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Hi all, Helen here.

Since our lastnewsletter there hasbeen a change in theStagers’ Committee. Iwish to extend mythanks to Laura for allher hard work over the

last 3 years as Chairman, I think you will allagree she did a fantastic job and her localknowledge and contacts were invaluable. Thankyou for everything you have done for the society.The AGM in September saw a record number ofnominations for the 2019-2020 Committee. Thismeant an election took place and a newCommittee was elected. A strong welcome to ournew Committee members: Barry, Ruth, Grahamand Hazel, along with existing members, Joe,Jennifer, Stephen, Peter, Heather and Caroline.

In August we held our annual BBQ, kindlyhosted by Stephen Penny at his late parents’home, a wonderful location, that brought backmany fond memories for members young and oldof time spent with Barry and Betty at theirwonderful home. Thank you Stephen for sharingtheir home with us one last time. It was a lovelyafternoon spent with friends with plenty of foodand drink. Thank you to the Committee forproviding super salads and delicious desserts.

Rehearsals for ‘A Tomb With A View’ arecoming along nicely and tickets are now on sale,don’t forget to buy them, (click here) I promisean entertaining evening awaits you. The casthave been working hard and I know thebackstage team are working tirelessly to ensurethe visual effects match the talents of our actors.As I write Hazel is working on one of the propsfor the show and let’s just say, it creeps me out alittle, that’s how good it is!

September saw the ‘One Act Plays’ reading andauditions. It was lovely to see so many membersin attendance and I am thrilled we were able tocast everyone who auditioned in the four plays,including a new member. Richard Ashton, whowas in ‘Made in Dagenham’ and Joe White, lastseen in ‘Dirty Rotten Scoundrels’ are makingtheir directing debuts, alongside seasoneddirectors Shirley Jelliss and Brezetta Thonger.Heather and Alex will be providing theirsuperbly themed food once again, which has beengreatly received for the last two years…thoughwith a play entitled ‘Anger Management forDogs’ who knows what will be served up!

That’s enough from me for now (I will be‘Honking’ at you again very soon!) and I hope tosee you all November 25th.

NewsletterIssue 127 November 2019

This will be the last Newsletter in this form.From December we are planning to issuea monthly update (Stagers’ Spotlight)instead of the current three times a year sothat news will be more inclusive and up todate.

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It is a large Gothic monstrosity of ahouse, lived in by the eccentricTomb family, unseen by the outsideworld. Very few venture toMonument House and of those whodo very few come out to relate theirexperiences of this bizarre family.

The recent death of the family’s very wealthypatriarch, Septimus Tomb, has triggered alarm andstrange behaviours of the surviving siblings. Who isgoing to get what of the family’s millions? WillLucien inherit sufficient to continue his sinisterlaboratory experiments and what of Dotty Dora andher home wine making using dubious ingredients?Is Marcus as mad as he seems and will Monicareceive adequate money to support her lavishlifestyle aspirations? How will loud-mouthed Emilyreact if the monies she receives fall short of herexpectations? Is Nurse Franklin as sweet and

innocent as she seems and is the acerbichousekeeper, Agatha, as faithful a servant as shewould have everyone believe? Has family solicitor,Hamilton Penworthy managed the family’s financeshonestly over the years or does he have designs onthe fortune? Finally, are the two strangers boldlyentering Monument House, Ermyntrude Ash andPeregrine Potter, quite as they appear and what istheir interest in the Tomb fortune?

Will the answers become apparent as this comedythriller unfolds on stage? Is the plot a tontine – lastperson standing takes all? In true Agatha Christie-esque fashion all will be revealed. I dare you to missit and be left wondering – forever!

Order your tickets from our on-line box-office,(click here) or ring 01428 605464.

Over the summer period a lot of work has been goingon in the newly acquired shed in the ex-LittleSunflowers garden and the wardrobe.

• The ‘new’ shed has been insulated and linedreadying it for transferring all our properties from theold store cupboard.

Thanks to Joe and his team for rationalising the propsand photographing them all for future reference.

• Work then moved on to improving the wardrobe.The old props store was integrated with the originalwardrobe and all the external walls and floor wereinsulated and lined.

All this work is now completed and special thanksand gratitude are extended to John Dowsett and SteveMusco for doing all the work in both the shed andwardrobe. They slaved away for two or three daysnearly every week for several months and I know thatour wardrobe custodian Pauleen Dowsett and hertrustee team of Mary Coyte, Susie Gow and PaulineHarries are extremely grateful and have also spentmany hours getting all the costumes out, sorting themand then returning them to their new home.

