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Act 1 ~ For Our Audience and Visitors |
Scene 1
Home
Page |
Scene 2
This Year's
Production |
Scene 3
Our
History |
Scene 4
Join
Us |
Scene 5
Image
Gallery |
Scene 6
Last Year's
Production |
Scene 7
Find
Us |
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| Act 2 ~ For Cast and Crew |
Scene 1
Diary
Dates |
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Welcome to the website of...
Christchurch Players
Tadley Common Methodist Church
St. Mary's Church, North Tadley
Our purpose is to build a link to those beyond the church family and invite them into our premises to see that Christian people are "normal" (some hope!).
We do not preach at you or make you "come to Church" or make demands of you. (Well, you have to rehearse and learn your part!)
We just invite you to bring friends for a few months of fun and hard work performing a pantomime each year, which is staged at Tadley Common Methodist Church.
And in the process, we hope you will get a whiff of what the Church is about.
Hidden talents are revealed and personalities are enlarged by the experience. Of course, there are those who think some of the talents should remain hidden and some of the personalities could do with shrinking rather than enlarging.
Please browse your way around our website - some parts are still under construction, so we recommend that you wear a hardhat.
If you would like to get involved, whether on stage or behind the scenes, then please view the "Act 1 Scene 4 - Join Us" page for more information.
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The 2012 production...
Hellie and Charles have put their heads together (a bruising experience for Charles - no protection, you see)
and they are happy to announce that the Christchurch Players pantomime this year will be ...
... you'll need to go to the "Act 1 Scene 2 - This Year's Production" page to find out!
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This year's production is...
Puss In Boots!
By
Damian Trasler
David Lovesy
Steve Clark
tlc Creative
Produced by arrangement with
Lazy Bee Scripts
Please note...
There are important changes to our 1st meeting arrangements and to our rehearsal schedule.
The 1st meeting in July is now all-important, both for newcomers and old hands:
please see the "Act 2 Scene 1 - Diary Dates" page for details of the new arrangements.
The rehearsal schedule has changed slightly from previous years,
particularly around the final "last blast" week of rehearsals before the public performances;
all the details can be found on the "Act 2 Scene 2 - Rehearsal Schedule" page.
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Principal Events...
First Meeting:
2:30pm - 3:30pm Sunday 15th July
- General Production information
- Read-through
- Casting
Rehearsals:
2:00pm - 5:30pm every Sunday,
from 2nd September until 18th November
(except 28th October, which is half term).
Final Week of Rehearsals:
Various dates and times between Friday 16th and Thursday 22nd November.
Performances:
- Friday 23rd November
- Saturday 24th November
- Friday 30th November
- Saturday 1st December
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Christchurch Players - in the beginning...
'Twas in the year of seventy-seven -
Some eons back in time -
That Tadley Common Players produced
Their very first pantomime
But the idea started earlier
From socials in the Church hall
When everybody would "do a turn"
And fun was had by all (well some, anyway).
Then someone had the bright idea,
Which they thought would be a laugh,
To have jokes, songs, sketches to start with
And a panto in the second half
And so in nineteen seventy-five
The first potted panto was born
"Alluva Din and his Magical Gamp".
So began the long saga of corn.
This was followed by "Cinderalf"
Which went down well at the time
And so the idea came about
For a full-scale pantomime.
...and the rest, as they say, is history.
Since those far-off beginnings, there have only been three directors:
The first, who really started the whole thing, was Jim Little, a member at Tadley Common.
Jim directed the first five pantos, but in 1982 he moved down to Bournemouth.
Ray Chalk then took up the reins, and held them for the next twenty years.
Since 2001, Charles Burge has been in charge (or so we let him think).
The panto has developed from its tentative early days to the polished productions we have now come to expect.
In the late 1990s, the company name was changed to reflect the fact that this had became a joint Tadley Common / St Mary's venture,
and we now involve folk from many of the local churches and some who have no formal church links.
But two things have remained throughout:
First, right from the start, we made it a rule that everyone who wants to be in it will be found a part.
If necessary, this might mean having Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves every year,
but we've only needed to resort to that once.
The second thing is the great enjoyment and fun which everybody has in being involved,
whether on stage or behind the scenes, and with ages ranging from early years to those in their eighties.
I think we'd carry on even if there was no audience, but they seem to enjoy it too!
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Productions over the years...
