and join us in Sherwood Forest.

For photgraphs of the show go to https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=ac5b43ec97bcf18a&id=AC5B43EC97BCF18A!107

The selection of the three particular one-acters from the original nine was particularly skilful.  Red Peppers gave an overview of the entertainers, Hands across the Sea a view of the more absurd elements in those that constituted the audience, while Family Album took us inside the homes of such people when they were not at play. Truly a snapshot, ever so slightly exaggerated (!) of Coward’s world.

The delightful song and dance routine and the wonderfully corny but “comfortable” jokes brought to life  in Red Peppers by Andrew Donovan and Katherine Attwood took us straight to the  Musical Hall.  The back stage stalwart Alf played by Nathan Farell, the drunken left handed conductor (Steve Nankervis), the cigar smoking and crusty Mr Edwards (Wally Cross Gower) and Mabel Grace, the ubiquitous ham actress past her best, beautifully portrayed by Carol McGlone gave us the very essence of the Music Hall!  One could practically smell the grease paint.  A splendid start to the evening.

The Coward/Lawrence partnership is, of course, legendary. The Nomads’s pastiche/entr’acte was delightful, it looked right, sounded right and by golly, it felt right.

When the curtain went up on the set of “Hands Across the Sea”, the audience broke in to spontaneous applause.  It was beautiful.  Its very simplicity and starkness was an eloquent statement of the elegance of the Art Deco period. Well done all those set builders!

Froth and wit are some of the more obvious features of Coward’s writing and he is a delight to play.  The cast of  “Hands Across the Sea” caught the mood wonderfully. Every home should have a Walters (Carol McGlone).  She became progressively more fed up with each ring of the doorbell and made no attempt to hide it.  The dapper Commander Gilpin (Steven Nankervis) and his gloriously breathless wife, Piggie (Gilly Fick), set the scene for the chaos of things to come.

Lieut.  Alistair Corbett (Andrew Donovan) “swanked” things up beautifully.  The arrival of the Wadhursts provided a wonderful foil for the excesses of the three.  Their quiet and confused restraint, coupled with the telephone wire which seemed to have life of its own and which was intent in ensnaring the hapless Mrs Wadhurst (Diane Nichols) created side splitting comic business.   As though that wasn’t enough, enter the Hon Clare Wedderburn breathless, fluttery and wonderfully OTT played by Mary Parsons and the delightfully graceful (even “in his cups”) Major Gosling.  Gary Griffiths’ reading of Gosling was a masterly mixture of swaying, dancing and constant cocktail mixing.  Hugely funny!  This was in stark contrast to the almost speechless Mr Wadhurst (Wally Ross Gower who showed us how to act with barely a word to say.) It was wonderful.  He did not drop his concentration for a moment.

Adding to all this hilarity was the unfortunate Mr Burnham (Nathan Farrell.)  He too had an almost non-speaking part but made a huge contribution to the humour especially when in receipt of an unexpected cocktail as Mrs Wadhurst left and thrust it into his hand, but even more so as he gave up the fight and crept up to the sofa to deposit the plans he had only come to deliver.

In Family Album, we really did get the photographic grouping of the family following the death of old Mr Featherways.  Here the ensemble playing was polished and measured.  The attempt at frivolity, or at the very least, even the lightening of the atmosphere was kept in check by the highly “correct” Lavinia Featherways.

While the whole group demonstrated really skilled and beautiful playing in this piece, I feel special mention must be made of the controlled and gradual development of Lavinia by Diane Nichols.  It made for a tremendously effective moment when she revealed that she and Burrows had burnt the most recent will.   She of high moral tone had burst forth in an act of deliberate revolt.

Her companion in this ‘wicked deed” was the hitherto deaf butler, Burrows.  Is deafness not part of the requirement of “butling”?   Wally Ross Gower gave a magnificent reading of this seemingly small but pivotal role.  He created a perfect English butler and timed his “revelatory” line to perfection.  The kind of butler our friend Coward would definitely employ.

