Tag Archives: workshops

February Update

We can now confirm She Stoops to Conquer, by Oliver Goldsmith, as the summer production, a brilliant and very well-known play with a splendid cast of characters, to be directed by Lydia Milman Schmidt, introduced to us by Laura Baggaley, our Director Emeritus, who directed The Winter’s Tale for us in 2007 and Twelfth Night in 2009.

Auditions will be on 25th & 26th February. Please contact Peter Saunders on 850245 to arrange an audition. Small and big parts for adults of all ages and we anticipate some parts for children of about 12 or older. We also welcome local people who would like to be involved with other non-acting roles such as wardrobe, scenery, construction, etc…..

A new adaptation of Great Expectations by the well-known children’s author Julia Golding (better known to us as Julia Saunders) has been postponed till next year, the 201st anniversary of Dickens’s birth rather than the 200th!

Workshops, rehearsals and lots of fun & hard work are underway for the youth production of Under Milk Wood directed by Jo Laugharne. This will be performed on 30th & 31st March in Blewbury Village Hall. Box Office opens at the Post Office on 3rd March. This production is going to be very special as it involves children from school years 5 -12 working together. Youngsters are taking on roles in stage management, lighting, front of house and finances with adult mentors.

Gospel Workshop: a fun filled afternoon

I arrived at the village hall at 2pm to find a queue at the door! As we arrived we split into sopranos and altos (the women), and tenors (the men). Apparently gospel music doesn’t really accommodate basses – they simply extend their upper range with a bit of practice! There were a few male basses in the choir and they took up the challenge! To help us along there were six singers from the Oxford Gospel Choir: two of each voice.

We started off with some warm up exercises, testing how high, and how low, we could go, then straight into our first song, Freedom is Coming. It had simple lyrics and we concentrated on learning the different harmonies and in a surprisingly short amount of time we had learnt the whole song! We also practised how to move: lots of stepping side to side, finger-clicking and clapping.

After that came three more songs: Shackles, which you may remember from the charts in the 90s, sung by Mary Mary; Bless Me (Prayer of Jabez), a gentle and expressive song; and If you confess the Lord, an upbeat number with a really rousing finale. After a well earned coffee break (complete with scrummy cake), we went back over the songs again and surprised ourselves (and perhaps also the members of the Oxford Gospel Choir) at just how well we remembered them.

Half past five soon rolled around and we joined our audience in the seats while the Oxford Gospel Choir showed us how it is done, singing a few of their wedding numbers (including a fab rendition of Stevie Wonder’s Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours). It was then our go and we turned out a pretty successful performance of the four songs we had learnt. If you’re interested, you can see us performing two songs on Youtube: If you confess the Lord and Shackles.

Does this sound like fun to you? Lizzie Butler is starting up a Blewbury Gospel Choir. The first rehearsal is at 8pm on Thursday 10th March in the new Pavilion at the recreation ground. Although the songs are based in Christianity, you don’t need to be a church goer (in fact people of any faith or no faith are all welcome), you simply need a bit of enthusiasm. Perhaps we’ll see you there?!

Gospel Music comes to Blewbury!

Ever wanted to sing in a gospel choir? Can’t read music, but love singing? Just want to have some fun?

Come along on Saturday 26th February from 1-5pm when Blewbury will be hosting a workshop with the Oxford Gospel Choir at Blewbury Village Hall. At 5:30pm there will be a mini-performance – all are welcome to come and see what we’ve been learning throughout the afternoon.

During the workshop, we’ll be learning a few songs together and discovering how to create that uplifting gospel sound. The teaching style is call and response so no need for sheet music – you’ll need your hands for clapping! No singing or musical experience necessary, just plenty of enthusiasm! All ages welcome.

The workshop is being kindly sponsored by the Blewbury Players.

This event has been organised with a view to starting up our own gospel choir in Blewbury. To sign up for the workshop or register your interest in the Blewbury Gospel Choir please contact Lizzie Butler:
Email: lizzie.butler (a) hotmail.co.uk
Tel:07903 863469 or 01235 851581