Ottershaw Players

We are holding a read through of two plays for this year’s summer supper show on Wednesday 11th April at Hare Hill Club, 8pm. Everyone is welcome so please come along for a sociable evening.

We will be reading;

CCTV by Derek Webb

Synopsis

In the security control room of The Oaks shopping centre,  Rich is coming on duty for the night shift, relieving Alex and Jane, two other guards.  Alex is decidedly non-pc with a penchant for zooming in the CCTV cameras onto unsuspecting women shoppers.  Rich is far more conformist and rather pedantic in his attitudes, but he has obviously learnt to put up with Alex’s childish behaviour.  Jane has a penchant for shopping with a capital S and is a bright, rather feisty addition to the security team.

It is, it seems a ordinary evening at The Oaks – until the arrival of Keith, a robber of quite breathtaking incompetence, intent on robbing the shopping centre.

The dull routine of life in a security office is blown away with the arrival of Keith who has a stocking over his head and a gun in the back of the apologetic Jane The horror of the situation is somewhat diluted by the fact that neither Rich nor Alex can make out a single word that Keith is saying, due to the afore-mentioned stocking. The humour comes thick and fast. Alex unwittingly tells Keith all he needs to know, while Rich insists that people adhere to the correct use of grammar whatever the circumstances.

Characters

(3m, 1f)

Alex: security guard, treats most things as a bit of a joke
Rich: security guard, treats things far more seriously
Jane: security guard, treats shopping with reverence
Keith: would-be robber, treats himself to whatever he can lay his hands on

Smalls Talk by Sue and Clive Read

Synopsis

Five ladies of different ages and backgrounds meet for a lingerie party with Dawn, the Lady Lace Representative. The atmosphere is cool until the hostess gets out her husband’s lethal pea-pod wine. Under its influence tongues are loosened as the ladies decide to give one of their dowdy colleagues a makeover in order to regain the affections of her errant husband.

Characters

(6f, 1m)

Rex: Husband of Linda, a sly wimp
Linda: Hostess – easy-going
Dawn: Lady Lace Demonstrator – wet but persistent
Tracy: Young next-door-neighbour – innocently tactless
Carol: Linda’s sister – cynical, hard-bitten, a laugh
Dot: Older work colleague, dour
Emma: Workmate – pathetic – suffering from loss of husband

Hope to see you on Wednesday 11th April at 8pm in Hare Hill Club

Hello All,

We are holding a read through next Wednesday (23rd) at the Castle pub in the conservatory at 8pm, do join us for a relaxed social evening.

We shall be reading ‘How To Train Your Husband’ by Devon Williamson. Its a very funny two act play for five women and two men.

Kate – the matriarch of the family, so successful at training her husband he’s become dull and boring
Sheryl – (Kate and Denis’ daughter). Her husband is having a ‘bro-mance’ with her daughter’s husband Wayne. Her husband training has hit a snag.
Jessica – (Sheryl’s daughter) newly married, very little progress in training her husband.
Denis – lives to now his lawns, fully trained by his wife Kate.
Gwen – one of the ‘weird sisters’, unmarried, desperate to train a man.
Trudy – the other ‘weird sister’ unmarried, desperate.
Pete – neighbour to Jessica, a carpenter.

We are presenting this play as an option for OP’s winter production, dates of performance 7th 8th and 9th December. Do join us, even if you are not available to be involved in the production, its a social evening, a good excuse for a get together and chit chat, plus all feedback is very welcome.

See you in the Castle conservatory at 8pm next Wednesday 23rd August

The audition for the summer plays is scheduled for Wednesday 22nd March in the conservatory at the Castle pub from 7.30pm.

We will be reading three plays, see below.

If you can’t make that date but are keen to be involved please let me know asap, I can then decide if a second audition date would be beneficial.

The dates of the shows are Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd July and will follow a similar format to last summer with a buffet supper as part of the evening.

If you have yet to read the chosen plays they are all available to read in full on Lazy Bee Scripts website.

The plays;

Changing Rooms by Jackie Carreira
Maggie – senior shop assistant
Sophia – bride to be
Rosa – mother in law to be, of Greek origin
Jo – a single woman
Gemma – a fashion conscious young lady
Sam – Gemma’s boyfriend

Mum’s the Word by Damian Woods
David Richards
Janet Richards – his wife
Margaret – his annoying mother
Simon Orchard – a cheery next door neighbour
Sandra Orchard – his wife

Fidelity Farce by Gary Diamond
Vincent Donaldson – a middle aged businessman who is having an affair with the other characters
Mandy Phelps – Vincent’s attractive PA
Vanessa Donaldson – Vincent’s posh wife
Cindy – Vanessa’s attractive sister
Emma – a middle aged attractive woman
Richard – the hotel room service

There is plenty of opportunity for doubling however its very much a ‘the more the merrier’ situation. We had a great time last summer and the feedback to the format of the evenings was terrific so do join us and let’s make this summer even more successful.

Claire WA

Tailor-made for Women, The Naked Truth is the hit comedy Play from Dave Simpson, the writer of the smash-hit comedy “Girls Night Out”. Set in a village hall pole dancing class, ‘The Naked Truth’ is a brilliantly funny bitter-sweet comedy about sisterhood.