Weekend at the West End Pre-production Post

Well here we go, the eve before BLT youth perform the first of their 2 shows W@W. Dress rehearsal last night went very well with one or 2 small issues but resolved on the night. This really does promise to be a great show. I have to say well done to Ros and Sally for getting this together. There have been some very fraught moments over the last few weeks with the dates looming ever closer and the 'to do' list growing ever longer!! Sally has worked tremendously hard in choreographing the dances. Many a night have I been banned from the kitchen while dance routines are put together. Libby has ably assisted Sally during this time.

A huge thanks to Nye for putting together the lighting for this show. A good few midnight candles have been burned. However the effects will enhance the show without doubt.  Also our new member Ian Palmer who visited the theatre on our open day offering his services. Bet Ian didn’t realise just what he was letting himself in for.

Irene Livingstone has been a tremendous help in rehearsing all the soloists (yes including me)! Fay has been a real whiz on getting all the tracks together and cutting some of them to within an inch of their lives.

There is an army of people involved in this production and I would just like to say thank you on behalf of Ros, you know who you are.

I hope that people who look and hopefully read this will have an understanding of what is needed to get a show of this magnitude together.

I am in no doubt that those who have booked tickets will be thoroughly entertained from beginning to end. There are a few odd seats left so if you don’t want to miss out please get in touch before it is TOO LATE.

Cheers..

British One Act Final 2012

The final of the British One-Act Festival was held this weekend (6th and 7th July) at the Torch Theatre in Milford Haven.

We took our play, 'Biscuits,' written by Graham J. Evans, one of our members, to complete against three other plays from Scotland, England and Northern Ireland respectively.

We opened the festival on the Friday night, followed by Northern Ireland with their play, The Droitwich Discovery by Nick Warburton, performed by The Clarence Players.

Saturday night saw the remaining two plays - Scotland's Kirkton Players performed In the Blinking of an Eye by Jeremy Hylton Davies, and England with The Tempest by William Shakespeare, performed by Total Arts Community Theatre.

All of the plays were of a high standard. However, only one play could win, and the adjucticator, Ian Sarginson, had a very difficult decision to make.

We would like to congratulate Scotland's Kirkton Players on their success, and we are looking forward to competing in the next One-Act Festival in 2013. We are proud of our team for getting to the final and representing Wales - thanks to the DAW Team and everyone at the Torch Theatre for making this such a memorable weekend.

See you all next year!

Countdown to Considerably Bigger Buns begins with Casting

And so the planning for this big BLT theatrical experience begins with casting news! Firstly, a HUGE thank you to everyone who came to read - thanks to you I have had an interesting and difficult time with deciding on the large cast for this play!  I am delighted to say that I have come up with an exciting solution and I've been able to cast all the ladies who came to the readings and were available for the show. I would like to thank all the chaps who came along too - it has been tough to make the decisions on casting the four male roles and I'm sorry to disappoint some of you. However, backstage crew will be needed - any volunteers? Anyway....here goes with the cast for Calendar Girls - to hit the boards at BLT in September 2012!

Cora..............................Sarah Jones
Chris..............................Gwen Livingstone
Annie............................Frankie Baskerville
Jessie.............................Yve Price
Celia..............................Shelley Bethan Morgan
Ruth...............................Ros Grummitt
Marie..............................Claire Williams
Brenda...........................Claire Watts
John................................Bleddyn Jones
Rod.................................Jerry Grummitt
Lady Cravenshire........Val Rosser
Lawrence......................Matthew Oliver
Elaine.............................To be shared by Fay Grummitt and Emma Percy
Liam...............................Christopher Harris

I will be contacting the cast over the weekend to arrange first rehearsals.  These are such exciting times and I am looking forward to getting started with some of Blackwood's finest.  My dearest husband has reminded me that we also have a British Final to compete in, (and hopefully win!)  so things might be a bit fragmented for a week or two but we will then be able to get into a pattern of rehearsals.

See everyone soon.

Peta x

Welsh One-Act Final 2012

On June 9th, the Welsh One-Act Final took place at the Congress Theatre in Cwmbran. We had two productions taking part - 'Godfather Death' on the Friday and 'Biscuits' on the Saturday. It was announced, after six very good plays had been watched and adjudicated, that the winner of the final was 'Biscuits'!

The British Final is being held at the Torch Theatre in Milford Haven on the 6th and 7th of July. We will be competing for the title against the winning plays of the English, Scottish and Irish festivals. We will be performing on the Friday evening.

We are very proud to have made it this far and to represent our country in this festival. Hopefully we will bring the trophy back to Wales for the first time in nearly twenty years!

Please come along to support us - tickets are available from the Torch Theatre website - please click here.

Weekend at the West-End

The amazing talent of our youth theatre, are rehearsing hard to bring a high energy show at the end of July. Songs and dances from shows such as Cats, Chicago, Les Miserables, Grease, Annie and many more are all on the set list for this great show being put together by Ros and Sally Grummitt. Ably assisted by MD - Irene Livingstone, this show is selling really quickly. Please don't miss out and book your tickets now!

Please visit our website for more information.

Calender Girls - Tickets

Tickets for Calender Girls will be on sale from Wednesday 13th June. The production will have a special 'Gala' performance on September 1st, and the run will be between the 4th - 8th September.

Please visit our website for more information, including how to book tickets.

Wales Festival of One-Act Plays Final 2012

Following the success of Blackwood Little Theatre at the Gwent One Act Festival with the winning play, “Biscuits”, the cast and crew will be performing this hilarious, bawdy play once more at the Wales Final which takes place on 8^th and 9^th June at the Congress Theatre in Cwmbran.

“Biscuits” is an original script by Graham J Evans, one of BLT’s most successful writers and it is directed by Neil Maidman who is no stranger to Welsh Finals. The combination of talented, experienced cast members and comedic writing and directing makes “Biscuits” one not to miss during the programme of events.

However, Blackwood Little Theatre has two bites at the cherry this year, for the 4th time running, with a second original play, “Godfather Death” by Vic Mills also making the grade for the Wales Final.

The cast and crew of “Godfather Death” are fresh from taking part in the Liverpool International Theatre Festival 2012 in Nova Scotia, Canada, where they performed and won awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor and Exceptional Lighting and Sound. The positive response to “Godfather Death” at the LITF 2012 indicates that this play is also one to watch at the Wales Final.

Friday 8th June 2012

• Future Shock by Richard Stockwell - The Unknown OUTCasts (Glamorgan)
• Godfather Death by Vic Mills - Blackwood Little Theatre (Gwent)
• Watch Over Me by Ross Burgess - The Players' Theatre (Glamorgan)

Saturday 9th June 2012

• Day of Days by Sean O'Connols - Loose Cannons (Anglesey)
• The Witches of Macbeth by the company - Phoenix Theatre Company (Clwyd)
• Biscuits by Graham J Evans - Blackwood Little Theatre (Gwent)