Click on the  icon, where this is shown, to see a slideshow of the production
| 1977 | | Little Red Riding Hood |
| 1978 | | Jack and the Beanstalk |
| 1979 | | Babes in the Wood |
| 1980 | | The Queen of Hearts |
| 1981 | | Cinderella |
| 1982 | | Puss in Boots |
| 1983 | | Robinson Crusoe |
| 1984 | | Humpty Dumpty |
| 1985 | | Aladdin |
| 1986 | | Mother Goose |
| 1987 | | Sleeping Beauty |
| 1988 | | Snow White |
| 1989 | | Peter Pan |
| 1990 | | Dick Whittington |
| 1991 | | Sinbad the Sailor |
| 1992 | | Cinderella |
| 1993 | | Goldilocks and the Three Bears |
| 1994 | | Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves |
| 1995 | | Babes in the Wood |
| 1996 | | The Wizard of Oz |
| 1997 | | Jack and the Beanstalk |
| 1998 | | Beauty and the Beast |
| 1999 | | The Pied Piper of the Millennium |
| 2000 | | Pinocchio |
| 2001 | | Red Riding Hood |
| 2002 | | Dick Whittington |
| 2003 | | Aladdin |
| 2004 | | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs |
| 2005 | | Alice in Pantoland |
| 2006 | | Sleeping Beauty |
| 2007 | | Crock of Gold |
| 2008 | | Peter Pan |
| 2009 | | Old King Cole |
| 2010 | | Cinderella |
| 2011 | | Jack and the Three Musketeers |
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General Information
Putting on a production takes much much more than what you see on stage. An enormous amount of work is undertaken by many different roles to enable the production to take place. So if you are interested in getting involved whether on stage or behind the scenes, we have a role for you!
If you are interested in taking part, please email us at christchurchplayers@hotmail.co.uk
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Front of House
The FoH team leader's word is law!
Qualifications:
Must be able to grin and bear it.
Costumes
If you can sew on a button then we want to hear from you to help our wardrobe team!
Qualifications:
Must be able to use needle and thread.
Refreshments
At each performance, we serve teas, coffees and snacks to the audience and always need willing volunteers to help us!
Qualifications:
Must be able to make a nice cup of tea.
Backstage
The performance would not happen without a strong team of people to move scenery, make props, call actors, prompt lines and generally be responsible for everything happening behind the scenes.
Qualifications:
Must look good in black.
Lighting
Not just operating a control desk, but also designing lighting rigs to satisfy the Director's capricious whims.
Qualifications:
Must be able to see in the dark
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Cast
The most visible part of the production, this is an opportunity for young and old to go on stage. Auditions are held very informally with a read through of the script at the first rehearsal.
Qualifications:
Must be able to be silly and keep a straight face on stage.
Scenery Painting
A number of scenery panels are produced and designed in order to put on our production. A number of volunteers are therefore needed to paint the panels.
Qualifications:
Must be able to paint within the lines
Make-Up
We are always looking for helpers to join our team of make-up artists.
Qualifications:
Full training given, no experience necessary.
Sound
A pantomime would not be the same without comedy sound effects!
Qualifications:
Must be able to use a laptop and search online for effects
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How the Gallery works...
We have arranged selections of images into slideshows, which are listed on the right.
When you click on a slideshow a set of "thumbnail" images should appear.
If you click on one of these, the full-size image will pop up in front of the thumbnails,
and the slideshow should start automatically from that point
- if it doesn't, try clicking on the  button.
You can control the slideshow using the following controls:
= start the show
 = pause the show
 = go forward to the next image
 = go back to the previous image
To close the slideshow, click on  .
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The slideshows...
How a panto is made
2011: Jack and the Three Musketeers
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2011: Jack and the Three Musketeers...
 The panto starts the way it always has: loud!
 Argos, Pathos, and Domestos: "We are the Three Musketeers"
 Jack and Jill are definitely an item...
 ...which is more than can be said for Baron Stoneybroke and Dame Crystal Dartington
 Jack has to sell poor Bessie, the cow
 The evil Cardinal Quichelieu and his henchmen Lorraine and Nancy appear
 Dame Crystal rejects the Baron's attempts to woo her
 The magic beanstalk grows during the night...
 ...but in the cold light of dawn Inspecta spoils everything in the name of "elf 'n' safety"
 Could these be part of the "Heinz 57"?
