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WINTER 2017 PRODUCTION – Waiting for the Train

This new play, being given its premiere by The Gage, is set on a railway platform on the rural outskirts of London. The timeframe stretches from the 1930s to the 1970s, and during this we learn of the lives of some of the people who pass through the station, many of whom are left to fill in time there while waiting for the train . . .

Jeanette, a motherly soul, looks after the station café and also looks after George, who hangs around the station hoping that his wife Jane will return on the next train . . . Tom is a musician whom we first meet worrying about an audition. In time he becomes the conductor of a major orchestra and marries Mary, whom he met at the station when she arrived as a teacher accompanying evacuee children.

The play also has its serious moments, when the repercussions of a terrorist bombing in London reach some of our characters; and again when a newspaper reporter tries to put together a scandalous obituary for another of them, but is foiled . . .

Many lifetimes pass before your eyes in Waiting for the Train.

Performances will be at 8pm on Thursday, 30th November, Friday, 1st December and Saturday, 2nd December, at the Riddell Hall, Walton on the Hill.
Tickets £10, box office 01737 812 703.

Patrons intending to dine before the show at The Blue Ball pub near The Riddell Hall will be offered a 15% discount on food if, when they come to pay the bill, they show their pre-bought tickets to the staff.

Put the play dates in your diary now!

The Following Pictures Courtesy of Andy Carter LRPS CPAGB

The Following Pictures Courtesy of Melanie Rolls

Quiz Night

We will be putting on our Quiz hats again and seeing if we can equal or improve our last result at the Dukes Head on Wednesday the 17th May.  As usual there is the opportunity to eat there before and that “reserves” our table which is for 19.00 with the quiz starting at approximately 20.15.

UPDATE
We Won!
That’s £20 in the Gage kitty.

Open Auditions for the Winter 2017 Play

OPEN AUDITIONS
FOR THE WINTER 2017 PLAY

On Monday, 3rd and Monday 10th July 2017 we shall be holding auditions for our Winter play, Waiting for the Train, written and directed by Pip Rolls.  These will take place at 8pm in Christchurch Hall, in Walton on the Hill.

There are 7F main speaking roles for adults, 4M main speaking roles for adults, and also parts for 3 girls and 1 boy. The play opens in 1937 and finishes in 1993 – some characters will need to be able to act the age of late twenty-year-olds through to middle age.

This new play, being given its premiere by The Gage, is set on a railway platform on the rural outskirts of London.  It tells of the lives of some of the people who pass through the station, many of whom are left to fill in time there while waiting for the train.  Jeanette, a motherly soul, looks after the station café and also looks after George, who hangs around the station hoping that his wife Jane will return on the next train . . .

Tom is a musician whom we first meet worrying about an audition.  In time he becomes the conductor of a major orchestra and marries Mary, whom he met at the station when she arrived as a teacher accompanying evacuee children.  Two of the evacuees, Miranda and Peter, we watch grow into adults; after an unlikely kind of courtship, Peter proposes to Miranda during a disastrous meal at the re-vamped station café.   

The play also has its serious moments, when the repercussions of a terrorist bombing in London reach some of our characters; and again when a newspaper reporter tries to put together a scandalous obituary for another of them, but is foiled . . .

Many lifetimes pass before your eyes in Waiting for the Train.

Rehearsals will begin with a read-through on Monday 18th September, followed by a rehearsal on Wednesday, 20th September, and thereafter on every Monday and Wednesday, all at 8pm at Christchurch Hall, so there will be plenty of time between audition and rehearsals to start getting your lines down!

Performances will be at 8pm on Thursday, 30th November, Friday, 1st December and Saturday, 2nd December, at the Riddell Hall, Walton on the Hill.

So, please come along to the audition and try out for The Gage.  The Winter production begins our 67th anniversary year, so you’d be joining a company with a strong tradition of putting on great entertainment.  Remember: auditions on Monday, 3rd July and 10th at 8pm, Christchurch Hall, Walton on the Hill.  For further information contact the director, Pip Rolls, on 01372 452 105 or pip.rolls@yahoo.co.uk .

The Gage Players’ Newsletter May 2016

Hi, I am Jon Laws and am delighted to have been elected as chairman of the Gage at the March AGM. I have been a member of The Gage Players since 2003, when I was a “portly gentleman” in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, directed by the late Margaret Hunter.

For your records, here are my contact details should you need to be in touch with me: 20 Lyndhurst Avenue, Surbiton, Surrey KT5 9LL. Mobile 07565 962 453, Skype  jontlaws  and email  jon@cctvwithtlc.co.uk

My first task as chairman is to say a great big thank you to Franki Gray for all her work and for leaving The Gage Players in a great situation.

