Kia ora Court Supporters,
Happy New year to you all, I hope you are getting to enjoy summer and get a tan (on the odd days the sun is actually out, what a weird season).
I hope most of you got along to Jersey Boys over its ten week season. We are really proud of this show and the work everyone put in to create it. We have more audience emails raving about how good it was, than ACT got votes at the last election. We had over 22,000 audience members by closing night!
Roger Hall’s Winding Up is now open, with Mark Hadlow losing his hearing aids, drinking all the Sav, and repeating himself every day. And that is just his warm-up before showtime! Tickets are flying out the door for this show and we are excited to have a new Roger Hall play on again.
As we move into 2021, my time is now focused on what Canterbury would like from its theatre company in 2022. So scripts are being researched and read, directors talked to and late nights at the computer watching online plays. (Oh my gosh, has anyone watched Bridgerton yet on Netflix!? It is very good, a bit raunchy, but hey they are allowed to be sexy in the 1780s.) I was sad to discover Bridgerton was just a TV show and not a play… but I still think it was good research! Period drama research! Now back to the plays…
Our Education Programmes are rather busy and had three full summer intensives in January with different age groups from 6 - 18. Our Youth Company has just begun with 20 new young people joining us to upskill across the year as well as a new programme - The Jester Youth Company. This course will take twenty-one 16 - 21 year-olds from our High School Theatresports programme and see them trained by the Court Jesters in all styles of Improvisation. You won’t be able to see their two shows, I am afraid, as they are “No Adults Allowed” and will be performed for 14 - 21 year-old audience members. Don’t worry, it isn’t personal. You can still come to Scared Scriptless!
Right, that is all from me. I am going to get back to sorting through my chickens as I have 40 young pullets that didn’t make the cut for the breeding pen and will shortly be going on TradeMe as laying hens. (That’s right, I am an artist and a farmer/weirdo.)
Ngā mihi nui,
Pengelly