• Any of you who have been on the stage extensionin the last couple of years will have realised that it iscoming to the end of its useful life. It's lasted us wellas it was acquired 2nd hand from The Nuffield

Theatre nearly 30 years ago and adapted to fit thestage at Grayshott Village Hall as best as possible.Stephen has designed a new stage extension whichwill be more adaptable so that it can be configured indifferent ways. The cost of this will be just under£2,000. A contractor has been appointed and it willbe available for use during Honk!

We're also wanting to replace some of our currentspotlights which are over 30 years old and nowobsolete. The new spotlights will be the LEDequivalents of the old spotlights which are moreflexible in the way in which they can be used. Thiswill enable us to fully utilise the new control desk weinvested in a few years ago, and will also deliverpower savings of nearly 80%. The cost for just 6 x250w and 12 x 100w spotlights is over £6,500. As theprevious Committee didn't want to deplete Stagers'reserves it applied for some grants, and contributionsand was successful in all applications. We have eitheralready had or will get, on proof of purchase, £1,500from Cllr Floss Mitchell's county councillor's Grantbudget, £1,000 from Cllr Ferris Cowper's districtcouncillor's Community Grants budget and £4,000from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) fundsheld by the parish council. CIL are monies paid bya developer for new builds, which is for use withinthe community for infrastructure and capital projects.

Once again very many thanks to all who wereinvolved.

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Click here to view the trailerClick here for more photos

Photography by Peter Sillick taken atKing Henry VII Apartments, Midhurst, courtesy Brezetta Thonger

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Here are details of our February 2020 One ActPlays:

‘WE INTERRUPT THE REVOLUTION’By Damien TraslerDirector : Joe White

PRESIDENT - Martin SimsVOLODNY - Brezetta ThongerMAYLEE - Graham FerrisA Comedy - With the new president of Sovaznipreparing for the inaugural address they discoverthat the revolution will have to be paid for … viaproduct placement sponsorship.

‘ANGER MANAGEMENT FOR DOGS’By Robert HaighsDirector - Shirley Jelliss

FIDO - Joe WhiteREX - Richard Ashton.A Comedy - Young dogs, Rex and Fido, meet upfor a couple of bowls and to compare notes aboutthe various anger management issues they sufferfrom - including the rage-inducing properties ofcats and a snooty Labrador called Julian.

‘THE WRONG LADDER’By Jim PinnockDirector : Richard Ashton

ARHUR - Bernard WhelanJANICE - Hazel HawkswellJERRY - Rob ThrowerDEBBIE - Jo WellerFATHER PETERS - John Hilder

.“MR CHENG” - Eric Collins

REPOSSESION MAN/COURIER - Graham FerrisA Comedy - Longhurst Ladders are struggling, andArthur needs to land a big contract to save hiscompany. He's not helped by his secretary, hisgrasping ex-wife, layabout son and spendthriftdaughter.

‘THE GUINEA PIGS’By R F DelderfieldDirector Brezetta Thonger

MRS CUTWATER - Kathy Le FanuMRS TODD - Jennifer ChartersMRS PRITCHETT - Valerie ShearsMRS GAINES - Ingrid CollinsMRS WILLOUGHBY-FOSSE - Susie GowMAID/MISS DRAKE - Pauleen DowsettA Comedy - Four ladies visit the country home ofMrs Willoughby-Fosse as a deputation from theBishop's Barton WI to ask a favour of her. In returnthey are required to enjoy her hospitality.

Performances will be 14th and 15th February 2020at 7.30pm with the usual themed supper.

If you're not in the cast of any of the one act playsbut could be involved on one, or both, of theevenings please think about whether you can helpwith ushering/waitressing/running the raffle. Wealways need help for any production from peoplewho are not onstage but these two evenings areparticularly busy for those FOH so do please emailLaura Musco - lauramusco55@gmail.comTickets at £15 will be available from our on-linebox office from 1st January 2020.

This event always sells out very quickly so don’t delay in getting your tickets.

At The Grayshott Stagers A.G.M. your new 2019/20Committee was elected:

Chairman - Helen Coyte; Vice Chairman - Joe White;Treasurer - Stephen Penny; Secretary - Jennifer Charters.Committee Members: Peter Budd, Graham Ferris, HazelHawkswell, Heather Legat, Barry Levy, Caroline Thompsonand Ruth Wilbraham.

The Committee would like to personally thank Laura Musco(outgoing Chairman), Martin Sims (outgoing ViceChairman) and John Hilder for their time on the Committeeand are delighted that all three remain very actively involved

with Stagers.

