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AWARDS GALORE!

The 2009-10 Cheshire Theatre Guild Awards were announced on Wednesday 7th July. 22 theatres are Members of the Guild and each decides whether to enter plays for these Awards. Adjudicators attend productions and provide a written judgement on all aspects from acting to props and the welcome in the theatre itself!  They then identify which plays have won Awards. This year adjudicators saw 39 productions.

Nantwich Players entered three plays from our 2009-2010 season and have come home with 4 Awards and 3 further nominations. 

The Winners are:

Best Costume: Improbable Fiction - Sandie Laughlin & Diana Park

Best Sound & Lighting:     Dead Guilty - John Hutchinson & Ian Lightbody

Most Promising Youngster:    Jessica Courtney in Our Day Out (Youth Theatre)

Best Production with Musical Content:     Our Day Out (Youth Theatre)

Nominations were for Best Supporting Actress (Barbara Whalley in Improbable Fiction), Best Presentation (Improbable Fiction) and Best Director (Improbable Fiction).

Other plays were entered in the All England Theatre Festival which holds its awards night later this month.

Players Win Award

The Wilmslow Festival of One Act plays ended on Saturday 29 May. Four evenings of entries from senior and junior productions meant vigorous competition for the Awards which were judged and presented by Garth Jones, ex-drama adviser for Cheshire County Council.

Nantwich Players' entry was "A Dog's Life" by Pam Valentine in which four dogs in a re-homing centre ponder life and the creatures known as humans. The dog warden and a visitor add their two-pennorth to the discussions.

There only were 4 Awards in the Senior section and Tom Brookes carried home in triumph the Best Senior Individual Performance for his role as Ben. This was the high point for all six actors who gave of their best in a performance which played to great acclaim and not a few tears at the end.

The next competition is the Hale Festival in June where our entry is "Say Something Happened". Tom Brookes appears in that too - will he do the double? Watch this space.

Pre-Theatre Dinner offer

Once again Romazzino's in Love Lane is welcoming patrons for a pre-theatre dinner before performances of Twelfth Night.  Two courses and a drink (wine,soft or coffee) for £11.95.  The offer is for ticket-holders only (take them with you) and you may book a table by ringing 01270 626456.

Buon appetito!

HOLLY HOLY DAY

Our traditional role is to perform a short play based on the situation in Nantwich at the time of the Battle in 1644. This year there was a cast of 15 and one very special character – a bear who has to be held by ropes and chains.

The Trial of Willie Young ended with acquittal for Willie and a spell in the stocks for the inn-keeper who couldn't keep his bear under control.

See also www.hollyholyday.org.uk

Nantwich Theatre Project

We shall be concentrating on raising funds to convert the adjacent building to the new Community Arts space and increasing the number of seats for you to buy during this year so we invite you to read the Theatre Project pages and keep up to date with progress. There is a direct link from the Home page.  

The cast and crew of Twelfth Night are in rehearsal and another group of volunteers are doing maintenance backstage and a spot of decorating.