BackstagE
Shiphay Amateur Dramatic Society Newsletter – February 2017
Front of House – Society News
Thank you to everyone who came along to
support SADS 60th Season party at the Farmhouse
Tavern last month. Despite it being a very cold
night both inside and outside a great night was
had by all who attended. A full varity of
entertainment took place during the evening and
the committee would like to offer their thanks to
Pat Bidder, Sam Hughes and Clive Nyquist for
organising such a great celebratory evening.
Congratulations to one of our Junior Members
Dale Smith who following her debut as part of the
Aladdin Chorus recently earned her Scouts
Entertainers Badge.
The committee would like to wish one of our own,
Mr Richard Arscott, a very happy 70th birthday.
Any members who have a few hours to spare over
the next couple of Saturdays (25th February & 4th
March) are welcome to come along and join in
with building the set for Situation Comedy.
Thank you to Alan Tanner for running a successful
Directors Workshop at the start of February. Lots
of people attended the workshop and we hope
these same people will sign up to take on a
Directing role with SADS in the near future. We
are still finalising arrangements for next season, if
you would like to direct a show or even the annual
pantomime please get in touch with any member
of the committee.
‘Tea & Jam’ will run on the following Sundays: 26th
February, 19th March and 9th April from 2-5pm at
St Johns Church. If you play a musical instrument
or have always wanted to learn one, are a
seasoned singer or have always wanted to ‘have a
go’ then these sessions will suit you perfectly.
There will be a small charge to cover hall hire of
£3 for SADS members and £6 for non-members. If
you want any more info please contact Peter
Mead via petermead76@yahoo.co.uk
Acting Up – Production News
Rehearsals are well underway for
Situation Comedy
Please help us to promote this show by
selling as many tickets as possible to your
family and friends
Backstage Crew for this
production includes:-
Stage Manager: Richard Arscott
Assistant Stage Manager: Graham Godfrey
Sound and Lighting:
Dave Bunting; Mick Cook & Clive Nyquist
Properties and Costumes: Sam Hughes;
Chrissy Niles & Angie Tremayne
If you want to help out backstage or FOH
for this production please get in touch
BackstagE
The Front Row – Whose Who?
Have a query about the Society or any of our
shows; please contact any member of the
committee for the 2016/2017 season:
Chairman - Dave Easton
01803 613490 / 07970 134675
Treasurer - Tamar Austin
07783 160010
treasurer@shiphayamdram.co.uk
Secretary - Danielle Mead
07972 565231
secretary@shiphayamdram.co.uk
Publicity Officer - Pat Bidder
01803 616241 / 07717 332926
Seasonal Ticket Holder Secretary - Chris Niles
07773 153310 / 01803 614568
Technical Officer - Mick Cook
01803 316576
General Committee Members:
Richard Arscott
01803 400937 / 07454 35331
Sam Hughes
07704 185349 / 01803 310892
Clive Nyquist
01803 323717 / 07834 975340
In the Spotlight – SADS 60th PARTY
This month the spotlight is another backstage photo special featuring a BackstagE
selection of photos from SADS 60th Party!
In the Spotlight – Continued…
A few days after our 60th Season Party the Chairman sent over the BackstagE
following letter which he received from the very wonderful Mrs Dorothy
Pemble. Dorothy has been a member of SADS for a number of years now
and still managed to provide us with some brilliant entertainment at the
SADS 60th Party. Dorothy we salute you and thank you from the bottom of our hearts

The Prompt – Diary Dates

Stage Up Saturday 25th February & 4th March 9.30 – 4.30pm
Situation Comedy Thursday 16th – Saturday 18th March 2017
Allo Allo Auditions – Monday 20th March 7pm
Allo Allo Thursday 18th – Saturday 20th May 2017
The Dressing Room – Gossip & Funnies
The following article was recently submitted to backstage, if you have
anything you want to share with our members please send it in via BackstagE
info@shiphayamdram.co.uk

ANYONE CAN DANCE.

I was interested in Ed’s ramblings in a recent newsletter, about dancing, or more moving in time with a
chorus line or stage full of people and would like to add my own experience.

