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

Latest Reps Newsletter May 2010

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Greetings to you all as the merry month of May gets under way.

Reps has been one of the busiest places in town this past fortnight, with HIFA 2010 having made use of our two theatres for no fewer than 40 performances, many of them well supported or even full.

We were again delighted to be part of HIFA and we hope that exposure of our theatres and our own shows, as well as our many other attractions and facilities, will result in increased membership and patronage, especially from people who may not have known much, if anything, about us.

Well done to Manuel Bagorro, Maria Wilson and their whole team on getting this massive undertaking under way in what are still very challenging economic times. On behalf of us all, I would like to thank all the Reps volunteers and staff who made HIFA such a success and in particular I pay very warm tribute to the indefatigable Linda Hyde, who was literally the backbone of this organisation for more than two weeks and whose contribution is both huge and hugely valued.

AGM continues

The adjourned AGM will reconvene this coming Sunday, May 9 (11am) and we hope as many members as possible will come along. Although these kinds of meeting can be tedious, they are important and as The Repertory Players belongs to us all, we encourage full attendance and participation. It is hoped the business of the day will be concluded speedily and efficiently and afterwards there will be entertainment in the bar from Tony Palmer and Mike Freeman, and food will be available.

Babysitting Calvin will make you laugh

The latest in our Have-a-Go Show series for new directors will be staged this week, as Colleen Hardy directs Babysitting Calvin, a comedy with a difference.

This will be in Theatre Upstairs, with performances as follows: preview night (free for pensioners) – Wednesday May 5, opening night – Thursday May 6, second night – Friday May 7 and matinee and final night – Saturday May 8. evening shows are 7pm and the matinee is at 2.30pm. Book at The Spotlight.

This is a one-act play written by John Newmeir and features Joe Levey, Karen Howard-Beard, Larry Greeff, Gaby Levey and Ursula Gripper. The Have-a-Go show series is an exciting concept, launching new ideas and new talent and we would appreciate both your support and feedback.

Time to face the music

The National Ballet shows at HIFA each year are both excellent and popular, so we are delighted to be able to stage three performances of Let's Face The Music and Dance, their contribution to HIFA 2010.

This is a one-hour show and it is being put on as a fundraiser for the Dance Trust of Zimbabwe and for Reps. It is a superb show, as the people who saw it at HIFA will testify, and will entertain greatly. Shows are at 7pm on Friday May 7 and Saturday May 8 and there is a matinee performance at 2.30pm on Saturday. June Cloete has overseen this show, which features most of Harare 's choreographers and dancers.

Another HIFA gem staged here

Another successful venture at HIFA 2010 was Zane E Lucas' Yours Abundantly From Zimbabwe, a drama about a woman and her daughter, with an infusion of Zimbabwe and the things that go on in this country. It stars Anne Fischer, Chipo Chikara and Jamie McLaren and is highly rated. It will run from Monday may 10 to Saturday May 15 in Theatre Upstairs, and booking is already open at The Spotlight. I don't have to tell you that Zane is an amazing director and his productions are always a theatrical treat.

Ol' Blue Eyes is back

Ol' Blue Eyes was a star of no mean proportion. Frank Sinatra was famous and infamous … but his music was fantastic, so we are staging a short-run musical show to showcase some of his great hits and we know this will be popular. It runs on the Main stage from May 26 to 29 – only five performances including the preview night – and features Dean Jones, Nigel Hopkins, Aaron Ziwande and Patience Musa. Musical direction is from Rene Mostert, who will have a live band. The show is simply called Ol' Blue Eyes and I have the pleasure of being able to direct it, so I am looking forward to seeing you all there. Booking is now open at The Spotlight.

Coming after that ...

Look out for an excellent drama in Theatre Upstairs - Are There Tigers In The Congo ? – and a wonderful happy musical presentation by the Phoenix Choir and the Harare Male Voice Choir on the Main Stage. These both run in the first week of June so more about them in our next newsletter. Both will be enjoyable in two very different own ways and booking. Tigers is directed by Per Fosser –a new director for us – and stars George and Shamiso Gukuta. Helming the choirs' show, called Showbiz, will be Clive Bishop and Iona Jones. Both of these are also booking at The Spotlight already.

Exco gets to grips with finances

Exco has been hard at work getting to grips with drawing up budgets and taking steps to ensure viability for Reps now and in coming months. Things are not easy in this country at the moment – money is tight and people have much less discretionary spending available to them. So it's important for us to be competitive and attractive, in order to keep going and to do what we love doing. We are doing our best to make sure that all aspects of our operation run well and to members' satisfaction, as well as at a profit, so we can both stay afloat and reinvest to improve. One key aspect of the ongoing plan is to attract more sponsorship for Reps and its productions – if any of you can be of help in this regard, please contact Stan Higgins, chairman of the Marketing and Publicity Committee, at aquarius@mweb.co.zw or through Erin in the Reps office.

Preps and Repteens back in action

Now that the second school term has started, it's time for Preps and Repteens to get going again. From next week, newcomers can come along on Saturdays at 9am for Preps (under-12s) and on Fridays at 6pm for Repteens (13-19s). More information from Katie Cooper, who runs Preps, and from Kyla Render and Linda Hyde regarding Repteens – contact them through the Reps office.

Did you know ...

... that we need volunteers to help distribute posters and fliers for all our shows? These are important means of communication about our shows – possibly the most important - so we would like them out and about far and wide. If you can be part of the chain of distribution please advise Erin in the Reps office.

Until next time, stay warm and well as winter sets in

Yours dramatically

Teri Grimmel, Chairman

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