THEATRE WEST FOUR SUMMER NEWSLETTER No3

Agatha Crusty and The Village Hall Murders- Cast Announced

We are pleased to announce the following cast for our autumn production Agatha Crusty And The Village Hall Murders.

Cast in order of appearance:

Harry Knott: Jonathan Simmons

Agatha Crusty: Judy Ramjeet

Alice Fogg: Natalia Sirotkina

Olivia/Oliver Truscott-Pratt: Eva Von Mitzka

Eleanor Wagstaff: Yvonne Austin

D.I.Twigg- Alex Molloy

Maisie Grimm: Emma Chandler

Rev. Toby Bishop: Ashley Brown

PC Lockett: Mick Cawson

Isabella Battersby: Flavia Dale

Mandy: Veeda Ray

Other News

Ellie Hopkins performed in Achord Chamber Choir’s sell out Sweet Dreams concert of 1980s hits in Brixton Community Base on Tuesday Evening. £222.37 was raised for MAG International.

Hazel Collinson has re-joined the committee team in the with portfolio post until the AGM.

What’s On- July/August 2019.

Isleworth

31 July-2 August 2019

Stopgap Theatre Company will be performingCan You Hear Me At The Back, by Brian Clark. It stars out very own Jim Simpson and if you are into cakes, there is a wide range of delicious home-made offerings.

This play examines the world of architects and town planners, who, instead of designing buildings that fit the human scale, seem to succeed only in creating a succession of people filing cabinets. His central character, Philip Turner, Chief Architect of Feltonly New Town, comments wryly: “You can stack flats one on top of the other, and the pre-stressed concrete can stand the pressure. But until someone discovers a way of pre-stressing people, the strain breaks them down”. Originally starred Peter Barkworth and Hannah Gordon at the Piccadilly Theatre.

Where:

Isleworth Public Hall,
South Street,
Isleworth TW7 7BG

Performance Times:

Wednesday-Friday 31 July-2 August 2019 7.45pm

Box Office: 

020 8995 9725

stopgaptheatre@aol.com

Tickets:

£10 

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AUDITIONS- Agatha Crusty and The Village Hall Murders

Theatre West Four will be holding auditions for its Autumn production of Agatha Crusty and The Village Hall Murders starting from Thursday 27 June 2019. This murder mystery with an ingenious plot is full of wit and very funny scenes.It has been enjoyed by cast, crew and audiences alike and recently celebrated its 100^thproduction run.

Performance/Dress/Get-In Information

The performance dates are 29 October 2019 – 2 November 2019 (there will be 2 performances on the 2^ndNovember), with the dress rehearsal on the 28 October and the get in/tech rehearsal on 27 October. The performances will be at The Questors Studio Theatre in Ealing.

Auditions information

Auditions will be held at The Friendship Club, Oxford Road North, Chiswick, London W4 4DNon 27 June 2019 and 4 July 2019 from 7.30pm – 9pm  and 11 July 2019 from 7.45pm-9.05pm. These will be by10 minute time slot.To book a time slot, please contact Ellie Hopkins by email ellie.hopkins@btinternet.com. Everyone is welcome to attend. Rehearsals are anticipated to start in September 2019. Rehearsals are on Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons at the Friendship Club.

Synopsis:

Agatha Crusty (pronounced Croosty) is a crime novelist. She’s also pretty adept at solving crimes. And when her sister-in-law Alice invites her to spend a few days with her in the village of Chortelby, it’s not long before she gets caught up in a series of murders which seem directed at members of the All Saints Village Hall committee.

From Toby, the Vicar, and Eleanor, Chair of the committee, to Harry Knott the caretaker and identical twins Olivia and Oliver Truscott-Pratt, there are plenty of suspects. And with an investigating officer as incompetent as D.I. Twigg, there are plenty of laughs as the murders begin to pile up.

