Welcome to our May 2024 on line Newsletter
Loddon Players win NODA East Best Panto Award 2023 for Mother Goose 2023
Loddon Players have won NODA East Best Panto Award for Mother Goose 2023!
We are delighted to have won this award in the face of strong competition in our area.
Congratulations to Producer Steve Burton, Director Jackie Bingham, Choreographer Vicky Codling from Funky Feet, Musical Director Alan Cant, plus cast, dancers, crew and front of house.
Also a huge thank you to our enthusiastic audience without whom we could not have achieved this.
Tickets to go on sale for Spotlight Express on 5th June
“A fast-paced showcase of talent, where an hilarious one act play meets musical interludes and comedic skits”
Performances 28th & 29th June
Tickets will go on general sale on 5th June.
Social Event Roundup
Sam our Social Secretary organised a Karaoke Night at the Jubilee Hall – there was excellent attendance and a great time was had by all!
Panto 2025
The commitee have confirmed that our next pantomime in January 2025 will be The Pied Piper.
Produced and written by Steve Burton and directed by Jackie Bingham get ready for jokes about huge sausages and loads of rodents!
Audition dates will be announced in due course via our newsletter, website, social media and word of mouth!
Latest show
Treasure Island Panto 24
Written and produced by Steve Burton, directed by Jackie Bingham, with musical direction from Alan Cant and choreography for Funky Feet dancers by Miss Vicky Codling.
Here are a few more images:
More details including reviews and lots of photos from the production
Costumes
Pantomimes have a large cast and great skill and effort goes into making/altering and then helping to dress the cast, make running repairs on individual performances.
We had an amazingly talented group that made up the wardrobe team for Treasure Island
Led by Pauline Mason who created the Gallion hat for our Dame, they were team of Debbie Codling who had specific responsibilty for the Funky Feet dancers, Anne Lumley and Nina Hunnisett.
Future Shows
Spotlight Express - 28 & 29 June 2024
Building on the success of last years Variety Show, we return to variety again this year. Compered again by Maureen Larkin and Anthony Bunting.
Spotlight Express is in two parts.
The first half features an hilarious one act 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?
(The play contains moderate adult language, that may not be suitable for children under 16).
The second half is packed full of music, dance and comedic skits, some familiar, some new ones.
Tickets go on general sale 5th June
£10 for Adults (16 or over)
£5 for Children (Under 16)
For cast/crew and members please watch out for announcements!
Local Theatre
Theatre Royal
including
Grease – The Musical – 3rd – 8th June – Tickets here
39 Steps – 18th – 22nd June – Tickets here
The Maddermarket Theatre
Whats on
Lowestoft
Wisbech - The Secret Garden
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
Maureen's Moments
Previous productions & players
Our oldest and most celebrated active member – Maureen Larkin briefly looks back at the a favourite pantomime performed at Hobart High School.
Babes in Wonderland in 1982.
“This Panto was written by Joan (Evans) and it wasn’t a story that she had taken from any other Panto – it was her own composition. She was told that she should have had it published.
The story was about two village children, a boy and a girl, in whose dreams all the characters from their village changed into fairytale characters.
Derek Loyd and myself wrote the picnic scene, involving Nelly Plumpley the village post woman / Humpty Dumpty -(Margaret Bunting), Mrs Simple / The Old Woman in the Shoe – (Derek Loyd) and Rosy Hood / Red Riding Hood (myself).
The three of us had a picnic in the woods. Margaret and Derek were sitting at the picnic table in garden chairs and myself in a deck chair. Margaret, in her large Humpty Dumpty outfit, reached across to get a bun and fell onto the table, which tipped over on to me and the deckchair I was sitting on folded up like a hairpin with me in it! The more the two of them tried to get me up, the more I laughed, and ended with me having a tiny accident. The audience were in fits of laughter and I had to get up and go straight into a dance routine with the two Babes.
We had to sing and dance to “Getting to know you”. As we were about to start, the young lad said to me “you’ve got a big wet patch on the back of your cloak”. I just said, “shut up and just dance” and we carried on dancing!
It was a sequence that caused so much laughter. We kept the sequence in for the rest of the performances, but it was never quite as funny as it was when it first happened accidentally.
Here is our archive page for
Latest News
Recent activities of our dancers and performers
How to join
Classes – Timetable
Announcements
We are proud to say that Funky Feet students are all working hard in classe.
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.
Our June Monthly Meet Up – will be for drinks and a natter, at the White Horse Chedgrave on Friday 7th June 7.30pm
This social get together is intended for over 18 members, partners and accompanying children.
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.
Email us below if you are likely to attend this meet up event.
(Note – if you have received this via an email link, you are on our membership list and are entitled to attend these events).
Social Diary