Welcome
Welcome to the May edition of Barn News. We hope you are all keeping well and looking forward to our theatre opening again soon.
Mike Smith
Editor
May 2021
From the Chair
Welcome to May’s Barn News
Welcome to the May Barn News – and with the sun shining (a bit) outside, finally some cheerful and positive news from me – WE ARE RE-OPENING! Yes, provided we continue to come out of lockdown as the Government has planned, we will be back rehearsing in person after 17th May, and back performing in real life from early July.
First up is Class, in the Studio, and that’s swiftly followed by My Old Lady on the main stage. It won’t quite be as normal – we’re going to stream Class as well, so there will be fewer tickets for sale, and at this time we’re taking a prudent approach to filling the main auditorium.
A huge thank-you to the cast and crews of both productions who have shown enormous forbearance and great determination to stick with it – both have been postponed a couple of times at least, and they’re still working and still keen to get back on stage.
Getting the theatre itself and bar ready is also a big task. While we’ve kept an eye on everything since Christmas, there’s much to do to make sure we’re fully prepared, so thanks in advance to Sharon, Ian and everybody else who is gearing up.
Speaking of gearing up, we’re planning a full season for 21/22, and elsewhere in this month’s BN you’ll find details of the Zoom Directors Evening that’s coming up – please join us and see where you want to get back involved – front of house, backstage, bar, on stage – we need you all to come back so that we can bring the Barn back to life again properly.
Clive has put together a really lovely season – also exclusively revealed in this issue – full of laughs to get us back enjoying ourselves, with lots of opportunity to dust off all the skills everyone has been keeping under wraps since last spring!
We’re determined to get the club back to life as quickly as possible – and news of a new social secretary is also in this BN – a warm welcome to our newest Council member. No spoilers from me – find the article as you go through.
It is, of course, going to feel quite strange being back at the Barn – just as it will be strange being anywhere with lots of people for many of us! Please rest assured that we will adhere to all the guidance. We’re registered with the ‘We’re good to go’ scheme which is an industry standard designed to give advice and guidance on how to make your premises as Covid-secure as possible and we’ll do everything we need to do to make everyone feel as safe as we can.
So – fingers crossed that we don’t have to slow down again, and we can get back on stage in July. Until then, stay safe, enjoy the spring weather, and I’ll see you at the Directors Evening!
Simon Parr
Chairman
Membership & Council
Barn Council minutes March
Please find the minutes of the meeting of the Barn Theatre Council held on 23rd March 2021 via video conference
Our membership news depends on information we get from YOU
Curtain up!
At last I can announce a new season for the Barn as we gradually return to normal – having had to stall our plans more than once over the last 18 months. If all goes to plan (and could everyone reading please cross their fingers!), we’ll be back on the boards for a regular September to July season for 2021-22. We’ll continue to monitor guidelines and advice, of course, and may well have to keep social distancing for at least part of the season. But otherwise it’s full steam ahead.
With the exception of our Financial Director Ian’s skilful and successful application for various grants, and our streamed shows, the Barn’s had virtually no income for well over a year. So that’s been my focus: bums on seats for sell-out shows! So I make no apology for putting together a programme of popular, feel-good fare: I think it’s an exciting, fun season, still with loads of variety and something for everyone. Find out more at the Directors Evening – and get involved!
BARN SEASON 2021-22
SEPTEMBER – 24th to 2nd October
Happy Jack (1m, 1f)
By John Godber
Cliff Francis
Meet Liz and Jack, a long-married couple who have survived the ups and downs of a lengthy life together and share selected moments with us – from early courtship through to retirement. Described by the Financial Times as ‘Neat, touching and joyously celebratory’, this is classic John Godber at his bitter-sweet best.
OCTOBER – 15th to 23rd
A Bunch of Amateurs (3m, 4f)
By Ian Hislop & Nick Newman
Bob Thomson
A fading Hollywood star arrives in Stratford to play the lead in King Lear – but this Stratford is a sleepy Suffolk village whose am-dram club are fighting to save their theatre from developers. As two acting worlds hilariously collide, and two cultures clash, ego and vanity give way to acceptance, and surprising resolutions emerge.
