Reps Theatre: Latest newsletter

Reps Reporter - February 2011

January has come and gone and we are now into the month in which we celebrate the 80th anniversary of The Repertory Players. As always, Reps has been busy and plans are set for a continuation of this for the rest of the year.

Since we last published

December was dominated by the annual panto, this time Babes In The Wood and again directed by Graham Crutchley. Also on stage during the month was a Strindberg drama, Miss Julie, in Theatre Upstairs, which enjoyed good houses.

The new year was seen in with Linda Hyde’s The Noughties and later in January we has a successful short run on the main stage of the 5Star boy band – members past and present – in a show called 5Star Live! The month ended with the third Weakest Link evening, which was also a success.

Just last week we hosted the third edition of the Harare’s Got Talent series, this time entered by 11 acts and with acapella singing group Firm Faith as winners. This is part of our social responsibility programme, as we provide a free platform for up and coming talent to be seen and heard.

Membership renewals took place in December and January and, pleasingly, we have had a good level of renewals; if you have not done so through having forgotten or some other reason, call Erin Cooper at the Reps Office and make a plan to get back on board.

Allan Shaw back in town

We have been pleased to welcome back Allan Shaw, long-serving Theatre Manager and one of the stalwarts of Reps for many years, both on stage and behind the scenes.

Now living in Scotland, he has come back for two reasons – first and foremost to help us put together a plan for the revamping of Theatre Upstairs (which is to be the ‘legacy’ of our 50/80 celebratory period of 2010 and 2011) and also to run courses for members, ranging from those for stage managers to one for those of us who like to act.

Thank you to Allan for having so kindly and generously come out and given of his time to us, and thank you, too, to Steve and Adrian Bonney, for hosting him while he is here (he will be leaving on February 20, just after the 80th celebration). Thanks must also be extended to British Airways and British Airways operated by Comair, which brought him free of charge from London to Harare via Johannesburg and will be taking him home again, too.

Theatre Upstairs may have a new look

As I said, Allan Shaw has been focusing on plans to revamp Theatre Upstairs, which we decided some time ago would be the permanent reminder of our 50/80 celebrations. Once a plan has been prepared, it will be presented as a purposeful and viable project to a leading NGO in the hopes that funding will be secured and the project can go ahead. It will be very exciting to do this, Theatre Upstairs having been transformed into a working second theatre from a rehearsal venue about 30 years ago – on a temporary basis!

February’s focus

It was also decided some time ago that, to mark the 80th anniversary of The Repertory Players on February 17 this year, we would recreate the two plays with which the Reps launched themselves on February 17 1931. These are Lord Dunsany’s Fame And The Poet and G K Chesterton’s Magic. They will be staged for a short run on the main stage, between February 15 and 19, including a gala anniversary performance night on Thursday February 17. Sue Bolt is directing and she has put in place a strong acting team to cover both productions and we look forward to seeing just what it was that sparked off the phenomenon that is Reps all those years ago.

There will be no performance of these productions on Friday February 18, as we shall have a social celebration in the Members’ Bar and on the Patio area on that night, to which all members are most welcome and, indeed, encouraged to come along! Food will be laid on and there will be music, so we hope to promote a festive atmosphere for us all. An earlier plan for a black tie dinner was cancelled as I had feedback from members that the proposed cost of this was high and that a smaller, less expensive celebration was what they wanted.

On Saturday February 19 there is to be a champagne breakfast at Vanilla Moon. Please watch out for specific e-fliers on both these events, as well as on the anniversary production on stage.

In addition to the Theatre Upstairs project and the celebratory events of January last year and February this year, there are also two other 50/80 projects: The Story of Reps Volume 2, which is being edited and co-written by Stan Higgins and which will be published soon (some of you have already booked your copies well in advance!); and the 50/80 memorabilia, some of which is a still available for members to buy. Please make contact with Erin Cooper if you would like to know what is on sale and how to buy it.

What’s on the main stage and in Theatre Upstairs this month?