When we were boys, Rock and Roll was in its infancy and if you had a vague sense of rhythm, you could jig
along and weave to the music. However, dances we attended had a ballroom dancing section to half time
(social dancing) so called because you could talk to your partner while you trod on her toes. Usually, the
girls sat on one side of the dance hall, clutching their handbags, while the boys lent on the bar, looking at
the girls, drinking and bragging about their latest escapades.

About this time, my mate (we’ll call him Brian because that’s his name,) and I thought, ”How hard can this
social dancing be?” So we stumped up to the Landsdown School of Dance for Gentlemen and Ladies of
Character.

We didn’t really fit into the description, but we scrubbed the dirt and grease from under our finger nails,
and our mothers turned us out looking almost respectable. Luckily we didn’t meet any of our biker friends
on the way. Once we got over the initial shock of ‘different’ company, we got on very well. After all, we’re
all just people, and Brian and I were among about a dozen girls with only two other guys, and one of them
had brought his fiancé.

We had a great time, and left some months later fully certificated, able to get around the dance floor with
confidence in our basic steps. What a pose it turned out to be. After the initial hoots of derision from our
yobbo friends had turned to green envy, because we got the girls, they asked where we learned to dance,
and vowed to start learning themselves.

Some years later, I was involved with a show where the whole cast had to do a tap dance to Lullaby of
Broadway. Now ballroom dancing is one thing, but tapping? We had only a few weeks to become
proficient, so every opportunity was spent basically tip tapping toes, and swivelling feet in time to Lullaby of
Broadway singing in my head.

At this time I was employed as an engineer with an office machine company, and I was repairing a photo-
copier in a large open plan office, full of people sat at their computers. With my hands inside the machine,
my mind was singing Lullaby of Broadway and my feet were quietly tip tapping and swivelling on the
carpet. It wasn’t going too badly, dismantling, singing, dancing in my own little world, when……….it’s a
feeling, nothing you can tangibly explain, but……….something is amiss!

I self-consciously peeked over my shoulder to see the entire office looking at me, I half expected a round of
applause, but was disappointed. They all seemed embarrassed to have been caught watching and hurriedly
carried on computing. Had I been singing out loud? Were my tapping feet making a noise? Don’t know, the
customers never said, and I didn’t ask, but I was really careful and quiet next time I called there.

The show was a success, and we all had a good time. My dancing wouldn’t have won any certificates, but I
kept up with the others an didn’t make a fool of myself, again. So this is where we came in when I said,
anyone can learn to dance.

Richard Harris.
The Dressing Room – Continued…
BackstagE
Following on from our successful production of Aladdin
there has been lots of enthusiasm surrounding the
setting up of a SADS Youth Group. This idea was
discussed at a recent committee meeting and it was felt as a committee we needed to
feedback directly to our membership on this issue. It was agreed that setting up a youth
section was not a viable option for a number of factors including time commitments and
financial constraints. As a Society we put on four productions in one season, if we were to
start up a youth section they would of course want the opportunity to perform on the
Shiphay stage and fitting this into our season would not be viable. There are a number of
youth groups in the local area who do a very good job of providing Youth Theatre and their
details are set out below. If any of our members want to put on a youth production as one
of our season shows we would greatly welcome this, anyone interested in directing this
type of production is encouraged to contact the committee.

 Doorstep Theatre - Saturday sessions at St Mary Magdalene Hall Union Street @ £3 per session

9.15 - 10.15 age 4-7; 10.15-11.15 age 7-11; 11.30-12.30 age 11-14

They also run courses at the Palace Theatre Paignton at around £65 per term.

Email: doorsteparts@gmail.com http://www.doorsteparts.co.uk/theatre/

 Tadpoles Tues 6.30 to 8.00 pm at Little Theatre http://toadslittletheatre.co.uk/tadpoles/

 Tykes in Teignmouth http://www.teignmouthplayers.com/index.php/about-us/the-tykes/

 Pauline Quirk Academy - weekly 3 hour sessions @ £88 per month with discount for siblings

https://www.pqacademy.com/academy_locator/torbay/

 Razzmataz meets at Torquay Academy http://torbay.razzamataz.co.uk/

 Stagecoach https://www.stagecoach.co.uk/torquay