NOVEMBER – 12th to 20th
The Audience (8m, 3f)
By Peter Morgan
Linda Dyne
Set between 1952 and 2013, The Audience imagines the weekly unrecorded meetings the Queen holds with her Prime Minister. We meet eight PMs, from Eden to Cameron, and her relationship with each is revealed, as well as Her Majesty’s eye-opening thoughts on her younger self and her fears for the future, now more poignant than ever.
DECEMBER – Dates TBA
Goodnight Mr Tom (7m, 6f)
By Michelle Magorian & David Wood
Siobhán Hill Elam
The heart-warming and uplifting tale of a boy evacuated from London to the West Country in the build-up to WW2 is a modern classic. Young William’s new life with elderly recluse Mr Tom, new best friend Zach and the friendly villagers makes a refreshing change from his troubled upbringing, the stark reality of which is never far away…
JANUARY – 14th to 22nd
Up Pompeii (6m, 5f)
By Miles Tredinnick
Maureen Davies
This recent adaptation of the smash Frankie Howerd TV comedy series captures all the madcap fun, ingenious plotting and near-the-knuckle bawdiness of the original. Head slave Lurcio tries to keep control in the face of an unfaithful senator, an escaped slave girl, a bombastic captain – and two potions which he must never mix up…
FEBRUARY – 4th to 12th
Ben Hur (4m/f)
By Patrick Barlow
Keith Thompson
From the creator of The 39 Steps from our last season, Ben Hur, one of the most epic, timeless tales in cinematic history comes to the stage – with the original movie’s 300 speaking parts and 50,000 extras played here by a cast of four. Expect sea battles, chariot races, strutting heroics and ingenious hilarity in this spoofy show-within-a-show.
MARCH 25th to 2nd April
Hangmen (12m, 2f, 2m/f)
By Martin McDonagh
John Cook
Edgy and thought-provoking black comedy from the author of The Pillowman and The Lieutenant of Inishmore. As the noose is abolished in 1960s England, the country’s second-best hangman, now running a neighbourhood pub, reflects on his life and profession with both regulars and a mysterious stranger.
APRIL – 22nd to 30th
City of Tomorrow (variable)
By Glyn Maxwell
Adam and Gemma, two opposites, meet at WGC’s birthday celebrations. As they quarrel and flirt their way through their strange green birthplace, they hear voices from those 100 years of English life… from dances and drama clubs, through blackshirts, Blitz and refugees, to the fading of community and the rise of celebrity culture until they see home – and each other – in a new light.
JUNE – 3rd to 11th
Kiss Me Quickstep (4m, 4f)
By Amanda Whittington
Jon Brown
From the author of The Thrill of Love, this dazzling new comedy drama takes us into the world of competitive ballroom dancing and the agonies that lie behind the fake tans and fixed smiles. Three couples are competing at Blackpool, dealing with the pressures of both performing and keeping their relationships afloat. Strictly fascinating!
JUNE – 24th to 2nd July
The Alchemist (10m, 2f +)
By Simon Wallace
When plague hits London and the gentry flee to the country, a butler is entrusted with his master’s townhouse – which soon becomes the perfect hub for all manner of criminal scams. Expect a colourful band of rogues and victims, plus a generous helping of biting satire, in this fresh look at Jonson’s classic comedy.
NB: although 99% confirmed, the above programme is still subject to alteration beyond our control. Also, because of ongoing recent events, a few of the shows are already either fully or partly cast or crewed.
See you at the Directors Evening
The most important date for your diary this month is Friday 14th May, our Directors Evening on Zoom – well if virtual is good enough for the Oscars, it’s good enough for us! Starting at 8pm prompt, each director will have the traditional 10 minutes to present their show from the comfort of their sofa, so you can decide what to get involved with, either on or offstage.
The Zoom link to join the meeting will be emailed out a day or two before the event. See you there!
Fancy a Studio slot?
Calling all directors – or even budding directors! The Barn Studio is a fantastic space, just perfect for more intimate or experimental theatre: just think of some of the stunning pieces it’s hosted in recent years, including Breathing Corpses, 2 Across, The Wasp and Mammals. Our mainstage shows for 2021-22 are in the bag but there are at least three vacant Studio slots throughout the coming season up for grabs. If you’d like to direct something a little different, get in touch: [email protected].
Clive Weatherley
Artistic Director
Social Director appointed!