The highlights of Franki’s year in charge were Murder in Play by Simon Brett and Teahouse of the August Moon by John Patrick, based on the novel by Vern Sneider.  We also made three appearances at The Duke’s Head as a pub quiz team.  These have been enjoyable and have even netted £10 in prize money, which went to the Gage fund.  We have another date planned for Wednesday 11th May. Please do see if you can come along to join the fun (especially if you are an expert at pop music) and have a meal there before we start.   I have booked a table for us for 19.15 (the quiz starts at 20.00), so if you are interested, please let me know and I shall book you in.

Bedroom Farce by Alan Ayckbourn was a success and we had good audiences, but the Saturday audience was exceptionally warm with their response.  We managed to start to take down the set on the Saturday evening and with all the people that turned up on the Sunday, we were completely finished by 11.00, an almost record time.  Many thanks to all of you who were involved in any way and especially those who helped with the “get-out”.  We were also happy to welcome some new faces with our front of house and backstage crew as well as one of the cast, we hope to see you all again for the next production (details below)

For the summer, the committee has been thinking of not proposing a barbeque this year, but to try a “get together” for a Sunday lunch at The Blue Anchor, Dorking Road, Tadworth, KT20 5SL on Sunday 26th June.  If you would like to join in for this and get to know people in the Gage, please contact me as soon as possible (jon@cctvwithtlc.co.uk ) so that we can gauge numbers for a group booking.

We shall also be staging a rehearsed reading with supper in September at The Riddell Hall  – the arrangement is not to have a ticket price, but just charge the cost of food (and bring your own drinks).  Please let me know if you would like to come along to think – either as a possible actor (no learning of lines for this!) or as a member of our audience.

The play chosen for the autumn (24th, 25th and 26th November) is Over My Dead Body by Derek Benfield, and it will be directed by Debbie Nichols with auditions in July – more details in the next newsletter and on our web site.

Don’t forget that we now have an agreement with the Manager of the Blue Ball, for anyone who books a meal on a show night who is coming to see the show can get a 15% discount on food, that night

In the meantime, we look forward to seeing you at the Dukes Head for the Quiz Night.

The Gage Players’ Newsletter February 2016

We are just into February, so still early enough to wish all our members and friends a very Happy New Year !   At the start of a new season, we also think back on recent productions and look forward to this year’s productions and activities.

Our Autumn production of The Teahouse of the August Moon took place the last weekend in November. This  was an affectionate glimpse of post war occupation by US troops in Japan.  There was much amusing yet insightful humour, contrasting US Western behaviour with the gentle, yet often humourous observations from the Eastern perspective.  Gill Lucas is to be much congratulated for achieving her vision.   Our audiences marvelled at the amazing construction of our teahouse and the ability of our cast to learn Japanese! We were so pleased to welcome some new performers to this production, especially young people… our future!  Actors often say “ Never work with children or animals”… The Gage proved them wrong on both counts…and this must be a first: some passers by when the set was being worked on, poking their noses in and asking, “ Is this the play with the dog in it?”  It certainly was and Archie  ( or should that be “Aaa-chee” in true Japanese style?) was the undoubted star. Our wonderful crew working hard on an ingenious set construction, props, lighting and sound are particularly to be congratulated for the beautiful visuals created onstage.

As our calendars are usually so crowded in the run up to Christmas, instead of the traditional “ pre-Christmas meal”, it was decided to book a “ Twelfth Night Dinner” on 6th January 2016, held, once again,  at the Grumpy Mole, Dorking Road, Tadworth.

The food quality was excellent, as always,  but, unfortunately, due to a very large business party, who had commandeered the whole extension area we have used on the past, our party was divided between different tables and not quite as convivial as usual, although, perhaps, easier to talk on smaller tables than down the length of a big one!. It was decided to try the Blue Ball in Walton on the Hill next time and, possibly to hold a Summer social evening too.

Our next appearance in the Dukes Head pub quiz ( Dorking Road, Tadworth) is to be on February 17th. We’re always happy to see new faces, so come along about 19.45 ( or before), enjoy a drink/ snack/ meal and a catch up and put your quizzing brain to use with us!  It costs just £1 to take part and, who knows, we might win some more funds for use in the Gage?!

 Auditions were held on January 10th & 13th for the Spring production of Alan Ayckbourn’s, Bedroom Farce directed by Sharon Laws. Performance dates : 28th, 29th & 30th April.

This production is now fully cast and rehearsals have begun; cast as follows:

Ernest                                                             Paul Brown

Delia                                                               Gillian Lucas

Malcolm                                                        Glen Nixon

Kate                                                                Elayne Teague

Nick                                                                Jon Laws

Jan                                                                 Eileen Debski

Trevor                                                           Lars Sawyer

Susannah                                                     Debbie Nichols

 

Sharon Laws’ view of the play:

“Four into three won’t go; except, in Ayckbourn’s 1977 play, it miraculously does. A pair of roving neurotics hawk their problems around the bedrooms of three other couples; and what emerges  is Ayckbourn’s hilariously bleak view of middle-class marriage. “Alone together, so much shared” as Beckett once wrote.”

