Issue Ten Autumn/Winter 2011

Friends of the Belgrade Theatre benefit from receiving 20% off individual tickets.See back page for season diary.Book Now 024 7655 3055 or via www.belgrade.co.uk

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As the nights draw in and we officially wave goodbye to summer, its time to start thinking of all things Christmas - again!

As ever, we’ve got two great festive treats for you to enjoy. This year’s traditional pantomime see’s Dame extraordinaire Andy Hockley take to the Main Stage once again as Mother Goose, and for the adults we have a brand new B2 Xmas Show in the shape of Crackers, written by Forbes Masson.

The tale of Mother Goose will be told in the very best Belgrade panto tradition

with beautifully designed stage sets, incredible costumes, eggs-cruciating jokes and japes by the dozen and a helping hand from the audience

Created especially for grown-ups, Crackers is a brand new, crazy Christmas comedy packed to the gunnels with live music and laughter. It only lasts around an hour so it’s perfect for office parties or anyone who wants to enjoy a Christmas night out away from the kids.

keep on reading to find out more about Christmas at the Belgrade and how you can take advantage of some Friends only offers.

Exclusive Friends of the Belgrade Theatre Events

Welcome to the Christmas Edition of your Friends Newsletter

Give the gift of Friendship

Friends of the Belgrade can now also take advantage of a special Friends only offer at the Signatures Restaurant. If you

visit the restaurant (and buy a full priced meal) four times you can get your fifth meal free.a t t h e B e l g r a d e

C a f é B a r & R e s t a u r a n t

As part of your Friends of the Belgrade Membership, you are entitled to 20% off the following shows. * Discount is valid on 1 ticket if you have a Single Membership and 2 tickets if you have a Joint Membership.

Exclusive Friends of the Belgrade Theatre Events

Signatures at the Belgrade

For more information, call Signatures Dining on 024 7684 6762.

Shows Dates Overview

Verdict Mon 3 – Sat 8 oct

Following the huge success of And Then There Were None, Spider’s Web and Witness for the Prosecution, the Agatha Christie Theatre Company is proud to present Verdict, the most riveting and compelling dram by the undisputed “Queen of Crime”.

Talon – The Best of Eagles Tues 11 octTalon revisit that magical night in 2004 Melbourne, Australia, when the Eagles filmed the opening night of their epic farewell I Tour.

80’s Mania Fri 14 octStep back in time and join Europe’s premier 1980s experience with over 35 chart toping smash hits. Dig out your 80s fashions and prepare to party.

The Vagina Monologues Sat 15 octThis witty and moving collection of stories is an unmissable show for every generation – and the ultimate girls night out!

Psychic & Science weds 19 octJoin Gary Brown, TV’s Most Haunted paranormal historian Richard Felix and medium Chris Conway for live experiments. Psychic & Science attempts to lift the lid on the unknown and establish a link between life and death.

Numberjacks Tues 18 – Sat 22 octThe hugely entertaining children’s TV favourite, Numberjacks, comes live to the stage for the very first time. Join the TV superheroes as they leave the sofa and embark on their first live adventure and help them solve problems as they go!

Rhinestone Mondays Mon 31 oct – Sat 5 NovGrab your Stetson and pull on your cowboy boots as this brand new feel good Country Music comedy hits Coventry.

Rockin’ on Heaven’s Door weds 9 NovRockin’ on Heaven’s Door sends shivers down the spine with spookily convincing portrayals of musical giants Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran and Jerry Lee Lewis.

Journey’s End Mon 24 – Sat 29 octDirect from the Duke of York’s Theatre, London, David Grindley’s international multi-award winning production of R.C. Sherriff ’s masterpiece, Journey’s End, is a must-see of British theatre.

Dreamboats & Petticoats Mon 14 – Sat 19 NovDreamboats & Petticoats has received national and critical acclaim since its debut in 2009 and continues to play to sell out audiences all over the country.

Crackers Mon 12 – Fri 23 DecThis year’s B2 Xmas Show is Crackers – a brand new crazy Christmas comedy packed to the gunnels with live music and laughter. Festive fun for grown ups.

NoraSat 28 Jan – Sat 18 Feb 2012

Nora is the celebrated director and writer Ingmar Bergman’s acclaimed adaptation of Isben’s A Doll’s House, one of the best loved drams in literature.

Check our What’s On Guide or visit www.belgrade.co.uk for more details.

Stuck for a gift for a loved one this Christmas?For as little as £20 you could give the gift of friendship with a Friends of the Belgrade Theatre membership and allow them to experience even more at the Belgrade Theatre.

Membership

024 7655 3055 www.belgrade.co.uk

Membership

024 7655 3055 www.belgrade.co.uk

£20Gifts from only

£20

To purchase a membership contact our Box Office team on 024 7655 3055

Keep your eyes peeled for some information in the post regarding this year’s festive Friends Events.

An interview with Forbes Masson, the writer of Crackers 1. What can audiences expect

from this year’s B2 Xmas Show, Crackers?

Crackers is a hysterically funny black comedy musical set in a Christmas discount shop in Coventry. It’s a sort of panto for grown ups with lots of stick in your head melodies, witty and naughty lyrics and a storyline that’s completely crazy.

2. Tell us a bit more about the main characters, Leonard and his evil boss, Archibald Myrrh…

Leonard Frick is a poor, lonely, single young man, paying off his student debt by working as a checkout guy in Myrrh’s Merry Mini Mart, a local discount store which focuses on novelty seasonal goods. He is completely miserable and unfulfilled

until, on Christmas Eve, something incredibly unbelievable happens, which could help him escape from his mundane job, fall in love, and earn riches beyond his wildest dreams.