Following Nigel Rive’s recent plea for a volunteer to fill the role of Social Director, Barn Council are pleased to report that Hannah Humbles has expressed an interest along with Tammy Wall. We’re delighted to announce that Hannah has been co-opted to Council. Congratulations to Hannah who will be ably assisted by Tammy. This is a much-needed appointment and we’re looking forward to some social events organised by them as soon as we’re allowed. Welcome Hannah!
Obituary
Peter Dunham
We heard the sad news last week of the death of Pete Dunham after a brief illness.
Always great company, Pete was best known as the leading man in many Welwyn Thalians productions. Blessed with a beautiful light baritone voice and an engaging stage personality, he gave many outstanding performances over the years.
Apart from the Thalians, Pete had another string to his bow as a children’s entertainer, and friends of mine who had seen him in action said he was immensely popular and successful on those occasions. Some years ago he’d been offered a contract to sing professionally with D’Oyly Carte but chose to continue with his existing engagements, which eventually included a regular stint as Henry VIII, the centrepiece in the colourful Hatfield House Elizabethan evenings, where his talents as host, raconteur and singer entertained many guests.
He also played for the Campus Music Hall and the Barnstormers Music Hall in the 1970s, and appeared in productions at the Minack Theatre for Hertfordshire Players. With Angela he undertook several professional tours singing at events in the Middle East.
The family connection with the local stage was considerable. Pete’s father Harold was a founder of the Thalians; Angela was often his partner duetting in musicals; and his mother-in-law Millie Thompson was a superb accompanist who appeared in Barn events frequently. Children Jonty and Amanda were both in Barn productions, and Amanda (Mandy) is now a regular actor and director at the Barn. Sister Pat has worked backstage with the Barn for many years. Granddaughter Hannah is a professional stand-up comic.
Those of us who knew or worked with Pete always enjoyed his easy companionship, and his great sense of humour.
We send our condolences to Angela and all Pete’s family and friends.
Dates for your diary
Directors Evening
Friday 14th May at 8pm via Zoom
Class
Directed by Coral Walton
Tuesday 6th July to Friday 9th July at 8pm
In the Studio and via Zoom
Tickets available from 18th May at: https://barntheatre.ticketline.co.uk/class
My Old Lady
Directed by Hannah Sayer
Saturday 10th July at 8pm
Monday 12th July to Saturday 17th July at 8pm
In the main auditorium
Tickets available from: https://barntheatre.ticketline.co.uk/my-old-lady
Spotlight on: Hazel Halliday
Actor, WGC YDF Secretary, Organiser (Bossyboots)
What is your favourite show and why?
I don’t have a particular favourite, but I love the songs in Les Misérables, both on stage and on screen. Stretching the question to cover all media, my favourite film (or at least the one that always comes to mind the question’s posed) is Chocolat. Firstly because it’s such a feel-good story, funny and sentimental, and secondly, it has the gorgeous Johnny Depp looking just as tasty as the chocolate that isn’t his favourite 
.
What’s the best show you’ve been involved in?
Define ‘best’?! This is really hard to choose, as there have been so many since I joined the Barn back in 1981 and the wonderful Hugh Croydon first took a leap of faith on a newcomer and cast me in Toys in the Attic. One play that I’d love to do again if it’s ever included in a Barn season is Ladies in Lavender. This was directed by Claudia McKelvey for HD&OS and won at Hertford. It gave me a challenging part (channelling Judi Dench) and I even managed to cry real tears on stage every night – something I never thought I’d be able to do.
What story does your family always tell about you?
I quizzed my husband and my two sisters about this and they all came up with something different! I’m tempted to use David’s (picking up a husband on a Greek quayside) as the craziest thing (see below), but I think I’ve told that story often and, to be fair, nearly 40 years on, it hasn’t turned out too badly. Kathryn and Linda both offered memories of my childhood and this is Kathryn’s: it seems that I was quite a headstrong child (no change there then). I’d done something wrong (don’t know what) that led to my mother saying ‘Say sorry to Nanna, or go up to your room’. Apparently, without another word, I turned and went straight upstairs. I still have a bad habit of cutting off my nose to spite my face.
If you could have lunch with any three people (real or fictitious / dead or alive), which three people would you choose and why?
