Reps Theatre Maasdorp Ave / Sam Nujoma St, Harare, Zimbabwe

Latest Reps Newsletter - March 2006

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Hello again from Reps Theatre, where all the action for 2006 is about to happen. See below for news and information on upcoming shows.

75th Anniversary

As you know, we ran a competition for members in our last newsletter, in which we asked for designs for a special 75th anniversary logo. We had a good response and we give many thanks to all of you who entered design ideas. The winning design was one of a number entered by Tony Miles and he, therefore, has won the $10 million prize. Well done, Tony! The winning logo design appear in all documentation and promotional material this year. It will be appearing permanently through this year on a sign in the foyer, kindly donated by Peters Signs

Corporate support

We have embarked on a programme of encouraging corporates to assist Reps and in so doing help keep theatre in Zimbabwe alive. Our first group of corporate guests joined us in February at one of the Black Mamba performances and then had drinks afterwards in the upstairs bar. Among them were representatives of MultiChoice Zimbabwe, MWEB Zimbabwe, Interprint & Pak, Toyota Zimbabwe and HarperCollins Publishers, all of whom expressed interest in helping Reps in one way or another, recognising the value to the world of arts and entertainment, as well as to themselves. MWEB Zimbabwe is about to embark on a project to upgrade our Foyer Bar and it will thereafter be known as the MWEB Wine Bar. MultiChoice Zimbabwe immediately came in with a glamorous event (The M-Net Oscar Night) in Reps Theatre, paying not only the standard hire fee but also adding on a substantial donation. Interprint & Pak have agreed to help with printing of some of our posters and programmes during the year, which is a superb gesture. Another great piece of assistance has been a donation of various paints and painting items from Avon DIY in Second Street Shopping Centre, which has enabled us to get the first phase of foyer refurbishment under way. Alka Paints has kindly donated some PVA paints. Thanks to them for this generous support.

Membership

Don’t forget to encourage friends and colleagues to join Reps. Word of mouth promotion is very important in this regard and if each of us brings on board one or two new members during 2006 we shall continue the very successful build-up that we enjoyed last year. We especially look for members who want to work on the stage or backstage, or in the many other areas where members can assist the series of shows that we put on. Membership forms are available in the office or in the bar. And if you are one of those people who forgot to renew for 2006 – do so now! You’ve missed the deadline but please rejoin.

Repteens

Chris Charnley is in charge of this important area, in which youngsters are brought into the world of theatre and into the Reps family. The Repteens AGM took place in early February and the person chairing this group for this year is Kyla Render. Once again, we encourage participation by all eligible teenagers. Meetings take place each Friday evening during school terms in the Repteens Room adjacent to the Reps private car park.

African Distillers Awards of Excellence

It’s awards season all around the world, including here in Harare. The African Distillers Awards of Excellence will be handed out on Saturday April 8 (6.30pm) and all members are invited to attend this special evening, on which tribute is paid to achievers and people making a great effort for Reps. This will be a dress-up affair and we do hope you will make the effort to be there to see who wins the awards for 2005. African Distillers will again be sponsoring the Awards Night and we thank them for this continued generosity and support. Nominations for this year are as follows:

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A MINOR ROLE:

Sue Bolt / Chris Charnley / Sue Evans / Robert Marple/William Schofield - all in The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾

TECHNICAL AWARD:

Anna Swinton / Elinor Kennedy – Wardrobe "Aladdin"; Sue McLaren / David Reeler – Décor "Aladdin"; Colin Swinton- Set design – Proof and Set & lighting design – Boy Band Blockbusters and Aladdin

BEST FIRST PERFORMANCE IN A REPS PRODUCTION:

Patrick Barrett – Boy Band Blockbusters; Storm Evershed – Broadway Hits & Musical Bits; Chishamiso Musariri – Being; Chiyedza Nyahuye – Godspell Revival; David Smith / Daren Theron / Laura Tofts – Proof; Matthew Trustham – Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A JUNIOR (12 Years & Under):

Amy Bolt – Aladdin; Brett Wratten – Broadway Hits & Musical Bits

OUTSTANDING MUSICAL PERFORMANCE:

Patrick Barrett – Boy Band Blockbusters; Storm Evershed / Dean Raybould / David Smith – Broadway Hits & Musical Bits; Chiyedza Nyahuye – Godspell Revival

BEST COMEDY PERFORMANCE:

Martin Bolt – Aladdin; Robert Marple – Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾; Chiyedza Nyahuye – Godspell Revival

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:

Zane E. Lucas – Godspell Revival; David Smith – Proof

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:

Chiedza Mhende – Aladdin; Chiyedza Nyahuye – Godspell Revival; Laura Tofts – Proof

BEST AMATEUR DIRECTOR:

Graham Crutchley – Proof; Debbie Fleming – Broadway Hits & Musical Bits; Mike Lanchester – Godspell Revival

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE:

Jane Houston-Green – Being; Fiona Garrity – Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾; Hayley Mayger – Proof

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE:

Martin Bolt – Aladdin; David Smith – Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾

NOMINEES FOR BEST PRODUCTION IN 2005:

Proof; Boy Band Blockbusters; Being; The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾; Broadway Hits & Musical Bits; Godspell Revival; Aladdin

Also up for awards but no nominations, resting solely on Judges’ Decision: The Adrian Stanley Award; Steve Bonney Special Award; Munro Trophy for Best All Round Contribution and given by a points system after every production

REPS THEATRICAL ADVANCEMENT AWARD

This to be presented this year for the first time for the 2005 entries in a Schools Festival which was adjudicated by Mike Lanchester. Seven senior schools participated: Peterhouse, Arundel, Lomagundi College, St Georges College, Harare International School, The Heritage School and Chisipite. Peterhouse won the Award with Master Harold and the Boys, with a prize presented in Theatre Upstairs. St Georges was runner-up with Twelfth Night, which was performed on Reps main stage last year

Spirit of the West End Shows

The Reps season starts with this show, running for three performances only on Friday March 10 (7pm) and Saturday March 11 (2.30pm and 7pm). Arranged by Eve Stranix, it is a unique combination of music and floral art. Barbreanne Linnell and Lorraine Cooke will be creating floral arrangements during the show, using the theme of songs from well-known musical shows, from Jesus Christ Superstar and The Lion King to The Phantom of the Opera and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. On stage singing will be Patrick Barrett and Caroline dos Santos, both of whom are pupils of Lorna Kelly, while Paul Shephard will be musical director and will also bring in the St John’s College Choir for the opening song. This show will appeal to all ages and is well worth a visit. Come along and enjoy and pass on the word to friends, family and colleagues. Tickets will be $200 000 each with a discounted price of $100 000 for senior citizens at the Saturday matinee. Booking is now opening at The Spotlight (Monday to Friday 10am to 2pm and Saturday 9am to 12 noon).

Do U Wanna Rock?

Get ready to rock at this exciting musical production hosted by Chris Charnley as a benefit for Mr Theatre, Adrian Stanley. It will run for only five shows: Tuesday March 21 to Saturday March 25 inclusive. Tickets are $1 000 000 and showtime is 7 each night. Well-know stars such as David and Ellena Smith, Josh Ansley, Storm Evershed, Rosie Osborne will join newcomers to the stage, backed by Y Worry Band with friends. The theme is music to rock you! A special Reps members’ night is planned for Wednesday March 22, with fun in the members’ bar afterwards. So diarise that now and make this one a sell-out run. Chris is also hoping members will volunteer to sell tickets to their immediate communities, so make contact with him through the Reps office to help out if you can.

The Music Man

The 75th anniversary production will be The Music Man, a tribute to the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, directed by Adrian Stanley and Mark West, with musical direction by Annette Eastwood and choreography by Debbie Fleming. The auditions for this take place at 11am on Sunday March 12 and everyone is invited to try out for a part. More about this production in due course.

Foyer

The refurbishment of Reps is under way, phase by phase, bit by bit. It is being masterminded by the Marketing and Publicity Committee, which has been tasked by the Chairman and ExCo with making Reps look even better than ever. Work has started on the foyer and more will be done. If you can sponsor any of this valuable work, or find one or more sponsors, then please contact committee chairman Stan Higgins to advise: telephone through the Reps office or on 496943 during working hours.

Until next time, keep well and come on down for the shows that are now starting to roll out for 2006.

Tim Garrard

Chairman

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