Welcome to our first online Newsletter of 2025
The last few weeks reached a crescendo on the evening of 25th January, as we made our final performance of The Pied Piper.
It all starts with a script and a decision by the committee to endorse it. Steve Burton wrote the script so that it was ready to be presented to the committee in early 2024.
Jackie Bingham was again nominated as Director and gradually things moved forward to September when auditions led to casting decisions for speaking roles and separately for the dance team from Funky Feet.
Rehearsals started in October and tickets went on general sale in November.
By the first night, there had been huge preparation; words and moves learned, sets made, scenery painted, props sourced, lighting and sound installed, songs chosen adapted and learned, dances created and honed, costumes altered or made, tickets sold and issued, Front of House ready to receive our first audience and so many other hurdles overcome.
Once that final curtain closed, there was huge satisfaction, some relief and for most, a palpable sense of not wanting to end.
On Sunday 2nd February at 6.30pm in St Johns Chapel, George Lane, we shall hold our traditional pantomime songs of praise. Its our chance to celebrate and give thanks for our time spent together and for most, it helps to bring a sense of closure with hope for next year’s production.
Early in 2024 we were delighted to win NODA’s Best Pantomime for our area for Mother Goose -Panto 2023 – ahead of many larger amateur groups in Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft, Southwold, Beccles and Diss.
Our following Pantomime Treasure Island has now been nominated for the same award for 2024. The award ceremony will be held in May.
The Pied Piper was a complete sell out – 756 seats sold spread over 9 performances. Thank you to our audience for your continued support, this allows us to distribute the surplus profit from Panto 2025 to good causes nominated by local people as follows:
The Nook (East Anglian Children’s Hospice)
Loddon Community Larder (Food Bank)
Funky Feet School of Dance & Performing Arts
Funky Feet School of Dance & Performing Arts have been forced to find new premises and have moved a new location at Langley School.
They have to raise at least £10,000 to cover the cost of a new dance floor. There is a crowd funding page which we are very pleased to support.
As mentioned earlier we are also making them one of our nominated good causes.
Latest PANTOMIME
The Pied Piper
Written and produced by Steve Burton, directed by Jackie Bingham, with musical direction from Alan Cant and choreography for the Funky Feet dancers by Miss Vicky Codling.
Here are a few more images:
More details including reviews and lots of photos from the production
Review
The Pied Piper
Terry Reeve
24th January 2025*
ONCE again the enterprising Loddon Players have come up with a novel show turning the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin into a highly enjoyable pantomime.
As always it is a home-grown show scripted by producer Steve Burton, who has brought great creativity and imagination to the story of how rats infested Hamelin and how a piper is employed get rid of them.
The story converts naturally into the panto genre, with a King Rat introduced as the baddie and leader of the infestation, with the traditional dame role used as the leader of the inhabitants’ protests to the mayor.
Add the music dance, slapstick, humour, and colour of sets and costumes, and you have all the ingredients of a highly original and successful show.
Anthony Bunting is once again the anchor of the strong cast in the Dame role of Olga von Trump, using all his long experience to get the best out of the script.
Jane Rainer is animated as his son Fred, with the romantic thread provided by his love for Magda, played by Gemma Buskell – they complement each other well.
David Bingham takes the role of the arrogant mayor, Boris Johannson, while Vicki McDicken looks the part and is adept on the pipe (or recorder substitute!) in the title role of Pied Piper.
Peter Samain is suitably fierce as King Rat, while ten Funky Feet Dancers are the rats – lithe, nimble and suitably sinister in their dancing and scurrying back and forth on stage – they are always such a great asset to the Loddon pantomimes.
Beth-Rose Waghorn is King Rat’s lively side-kick Sniffer, and other supporting roles are filled by Jared Bollington, Sarah Colman, Sam Bailey, Linda Skepelhorn, Alasdair Skepelhorn, Johnny Green, Lewis Barber, Dawn Cartwright and Joe Jacob, with Skye Muir Robinson, Ana Harper-Bourne and Pauline Mason the chorus.
The show, which continues this evening and tomorrow (two performances),is directed by Jackie Bingham, with choreographer Vicky Codling and musical director Alan Cant.
* this report by the Beccles & Bungay Journal reporter but not as yet published, has been edited for accuracy and spelling
Last Summer Show
Spotlight Express - 28 & 29 June 2024
Building on the success of last years Variety Show, we returned to variety again this year. Compered again by Maureen Larkin and Anthony Bunting. (Jackie Bingham stepped in on 29th).