Elizabeth Feek, one of my great, great grandmothers in the maternal line, born around 1837/8. My sister Linda began tracing our family tree when our two grandmothers were still alive and willing to be quizzed about everything they could remember and I picked up the gauntlet during the 1980s to try to fill in some of the gaps. One of those concerns Elizabeth and, to this day, we still can’t pin her down.
Wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan. I adore any wildlife documentaries and Gordon has featured in so many of the best. Who can forget series such as The Bear Family and Me? I think he’d be a highly interesting and entertaining lunch companion and I could listen to his Scots accent all day.
Chris Hemsworth… well come on, who wouldn’t?
If given complete freedom to start afresh, what profession would you choose and why?
I’ve always enjoyed helping others to learn and understand new things. About 20 years ago I even got as far as studying for and gaining a teaching diploma specifically geared to office skills, but never found the opportunity to use it. Now, if I could have had a role that involved teaching and also allowed me to travel and be outdoors…
What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
Agreeing to answer this questionnaire without checking out the questions first – it’s so hard!
If you were to change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I would love to have a beautiful singing voice. Sadly, I will never forget the damning ‘7/10 C – flat!’ written by the music teacher after my choir audition at school when aged 11 and confided to me afterwards by ‘a friend’!
If you were stranded on a lonely beach, what are the five things that you would want to have with you?
A compass, a location map, a seaworthy boat, a fully working outboard motor and sufficient fuel to reach the nearest habitation (after enjoying my day on the beach).
What is one of your favourite quotes?
If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.
What is your most cherished childhood memory?
After Kathryn married in 1968, dad was a bit strapped for cash. He borrowed an old 1950s-era caravan from an office colleague and we towed it up to Scotland. Despite some hair-raising experiences with it, we bought our own the following year. I have many cherished memories of those holidays in the far north-west, discovering secluded bays and wild places very much off the beaten track.
If given a chance to skip work for a day, how would you spend the entire day? May not be relevant in these weird days!
Favourite days would always involve sun, sea and sand and not having to come home and cook supper afterwards.
Hazel Halliday
Alternative Dialogue
This month I thought for a change I would invite readers to supply their own alternative dialogue for the pictures attached. I will publish them next month. Thinking caps on!
Please send your comments to [email protected]
The Editor would also welcome any new photos and captions for next month.
Please email them to us here:
.
Comedy Corner
I got into a taxi yesterday and the driver said ‘Do you mind if I put some music on?’
I said: ‘No, not at all’.
He said: ‘Kiss?’
I said: ‘Let’s start with the music and see how we feel’.
Bloke walks into a convenience shop and picks up a can of fly spray. He asks the assistant ‘Is this any good for wasps?’
She replies ‘No, it kills them!’
A policeman called at my house today and asked ‘Where were you between 3 and 5?’
I replied ‘At infants school’.
I was walking through the park when a policeman came over. ‘Excuse me sir,’ he said. ‘You haven’t seen a bloke with black hair and a beard about 5’10” around, have you?’ ‘No,’ I replied, ‘I’ll keep an eye out though – can’t be many men around with a beard that long!’
Yesterday was a beautiful, sunny spring day, and some friends and I were driving through Wales. At Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyllllantysiliogogogoch we stopped for lunch and I asked the waitress: ‘Before we order, I wonder if you could settle an argument for us. Can you pronounce where we are, very, very, very slowly?’ The girl leaned over and said: ‘Burrr… gurrr… King’.
Customer: ‘Waiter, taste this soup.’
Waiter: ‘Why sir, what’s wrong with it?’
Customer: ‘Just taste it, will you?’
Water: ‘Sir, if there’s something wrong with the soup, we’ll happily replace it for you.’
Customer: ‘Look, just taste the bloody soup!’
Waiter: ‘OK sir, (pause). Um, where’s the spoon?’
Customer: ‘Aha!’
Mike Smith
Editor
WGC News
Some news about Welwyn Garden City
Some of you may be aware that the poster booths situated in Howardsgate have been refurbished after many years of neglect. They are now as they were when first constructed in the 1960s. Each of the panels now contains ‘posters’ telling the story of various aspects of the town’s history, with one poster telling the story of the early days of the Barn when it was a dairy as part of the Agricultural Guild established at the start of the town’s construction.