 The Musketeers, Jill, Jack, and Dame Crystal decide what to do
 Fear not: the Relief Fairy is on hand to keep order
 If you go down to the woods today ... look out for hobgoblins
 The Relief Fairy gets some "help" from Terri, Belle, & Kitz
 Looks like Dame Crystal is in for a long stretch
 But I wanted clones, not clowns!
 Creighton Berkeley makes his traditional cameo appearance
 Now that's more like it: a formal ball...
 ... though Jill, Jack, and Dame Crystal believe masks are in order
 Cardinal Quichelieu strikes again!
 What's this? The Can-Can? At a formal ball? Whatever are Pantos coming to!
 The Three Musketeers face their enemies...
 ...fight a series of one-to-one actions...
 ...until finally good triumphs over evil.
 Bessie joins in the fun
 At least one cast member proves he knows the song words
 The Relief Fairy still can't shake off those pesky kids - or Inspecta
 The hobgoblins keep a beady eye on Le Crusher
 Cardinal Quichelieu, his henchmen, and of course mini-Quichelieu
 Baron Stoneybroke & Dame Crystal Dartington...
 ...and Jack & Jill all live happily ever after
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Last year's production was...
Jack and the Three Musketeers
by William Balfour and Tony Bowditch
Click this link to see a slideshow of the production.
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We'd like your feedback...
If you saw Jack and the Three Musketeers, we'd like your feedback.
If you have any comments, or (and I'll say this in a whisper) ,
then do please email us at christchurchplayers@hotmail.co.uk.
We may even post your comments on the website!
Thank you!
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Our performances take place at...
- Tadley Common Methodist Church,
- Newchurch Road,
- Tadley,
- Hants
- RG26 4HN
...marked  on the map opposite.
Car parking:
Although there is no car-park specifically for Tadley Common Methodist Church,
parking is available at:
St Mary's Church
and (after 18:30) at:
Tadley Dental Care.
These are the premises on each side of Newchurch Road nearest to the junction with Bishopswood Road, marked  on the map.
Parking along Newchurch Road itself is restricted, and may be unavailable - particularly on performance nights.
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You can zoom the map out and in by clicking the "(-)" and "(+)" symbols,
and pan in any direction by holding the mouse button down while dragging the map.
indicates Tadley Common Methodist Church;
indicates possible car-parking locations.
Directions from Basingstoke:
Take the A340 north past the hospital, signposted Tadley.
In Tadley, cross over the roundabout by the swimming pool.
Continue up Mulfords Hill, passing the Esso garage on your left.
At the top of the hill, pass Sainsburys on your right.
At the traffic lights, turn left into Franklin Avenue.
Directions from Newbury:
Take the A4 eastbound, signposted Reading.
At Midgham, turn right opposite the Coach and Horses, signposted Tadley.
In Brimpton, turn left at the T-junction, then follow the road round to the right.
Follow the road past the pub, downhill past the school, then uphill towards Tadley.
At the T-junction, turn left signposted Tadley and Basingstoke.
After the long straight, cross the roundabout, signposted A340 Tadley and Basingstoke.
At the junction by the Shell garage, turn right signposted A340 Tadley and Basingstoke.
Pass Barclays Bank on your right, and continue along to traffic lights by Lloyds Bank.
At these traffic lights, turn right into Franklin Avenue
Directions from Reading:
From M4 Junction 11:
If you are unfamiliar with the backroads between M4 J11 and Tadley, we suggest travelling via M4 Junction 12 instead.
From M4 Junction 12:
Take the A4 westbound, signposted Newbury.
At roundabout, continue on A4 signposted Newbury.
After short dual carriageway, continue on A4 signposted Newbury and Pangbourne.
After end of next dual carriageway, pass Total garage on left.
At roundabout, turn left signposted A340 Basingstoke, Aldermaston, and Tadley.
Cross single-track swing bridge over canal at Aldermaston Wharf.
Continue to Aldermaston Village.
Remain on A340: road bears right on exit from village.
At top of hill, cross roundabout ("AWE A340 Gate").
Cross over next roundabout ("AWE West Gate").
At next roundabout, turn left signposted A340 Tadley & Basingstoke.
At the junction by the Shell garage, turn right signposted A340 Tadley and Basingstoke.
Pass Barclays Bank on your right, and continue along to traffic lights by Lloyds Bank.
At these traffic lights, turn right into Franklin Avenue
After turning into Franklin Avenue:
Continue until you reach a parade of shops on your right
Just after the last shop ("Franklin Special Fry" Fish & Chip shop), turn left into Newchurch Road.