Spotlight Express was in two Acts.
Act One – an hilarious play called “The Last Bread Pudding”. Written by Nick Warburton
The committee of an amateur dramatic group are meeting to discuss a new play written by one of its members. What could possibly go wrong?
Act Two was a variety show packed full of music, dance and comedic skits, some familiar, some new ones.
The show was extremely well received by the packed audiences.
We were also able to make a collection for hospice care on the nights amounting to £68. We will be donating that plus more to Priscilla Bacon Lodge.
Local Theatre
Theatre Royal
The Maddermarket Theatre
Whats on
Lowestoft
Wisbech - The Secret Garden
Gorleston Pavillion
NODA
The National Scene
Loddon Players have been members of NODA for many years. We get support for many issues including legal and welfare matters.
NODA nationally run events such as summer schools and training workshops.
NODA in the EAST
NODA has a regional structure and we fall into that area in NODA East Region 6.
Our representatives normally visit us to watch and report on our performances – here is their report for Mother Goose which has just won their Best Panto Award 2023!
Their latest review is of Treasure Island 2024
This has now been nominated for Best Panto Award 2024! Announcement will be in May.
Maureen's Moments
Previous productions & players
Our oldest and most celebrated active member – Maureen Larkin remembers Puss in Boots from 2005.
“This was another special Pantomime for various reasons. Anthony was Fanny Haddock – the cook and I played the part of Dilly, a maid and assistant to the cook.
Young Kerri Sharpen was Penny Farthing, who assisted us by fetching groceries, and she rode a bike up the aisle of the hall to bring us dried fruit for the cake making.
Instead of dried mixed fruit in a packet,she brought ‘old’ fresh fruit; apples, pears, plums etc. all of which were dried up.
For the recipe we needed a little flour and Penny Farthing delivered a little flower. When Anth said “I meant self raising flour”, Penny pulled a string on the flower stalk and it grew to a height, and Penny said “See – it is self raising!”
All the ingredients for the cake were funny and had double meanings. The three of us were behind the table baking the cake, and Anthony needed to cut an apple up to put in the mixture. He searched around on the table and then asked us “Where’s the knife?”. We all searched but couldn’t find it, so he took the apple, bit a piece of it off and spat it into the cake mixture. This produced a great deal of laughter from the audience.
My son Andrew, who was taking the photos, got a shot of the apple leaving Anthony’s mouth and dropping into the bowl.
The whole cooking scene was hilarious and Kerri ended up with cake mixture (custard pie) on her face. It was all such good fun.
Of course 15 years later in 2020, a grown up Kerri played the leading role in “Snow White” and a very beautiful Snow White she was!
Here is our Archive Page for Puss in Boots – 2005
Latest News
Recent activities of our dancers and performers
How to join
Classes – Timetable
Announcements
We need to raise £10,000 as we have been forced to find a new home at Langley School.
Please support our crowd fundraiser
After years of fund raising and getting the dance school to a great centre for performing arts, we are now sadly having to start again. When we took over the industrial unit everything we had raised previously was put into making the space into what we have today. 3 dance studios, a reception room, waiting room and toilets. The dance studio also doubles up as a performance space which has become pivotal in raising extra funds. It is not possible for us to take up our flooring and move it to Langley School, and we will be without as much storage room for all of our costumes/ props and scenery, so will need to fund raise again, we will be looking at around £10,000 just to lay new flooring appropriate to dance on. The storage spaces we have been looking at are out of the budget we have so we may have to look at reducing what we hold which will impact the children as they will now have to purchase costumes rather than hire them and many local schools that we provide with costumes for their productions.
Upcoming Events
Over the coming months our Social Secretary Sam Bailey will be organising various events. Most will be open to members and their accompanying partners and some will be open for younger family members as well. (see note below).
We will be holding regular monthly social meets ups around the area.
All current members will receive an email each month with a link to the newsletter. It will also be available to read on our website.
In January 2025 we are heavily involved in the Pantomime production – The Pied Piper from 16th to 25th January.
A date for your diary is Pantomime Songs of Praise at the Methodist Chapel, George Lane on Sunday 2nd February at 6.30pm
Sam is organising a bowling evening in Lowestoft in early March. Further updates will follow.
Please email Sam at [email protected] for more information of upcoming events.
Social Diary