After the anniversary show, we shall be hosting the 2010 Reps Afdis Awards on February 26. Sponsored by African Distillers, this is our chance to recognise and celebrate excellence in our theatres and among our members. We encourage as many members as possible to come along and see the awards ceremony, for which director Sue Bolt is also arranging a measure of good entertainment.

It will start at 7pm and it is essential for you to make advance bookings (through Erin Cooper in the office and not via the box office) as this may well be full by the time the evening comes around.

Thereafter, Dream Lover is to be staged (March 10-26) as Stan Higgins’ annual 50s/60s/70s musical revue. This features music from four specific artistes of the era – Neil Sedaka, Connie Francis, Carole King and Bobby Darin – and has a bright young cast of 21 singers and 12 dancers. Gala nights are already in place for this show and it is suggested advance booking be made as soon as you can, as this is likely to fill up well.

Then it’s onto a major presentation for 2011 – the American musical Rent, directed by Zane E Lucas for Reps. Running from April 6 to 16, this will create a huge amount of excitement, especially among audiences in their teens and twenties, but which is going to be a sterling production from every perspective.

In Theatre Upstairs we shall see Caroline’s Man from March 1 to 5, a light drama written and directed by Mary Leared of Harare, followed by Graham Crutchley’s long-planned and long-awaited production of Humble Boy (March 24 onwards). These two shows will also sell quickly and well so get in with your advance bookings as soon as you can.

Improvements all around

As you may have seen, we have been busy with various improvements in and around the theatre and, budgets permitting, this will continue as a feature of our repair and maintenance regime. We were delighted to have received from Old Mutual a generous donation of $2 000 towards the revamping of the air conditioning unit and we would like to thank Luke Ngwerume and his team for their continued support of Reps and for this much-needed assistance. Discussions are now being finalised regarding an upgrade of the Patio area and this will also help in our general improvement efforts. We have also been having computer problems and would like to thank Mal Render for helping to right some wrongs and get us back up and running properly.

Social events to keep us entertained

Two social events are on the drawing board: first of all, a pre-Valentine’s Day event in the Members’ Bar on Sunday February 13. At 11am there will be a fun pub quiz (with quizmaster Paul Shephard) and everyone is welcome to come along and either be a team (of up to five people) or join a team; there’s no entry fee. Thereafter there will be lunch, followed by an afternoon of singing by the popular Dean Jones. Next up will be a St Patrick’s Day event on or around March 17 – watch out for news on this one. In the longer term, the AGM is coming up on Sunday April 10 (11am) so diarise this and watch out for news of any entertainment we may lay on afterwards.

It’s a training ground for talent

Reps is a great training ground, and we have a number of initiatives that focus on this area: Repteens (for the 12-19 age group); Preps (for the under-12s), Reprobates (for adults who want to act) and Reptechs (for everyone who wants to work backstage or behind the scenes). For more about all of these contact Erin Cooper in the office and she can put you in touch with the co-ordinators of the different initiatives. If you or members of your family are members of Reps and not active in the theatre, but you would like to become so, then one of these is suited to you.

Did you know ...

... that operating hours of the office and wardrobe are as follows: the office is officially open from 9am to 4.30pm each day from Monday to Friday inclusive, although staff are there earlier to deal with inspections and other work; the wardrobe is open for hires from 9am to 3.30pm each day Monday to Friday. If we can find volunteers from among the membership we may open on Saturday mornings as there appears to be a demand for this. The box office (known as The Spotlight during daylight operating hours) is open from 9am to 4pm between Monday and Friday and from 9am to 12 noon Saturday. It is sometimes open on Sunday mornings (such as when bookings are being taken for big shows like the annual panto) but these are always advertised. Box office opens one hour before curtain up on show on our stages. The Members’ Bar is open from lunchtime to 10.30pm each day – and there is a happy hour each Friday evening between 6.30pm and 7.30pm, with reduced prices for drinks. A weekly bar draw takes place at 7.30pm on Fridays, with a cash prize for a member if he or she is present at the draw – you have to be in it to win it, as they say.

Until next time, stay well … and happy anniversary to us all, as members of Reps!

Dramatically yours

Teri Grimmel, Chairman

Last updated: 10 September 2020
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