Reps Reporter – June 2012

Winter’s here, but that’s no excuse to stay at home because there’s always something to warm you up at Reps!

Rock with the cast of A-Z

Running on the main stage at present is The A-Z Of Rock, directed by Mario Ciampi and featuring a selection of hard rock hits from a live band and their singers. The show has been popular with folk who love their rock … and although many people say ‘this is not my music’ they will be well advised to pop along and see the show, because it has great music and some great new faces on the local stage. It’s fun and vibrant and it deserves good support. You’ll keep very warm on a cool winter’s night if you move and dance to the music at this show, which ends its run on Saturday June 9. Book at The Spotlight.

Zane’s team is well in rehearsal for Leading ladies

Zane Lucas’ next production on main stage is Leading Ladies, a sparkling comedy from Ken Ludwig that had its US and UK debut only in the past few years and is a very funny play that will provide audiences with a delightful evening out. On stage will be Musa Saruro, Zoran Zec, Ryan Lawrence, Chipo Chikara, Chloe Cattin, Philippa Johnston, Michael Bawden and Itai Gurira . The show will run from July 4 to 21 (preview night July 3), and the opening night (Wednesday July 4) being American Independence Day (and the show is set in the US) means it can be turned into a fun gala night, for which everyone’s invited to buy a ticket. The ticket price for opening night of $15 covers wine before the show, and Jenni Ferguson will be laying on food and entertainment in the members’ bar after the show … and everyone’s also invited to dress red, white and blue for the night. It will be grand opening … a great show, fun for all and a chance to have a pleasant evening out. Advance booking will open soon at The Spotlight.

Mind your Table Manners!

Running in Theatre Upstairs from June 14 to 23 (preview night June 13) will be Alan Ayckbourn’s superb comedy Table Manners, the first part of The Norman Conquests trilogy. It is directed by Gloria Prentice, who has come back to Zimbabwe from her new home in Australia just to direct this show for Reps … and what a pleasure it is to see her back in town and at Reps! On stage will be Sue Bolt, Fiona Garrity, John Dennison, Tim Harrap, Vanessa Vos and Kevin Hanssen in a funny play in the style of a true master of mirth, which is what Ayckbourn is regarded as. Booking is now open at The Spotlight. Something special to add: Adrienne’s Restaurant has added some ‘table manners’ of its own, with a special offer for an after-show supper - $10, vouchers for which can be purchased at The Spotlight when you buy your tickets for this production.

Social events continue to entertain in the members’ bar

Up next in the bar is a good selection of entertainment, including Josh Ansley singing (June 8), the June quiz (June 10), another Evening of Words (June 11) and a song night featuring Mande, Storm and Alex (June 22). Wednesday soup suppers start again on June 6 … a new raffle is being launched to raise money for more bar refurbishment … a questionnaire has been placed in the bar to get members’ feedback … the lighting upgrade is continuing, both inside the bar and on the Tada Terrace … and the heaters are back in the bar for the winter months.

The Spotlight is Harare’s central booking office

A reminder that The Spotlight is not only a booking venue for shows at Reps. Anyone doing anything anywhere can make use of this facility, which also retails magazines (such as Ndeipi and Out of Africa), sells vouchers for specials at Adrienne’s Restaurant and is a convenient venue for sales and renewals of InnSider Cards for Inns of Zimbabwe and the Best of Zimbabwe collection. Celebrity Subscription Concerts use this venue for advance booking sales for their concerts (next up – Mexican guitarist Morgan Szymanski on June 3, and then singers Ivan Nadalet and Carolina Del Vescovo accompanied by Lucio Del Vescovo on July 8). The Spotlight is open Monday to Friday between 9am and 4pm and on Saturday from 9am to 12 noon. As the Reps box office it is also open one hour before curtain up for all performances and stays open until the end of interval. Thanks to Jane Burne and Daniel Mason for running The Spotlight during May and welcome back to Innocent Museve, who was on leave for the whole month. Also worth remembering the the Front of House and Box office team is always looking for new volunteers, so if you are interested in either, please let Philippa in the Reps office know.

School’s on … so the youngsters are back in training

Now that the second school term is under way, Preps and Repteens are back in action. David Bvumbe and Faith Ganyau are handling Preps (Saturday mornings from 10.00am in the Adrian Stanley Room) while Kyla Render co-ordinates Repteens (Friday nights 5.30pm to 8.30pm). To get children involved contact either of these team leaders through the Reps office or bring the young wannabes to the sessions to sign on. A Repteens production is scheduled to take place in Theatre Upstairs in August and an end-of-term Preps show is also planned.

Costume hire from the Reps Wardrobe

The Reps Wardrobe, under the watchful eye of Collina Mvududu, is open daily from 8.30am to 6pm (Mon-Fri), and is not only the place where Reps’ costumes are prepared and stored. It is also a superb source of costumes for hirers – ranging from schools and other theatre groups to businesses and individuals undertaking things with a theme. The Wardrobe is also delighted to receive donations of clothing and other items from anyone, as this adds to the selection of what is available to use and hire.

Cats update

Carers have come on board to help keep an eye on the new Reps cats … Sue McMillan, Philippa Johnston and Coleen Hardy have all volunteered to help. If you have donations of cat food to give, please pass on to one of these kind folk. The plan is to ensure they have a constant source of water, as well as food to supplement their diet of the vast quantity of rats in and around the Reps area (like elsewhere across Harare, we have been inundated with rats boosted by the abundance of rubbish everywhere). There is also a plan to try and catch them to have them vaccinated and neutered. While they are wild and have moved in under their own auspices we value their help in rat control and want them to be healthy and happy on our premises! Who knows, a starring role in Dick Whittington if we ever stage that again?

Did you know …

… you can provide a tip for the bar staff with your membership card? All you need do is ask the barmen on duty to input a tip (as many as you like, at 25 cents each) and they will do so, this printing out onto your receipt for the transaction. If you want to tip any other staff, all you need do is pass this on to the Reps office and this will be allocated as you desire.

And a reminder …

… to sign up new members of The Repertory Players. Members do not have to be active in the theatre (although this is, of course, desirable) and can simply be people who want to make use of the bar or the discounts from ticket purchases for our shows. Application forms can be sourced from the members’ bar, Spotlight, Reps Office or from the website www.reps.co.zw at any time. For Reps to be even more successful, we need to bring on board new members, so why not encourage some folk to join up soon … and you can be the best promoters by telling why you like being a member. The membership committee has the task of signing up 70 new members this year … so help them achieve or improve on this figure! More members = more action = a successful society !

Until next time, keep well, stay warm and enjoy present and upcoming shows at Reps.

The Executive Committee