The people to contact for the various areas of work include:Plays - Caroline Thompson; Musicals - Hazel Hawkswell;Publicity - Peter Budd; Social liaison - Martin Sims.Wardrobe - Mary Coyte and Pauleen Dowsett; Hall bookingsand keeper of archives - Peter Budd; Shed - Stephen Penny.

As ever, please let one of the Committee (click here) knowif you would be interested to lend a hand in any of theseareas.

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HONK! HONK! It’s me, Helen,again, this time as a Directorrather than as Chairman! WithChris Snelling as MusicalDirector, Kim Seymour andDebra Allen as Choreographersand Hazel Hawkswell as ArtisticDirector.

On Wednesday 25thNovember in the Studio I will be giving you the fulllow down on our May 2020 musical ‘HONK!’ at theofficial presentation evening. But until then here is abrief overview:

Based on Hans Christian Andersen's beloved story, ‘TheUgly Duckling’, ‘HONK!’ tells the story of an odd-looking baby duck, Ugly, and his quest to find hismother. Soon after Ugly is born, he is seduced away bya wily Cat who wants to eat Ugly for dinner. Eventually,Ugly manages to escape, but has no idea how to returnhome. He embarks on an adventure in which heencounters a beautiful swan, Penny, tangled in a fishing

line. After saving her, the two birds fall in love. Penny,however, must return to her flock and fly south for thewinter. Determined to find his family, Ugly journeys on,only to become frozen in the snow. Eventually, Ugly'smother finds him and her warm tears manage to thawhim out. He revives, and is surprised to discover he isnow a handsome swan! Soon, Ugly is reunited withPenny and the two swans decide to live the rest of theirdays in the same pond as Ugly's loyal mother. Check outthe very catchy songs on Spotify.

The audition rehearsals will be on Wednesday 27thNovember in the Studio and Wednesday 4thDecember in the Common Room both at 7.30pm. Theauditions will be held on Saturday 7th December at2.30pm in the Main Hall. Performances : 21st to 23rdMay 2020 with a matinee on 23rd.

There are 16 main parts, with each one being a fantasticcharacter. Ugly, Ida and the Cat are the 3 lead parts. Theother 13 are smaller parts who appear during Ugly’sjourney.

Ugly: Our story's youthful protagonist. Gawky andodd-looking, he is shunned for his odd appearance.Possesses a heart of gold. Gender: Male.

Cat: Our story's antagonist. Sly and cunning, he isa very hungry cat who preys on his next meal.Gender: Male (Though open to female auditionees)

Drake: Ugly's father who detests his son. Gender:Male

Greylag: A goose and the Admiral of the squadroncharged with Ugly's safe return. He is Dot'shusband. Gender: Male

Turkey: The School Headmaster who is self-basting, self-boasted prime specimen. Deathlyafraid of Thanksgiving. Gender: Male

Bullfrog: A laidback, self-confident frog who isencouraging, light-hearted, and optimistic.Gender: Male

Father Swan: Penny's loving, protective, andcaring father. Gender: Male

Ida: Ugly's loving mother and the only person whois supportive of the outcast child. Gender: Female.

Grace: Most distinguished duck on the lake andthe school governor. Proud, honest, and genuine.Gender: Female Age: 20 to 40

Dot: Greylag's composed, respectful wife. Gender:Female

Lowbutt: Domesticated Chicken. Gender: Female

Maureen: Ida’s best friend who is alsofriends with Henrietta. A little conceited.Gender: Female

Queenie: Very domesticated, humorous,snobby cat who lives the "high life." Gender:Female

Mother Swan: Tender, compassionate,loving, and caring. Mother to Penny.Gender: Female

Henrietta: A friend of Maureen and Ida's,she is somewhat of a busybody. Gender:Female

Penny:A beautiful Swan that is kind,compassionate, and caring. Ugly's unlikelylove interest and friend. Gender: Female

Ensemble: Ducklings; Fish; Froglets;Greylag's Flock; Goose Squadron

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Since our last newsletter in May we have welcomedJoanna Weller as a new member and Kathy Le Fanuhas become a full member of the Society. You willsee both of them on stage over the next few months.Happily Rachel Perkins has been out of hospitalsince the beginning of July and, although stillrecovering, she has made very welcomeappearances at Stagers’ events over the summer.

Sadly we had to report the death of two of ourmembers, Peter Davies and Peter Read. PeterDavies had been a member some years ago andPeter Read had directed for the society and was a

loyal supporter of productions. Our thoughtsremain with their loved ones.

