Welcome to our November 2024 on line Newsletter
Christmas is nearly upon us but at Loddon Players we are very busy rehearsing for our 2025 pantomime, The Pied Piper.
Produced and written by Steve Burton and directed by Jackie Bingham, this fun packed production, like many fairytales or folklaw stories stems from a dark tale.
In the original story, the Mayor engages The Pied Piper to rid the town of a plague of rats by using an enchanted tune on his flute. The rats follow the Pied Piper to the river and there they meet a watery demise.
The Pied Piper returns to collect his reward but the Mayor refuses to pay up what is owed. The Pied Piper then enchants the children of Hamelin who disappear never to return. Three children survive, one is lame and cannot keep up, one is deaf and cannot hear the pipe music, and one is blind and cannot see to follow.
In our pantomime, of course good will triumph over evil. The rats are baddies lead by King Rat. The Mayor is a lying, cheating politician. The Pied Piper is tricked but the goodies help to win the day and everyone lives happily ever after apart from the lying, cheating Mayor lives who is forced out of office.
Stand by for the wurst kind of jokes about huge suspicious-looking German sausages and lots and lots of dirty rats!
Tickets are now on sale to book via our website
Also from our Telephone Box Office on 0333 666 3366
Mon – Fri 9.00am to 7.00pm
Sat – 9.00am to 5.00pm
Sun – Closed
Later in this edition, Maureen Larkin reflects upon Panto 1978 – Sleeping Beauty which involved in one way or another, every member of her immediate family.
See the section Maureen’s Moments
Many of us went to Gorleston Pavillion to see our own Jody-Michelle Chapman in their production Sparkle for Christmas. It was a great night and Jody was superb.
Many of us also went to see Shane Baxter star in Nativity. What a complete performance he gave, singing surperbly and playing his part with great light and shade.
See our Social Events section for upcoming events including Karaoke and a chance to see David Bingham and Adam Kellingray-Williamson in the Chet Valley Voices Christmas Concert – also directed by Adam.
Tickets available to purchase here
Latest PANTOMIME
Treasure Island Panto 24
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
Box Office - Ticket Sales
David Bingham is our current box office manager. He has taken over after many years from the amazing Hazel Catchpole.
First when she worked at Bridge Stores (known then as Shorrocks), and then laterly working from home, Hazel did an extraordinary job of selling hundreds of tickets by cash or cheque.
Tickets were issued by hand. Many collected on the door. Telephone orders and people turning up to pay, this was a monumental task.
When Covid hit, it also coincided with Hazel retiring from this role.
A decision was taken by the Committee to explore a different way and they commissioned David to create a state of the art website.
Designed by Designtec, a company based in Poringland with a client base, locally, nationally and internationally, we needed a mobile responsive website on which we could build modules like box office sales and newsletters. Tickets can now be purchased via mobile phones and tablets as well as laptops and PCs
David set about finding a box office solution that would allow us to sell tickets on line, over the phone as well as manually if required. Ticketsource was chosen to host the box office. They have exceeded our expectations – allowing online customers to chose and book the seats they want from an online floor plan.
Our first online box office ticketing arrangments went live for Mother Goose in 2023. We sold out 5 performances in just over a week. Our next pantomime Treasure Island with 8 performances sold out in 2 weeks.
Currently The Pied Piper‘s 9 performances are 90% sold out.
In our next newsletter we will be focussing on Front of House.
Latest 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
Maureen's Moments
Previous productions & players
Our oldest and most celebrated active member – Maureen Larkin remembers Sleeping Beauty 1978, the pantomine where every member of her family, husband Michael and all her children played some part, on stage or behind the scenes. It was also the last one that John Harris – school teacher at Hobart High, wrote and produced.
Derek Loyd was the Queen Mother-in-Law, and arrived on stage at one point in a wooden go-cart, and later did a Trooping of the Colour on a Pig!
(John Harris’ Pantos we’re indeed full of strange distractions.)
My husband Michael was the back end of the pig, as well as playing the part of Jester Minute! Our son Ian, then aged 13 was Jester Second, and they formed a singing duo with their ukuleles.
Our younger son Andrew, who produces our present day Panto posters, then at the age of 11 designed the front cover of the programme and helped to paint the scenery.
Our daughter Michelle aged 10 was a chorus dancer with the Joan Gisborne Dancers.
My Dad also got in on the act by providing some of the props, so this was a very memorable Panto.
I remember making the shield, painting a large potato on the front for King Edward Spudde (John Harris) and I knitted his chainmail in grey wool.
We all had to muck in with costumes and props. I still have that shield (I am a hoarder)!
As the Jester, who is employed to amuse the King, Michael had to do a front flip somersault across the stage and I was really worried that it might go wrong, thankfully it didn’t!
There were 11 Fairy Godmothers with very funny names such as The Cross Channel Fairy, Fairy Nuffe, Fairy Cake, Fairy Light, Fairy Soap, and more.
Hobart High School brass band led by Ron Hinton, were also part of the plot, as a bunch of outlaws.
The main characters all had to sing a finale song, and mine was “Someone to Watch Over Me”. I couldn’t sing, but Beryl Carver’s accompaniment made me sound ok. Michael sang “Don’t laugh at me cos I’m a Fool” and I remember shedding a tear when young Ian sang “Oh My Papa”.
This was a Panto which holds so many treasured memories for me. Sadly many of those wonderful characters who were involved are no longer alive, but we remember them all with so much fondness and gratitude for their part in the success of the Loddon Pantomimes.
Here is our archive page for Sleeping Beauty 1978
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.
Our social secretary Sam Bailey has organised a Christmas karaoke & mini disco at the Hollies, Loddon 7th December 7pm onwards. This is open to all members over 18 – those under 18 must be accompanied by a parent/parental figure
Everyone to bring a plate of food to share. (Let Sam know what you are planning to bring)
Everyone to bring their own drinks.
On 14th December there are still some tickets available to see David Bingham and Adam Kellingray-Williamson in the Chet Valley Voices Christmas Concert – also directed by Adam.
The venue is the Methodist Chapel, George Lane.
Tickets available to purchase here
Please email Sam at [email protected] for more information of upcoming events.
Social Diary