Captain Noah and his floating zoo
A Cantata by Michael Flanders and Joseph Horowitz
Performance: 31 August 2024, Betchworth Village Hall
Director: Alison Cooper
Musical Director: Vicki Hodges
Accompanist: Ian Stone
A 'come and sing' fundraising event consisting of a rehearsal, tea & cakes, and a performance, with additional monologues by Sarah Esser-Haswell and Stephen Tickell. Soloists were rehearsed in advance !
| Noah | Peter Telford |
| Narrator | Jane Khan |
| God | Peter Thomas |
| Mrs Noah | Jane Flanders |
| Mrs Shem | Eleanor Hubbard |
| Mrs Ham | Jane Johnson |
| Mrs Japhet | Emoke Soproni |
| Shem | David Brown |
| Ham | Stephen Tickell |
| Japhet | Neil Williams |
Salad Days
Performances 13-16 November 2024, Betchworth Village Hall
Director: Lynda Barrett-Mercer
Musical Director: Ian Stone
Choreographer: Gail Lowe
Reviewed for NODA by Graham Botterill
Written in the 1950s by Julian Slade and Dorothy Reynolds, Salad Days is a light-hearted and zany musical, combining memorable tunes such as ‘We Said we Wouldn’t Look Back’, ‘Look at Me I’m Dancing’ and ‘We’re Looking for a Piano’ with fast-moving comedy, drawing on panto and music hall traditions.
Just out of university, Jane and Timothy agree to look after a piano for a mysterious tramp, while Timothy’s family try to find him a suitable job, and Jane’s a suitable husband. The piano turns out to have magical powers, causing anyone who hears it to dance. A series of unexpected events follow, involving numerous eccentric characters, the disappearance of the magic piano and the appearance of a flying saucer
An amateur production, presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd
Cast
| The Tramp | Kelly Cross |
| Jane | Jane Khan |
| Timothy | Dee Coutts |
| Timothy's Mother | Jane Straker |
| Timothy's Father | Roger Nelson |
| Lady Raeburn | Jane Seymour |
| Nigel | Peter Telford |
| Heloise | Eleanor Hubbard |
| PC Boot | Stephen Tickell |
| Rowena | Joanne Packham |
| The Nun | Margaret Longes |
| Troppo | Emoke Soproni |
| Fosdyke | Stephen Tickell |
| Sir Clamsby Williams | Peter Telford |
| Inspector | David Longes |
| Manager | David Longes |
| Asphynxia | Emoke Soproni |
| Uncle Zed | Roger Nelson |
| Fiona | Christina Usher |
| Augustine WIlliams | Julie Bickerdike |
| Electrode | Margaret Longes |
| Anthea | Eleanor Hubbard |
| Aunt Prue | Julie Bickerdike |
| Ambrose | David Longes |
Production Team
| Director | Lynda Barrett-Mercer |
| Musical Director | Ian Stone |
| Musicians | Ian Stone, Tessa Lawn, Helen Greaves |
| Choreographer | Gail Lowe |
| Stage Manager | Diane Mayall |
| Sound/Lighting | David Ames |
| Set construction | Diane Mayall, Neil Mayall, Stephen Tickell, Neil Williams & the Company |
| Costume | Lynda Barrett-Mercer, Julie Bickerdike |
| Props/Furniture | Jane Flanders, Darryl Cross, Emoke Soproni |
| Poster design | Lynda Barrett-Mercer, Josh Packham |
| Front of House | Linda Slater, Trish Finch |
| Photography | Geoff Martin |
The Enchanted April
Performances: 15-18 May 2024, Betchworth Village Hall
This production received a NODA Accolade of Excellence - read the review by Graham Botterill
Director: Jane Hogg
Four ladies who have only just met make a bold decision to escape the dire winter weather of 1920's London and rent a villa in Italy for the month of April. All have very different characters and backgrounds, but each has a deep dissatisfaction with their everyday lives.
Will their time together at beautiful San Salvatore help bring them the friendship, resolution, peace and most of all, love, they crave ? Join Lotty, Rose, Caroline, Mrs Fisher and assorted husbands on their Italian idyll to find out, in this gentle play adapted by Bonnie Roberts from the novel by Elizabeth von Arnim
Presented by arrangement with The Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois
Cast
| Lotty Wilkins | Diane Mayall |
| Rose Arbuthnot | Jane Khan |
| Mrs Fisher | Jane Seymour |
| Lady Caroline Dester | Dee Coutts |
| Mellersh Wilkins | Neil Mayall |
| Frederick Arbuthnot | Kevin Hogg |
| Mr Briggs | Stephen Tickell |
| Francesca | Linda Slater |
| Domenico | David Ames |
Crew
| Sound & Lighting | David Ames, Julie Bickerdike, Roger Nelson |
| Sound design | Kevin Hogg |
| Set design | Jane Hogg |
| Set construction | Kevin Hogg, Gerald Hulf, Tracey Hulf, Stephen Tickell, Neil Williams & the Company |
| Stage management | Kevin Hogg, Stephen Tickell |
| Costume | Jane Hogg and the Company |
| Prompt | Trish Finch |
| Front of house | Joanne Packham |
| Poster and programme design | Josh Packham |
| Photography | Geoff Martin |
Last Woman Working
Performance: Southern Counties Drama Festival, 20 Feb 2024
Director: Stephen Tickell
This one-act play by Michael Pearcy is set in an ordinary town in the not too distant future, when AI and robots have taken over almost every job. Desperate to save hers, Barbara confronts her MP Peter at the weekly surgery. He and his agent Vanessa try to persuade Barbara to settle for 'end of work training', however she is determined to make a stand and has some surprising tactics up her sleeve, as well as unexpected support. The consequences are entertaining, but there's also an underlying serious and topical message. Contains strong language
Presented by arrangement with Lazy Bee Scripts
Cast
| Peter Warrington | Gerald Hulf |
| Vanessa Broad | Linda Slater |
| Barbara Wooley | Tracey Hulf |
| Joan Pickle | Diane Mayall |
| Fred Pickle | Roger Nelson |
| Lilly (Barbara's daughter) | Kelly Cross |
Crew
| Stage Manager | Julie Bickerdike |
| Sound | Stephen Tickell |
| Crew | Dee Coutts |