Characters:

Harry– the village hall caretaker, cynical, worldly-wise, down-to-earth (30s-60s)                                        Agatha – a crime novelist, unassuming, but very smart (30s-60s)                                                                          Alice –Agatha’s sister-in-law, pleasant, unpretentious (30s-60s)                                                              Olivia/Oliver– played by same actor or actress. They are twin sister and brother. Olivia is an upper-crust, landed gentry type with less land than she’d like. Oliver, except for the hair/headwear looks the same. He sports a rifle and dead animals (30s-60s)                                                                                                    Eleanor – chair of the hall committee, mother-superior type (30s-50s)                                                               Twigg – a Detective Inspector of extraordinary incompetence (30s-50s) 

Maisie– a cleaner, pleasant but not afraid to call a spade a spade (30s-50s)                                                   Toby –the vicar, generally genial and a little naïve, but can be forceful (30s-50s)                                            PC Lockett– the village bobby, cousin to Harry (30s-60s)                                                                                  Isabella –the pub landlady, mumsy type with definite pretensions (30s-60s)                                                Oliver –Olivia’s twin brother, who, except for the hair, looks the same (30s-60s)                                       Mandy –a model. 

For more information, or if you are interested but cannot make those audition dates, please contact Ellie by email onellie.hopkins@btinternet.comor on 07870 196959.

THEATRE WEST FOUR EARLY SUMMER NEWSLETTER No2

Production News

We are pleased to announce that Agatha Crusty And The Village Hall Murders has been chosen as our Autumn production at Questors. This really fun play celebrated its 100^thproduction run recently at the Abbey Theatre in Northampton and has been enjoyed by cast, crew and audiences alike. 

Production Dates: 27 October- 2 November 2019

Casting will be starting soon. Anyone interested in participating the production please get in touch with Ellie Hopkins by email on: ellie.hopkins@btinternet.comor phone: 07870 196959.

Characters:

Harry- the village hall caretaker, cynical, wordly wise, down to earth (30s-60s) Agatha- a crime novelist, unassuming, but very smart (30s-60s) Alice- Agatha’s sister-in-law, pleasant, unpretentious (30s-60s) Olivia- an upper-crust, landed gentry type with less land than she’d like (30s-60s) Eleanor- chair of the hall committee, mother-superior type (30s-50s) Twigg- a Detective Inspector of extraordinary incompetence Maisie- a cleaner, pleasant but not afraid to call a spade a spade (30s-50s) Toby- the vicar, generally genial and a little naïve, but can be forceful (30s-50s) PC Lockett – the village bobby, cousin to Harry (30s-60s)  Isabella – the pub landlady, mumsy type with definite pretensions (30s-60s)  Oliver – Olivia’s twin brother, who, except for the hair, looks the same (30s-60s)- played by same actor/actress  Mandy – a model. 

Brief Synopsis

Agatha Crusty (pronounced Croosty) is a crime novelist. She’s also pretty adept at solving crimes. And when her sister-in-law Alice invites her to spend a few days with her in the village of Chortelby, it’s not long before she gets caught up in a series of murders which seem directed at members of the All Saints Village Hall committee.

From Toby, the Vicar, and Eleanor, Chair of the committee, to Harry Knott the caretaker and identical twins Olivia and Oliver Truscott-Pratt, there are plenty of suspects. And with an investigating officer as incompetent as D.I. Twigg, there are plenty of laughs as the murders begin to pile up. But, while packed full of wit and very funny scenes, this is also a genuine murder mystery with an ingenious plot which will tax the little grey cells of the audience at the same time!

What’s On- April 2019.

Chiswick/Kew

25-29 June 2019

St Michael’s Players will be performingSalad Days in the open air to celebrate their 70^thAnniversary. Salad Days follows a young couple fresh from university, seeking to find their place in life and work. They encounter a colourful array of characters, including a mysterious tramp who loans them a magical piano which, when played, makes anyone in the vicinity spontaneously dance! “Salad Days was a huge hit, became one of the longest running musicals of the 50’s and made a young Cameron Mackintosh want to pursue a musical theatre career” 

Where:

St Paul’s Church Gardens,
56-62 Grove Park Rd,
Chiswick, W4 3SD

Performance Times:

Tuesday-Saturday 2019 7.45pm

Box Office: 

http://stmichaelsplayers.weebly.com

Tickets:

From £10 

PLAY SELECTION MEETING- AUTUMN 2019 PRODUCTION

The date of the play selection meeting will be on Thursday 6^thJune 2019 at 7.30pm. Please put this date in your diaries. The theme for the Autumn production will be Murder Mystery/Thriller. If you have a play that you would like to be considered, please drop me an email: ellie.hopkins@btinternet.comor send a text message to 07870 196959. 