The costume throughout was magnificent.  I particularly loved Carol McGlone’s gown in the Red Peppers but it is very difficult to fault any of the dresses. The set again in the Family Album was beautifully detailed and the lighting did what all good lighting should do, it showed us the scene!

All in all this was a very enjoyable evening and one of the best I have experienced at this lovely little theatre.

Three short comic plays for the price of one ticket!

A top notch cast perform a wonderful trio of classic Coward comedies which encompass vaudeville, social satire, physical humour and pastiche.

Here is wit, music and fun.‘

Tonight at 8.30 is a cycle of ten one act plays which were originally played over three evenings. Not all of them are humorous but the three selected here are all comic. The plays have no connection to one another but a small company of actors perform a variety of rôles in them.
Red Peppers
George & Lily Pepper are a husband and wife act in a touring music hall. Their act has become rather tired and, between the musical numbers Has Anyone Seen Our Ship? and Men About Town, their life backstage has become an extension of vaudeville quick fire patter as the bickering couple drink beer and slang the Theatre Manager and the Musical Director. However, ‘he who laughs last….‘

Hands Across the Sea
Two bemused visitors accept a casual invitation from a fashionably smart couple to drop in at their Mayfair flat. However, in their enthusiasm, the hosts have invited such a horde of shrill glitterati to their cocktail party that amongst the arrivals, departures, telephone calls and flowing alcohol inevitable confusion abounds.

Family Album
It is 1860 and the mourning Featherway family gather to hear the will of their deceased father. Warmed by glasses of Madeira wine they begin to reminisce, old songs are revived, former games played and more glasses drunk.  Reticence is overcome and pretence becomes abandoned as the party becomes increasingly lively.  An amazing truth is about to emerge.

In addition to these one act plays there will be a musical interlude in the style of Coward.

The villagers in Chipping Cleghorn, including Jane Marple, are agog with curiosity over an advertisement in the local paper:

A murder is announced and will take place on  October 13th, at Little Paddocks at 6.30pm.  Friends accept this, the only intimation.

A childish practical joke?  Or a hoax intended to scare poor Letitia Blacklock.  Unable to resist the mysterious invitation, a crowd begins to gather at Little Paddocks at the appointed time when, without warning, the lights go out.  An intruder bursts in, 3 shots are fired and panic ensues.  When the lights come back on a dead body is discovered, blood is flowing and the mystery deepens.

Enter Miss Jane Marple, an elderly spinster with an inquisitive mind that frequently lands her in trouble who has been staying with her nephew, the local vicar whilst taking the waters at the Royal Spa, in Meddenham Wells.  Not afraid of dead bodies or easily intimidated, she is soon “assisting” the police with their enquiries.

The Nomad Theatre is proud to present this classic Agatha Christie tale of murder and deception.  Adapted from her novel, the hugely experienced cast and production team promise a fast paced production with all the twists, turns and red herrings for which the undisputed,  ‘queen of crime’  is famous.
Book early and see how long it takes you solve the case.

Laughter does something special to people and we laughed a LOT through the Friday evening performance of Cranford. Mrs Gaskell has a brilliant way of making us look at ourselves and for our rejection of people for ”bad• manners.   In the case of Mr Holbrook, having eaten peas from a knife was never again acceptable in ”polite Cranford society•.  He was not allowed to marry the woman he loved because her parents felt he was socially unsuitable!  She, poor Miss Jenkins was doomed to the life of lonely, broken hearted ”old maid•.  Such indeed was her love for him, that when she heard he had died, she wasted away for several months and wore semi mourning.

The fragile Miss Matty Jenkins, played with great sympathy and delicacy by Diane Nicholls, became the focus and a wonderful foil for all her devoted friends. Miss Pole (Jane MacIntyre) provided us with wonderful moments of comedy especially on the subject of the wisdom of remaining unmarried and the wickedness of men in general.  Even the local Doctor, player with Pickwickian good humour and geniality by Ian Nicholls was open to suspicion.

