If YOU would like to be part of our group, in any capacity, why not come along to meet us and find out who we are. Acting is not compulsory! Most of us want to be up on that stage but we also have members who prefer to be part of the production team, helping to create our popular and successful plays.
And, whilst we would love you to join us as a member, you could still be part of the group of people who just love to come along and assist during play week. Perhaps you love DIY and could help us construct our sets, maybe helping us with our costumes is your idea of fun. Skilled or unskilled – a willing pair of hands is the only requirement.
If you’re an actor (especially for male roles) looking to be in a particular play but not necessarily expecting to join us full time why not get in touch to discuss – we plan our productions and cast them for the year ahead during the summer months so end of May / early June is usually our deadline for signing up for cast availability.
We normally meet every Monday throughout the year at 7.30pm in our rehearsal room ‘The Forum’, (a rather grand name for a hut!) located just near the Village Hall. It would be wise to check before arriving – see our Contact Us page.
Full membership subscription is £15 per year (£7.50 students in full time education).
The Forum, off Elloughton Road, near the Village Hall and the Scout hut.
INTERESTED? GET IN TOUCH WITH US FOR A FRIENDLY CHAT – OUR CONTACT DETAILS CAN BE FOUND HERE
FAQs
What productions do you do?
We put on two productions per season (typically early/mid November and early/mid May). We only perform plays (not musicals or pantomimes) and the genres are flexible but we do aim to ensure that humour is present. The occasional mystery, full blown comedy, farce are all in the mix, as are period, modern and contemporary plays.
So what happens between May and November?
We are ‘resting’ but not too much – Monday nights are generally meetings in The Forum where we do script readings. This allows us to explore potential plays for our next season and members have an opportunity to read different parts. And sometimes we read plays we will never be able to perform but just want the chance to read it out loud.
How do we choose our plays for the season?
With difficulty! We have shortlists of plays we would love to perform but the limiting factor is always down to available actors. We know when we want to perform and after the season ends in May we begin the process of getting commitments from those who will be available to act or support the productions. It’s then a case of finding which of our potential plays fit the availability profiles of male and female roles.
How do rehearsals work?
These usually run over a period of 12-14 weeks prior to the show starting with initial planning and set design, play readings and discussions, then into ‘blocking’ of the moves. The traditional rehearsal times start with Monday evenings (7.30pm starts) and extends to a Wednesday and / or Thursday evenings as we progress with flexibility agreed with the cast.
It’s a commitment
Putting on a production is a serious business and can be very hard work but also one which should be enjoyable and fun. Once we have cast a play, obtained and paid for the licence and begun work we all commit to the effort required and to seeing through the project to performance night – after all, the cast and production people are a team and since we do not have understudies we cannot let each other down.
The Rewards
If you love theatre and a challenge then this is for you. Hard work, lots of hours, commitment, focus on tasks and deadlines, learning lines are a healthy activity and pastime. They provide an objective and indeed a distraction from daily stresses. Putting it all together in rehearsals can be both demanding and a good laugh. We aim to balance the serious work of rehearsal with having a good time and a laugh – if we don’t enjoy the process, why do it? And once that curtain comes down on a play the exhilaration and sense of achievement makes it all worthwhile, both personally and as a close team of friends.
How do I stay informed?
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Petuaria Players 