Woodie Awards Results 2010

Congratulations to you all for your contributions for our enjoyment.

Congratulations for Love Bites

 

Congratulatons to the Elmwood Players for the three excellent plays called Love Bites. I especially liked the last one, Desperate and Dateless. Well written, well cast, well acted. I don't think we've ever had a dud from them.

 

Audience Member

NZ Theatre Federation Local Results

 

Our production "Fault" won best performance of a NZ play (Jubilee Trophy), Best production of a drama (Radford Cup) and was awarded Runner-up production (Dorothy Crumpton Memorial Trophy). This production is going through to Dunedin to the South Island Regional Festival on June 5 and 6.

 

 

Other awards - Steve Millar (Swiss Cider) was awarded a 'Magic Moments' certificate for his significant pause after an ironic line, and Braydon Priest (Swiss Cider) was awarded an 'Excellence in Acting' certificate. Sarah Hollander (Swiss Cider) also won an Excellence Award.

 

Congratulations to Marilyn and her cast for qualifying for regionals to Gary and his cast for their awards and to both for their excellent productions.

 

 

 

Also travelling to Dunedin are:

 

 

Thirst!

At the Operate Forum recently THIRST was born! Invite everyone you can think of who's connected with making performance in Chch....

 

Monthly networking get together for Performing Arts practitioners upstairs at the Dux 3rd Thursday of the month, 8 - 10 pm. Starting this Thursday! Hopefully you can come.

See you Thursday!

THIRST rationale:

An informal monthly gathering - opportunity for open honest social networking to reinforce and sustain the performing arts community in Christchurch!

 

Dead funny black comedy entertains Fred.

Directed by Anita Hallewas. Presented by Elmwood Players. March 26 to April 5, 7.30pm. Reviewed by Alan Scott. - The Press | Thursday, 27 March 2008.


The audience had a good time with this one, judging by the laughs that rang out around the auditorium. Fred is a black comedy from Australia which centres on a group of friends who keep finding dead bodies: one by the clothesline, one in the laundry and one in the garage. It seems to start off as a whodunit, but ends up as a who cares whodunit, because whodunit is not the point.

 

Truth to tell, it is hard to figure out what is the point of the play, despite the playwright slipping in references to chaos theory as if to give it some philosophical import. The whole thing fizzles out at the end without any real resolution and, to some degree, leaves you with a feeling of dissatisfaction.

On the other hand, it is dead funny, if you will forgive the obvious pun. It is a fairly bizarre comedy that keeps you laughing till the end and I am fairly sure the audience went home happy.

It is rude and crude and not afraid to take a whack at sacred cows. People always seem to laugh when characters talk dirty on stage.

The characters are fairly stereotypical, from the gay surgeon to the used car salesman with his brains in his underpants.

The production itself was very well done and I commend all the actors for convincingly conveying the piece. They expertly brought out the humour and kept up the pace really well. The scenic nature of the play meant they had to work extra hard to keep it flowing.

The director was on top of the whole thing and, along with the cast, did the play real justice.

UGLY CUSTOMERS

Written by Joseph Musaphia
Presented by Riccarton Players
Tickets $15 / $11
Running time 1 hour 22 (including a short interval)

“Don’t miss this hilarious comedy that is sure to remind you of what good customer service is actually about” entices the press release from Riccarton Players.  A New Zealand comedy, Ugly Customers represents the poor service provided by so many staff in retail and service positions. When two long-standing customers of the fictitious local bank can no longer accept poor customer service, they decide to rob the bank at gun point and teach the staff a thing or two about customers.

 

The central characters, Harold (John Boyce) and Laura (Cathy Jaeger), are aged in their mid seventies/eighties, complete with walker.  A number of compliments for Jaeger were overhead from audience members at interval and after the curtain, however Boyce, with his portrayal of the gun-toting elderly Harold, particularly impressed.

 

Also of note is customer Barry played with a hint of Frank Spencer by rather burly, six foot six Graeme Randle.  Barry, who turns out to be something of a coward, has a wonderful exchange with Janice (Pene Maddock), one of the bank tellers and from this point the play picks up the pace.

 

Both the pace and the humor increase in the second act with the audience settling in to this light comedy that every audience member could associate with.  Who hasn’t waited in a bank line waiting for a teller to come free, only to be greeted with a “next teller please” sign?

 

Curiously, for a writer with a book and a number of journalist articles to his name, the play missed a number of comedic opportunities that another writer such as Roger Hall would have picked up on.  There were glimpses of Musaphia’s life experiences as a motivational speaker and sales coach but thankfully these were small digressions.

 

The six cast member completed a fine performance and gave the audience a good night’s entertainment.  No ugly customers this side of the curtain.

Dai Eveleigh
15 March 2007

Mary Robertson


It is with sad regret all at Elmwood Players note the passing of Mary Robertson who always had a very active interest in the Theatre as well as cats and her garden. Doug Clarke of Riccarton Players supplied the brief notes about Mary and Stewart.

 

Mary & Stewart Robertson were both members of Elmwood Players in the good old "Garage Days" at 69 St Albans Street.

 

They progressed and assisted with the creation of the Elmwood Playhouse, that was.

Latterly Mary worked tirelessly for Canterbury Repertory Theatre, organising FOH, as well as maintaining a high profile with the Cats Protection League, maintaining her rambling garden which was full of surprises, and spending time with her grandchildren.

She is survived by daughters, Lee, Ruth and Lynne, and of course son, Grant, who is co-owner of The Light Site.

 

Another dedicated theatre person has passed on - now Mary can join her beloved Stewart creating a new theatre in the hereafter

AGM and 4th Annual Woodies 2009

 

Congratulations to all the Woodie recipients. Here is the list of winners for this year:

Best Actor (Full Length Play):

Chris Domigan (Macbeth).

Best Actress (Full Length Play):

Nikki Conyers (Lady Macbeth).

Best Supporting Actor:

(Pozzo - Waiting for Godot).


Best Supporting Actress:

Aimee Perry (Rosie - My Mother Said I Never Should).

 

Best Director:

Sam Fisher (Macbeth).


Best Technical:

Sam Scully (LED/Tech Wiz, Macbeth).


Best First-timer: (new to Elmwood or the stage)

Aimee Perry (Rosie - My Mother Said I Never Should).

 

Best Blooper:

Steve Millar having to exit the auditorium via the window in the ladies' loos (he was trying to lock up without keys).


Best Prop/Costume:

The spooky LED lights in MacBeth.

 

Congratulations to you all for your contributions for our enjoyment.

 

New Committee and Officers 2009

The following are the members of executive for this year:

President - Kris Vavasour

Vice President - Jo Cherry

Treasurer - Marilyn Ollet

Secretary - Sam Fisher

PC Editor- Chanel Hughes

Web Editor - Brian Sullivan