Stainbeck Players
Stainbeck Players have been a part of Stainbeck Church since 1954.The Drama Group has changed over the years from the membership comprising church members to the present day membership which now includes non-church members.
Although we are a small group we perform two plays a year, usually in May and October. We also present a pantomime each February at the School half-term holiday. As well as the players themselves the pantomime includes lots of local children. The children have fun rehearsing and enjoy the performances too.
Rehearsal nights for our productions are on a Monday.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
NEW MEMBERS WELCOME
Please contact Peter Craske on 0113 268 9068
or
Sandra Smith on 0113 268 7582
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
PANTOMIME - FEBRUARY 18th - 21st 2009
'Red Riding Hood' by Graham Barraclough
Produced by Peter L Craske
A review by Cathy Harrison
If you went down to Stainbeck Church during the school half-term you were in for …..a fantastic show! After a rousing overture from the musical supremos, Margaret Wade and Bob Watt, the house lights went out and the curtain rose, heralding the start of a thoroughly enjoyable, entertaining and very funny pantomime by the Stainbeck Players.
The story
Dick Turnip (with his side-kick Lancelot Latch) is looking for his ill-gotten gains which are (inconveniently for him) buried underneath Rose Cottage, the home of Granny Hood and the heroine Holly Hood. In attempting to retrieve his treasure, he tries to scare off the villagers by making Latch dress up as a werewolf (the villagers believe the local legend that the nearby forest is inhabited by a werewolf). The real werewolf (Wolfie) arrives on the scene and matters take a chaotic turn. As is customary in panto land, the Principal Boy (Rowan, a lumberjack) and the Principal Girl fall in love and live happily ever after. There is much enthusiastic singing and dancing throughout the proceedings and everyone has a jolly good time.
The players
The incomparable comedy duo, Ian Parker and Steve Grant, played Granny Hood and Barney Branch in their own anarchic fashion. As ever, Ian and Steve made full use of the concept ‘audience participation’. The audience responded with obvious pleasure and enthusiasm, in a rousing rendition of Mamma Mia. It was all good, clean fun in spite of Granny asking the audience to guess the colour of her bloomers! (They were pink on Thursday night).
Zoë Smith made a welcome return to the Stainbeck Players as Rowan (a lumberjack). Equally talented, as Rowan’s ‘best girlie by his side’, was Eileen Burke, who played Holly Hood. Zoë and Eileen were a charming principal boy and girl couple and sang beautifully together. Ann Coates and Cynthia Harrison played a pair of bumbling (and very funny) comic policewomen, or rather ‘Bobby Girls’. They brandished their truncheons enthusiastically and were a big hit with the younger audience members to whom they issued ‘tickets’ for not laughing loudly enough!
The marvellous Mike Burkoff played the villain Dick Turnip (with his ‘country bumpkin’ accent – I was waiting for him to start singing ‘I’ve got a brand new combine harvester’, but was sadly disappointed. William Grant played Latch very well, with superb comic timing. Colin Smith scared the wits out of everyone as Wolfie, the werewolf then showed his theatrical versatility by turning into Sherlock Holmes. Sandra Smith shone in her role as the enchanting ‘Fairy Dust’ and ‘hovered around’ to great effect throughout the show before revealing herself as Dr. Watsup.
Doreen Moore played an entertaining cameo role as Phoebe Fitzwhistle, a ‘member of the audience’, but sadly received no prize. The lead players were, as always, given magnificent musical support by the chorus members. Especially effective was the ‘Band on the Run’ who paraded around the auditorium in great style. They certainly ‘hit the right notes’ (well you must allow me one dreadful pun) with the audience. The children’s chorus performed with confidence and enthusiasm and clearly enjoyed acting out the Red Riding Hood story. The lines ‘gobble gobble burp’ (Granny being eaten by the Big Bad Wolf) were performed with great relish!
The production team
Peter L. Craske excelled in his role as Producer/Lord of Misrule. Joan Craske painted the superb scenery and was also a chorus member. She joined forces with Helen Inglis to create the fabulous costumes. John Mawson, Peter Moore and Jack Lord did a sterling job building the stage set and handling props. Adam Henshaw provided excellent sound and lighting effects and Tobias Sheard and Harvey Young raised a few chuckles acting as stage hands when they came on stage to move the piles of logs around.
Front of house
John Harrison and Howard Josephson gave a warm welcome to the audience each night on the door. Refreshments were provided by Cliff Hutchinson, Judith Seaword and Sarah Riley who served tea and biscuits and sweets each night, and the raffles were run very well by Glen Malcolm and John Coates – they deserve high praise (this isn’t just because I won a prize – honestly!)
And finally
It took more than ‘a little luck’ to make ‘Red Riding Hood’ such a successful performance. It took hard work, talent, energy and boundless enthusiasm from the cast and crew. These qualities were very evident in this year’s performance and I am sure there will be many more equally brilliant shows from the Stainbeck Players in the years to come. Thank you very much to all concerned for a great evening out.
Cathy Harrison
….and a word more………………….Probably Cameron Mackintosh is the name that first springs to mind on hearing the word ‘impresario’. The man who puts on all those great musicals in the West End which then tour the country and even the world but I don’t think the scope of his work quite matches that of Stainbeck’s own impresario! I think it is time to reveal to our audiences all the many roles covered by that one phrase “Produced by Peter L Craske” on the programme for Red Riding Hood .
So here we go – Peter produces and directs, he writes additional material, he stage manages “Where is Rowan’s axe??” He pulls the curtains, sets the scenes, he is the call boy “Overture and beginners please”, he paints, he makes props, this year I even saw him using an electric drill. He is chorus master. He is ‘voice’ off stage. He is front of house manager – squeezing in ever more chairs “Sandra, how many tickets have we sold?” And all these roles he fulfils with patience and good humour although, perhaps underneath, he is paddling feverishly like the swan that glides over the lake. Those of us on the shiny side of the footlights have much easier roles to play and from the youngest fluttering butterfly to the oldest silly police woman we all say “Thank you!” again…….. “oh yes we do!”
Ann Coates
And finally………When Dorothy Jackson was getting ready to go into hospital for a new knee she searched high and low to find a particular, favourite, light weight dressing gown - without success. At the Saturday performance of Little Red Riding Hood….she saw it at last! We can only conclude that Bob must have brought it down for one of his many memorable ‘Dames’ and it never got taken home again. A thought for partners of Stainbeck thespians – if any of your clothes have mysteriously gone missing ask Helen if you can inspect the loft!