Seventy-Five Years Young!

Anything Goes

Another sell-out success!

A "Great Evening of Enjoyment"
Petersfield Post

Our annual production of Cole Porter's Anything Goes, presented at Havant Arts Centre from 4th to 7th June, was another sell-out success, which the Petersfield Post described as a "Great evening of enjoyment".

Pictures from the show are now available. Click here to see a selection of pictures from the show and read the Petersfield Post's glowing review.

A Cheeky Little Dog

Meet Suki, who has been officially adopted as the Society mascot. She is a three year old rescue shi-tzu, living with her owner Pam Hobbs in Fareham, and we first met her when we were auditioning for our last show “Anything Goes”. The script calls for a small dog to accompany one of the characters, and later play a crucial, if passive, part in the plot. The producer (Ian Clark) was keen to use a real dog rather than a toy or stuffed animal and so, despite the misgivings of some of the cast, the search was on for a suitable pooch.

Ann Dent Smith, who was to play the dog’s owner, Mrs Evangeline Harcourt, was less than ecstatic about working on stage with an animal (as in “never work with children or animals”) particularly as she had already been bitten by another aspiring canine thespian -- needless to say he failed his audition! Enter Ann’s old friend Irene, who is a dog-walker by profession. She heard we needed a small, fluffy and very laid-back dog for this show, and knew exactly where to find one. Pam brought Suki to a rehearsal to meet us all, and she proved ideal from the start -- she ignored the band completely, was friendly to all the cast and asked for no remuneration other than a few doggy treats.

Excitement mounted as show week arrived but Suki took it all in her stride. She was c driven to the theatre, just like a real star, and when not on stage was taken for walks by Irene, who was in attendance throughout with supplies of food, water and playthings. Backstage she snoozed or played with her friends: onstage she was a great hit with the audience. All went well until the Saturday performances, but between the afternoon and evening shows, Suki had gone home for tea and been promptly sick. Pam rang the stage manager -- should she bring the little dog in or not? The producer asked them to come in and see how Suki felt when she got there. To everyone’s relief, she went on again for her last performance like a real trouper! In gratitude for her exemplary performances the cast presented Suki with a bag of doggy treats and a new soft toy for her collection. 

Suki will make her next appearance with us on the Society picnic. We are all hoping that whatever show we put on next will have a part for a little dog and, if not, Ian will write one in!

9th - 11th October 2008

9th October - Merchistoun Hall, Horndean

10th October - United Reformed Church, Fareham

11th October - Bedhampton Social Hall

Tickets: £6 (£5 concessions and £3 for children under 16)

Click here for further details

New Rehearsal Venue

Back in April, we bade a fond farewell to the Purbrook Methodist Church hall, which has been our rehearsal venue for more years than I care to remember. Sadly the church and associated buildings are to be demolished and replaced by a housing development. Since then we have been lodging temporarily at the Paulsgrove Community Centre, to whom we are most grateful for coming to our rescue.

However, we now have a permanent home: St Faith's Church Hall in Havant. It is a huge barn of a place offering us plenty of space for rehearsals. The address is:

St Faith's Church Hall
East Pallant
Havant   PO9 1EA      Click here for a map

Directions (from Havant Arts Centre in East Street):
 - Turn into Beechworth Road (opposite the Arts Centre)
 - Turn LEFT into East Pallant (a one-way street)
 - You will find a public car park on the lefthand side
   (free after 6pm). The hall is next to the car park.

Murder Mystery Evening

Merchistoun Hall in Horndean on February 23rd proved a suitably atmospheric setting for our very first murder mystery evening entitled "England Expects" or "One Broadside Too Many", written by our very talented producer, Ian Clark.

As everyone tucked in to a 3 course meal we watched the story unfold of Sir Cuthbert Poopdecker and his wife, Lady Mabel, as they entertained the new arrivals in their village.

Old grudges and jealousies were revealed and the tension mounted until the deathly deed was done. Everyone was invited to don their Miss Marple tweeds and exercise the little grey cells looking for clues and interviewing the suspects to discover the identity of the murderer.

If you missed this thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining evening, we will be doing another in November. See Diary Dates.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

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Denmead Operatic Society is a Registered Charity
No. 1021763

Theatrical Jottings

Want to read the latest interviews with people in the local world of amateur theatre? Why not take a look at Theatrical Jottings - a wade through the world of local theatre with Felix and Harry and freinds. Click here to read more.

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