The Centenary of Welwyn Garden City has passed in a way which was never envisaged, the Covid pandemic causing a number of the planned events to be cancelled, including City of Tomorrow planned to be performed by the Barn last April. Hopefully this production will get onto our stage in the not too distant future.
The Centenary Foundation winds up at the end of April 2021, one of the final creations is a Souvenir Guide providing information of what took place as well as some information about events still to come. The Guide is available (free) in local supermarkets and a copy can also be downloaded from the Centenary website by following this link:
https://www.wgc100.org/wp-content/uploads/WGC100-Souvenir-Guide-2021.pdf
Finally, don’t miss the opportunity to visit the statue of Sir Ebenezer Howard which has been erected in Howardsgate.
Robert Gill
Census
What did you put on the census form?
Householders have long risked a fine for mockery. In 1911 one included the cat (age eight, mouser, married). Yet real occupations could sound so outlandish that truth and parody were hard to distinguish. Among apparently genuine occupations given in 1891 were: stick polisher, owler, castrator, capitalist, wantcatcher, dog killer, panter, chair bodger, clodhopper, pigmaker, cowleech, rackmaiden, Scotchman, knock-knobbler, touchholer, ripper, slubber doffer, fancy man, eyer, lum swooper, muggler, feather wife, potato badger, henchman, tide gauger and devil.
From an article by Christopher Howse in The Spectator.
Adventures in podcasting.....almost
Stay at home they advised. OK. Happy to do that. What? No theatre? What am I going to do with all that spare time?
I know. I’ll write a novel. Novels are long, very long. They take dedication, resolve and, er, vocabulary. How about a short story? Can do. I wrote a short story during lockdown. Called Story Wars, about three teens each telling a story, a war of words. Published it on Amazon too. Then my attention was hooked by podcasts. What if I wrote a podcast about something I found dear and treasured?
What is a podcast? A podcast is a sound file. It’s like a recorded radio show on demand. You download a podcast to your computer or device and play it when you want. All you need is an app and there are plenty of them, say Podcasts by Apple for an iPhone, or Google Podcasts for an Android phone.
Podcasting is a broad, a very broad, church. Think of something, anything. There’s a podcast for that. In the main they are talk shows but there are a lot of scripted drama and comedy podcasts. Go and explore!
Jelly Trumpet
So, just before the last lockdown I chose my subject for my podcast. Creativity. It’s always fascinated me. How to be as creative as possible. How to unleash the imagination and take over the world, well, at least Hertfordshire. Over the years I’ve picked up many ideas, tips, techniques and tools for exploring my own creativity. Jelly Trumpet was born.
Jelly Trumpet is a comedy show, surreal and silly BUT with tips, ideas, exercises and guests all focused on being creative.
Alas, lockdown has put a crimp in the Jelly Trumpet podcast pipeline. The first season is written and currently I’m writing episode seven of nine of season two.
What I enjoy most about podcasts is painting pictures with words, sounds and even pauses. You can go anywhere and do anything – and a listener has an experience. The cost is low too.
Almost there…
I hope to have season one of Jelly Trumpet ready for your ears soon after lockdown ends. Listen out for it. Jelly Trumpet travels through time, space and media such as books, plays and computer games. My helpmates include Mr b, a musician with a taste for experiments, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine (picked her up in 1150 medieval France, tying to put her back), myself, who never quite writes enough drafts of the show, and Nigel, a squirrel the size of a St Bernard dog who loves playing the bongos.
Happy listening.
Jim Kinloch
Welwyn Drama Festival 2021
Tickets for this year’s exciting online festival are available from www.ticketsource.co.uk/wdf and will cost £4 per session. We’re sorry to have to charge for the tickets but even a virtual festival has costs, which have to be covered. Our adjudicator this year is Walker Ewart OBE, who will be joining us from his home in Ulster, and he will decide on the recipients of the WDF Rubber Ducks! Don’t miss it!
