The thing with these website things is you need to update them or looks like you’ve gone away.

We haven’t gone away. Oh by giddy crikey we haven’t.

I’ll bang a longer more detailed post on here later, but for now we’re doing a pantomime! Written by local Shipley/Windhill writer Tina Palomar it’ll be her first ever performed work. That’ll be going on in the Kirkgate Centre in April. Still some parts going so if you’re interested get in touch.

Now the panto’s underway the small production group are hoping to do Waiting For Godot by Samuel Beckett. Arguably the greatest Absurdist play in the English language (and I know lots will disagree, and I also know it was written in French. With an Irish accent), that will be playing hopefully a number of venues around the Leeds/Bradford area in the autumn.

And (as if that wasn’t enough) we’re producing a new play by local writer Eddie Lawler for tour in autumn 2017. “Making Light” is the story of the remarkable “Blind” Jack Metcalf, who managed to be an 18th century rock god (on the fiddle), entrepreneur, ladies man, adventurer and road builder, all while being blind. It’s an extraordinary tale of an extraordinary man in this the year of his 300th birthday.

And the Tuesday meets are carrying on. Please don’t forget, 7pm every Tuesday, target donation for room hire about £3, there’s a workshop led by a variety of very good workshop leaders then a bit of a social (purely voluntary) afterwards.

Everyone welcome from beginners to the very experienced.

See you there!

We have got to get on top of this website malarkey. Ok, first season down and what’s emerging is a rather lovely group. It’s not finished, I want to see more people involved, but the ones we have are supportive and energetic. We have a range of people from complete beginners to professionals and they’re all working beautifully together. Good people.

Please note there is NO SESSION on the 27th December or the 3rd January. We’ll be back on the 10th Jan.

Next year is going to be busy. The AGM is coming up, there are projects we’re committed to and projects we want to try. It adds up, so if you feel like getting involved there’ll be plenty for you to do.

And we will definitely post more here.

In the meantime though Merry Christmas! And a peaceful and pleasant New Year. See you soon.

We need photos. Photos are good. In the meantime we had our 6th meeting! Amazing how it flies. I have to say people are coming together well. Very well, I can only hope this energy continues.

We’ve been offered a very good panto, and a very good play by a local writer. All we need now… all we need now is rehearsal space. All this potential, all this energy and as of today nowhere to put it. We’ll find somewhere though. We’ll find somewhere.

In the meantime the open workshops are every Tuesday. They’re fulfilling their purpose; it’s a place for new people to join where they can jump straight in instead of having to wait possibly months for the gap between productions. It’s a meeting ground for the whole company, very important to stop different casts coming adrift of each other. It’s a place where actors can learn to work together, gaining a familiarity with each other they can take forward into productions. It’s a place where directors can get to know the actors. Our auditions are open, but in the end if the actor and director have a working relationship, then that’s an advantage, can’t deny it. If you want to be cast it will help to get to a Tuesday. Everyone is welcome from beginner to experienced.

We must take some photos.

It went very well, thank you everyone who turned up. If you’re reading this wondering if you should turn up then I have to say definitely. The energy was good, people worked well together, and the experienced people and the beginners worked superbly together. All went well. And we had an amazing lightning storm in the middle of the session. I’m going to take that as an omen. Of something. Born in a lightning storm.

Tomorrow… tomorrow I would love to have time to get laminated signs up saying the session doesn’t start ’til 7pm. The sign on the door says 6.30 because that’s when we can get in to start setting the room up. Turn up at 6.30 and you’re welcome, but you’re helping us shift tables. Session starts at 7pm. It doesn’t matter if you’re late, not on a general session. Come rehearsals and you’ll damage your own experience and that of other people by turning up late, so don’t do it. In a general session though, it’s going to be very rare that it’s a problem. Turn up.

The ramped entrance is to the left of the main door. It’s not obvious, a sign would be a good idea.

A kettle! Trish (and I think Tina) brought lots of tea and coffee, and we had no kettle. So yes, ok, kettle.

Programme wise, fingers crossed that the people who came stay with us. This gives us a broad range of skills and experiences, which is great for the beginners, and we’ll have to see what the experienced group want to do. Personally I’d like to have a go at some fairly modern classics; Ionescu, Albee would be sadly topical. I’m shamefully lacking in my knowledge of world theatre, this would be a great chance to expand my horizons a bit. I’d like work by new playwrights and female ones.

That’s the lovely thing about having strength in depth, we can take on more than one project and we can explore many different forms. And it’s all good.

Ged