Latest news from CADS
July 2020 newsletter
(July 04, 2020)Lockdown stand-up
We may all have been locked down for some months now, but that doesn't mean that CADS members have been idle! Our ever resourceful Claire Hogan - as well as taking some fabulous photographs for Facebook, and attempting to learn how to paint like Monet - recently enrolled in an online course in stand-up comedy. As an end-of-term project, she and seven other students are performing their routines this coming Monday, 6 July, at 8.00 p.m. via Zoom.
You'll need to pre-register for the event if you want to support Claire; go to this link where you'll be asked for some basic details and also which performer you're hoping to see. There'll even be a chance to chat to the performers at the end of the show, should you wish to. I know several members have already signed up, so please join us and support Claire in her stand-up debut!
More play readings
Following the undoubted success of our first two online play readings, we've now got two more organised. Martin Maynard has agreed to host a Zoom reading of Alan Ayckbourn's Season's Greetings on Monday 13 July at 7.30 p.m. and Emma Daintrey will host a reading on Monday 17 August at 7.30 p.m. of one of the hilarious "Farndale Avenue" plays (exact choice to be announced).
In both cases, if you'd like to take part, we'll need your e-mail address so that we can send you an invitation to the meeting. Please get in touch either through our Contact page or by e-mailing [email protected] before the date and we'll send you a link to the event together with the necessary meeting ID and password and, if you don't already have one, a copy of the script! Don't worry if you've never used Zoom before - when you click on the link, the necessary software will download on to your laptop or tablet or whatever before proceeding to ask you for the ID and so on.
Calling all quizzers
Pauline Rowe's excellent and brilliantly presented drama quiz last month went down so well that we've agreed to hold another one on Monday 27 July at 8.00 p.m. Again, this will be a (hopefully not too challenging) mixture of general drama knowledge, picture rounds and some sound clues and will take place on Zoom as before.
As with the play readings, if you'd like to take part, we'll need your e-mail address so that we can send you an invitation to the meeting. Please get in touch either through our Contact page or by e-mailing [email protected] before the date and we'll send you a link to the event together with the necessary meeting ID and password.
Panto, Strangers and Queens
CADS has somewhat reluctantly had to bow to the inevitable and abandon any plans for a pantomime in January 2021 - uncertainty about the availability of a venue, about the likely relaxation of social distancing rules, and about audience willingness to attend large-scale events, as well as the need to make a decision now, have meant that it would be difficult to say, at this moment, that we would be able to go ahead with preparations, which generally start during the Summer.
On the positive side, we have had two locally written pantomime scripts submitted, one of which could well be the choice for 2022 when we hope to be back in front of the glitter curtain!
Meanwhile, rehearsals have been progressing online for Six Dead Queens... and an Inflatable Henry, which was to have been one half of a double bill in September with our one-act adaptation of Strangers on a Film for Royston Arts Festival (see below). There is an outside possibility that, if things have improved by early next year, we may be able to stage that double bill in Royston around the time we would normally be presenting the panto. No firm decision has been made as yet, obviously, but we're keeping that option in reserve.
Either way, we hope to submit one or both of these plays to the various local drama festivals next year and we'll certainly be showcasing them in Royston at some point in 2021, so keep watching for news.
Come to the cabaret!
Creative Royston, too, have been faced with a decision about this year's Royston Arts Festival and have similarly decided that it would be logistically impossible to proceed with the festival in its usual format. They would, however, like to put on some sort of "virtual" festival in September, and CADS is considering putting together a sort of online cabaret that could form part of this.
The idea would be for members and others to record - either singly or as couples or families - short performances that we could then edit together to make a kind of online variety show. Pieces might be monologues, readings, poems, extracts from plays or really anything you think might work. If it helps, the theme of this year's Arts Festival is "A question of balance", though there's no need to stick to that if you have other ideas!
Initially, we'd like to hear from anyone who thinks they might be able to contribute something - please contact us in the usual manner either via our Contact page or by e-mailing [email protected]. Ideally, we'd like to have the programme at least roughly organised by the end of July to give everyone time to record their pieces and for someone then to edit them together...
Committee
Our next (still online) meeting is on Tuesday 4 August; if there's anything you'd like us to consider or discuss, please feel free to contact any of us at any time via the Contact page of this website!