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
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