Pass Tadley Community Centre on your right.
Tadley Common Methodist Church is the next single-storey brick building on your left.
For car-parking, continue along Newchurch Road to St Mary's Church (with a bell tower) on your left, and Tadley Dental Care on your right.
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The First Meeting...
The arrangements are all changing this year, so beware!
This first meeting for all who want to be involved in the show is at
2:30pm - 3:30pm on Sunday 15th July at Tadley Common Methodist Church.
The first meeting is more important than ever before,
because the Read-through will take place at this meeting, with casting being carried out afterwards.
A fuller explanation is given below and in the panel opposite.
The New Arrangements...
We are combining the introductory meeting and the Read-through into one meeting
at 2:30pm - 3:30pm on Sunday 15th July at Tadley Common Methodist Church.
The meeting will be split into three sessions:
- Information and Ground Rules (mainly for parents or guardians)
- The Read Through (for those wanting a stage part)
- Casting (for Producer and Deputy Directors only)
Sessions 1 and 2 will run concurrently, in different rooms.
Session 3 will take place afterwards, but it may be several days before the results are available.
Performances:
- Friday 23rd November
- Saturday 24th November
- Friday 30th November
- Saturday 1st December
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Session 1: Introduction and Ground Rules
If you are under 18, and you want to be in the show, at least one parent or guardian must be with you (yes, even if you are an old lag!).
For those joining us for the first time we particularly ask the parents / guardians to stay to learn about how we run the production and our expectations of those who join us.
They can then decide whether their charges will be able to commit to the show and all it entails.
If your parent/guardian is unable to accompany you to the meeting, we shall be able to let you come to the Read-through - but only if they can confirm they are already familiar with the rehearsal regime and the "Red Rehearsal" issues.
In this event, your parent/guardian must send with you a completed consent form, which can be downloaded from the "Act 2 Scene 4 - Admin Notes" page.
Session 2: The Read-Through
If you want a part on stage, you should be at this session.
If this is absolutely impossible you must get in touch with Charles before the July meeting, to confirm you want to be in the show.
If you have not been with us before, you will understand that we cannot consider you for a speaking part if you cannot make the Read-through.
Even if you are a former Christchurch Player, you may limit your chances of a speaking part if you cannot make this session.
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Rehearsal Schedule...
| September 2012 |
| Sun 2nd | 14:00-17:30 | Whole Pantomime! |
| Sun 9th | 14:00-17:30 | Act I (Part 1)
no scripts for this part |
| Sun 16th | 14:00-17:30 | Act I (Part 2)
no scripts for this part |
| Sun 23rd | 14:00-17:30 | Act II (Part 1)
no scripts for this part |
| Sun 30th | 14:00-17:30 | Act II (Part 2)
no scripts for this part |
| October 2012 |
| Sun 7th | 14:00-17:30 | Act I |
| Sun 14th | 14:00-17:30 | Act II |
| Sun 21st | 14:00-17:30 | Whole pantomime -
esp the unfinished bits |
| Sun 28th | No rehearsal | Half term -
technical rigging |
Rehearsal Schedule ... the Red Weeks
| November 2012 |
| Sun 4th | 14:00-17:30 | Whole Pantomime |
| Sun 11th | 14:00-17:30 | Whole Pantomime -
esp any weak bits |
| Tue 13th | 19:00-21:30 | Technical rehearsal -
dummies required |
| Fri 16th | 19:00-21:30 | Whole Pantomime -
dress rehearsal |
| Sun 18th | 14:00-17:30 | Whole Pantomime -
dress rehearsal |
| Mon 19th | No rehearsal | Premises unavailable |
| Tue 20th | 19:00-21:30 | Whole Pantomime |
| Wed 21st | 19:00-21:30 | Whole Pantomime |
| Thu 22nd | 19:00-21:30 | Whole Pantomime -
full dress rehearsal |
Performances...
| November 2012 |
| Fri 23rd | 17:30-22:00 | For 1st performance -
curtain up at 19:00 |
| Sat 24th | 17:30-22:00 | For 2nd performance -
curtain up at 19:00 |
| Thu 29th | 19:00-21:30 | Pre-performance galvaniser |
| Fri 30th | 17:30-22:00 | For 3rd performance -
curtain up at 19:00 |
| December 2012 |
| Sat 1st | 18:00-23:00 | For 4th performance -
curtain up at 19:00;
reset Church afterwards |
And finally...
| December 2012 |
| Sun 2nd | 14:00-17:30 | Video showing for Cast & Crew |
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Please Note...
