Latest news from CADS
February 2022 newsletter
(February 13, 2022)Fun and Games for Welwyn
We've now mapped out the rehearsal schedule for The Blonde Bombshell, our entry for this year's Welwyn Drama Festival in May. Details of the play, which deals with the wartime controversy surrounding a celebrated poster by designer Abram Games, were outlined in our last newsletter but to remind you, we're holding auditions for this one-act piece (by local author Roy Maddox) from 7.30 on Wednesday 23 February in the Drama Studio at King James Academy Royston (Senior Site). Auditions are open to absolutely anyone and there's no need to prepare anything - just come along and we'll get you to read a page or two from the script. Rehearsals will then take place on Mondays and Wednesdays throughout March and April; the festival itself runs from 16 to 21 May, though we're still waiting to hear which specific night our production will be presented.
If you'd like to see a copy of the script in advance, or if you can't make the auditions but are still interested in being considered, please contact [email protected]. We hope to see you there!
OMG, it's AGM
Coming soon to a community centre near you is our annual get-together, at which we look back at the previous twelve months, look forward to the next, and vote in the 2022/23 committee. As previously announced, our current Chair, Emma Daintrey, has decided to step down so we'll be hoping to appoint a new one from among the membership. The AGM is open to anyone, but only paid-up members get a vote (see below), though you're welcome to express your views and ideas whether or not you're a full member.
The meeting will take place at 7.30 on Wednesday 6 April at the Coombes Community Centre in Burns Road and generally lasts about an hour. Do please come along and let us know what you think, or just drop in for a chat.
We need your support
This is the time of year when our Treasurer starts to remind everyone about paying their subscription (our subscription year runs from March to February). To remind you, full membership is £15 for the year (£10 for full-time students) and this entitles you to a free ticket for any one performance of any show we put on during the year (transferable to a family member or friend if desired); it also entitles you to vote at the AGM should you wish to and it ensures that you're covered under the terms of our insurance policy if you're cast in a production. It also gives you access to the "Backstage" pages of the CADS website (see below).
Even though we've not been performing much recently, there are always expenses associated with the running of a group such as ours, including things like insurance (it costs us about £1,500 a year just to exist!) so we're more than grateful for your financial support to help keep us afloat.
You can pay your subs by bank transfer - the account name is CADS, the sort code is 40-39-22, and the account number is 91389149. It would help if you could use "Membership" as your reference. Alternatively, you can simply pay cash to a member of the committee. Any problems or queries, please get in touch with [email protected]. Thank you.
Talking workshops
As part of our programme of evening meetings, we're delighted to announce that multi-award-winner and former professional actor Martin Maynard is planning a series of free drama workshops looking specifically at duologues. These are provisionally scheduled to begin on Wednesday 15 June, when Martin will be outlining the programme and organising people into pairs for the course itself. There will then be four subsequent workshops (22 and 29 June and 6 and 13 July) and the pieces that have been worked on will then form part (or possibly all) of an evening of entertainment on Saturday 16 July. (The exact structure of the evening will depend on how many couples join the workshop programme - we may also incorporate some other cabaret-style items into that evening.) Note that, as the planned evening of entertainment constitutes a performance, you will need to be a paid-up member of the group in order to participate.
If you're interested in the programme, it would be helpful if you could contact us in advance so we have a rough idea of who might be attending. Contact us in one of the usual ways - either using the Contact page of this website or by e-mailing [email protected].
Making other plans
As well as Martin's workshops, we're continuing throughout the next few months with our series of evening meetings. These are hosted by a different person each time, and take place usually at the Coombes Community Centre in Royston between 7.30 p.m. and 9.00 p.m. unless otherwise stated.
On Tuesday 26 April, Emma Daintrey will be leading a play reading of the one-act comedy The Staycation, written during lockdown by our own Claire Hogan (and, if there's time, we may also look at some of Claire's shorter sketches as well). Later in the year, there's also the possibility of a further play reading, this time of a brand new full-length comedy by local author Roy Maddox, and we're still working on the idea of an evening of coarse acting...
For the immediate future, we'll be making provision for anyone to join these meetings via Zoom if they prefer to do so. There's no need to book for any of our meetings if you're attending in person - just turn up on the night - and they're completely FREE! If you're lucky, we might even manage to provide some refreshments.
Looking ahead
Creative Royston have recently announced the dates of this year's Royston Arts Festival, which will take place between 23 and 25 September. We've traditionally staged a production to coincide with the festival and are already looking for ideas for something to present in September. This could be a full-length piece, or a musical show, or a pair of one-act plays, or a cabaret evening - we're open to suggestions, especially if you'd be prepared to direct something yourself. Please let us know if there's anything you think might fit the bill.
Behind the scenes
Finally, a reminder that the CADS website - as well as being your main source of information about what we're up to - includes a "Backstage" section where you can download reports, policy documents, minutes of meetings and so on. This section is available only to members of the group - another good reason to pay your subscription! Contact [email protected] for further information.
Committee
Our next meeting is the AGM on 6 April referred to above; the date of the next regular committee meeting will be decided by the incoming committee, but if there's anything you'd like us to consider or discuss, please feel free to contact any of us at any time via the Contact page of this website!