Finally it’s a great pleasure to announce themarriages of John and Shirley Hilder and Ian andGillian Canavan. Gillian Chard and Ian were bothPatron members before they moved to Sussex a fewyears ago. Happily for the Stagers, John andShirley still live locally. Many congratulations toboth couples.

• Following the auditions for ‘HONK!’ on 7thDecember we will be ‘reviewing’ ‘A Tomb With AView’ in the Studio at 7.30pm. Please bring yourown beverage and some nibbles.

• Our festive traditional pre-Christmas get-togetherwill be on Friday 13th December. We are once againinviting all Stagers to join us at the Fox and Pelican

to raise a glass and celebrate the season of goodwill.So set a date in your diary from 7.30pm onwards.We will be in the front bar with an area of reservedseating for when we are too 'tired and emotional' tostand up! So come early or stay late. Last one outleaves a mince pie and glass of sherry by the chimney.

For those of you who were not at the AGM I’m pleasedto report that not only was ‘Made in Dagenham’ anartistic success but was a double record setter, realisinga profit of £870, the largest for a Grayshott springmusical and with record ticket sales of 531.

Full details are available on the website. Click herefor the full Budget Report.

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Keep abreast of the latest news at www.grayshottstagers.co.uk

Date Event[Stagers’ Events in Blue]

Venue Time

2019Thursday to Saturday

21st to 23rd NovemberPerformances of

'A Tomb With A View’Grayshott Village

Hall 7.30pm

Monday25th November

Presentation meeting for'Honk!’

The StudioGrayshott Village

Hall7.30pm

Wednesday27th November

Audition rehearsal for'Honk!’

The StudioGrayshott Village

Hall7.30pm

Wednesday4th December

Audition rehearsal for'Honk!’

The Common RoomGrayshott Village

Hall7.30pm

Saturday7th December

Auditions for'Honk!’

Grayshott VillageHall 2.30pm

Friday13th December Pre-Christmas Drinks The Fox & Pelican 7.30pm

2020Friday to Sunday

10th to 12th JanuaryFriday & Saturday

17th & 18th January

Haslemere Thespians’ production of'Puss in Boots’ Haslemere Hall Haslemere

Thespians website

Tuesday to Saturday21st to 25th January

FAOS Musical Theatre Group’s performances of ‘Sister Act’ Farnham Maltings

FAOS MusicalTheatre Group’s

websiteFriday & Saturday

14th & 15th February One Act Plays Grayshott VillageHall 7.30pm

Wednesday to Saturday26th to 29th February

Charity Production of'The Full Monty’ The Electric Theatre

Wednesday to Saturday11th to 14th March

Savoy Singers’performances of ‘Ruddigore’ Camberley Theatre Savoy website

Tuesday to Saturday24th to 28th March

Haslemere Players’performances of ‘Legally Blonde’ Haslemere Hall Haslemere Players’

website

Thursday to Saturday21st to 23rd May

Performances of'Honk!’

Grayshott VillageHall

7.30pmplus matinee on

Saturdayat 2.30pm

Wednesday to Saturday24th to 27th June

FAOS Musical Theatre Group’s performances of ‘HMS Pinafore’ Farnham Maltings

FAOS MusicalTheatre Group’s

website

Wednesday9th September AGM

The StudioGrayshott Village

Hall7.30pm

As this is my last Newsletter the following two pages are apure personal indulgence & reminiscence.

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As already mentioned this will be the last Newsletter in thisformat and it will also be my last.

This made me wonder about it’s ‘history’ (if I can call it that).

The first Newsletter was written in 1951. Unfortunatelythere is no copy on file anywhere that I can find but I foundan AGM report from that year by the then Chairman KenBaldock. (An extract appears on the next page.) No copiesexist after that until 1957 written by Bill Diamond the thensecretary.

I am sure Newsletters were produced after that but again nofurther records exist until 1975 when Stella Marshall tookup the challenge until 1979.

Audrey Gearing (now Siddle) followed until 1986 afterwhich I wrote them until I resigned from the Committee in2002. Alex Legat (now Yates) then became the editor until2014.

After a hiatus of a year I rejoined the Committee and havesince then produced 14 newsletters until now. This will bemy 15th.

I have enjoyed my time writing the articles and will missdoing so. But, as they say, ‘times they are changing’ and Iwish my successor best wishes and good luck. I lookforward to receiving and reading the January issue.

When I retired as Secretary in 2002 I handed over production of the Newsletter to Alexandra Legat(now Yates) and I then wrote the following the sentiments of which still resonate for me today.

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