Miss Matty‘s  other ”dear• friends, Miss Barker (Gilly Fick) and  Miss  Forrester (Collete  Wighton) provided  moments  of  hugely funny interchanges as they vied with each other and Miss Pole for the most ”informed• of the three of all events in the community and also of any perceived ”rules of etiquette•

There were some hilarious moments of ”business• when any one of the ”ladies• arrived or was present at Miss Matty‘s house.  There was a strict routine for a response to a knock at the door.  Firstly, someone had to rush to the window to see who it was before the ladies arranged themselves either on the sofa or about the room so that the maid, Martha (Charlotte Pennington) could announce the guest(s) ”properly•.  There was one wonderful moment when the three •friends• were seated on the sofa.  Miss Jenkins wanted Martha to use her silver tray for serving tea to the Hon. Mrs Jamieson and Lady Glenmire.  The tray being stored, for safe keeping, underneath the sofa as Martha approached to retrieve it, all the ladies, gathered their skirts and lifted their legs in unison.  Hilariously unladylike behaviour!

Martha, in fact, provided considerable humour in her own right.  Her ineptitude and clumsiness, her lack of ”finesse• when introducing visitors etc. added to the side splitting events.  Her face and gestures and the singularly inelegant progress across the stage meant we looked forward to her every entry. Her exaggerated Devonian (?) accent was in stark contrast to refined tones of the ”ladies.•

The sweet and ever considerate Mary, however, trained and  groomed  Martha during the course of the play.  Mary, played by Bronwyn Elliott, coped brilliantly with the rather sugary, ever so sensible but gentle and her generally ”over nice• character with consummate ease. Her ever-smiling face and tender ministering to Miss Jenkins were the very epitome of refined genteel female behaviour!

Into all this refinement and orderliness walked Lady Glenmire (Mary Parsons.)  She really set the cat among the pigeons and created an all too down-to-earth  persona.  She managed the role beautifully and was a most wonderful contrast to her snobby, arrogant sister-in-law, the Hon. Mrs Jamieson (Judy Tweedale.)   The set of the Hon. Mrs Jamieson‘s head, her demeanour and even the way she seated herself spoke of ”breeding.•   Her mode of speech confirmed the wholeŒ. here was a real lady!

No Nomads production would be complete without an appearance by Nathan Farrell.  In this production, he created just the right note with his cameo role of Jem Hearn.  Here we had the salt of the earth, the slightly uncouth chap who has a heart of gold and ”gets it right• despite his lack of education and refinement!

The set was delightful.  It provided enough space for the full-skirted ladies, and the clumsy Martha and it never looked uncomfortable. The stairs gave a nice lift to the back section of the stage and was always an interesting entry and exit point that coincidentally conferred a sense of status on those who used it.  This was Miss Matty‘s home, her stairs and only she and her ”sweetest, dear friend• Mary were allowed to use it.  The notable exceptions being when Martha ”forgot her place• and when Miss Pole decided to stay the night for reasons of ”personal safety•.

Jill Asher is to be congratulated on the variety and choice of costume.  There were just enough change to be interesting and the choice of colour was perfectly matched for each character. I particularly liked Lady Glenmire‘s costume.

I loved the choice of music too, but found it frustrating that it wasn‘t identified.  However it was just right.   Just right too was the lighting. The balance was lovely and the momentary ”blaze• when the old love letters were burnt added a sense of finality to Miss Matty‘s dreams.

There is so much I would like to say about this production but time and paper make that impossible.  However, I think this is among the best productions I have ever seen at the Nomads.  John Norris  and Annabelle Farrell are much to be congratulated.  We all know how difficult it is to make comedy work.  This pitched the comedy at just the right level and the casting was excellent.  I can‘t wait for the theatre‘s next offering.

One thought.  I can remember my grandmother putting paper on her carpet to prevent fading.  I remember her peeping at the window before opening the door and hiding of her valuables in the bed and under low furniture.   Am I therefore too old for this writing lark I ask myself?  It is very worrying!