Monday 17th May 7.30pm
Gate Productions Dreamers by Linda Dyne
Woodhouse Players Two the Same by Sarah Flanagan
Tuesday 18th May 7.30pm
CoPs (Hertford) The Strange Case of Henry Jekyll & Edward Hyde by Laura Ilinca
Spiral Curtain Nightmare on Downing Street by Rodney Pearson
Wednesday 19th May 7.30pm
Corvus Amateur Drama Society Seven Movies by Roy Maddox
Out of Ideas Theatre Company Throw Me a Rope by Sarah Ridley
Thursday 20th May 7.30pm
Shattered Windscreen Theatre Company Girl Walks into a Bar by Matthew Wilkie
Digswell Players Book Club by Emma Northcott
The Company of Ten Wordsworth Writes by Mial Pagan
Friday 21st May 7.30pm
Biggleswade Amateur Theatrical Society Trammel Net by Mel Wilcox
Tiger Theatrical Productions The Tenant by Alan Smithee (adaptation)
Saturday 22nd May 2.30pm
Barn Theatre Club The Best Man by Glyn Maxwell
Woodhouse Players Perceptions by Ian Powell
Saturday 22nd May 7.30pm
Nantwich Players Girl in the Machine by Stef Smith
The College Players Bing and Bong’s Am-dram Special Report – Unstaged by Nick Wilkes
Daytime Zoom play reading group
We’re always delighted to have new material to read. So when Stuart Handysides was sent a play by retired school teacher Peter Hollerin we were curious to see what it would be like. We discovered a well-adapted version of Anne Brontë’s novel Agnes Grey and were happy to go ahead and try it out for our April play reading.
Talking to Peter beforehand, he said:
‘I’ve been writing for most of my adult life without trying to discover what I actually wanted to write. There have been numerous short stories, unfinished novels and other bits and pieces jumbled together over the years without purpose or belief. Then, I happened to write a play and found that I became engrossed in the process and the enticing, but unlikely, possibility of hearing my words spoken and interpreted by others.
‘I’ve always loved the theatre and as a teacher I enjoyed the teaching of drama texts more than any other aspect of the curriculum and so it’s odd that I discovered this form of my hobby so late.’
He went on to say more about his process for the play.
‘I adapted Agnes Grey after reading the unique biography, Take Courage: Anne Brontë and the Art of Life, by the playwright Samantha Ellis in which she casts a feminist eye over the work of Anne Brontë and her life. Anne’s life and work are too often overshadowed by the genius of Charlotte and Emily; she is mostly remembered only for her second novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. But in Agnes Grey I was immediately struck by Anne’s comic voice and her ability to observe the absurdities of life from the eyes of a Victorian governess who is often invisible to her employers and abused by her charges.
‘Anne was the only Brontë sister who worked as a governess. She was a pragmatist and realist and she portrays life as a governess as it really was: difficult, lonely and uncertain.’
Peter structured his play around the central relationship in the novel: Agnes, the governess, and Rosalie, her charge. It reveals the very real and rigid strictures binding women at that time no matter of their social class.
Armed with all the background, we really enjoyed the play, trying out soft Yorkshire accents and handling the text which was lifted selectively and sensitively from the novel.
Now it may be that we’re missing the chance to get into the skin of a character but since this play would likely be staged as a Victorian costume drama one member of the group took advantage of the opportunity to dress up! The character of Reverend Hatfield is ‘ambitious, arrogant and more interested in self-promotion than the souls in his care’. This was played to the hilt by Peter Neville, best known for playing JM Barrie in Lost. He kept his Zoom screen turned off until his first speech and revealed himself in dog’s collar and fetching burgundy jacket.
Peter, the playwright, decided to change the ending of Agnes’ story. In the novel a curate, Mr Weston, features as the love interest for Agnes and provides a happy-ever-after finish. But he said:
‘It was impossible for me to imagine Mr Weston as anything other than an implausible romantic convenience, so the novel’s ending did not seem right for this adaptation. Instead Agnes accepts a posting in America and her charge Rosalie, extricates herself from a disastrous marriage to join her. This, I hope, gives the story more of a 21st-century appeal.’
Peter was unable to join us on the morning of the play reading but Derek Palmer recorded the Zoom meeting and sent him a copy to watch at his leisure. We hope he enjoys watching and mulling over whether his first adaptation, his choices and ending all worked as well as he’d planned.
Next date on Zoom:
Tuesday 11th May, 9.45am to approx. 12 noon. New members welcome and of course we hope to be back in the Green Room sometime soon.
Yvana Reeves