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

Latest Reps Newsletter - December 2006

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As 2006 rushes to a close and the festive season gets under way, it's time for the last newsletter of what has been an extremely busy year. Thank you to all members of The Repertory Players for their continued support and involvement in the affairs of the theatre and the society - in particular, thank you to those of you who have been supporting shows on the Main Stage and in Theatre Upstairs.

I would also like to thank members of the Executive Committee, the Production, the Backstage Committee (including sound, props and lighting and all other technical departments), the Marketing and Publicity Committee, inclusive of all FOH teams, the Finance Committee and the Social Events Committee for their hard work and dedication to getting things done.

To all those people who have made the productions of 2006 take place - a very special thank you and sincere congratulations for achieving what you did against odds that often seemed - and indeed nearly were - impossible. To the staff, to suppliers and to everyone involved in one way or another with the Reps extended family: very many thanks!

Show schedules

The panel of judges for the African Distillers Awards of Excellence will soon be looking at the Reps productions of 2006 with a view to deciding who should win awards for this year. Can you remember the schedule of productions for the past year? If not, here are all eight again, just for your information: Spirit of the West End Shows; Do U Wanna Rock; The Music Man; The Drawer Boy; A Streetcar Named Desire; The Attic, The Pearls and Three Fine Girls; Sister Action and Jack and the Beanstalk. There were a number of hire shows, too, all of them adding to a full programme of activity of the stages - among them Green Mamba, Elvis Lives, Under The Big Top and Magic Movie Moments. The hire shows do not, of course, qualify for Reps awards, but they add great value to the variety of entertainment and art seen in Reps.

Please remember that any ten members can nominate another member for an award in any of the following categories : Best Actor in a Leading Role; Best Actress in a Leading Role; Best Actor in a Supporting Role; Best Actress in a Supporting Role; Best Performance in a Minor Role; Best Comedy Performance; Best First Performance; Best Performance by a Junior; Best Outstanding Musical Performance.

Any such nominations must be in before 31 December 2006 to be considered. The programme for 2007 is being finalised by Gill West and her Production Committee, and this will be circulated as soon as possible, so you can start diarising.

Please diarise the special night for the next African Distillers Awards of Excellence, which has been slated for Saturday February 17 - this is a grand affair for Reps and we hope for a good turnout of members to ensure a full and proper recognition of the award winners.

Panto update

Jack and the Beanstalk is well under way, with good houses so far and a strong forward booking sheet. Gill West has put together a fun production to end the year and full marks to her, the cast and the crew for doing so. If you have not yet booked, please do so as soon as you can. The show runs until Saturday December 23, with some changes to normal programming: there IS a show on the night of Monday December 18; there are NO evening performances on Saturday December 16 or Friday December 22, with matinees on both those days; start time each night is 6.30pm and matinees start at 3pm.

Ticket prices are $2 500 for adults, while for children tickets are $1 000 and it is only $500 for a pensioner's ticket throughout the run. Booking is available at The Spotlight (open Monday-Friday 10am to 2pm and Saturdays 9am to 12 noon).

What's next?

Linda Hyde is putting on a short run of At The Drop Of A Hat, which will have only two performances. This light-hearted musical show features music and other pieces from the great team of Flanders and Swann and will be performed at 3.30pm and at 7pm on Sunday December 31 (New Year's Eve). Linda has assembled a cast and crew and bookings are already open at The Spotlight. This looks like great fun and a super way to end the year, timed to allow for party-goers to enjoy their parties after these performances.

Subscriptions are due now

A decision has been taken on subscription fees for 2007 and a circular has already gone out about this. Remember that the deadline for renewals is January 14, so get your subs in as soon as you can, please. If you have any queries, contact Lynn at the Reps office. The purpose in drawing up the subs was to maintain a balance between prices that are affordable to members while recognising the soaring costs that face Reps and which have to be met by income from membership fees. You can however opt to pay quarterly, remembering that these subs will be inflation adjusted each quarter. And don't forget, new members are constantly being sought, so sign up anyone you think should be a member.

The red carpet treatment

I hope as many of you as possible have seen (and walked on) the new carpet in the foyer - it is excellent and really adds great value to the venue. Many thanks to all those people and organisations who made this carpet possible - it has made a dramatic difference and is the latest installment in our ongoing refurbishment programme. Watch this space to see what will be done next! We held a special thank you evening for refurbishment sponsors and among the people present were Luke Ngwerume of Old Mutual (and his lovely wife, Lingiwe) - the latest donors whose generosity has been warmly welcomed and gratefully received. Thanks to them all for their support and encouragement - and their funding!

Best wishes to you all

May I take this opportunity of wishing you all a splendid festive season, with good wishes for Christmas and New Year, and hopes for a wonderful 2007 for Zimbabwe, for Reps and for each and every one of us.

Tim Garrard, Chairman