There is a change to the pattern of the final "last blast" week of rehearsals before the first performance.
The TCM premises are not available to us on Monday evenings, so to replace this there is a first Dress Rehearsal on Friday 16th November.
The upside for you is that there is a more graduated intensity to these last rehearsals!
If you are unable to attend (for a very good reason) on any particular rehearsal date,
please fill in the absentee list and find an understudy, and inform one of the following as early as possible (the night before is too late!):
- Charles Burge (0118 981 6106)
- Toph Burge (07769 266 610)
- Chris Gillings (0118 981 3242)
- Erin Gillings (07969 381 713)
This rehearsal schedule can also be downloaded from the "Act 2 Scene 4 - Admin Notes" page.
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2011 Production...
We are happy to report that 2011 was a very successful production,
and we again give grateful thanks to all on the production team
and also to parents who are so willing to put up with all the
disruption to family routine to make it work so well.
A big thank you to all!
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Donations...
Production costs rose last year, but so did ticket sales and receipts, resulting in an increased surplus.
As a result, we are happy to report that were able to increase our giving by about 100%.
In fact, not only were we able to increase the donation to our principal charity, we were also able to make additional donations to the supporting churches.
The recipients were:
- Heather House and Fir Tree Lodge
- Tadley Common Methodist Church
- St. Mary's Church, North Tadley
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Downloads...
These documents can be downloaded in "PDF" format:
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Thank you for visiting the Christchurch Players website.
Our main website uses JavaScript to access its content,
but it appears that either your web browser doesn't support JavaScript,
or its use has been disabled.
Alternatively, it may just be that the site hasn't finished loading yet,
in which case it's worth waiting a few seconds before reading on.
If you would like to be redirected to our subsidiary website,
which contains some basic information but does not offer the full functionality of the main site,
please click on the link below:
Christchurch Players subsidiary website
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You may prefer to enable scripting in your web-browser,
or upgrade it to a version that supports JavaScript.
If you are not sure how to do this,
we have included links (below) to the websites of five of the main web-browser publishers;
from these sites, you should be able to naviate to the appropriate support pages:
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Scene 2
Rehearsal
Timetable |
Scene 3
News
Letter |
Scene 4
Admin
Notes |
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Step 1: The Directors try to find a script: "Oh no we haven't"
Step 2: "Oh yes we have!"
Step 3: Actor and Producer Creighton Berkley (centre, in white with black nose) approves the Directors' choice, much to the relief of his Production Team
Step 4: The Director and Assistant Director finally agree on who is really in charge
The panto starts the way it always has: loud!
Argos, Pathos, and Domestos: "We are the Three Musketeers"
Jack and Jill are definitely an item...
...which is more than can be said for Baron Stoneybroke and Dame Crystal Dartington
Jack has to sell poor Bessie, the cow
The evil Cardinal Quichelieu and his henchmen Lorraine and Nancy appear
Dame Crystal rejects the Baron's attempts to woo her
The magic beanstalk grows during the night...
...but in the cold light of dawn Inspecta spoils everything in the name of "elf 'n' safety"
Could these be part of the "Heinz 57"?
The Musketeers, Jill, Jack, and Dame Crystal decide what to do
Fear not: the Relief Fairy is on hand to keep order
If you go down to the woods today ... look out for hobgoblins
The Relief Fairy gets some "help" from Terri, Belle, & Kitz
Looks like Dame Crystal is in for a long stretch
But I wanted clones, not clowns!
Creighton Berkeley makes his traditional cameo appearance
Now that's more like it: a formal ball...
... though Jill, Jack, and Dame Crystal believe masks are in order
Cardinal Quichelieu strikes again!
What's this? The Can-Can? At a formal ball? Whatever are Pantos coming to!
The Three Musketeers face their enemies...
...fight a series of one-to-one actions...
...until finally good triumphs over evil.
Bessie joins in the fun
At least one cast member proves he knows the song words
The Relief Fairy still can't shake off those pesky kids - or Inspecta
The hobgoblins keep a beady eye on Le Crusher
Cardinal Quichelieu, his henchmen, and of course mini-Quichelieu
Baron Stoneybroke & Dame Crystal Dartington...
...and Jack & Jill all live happily ever after