Polly

It was a wobbly start, giving credence to the final theatrical rush conveyed by the script.

A beautifully sung solo by the Wardrobe Lady (Tracey Gillard) and the choral piece filled the stage with promise of liveliness and energy that became a feature of the show as it progressed.

Opening night is always fraught and things do go wrong. And wrong they went. At some points the prompt (Sue Vesey) almost became an integral part of the cast(and did great job!)  Despite those hiccups there was much to be admired.

Lilli/Kate (Caroline Peacock), every inch the beautiful actress, sang and acted her way into our hearts.  It was a strong and consistent performance. As Kate we loved her spirit and self-assurance.

Her sister Bianca/Lois (Sophie Johnstone) gave an equally strong performance and her lovely rendition of “Always True to You in my Fashion” brought the second half to a different level.

Bill Calhoun/Lucentio played by Emile Maurice-Toussaint was charismatic and athletic.

Indeed, the second half was much more lively, had better pace, and saw everyone “settled” into his or her roles, the first night nerves having evaporated it seemed. Harry Trevor/Baptista Minola (Andrew Hamel-Cooke) playing Kate and Bianca’s father with polish and confidence.

The chorus song and dance sections were very well done throughout and the spectacular “Too Darn Hot” despite intonation problems had verve, colour and a real sense of enjoyment.  Nathan Farrell, as Paul, led the way with great style and panache.

It was a miraculous piece of choreography that allowed such athleticism by so many to survive and blossom in so small a space.

Fred Graham/Petruchio (Arnold Pindar) had difficulty in keeping his dialogue flowing but all was forgiven the moment he began to sing.  Here he was in his element; the voice effortlessly “produced the goods.”

In fact the singing was always a pleasure and much credit for this is due to the Music Director James Marr and the trio of musicians. Well done!

The comedic characters, the 1^st and 2^nd gangsters  (Jeff Wightwick and David West) were very, very amusing and the audience really loved them.  Their faces expressed the whole gamut of emotions from gangster confidence to complete bewilderment by the goings on around them on the stage.  Some fluffs in the singing of “Brush Up Your Shakespeare” perhaps made the audience enjoy their performances even more.

The costuming was very effective and colourful if sometimes less than secure than one might have hoped.  The only really annoying costumes were the slip-on codpieces that did little more than cause confusion. Perhaps the General (played convincingly by Peter Leith) deserved more military ribbons on his uniform being a General with Presidential aspirations.

Other roles were very supportive. Annabelle Farrell as Hattie, Maurice Buckley as the stage Doorkeeper keeping the actors ready to get on stage and Hortensio (Keith White) and Gremio (Francis Pindar) played key roles allowing the other characters to play their parts convincingly. There were several examples of excellent interplay.

The colour in the final chorus was really lovely. How fortunate to have a cast who were able to wear period costume with such ease!

One or two glitches early in the lighting were soon forgotten as the stage filled with light and colour and the following spot always followed.

Complex and impressive sets changed smoothly and quietly. The revolve was used to great effect. Large pieces of set moved forward and around with wonderful ease.

I cannot praise too highly the chorus and the dancers who held it all together helped to create a really enjoyable evening. I wish I had seen it on the closing night—it was spectacular, I’m sure.

Polly.

by  Rachel Barnett

This year Play in a Week has been written by Rachel Barnett, she is taking us into the world of film, A romp through 100 years of the history of film, shed a tear with a silent film star, gasp at the drama of a Western high noon, sing along to a musical classic, get lost in the intrigue of a detective thriller, and gasp at the special effects of an action movie. But what goes on behind the camera?

StudioSecrets is a glimpse at the world of the film-makers – the directors, the stars, the cameramen, and, of course, the financiers. A fast-paced story with an unexpected twist.

Performances: Sat 23 July at 7.30pm and Sun 24 July at 2.30pm – Tickets £10