ARTISTIC DIRECTOR’S ROUND UP NOV/DEC 2023

What a brilliant two weeks we had during the run of Macbeth. Very full houses and amazing feedback on this classy production. What was most heartening were the many young audience members who felt that Shakespeare had been presented to them – many of them, for the first time – in a compelling way.

The reviews from critics and audience were all super positive, admiring not just the accomplished cast, but every dimension of the staging. Our new Production Manager, Amy Carroll, made her designing debut with us. Bringing a wealth of professional experience to us, the atmospheric set was a perfect backdrop to the play and was beautifully lit with great lighting effects.
Jonathan Fletcher composed and recorded the music and sound especially for this production, underlining the originality and creativity we bring to our productions.

Enormous thanks to David Fletcher and his entire company on stage and off for such a theatrical highlight. The feedback they had was overwhelming. The memories will linger.

Next up we have a huge contrast in style and genre – a wonderful piece of musical entertainment from the songbook of Kander and Ebb. Not always immediately recognisable, you only have to mention ‘Cabaret’ or ‘Chicago’ and the smile of recognition is there. Liza Minnelli and Frank Sinatra both created signature songs from the stable of this talented writing duo and all of these songs are given a special treatment in revue style. There is singing, Fosse-style dancing, rollerskating and more………Guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser, this is bound to captivate the whole family in the lead up to this festive season.

In other news………….we held a special reading with 17 actors of Dylan Thomas’ mighty Under Milk Wood on the date it came out of copyright. We were not alone in marking this occasion as the BBC marked it too with a plethora of programmes about this most talented poet and writer. We toasted him in the bar in the certainty that he would approve of that for sure!

Readings and auditions are rolling on and we are casting now up to May 2024. The last auditions were for our musical Spring Awakening and we were thrilled that over 50 actors attended. We are encouraged to have such great interest at our auditions, which signal that we are doing something right and putting on a challenging and attractive programme for actors to want to be part of. We are delighted to be welcoming new actors to our company for nearly every show we cast and as one new young actor said to me after a recent audition ‘The Loft’s programme is like cat-nip and we are tempted by the theatre’s great reputation’.

Programming has continued for 2024 and we now have only one more play to settle in the autumn of next year before the year is complete. We have two visiting professional companies to welcome too – Down for the Count in January, who were a sell out last time they performed a concert with us and Improvesarios who are an improvised group of accomplished musicians and opera singers, who will perform in our Studio theatre in February. All details on the website.

I am also hoping to stage two productions in our Studio theatre next year too. We have only performed a couple of times in the Studio since the pandemic, so I am anxious to get a programme of work rolling in there too. Such a special intimate space in which to perform; special for actors and audience alike. Watch for further news.

It only remains for me to wish you and those you love the most peaceful and enjoyable Christmas period. Thank you for your continuing support of our work throughout the year. Although we love drama, it is not over dramatic to say that we literally couldn’t continue without you. Our box office is our means of existence and we need to continue to present plays that entice you, that you might not have the chance to see without travelling further afield. We try to balance a programme you will want to engage with as audience and one which will attract talented actors, designers, musicians, and all those who bring this theatre alive front of house, backstage and on stage.

We know you have many options for your entertainment and your free time and we want to stand out as a great choice. Everything we present we do with high artistic intent and we aim to always give you the warmest of welcomes.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO WELCOMING YOU IN JANUARY 2024 FOR A SPARKLING YEAR OF THEATRE.

Sue Moore