Archibald Myrrh is an evil entrepreneur and owner of Myrrh’s Merry Mini Mart. He is wicked, will do anything to keep Leonard as his lowest paid employee and is extremely overprotective of his strangely attractive, daughter, Myriam.

3. What aspects of Crackers do you think will appeal most to audiences?

They will have a great night out. It’s only an hour and a bit and it’s packed with original, fantastic and funny songs and a hilariously rude and irreverent script with extraordinary characters.

4. Sum up Crackers in five words

original, hysterical, musical, seasonal, theatrical.

Andy Hilton, Belgrade Production Services (BPS) Head of Workshop

What is your role at the Belgrade Theatre?

I’m Head of workshop for Belgrade Production Services. In the workshop, which is based in Red Lane in Coventry, we build all the scenery for our Belgrade Theatre productions as well as building sets for other theatres. we just built the entire set for the production of Lord of the Flies that was recently staged at Regent’s Park open Air Theatre, which included a full scale fuselage of a crashed plane. At the moment, we’re working on building the set for this year’s Belgrade panto, Mother Goose. As Head of workshop, I oversee all the building that goes on and ensure that we complete everything on time and on budget.

How long have you worked here?

I started work here four and a half years ago.

How did you get into your job?

After leaving school at 16, I did an internship as a scenery “chippy” – apprentice carpenter – in London, then steadily worked my way up from there. My parents also worked in the theatre industry – my dad was a scenic carpenter and my mum worked front of house – so I’ve always been surrounded by that environment. As well as theatres, I’ve built sets for the BBC and various other TV studios. I‘ve been moving scenery since I was four! Needless to say, nothing surprises me any more.

What are the most exciting and challenging parts of your job?

what excites me most is pulling together all the scenery for a show and seeing if it will work on stage. on a day to day basis, I enjoy the laughs that we have in our team while working. The most challenging aspect of my role is when we build particularly complicated sets; for example, those that require flying scenery, as they obviously involve more work and planning.

Have you ever experienced any real disasters?

we once set a real hotel on fire when we were building the set for London’s Burning. Although we managed to catch it in time and put it out before it spread, it came very close to being a total disaster, particularly as it was a listed building. It was an accident caused by an over-zealous special effects team. In the Belgrade, we haven’t had any major disasters as everything is risk assessed beforehand.

What are your favourite shows that you have seen at the Belgrade Theatre?

I always enjoy our pantomimes, as they’re traditional, high quality shows that my whole family enjoys, especially my daughter. My favourite was Aladdin – not only is it a classic panto story but Iain Lauchlan (who writes the pantos) also played the Dame in it, and he was the best I’d seen in 30 years, which is saying something! I personally prefer slapstick comedy to serious drama, so pantomime is right up my street.

What shows are you most looking forward to seeing in the new season?

I’m keen to see Nora when it opens at the Belgrade in January 2012. Although I haven’t seen the design for it yet, it is a nineteenth century period piece set in a grand house in the late 1800s. I’m really looking forward to starting work on the set for that. I imagine it will involve ornate drawing rooms, with lots of moulding and intricate details. I’m a big fan of Downton Abbey, so I’m hoping it will be similar to that kind of set – but on a smaller scale!

Can you tell us something we might not expect about your job?

we have a fantastic team of chippies and painters here at BPS. People may not realise just how much of a group effort it is to create scenery from scratch and see it all the way through from the workshop to the stage, but without the talented team of people we have here it would be impossible. Many of the people I work with are young local lads who were so enthusiastic about our work and eager to learn that they pestered me for a job and, like me when I first started out, worked their way up. They are the kind of passionate people you need in your team.

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Meet the Team

Christmas Parties at the Belgrade Theatre

Did you know that on the first night of a week long tour the theatre’s management team host a drinks reception for the cast and crew of the show in the Cafébar?

why not stay for a drink after the show and see if you can spot a star.

Rhinestone Monday’s – Mon 31 oct

Dreamboats and Petticoats – Mon 14 Nov

All the Fun of the Fair – Mon 20 Feb

Spot a st r in the Cafébar This year, bring your friends or family to the Belgrade Theatre for their Christmas party.

Set in the stylish surroundings of the theatre’s restaurant, Signatures Dining

will be serving up a traditional three course festive feast for you to enjoy.

Tables are available from Monday 28 November to Friday 23 December (other dates may be available on request)

and can be booked for lunchtime or evening sittings at a cost of £25 per person.

For more information, call Signatures Dining on 024 7684 6762.

Behind the Scenes of the Belgrade panto, Mother Goose

The annual panto is usually the Belgrade’s biggest and most extravagant show of the year and this year’s Mother Goose is no exception. This year we welcome a new designer, Mark Walton, to the team and in true Belgrade panto style his designs for both the set and the costumes are big, bold and bright, oh and not forgetting, glittery!

Here’s a sneak peek at the Mother Goose model box (a scale model used to show how the set will look in three dimensions) and some of the costume sketches, all of which are currently being brought to life by our talented team at the Belgrade Production Services Workshop in Red Lane, Coventry.

Mother Goose is set in the village of Middle widdle-on-the-Tiddle and this is what it looks like.

Here’s a scale model of one of the bridges from the village.

we don’t want to give too much away by showing you the whole walk down scene, but here is a peek at one of the back drops, which will be very shiny and full of glitter!

Here’s a scale model of the fireplace which will be in Mother Goose’s home.

And here’s a few of the eggs-travagant costumes Mother Goose will be wearing.

This is an early sketch of the villainous Demon king’s costume.

Mother Goose’s son Jack will be sporting this get up.

This will be worn by the Good Fairy