There have been potential casting difficulties for the proposed production of “ Allo Allo” in the Autumn. So, we are looking at some brand new scripts for a possible debut performance, which will be very exciting! If you have read or heard of any new plays, with not too large a cast, which you think might be suitable, please contact us!

A review of Gage archives is being conducted, with a view to a possible exhibition. If you have any photos, film, press cuttings etc of past productions or activities, or know anyone who does, please contact Rod Lucas on 01737 812703.

The AGM will be hald at Christchurch Hall, Walton on the Hill ( next to Walton Primary school in the village) on Wednesday, March 16th8pm. Do come along and join in discussions on future activities etc. Subscriptions ( £15 adults/ £8 under 18s & full time students) are due on or before that date – contact Rod Lucas ( heather.view@virginmedia.com or 01737 812703).

Don’t forget you can find us on Facebook and Twitter… please “ like”/ “follow” us there, so that your family and friends can do the same and share your posts and pass on your enthusiasm for your local drama group… and also expand our audiences and our presence in social media.

We hope to see many of you enjoying Bedroom Farce at the end of April- a reminder to book tickets by contacting the box office by calling 01737 812703  or sending an e-mail request to: friends@thegageplayers.co.uk  We have been delighted to welcome some new members during the year, some performing, some backstage and front of house. Looking forward to seeing many of you at the quiz night at the Dukes Head on 17th February… it’s a lot of fun!

Franki Gray

Chair, the Gage Players

The Gage Players’ Newsletter October 2015

As the leaves turn colour, we think back on recent productions and look forward to our late Autumn production and seasonal festivities.

Chris Slater’s production of a rehearsed reading of Knightsbridge and supper on Sept 19th was very well received by an enthusiastic invited audience of members and their families. A simple set was lifted by excellent performances from all the cast. This production was a wonderful example of how the whole group comes together and pulls out all the stops to put on a production. Members suggested, then lent various pieces of furniture, props and costume to help create just the right atmosphere … enhanced by the simple, yet inspirational curtain tie backs added by Gill Lucas… demonstrating, yet again, what years of experience and a creative eye can add to a production.  It is not always easy to keep up the pace when still “on the book”, but our cast took up the challenge with relish and great success. Congratulations to Chris and to all the cast members on a most enjoyable and polished evening! We hope very much to continue the tradition of offering a social evening to our members in this format.

Our Autumn production of The Teahouse of the August Moon takes place the last weekend in November. Please come along, invite your friends and family to see this  affectionate glimpse of post war occupation by US troops in Japan; witness some amusing yet insightful cultural misunderstandings and marvel at the amazing construction of our teahouse and the ability of our cast to learn Japanese! We are so pleased to welcome some new performers to this production, especially a number of young people… our future! Actors often say “ Never work with children or animals”… to prove them wrong… come along on 26th, 27th or 28th November!  Tickets:

01737 812703  or send an e-mail request to friends@thegageplayers.co.uk

If you feel you might like to make a personal contribution to this production and happen to have any large bonsai or palm tree-like plants or any Japanese type figures/ statues of approx. .75cm – 1m high, please do get in touch with Gill Lucas: 01737 812703.  For any members of the cast reading this… if you have not already sent in your biographies for the programme, please get them to Gill Gibbins straight away, if you want to be credited in the programme: gillgibbins@btinternet.com

As our calendars are usually so crowded in the run up to Christmas, instead of the traditional “ pre-Christmas meal”, we shall be offering a “ Twelfth Night Dinner” on 6th January 2016, probably held, once again,  at the Grumpy Mole, Dorking Road, Tadworth.  We will be in touch to confirm details.

Our next appearance in the Dukes Head pub quiz is likely to be in February 2016… dates tbc… come and put your quizzing brain to use with us!

Auditions will be held in January for the Spring production of Alan Ayckbourn’s, Bedroom Farce directed by Sharon Laws. Performance dates : 21st, 22nd & 23rd April. Audition dates will be confirmed in the next newsletter, before Christmas.

Don’t forget you can find us on Facebook and Twitter… please “ like”/ “follow” us there!

We hope to see as many of you as possible visiting The Teahouse of the August Moon at the end of November- another reminder to book tickets by contacting the box office by calling 01737 812703  or sending an e-mail request to: friends@thegageplayers.co.uk     … Mata chikaiuchini o ai shimashou!

 

 

 

 

Franki Gray

 

Chair, the Gage Players

Bedroom Farce

Congratulations to all those involved in the production of Bedroom Farce.

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Four into three won’t go; except, in Ayckbourn’s 1977 play, it miraculously does. A pair of roving neurotics hawk their problems around the bedrooms of three other couples; and what emerges  is Ayckbourn’s hilariously bleak view of middle-class marriage. “Alone together, so much shared” as Beckett once wrote.