SNAG BY TONY TRAXLER OPENS AT THE TABARD THEATRE NEXT WEEK – 30 April 2019

Snag, a new play written and directed by Tony Traxler opens at The Tabard next week. It runs from Tuesday 30 April – 4 May 2019, performances at 7.30pm. There are some familiar faces old and new from Theatre West Four in the cast- Lauren Powell plays the lead character of Laurel Daydon, Ciprina Spizziri who played Catherine Holly in Suddenly Last Summer and has since appeared in hits shows such as Two and Half Men, plays Ella, Jules Bannister (Sylvia’s Wedding) does a splendid turn as Be Delmonte,an opinionated woman of American Christian values, Richard Scott plays Leo Gardener, a lawyer, to comic perfection and Iskandar (Merchant of Venice, She Stoops to Conquer), plays Tim Dayton, Laurel’s deceased father.

Box Office                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Snag!

Theatre West Four News April 2019

Autumn Season Production Dates AnnouncedWe are pleased to announce that our provisional autumn production dates at Questors will be from 27 October- 2 November 2019.

Production NewsWe are considering plays for the Autumn 2019 season, so if anybody has any plays that they would like considered for performance or would like to direct a play, please contact Ellie Hopkins: ellie.hopkins@btinternet.com

What’s On – April 2019 – Chiswick/Kew

11-13 April 2019 Q2 Players will be performingThe Importance of Being Earnest– Oscar Wilde’s tale of triviality, frivolous courtships and serious Bunburying.

Where:The National Archives, Bessant Drive, Kew, TW9 4DU How to get there: Nearest Tube- Kew Gardens (District Line) Bus: 391 

Performance Times: Thursday 11^th& Friday 12^thApril 2019 7.45pm Saturday 13 April 2019 2.30pm & 7.45pm

Box Office:  https://seaty.co.uk/q2players

Tickets:£10 Full  £9 Concessions

30 April-4 May 2019 Sprout London Productionswill be performing the world premiere of Snag. 

It’s a fight for legacy and the unthinkable!

Local playwright and director, Tony Traxler’s new thought- provoking and funny play, Snag, based on a combination of true stories that he experienced in his 20+ years of living in New York City, opens at The Tabard Theatre on 30 April 2019.

A young woman’s search for her identity becomes an emotional rollercoaster ride, risking lifelong friendships. Laurel Daydon’s placid West London life ends abruptly when she unearths a bundle of diaries which take her on a life-changing adventure to her birthplace, New York City. Her biological clock starts ticking triple- time when she discovers her recently deceased, gay, adoptive father’s little secret; a certain something on ice at a fertility clinic. “Why wouldn’t I want to have his baby. He was the man that loved me the most!”. However, there is one Snag and the scene is set for a showdown with an opinionated woman of American Christian values with her finger on the freezer switch.

Snag’s powerhouse cast of 7 actors includes Ciprina Spizzirri Nugent (Two and a Half Men, Cougar Town, Vegas, Samantha Who, Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore ) as Ella and Trent Hocking (Haraam, Recoil and forthcoming Honey and Wine) as Dick

Where: The Tabard Theatre, 2 Bath Road, Chiswick, London W4 1LW

How to get there: Nearest Tube- Turnham Green (District Line) Bus: 94/E3

Performance Times:Tuesday 30 April 2019- Saturday 4 May 2019 7.30pm

Box Office:http://tabardtheatre.co.uk/whats-on/snag/

Tickets: £16 Full £12 Concessions       

SLP Engagement Events:                                                                                                                                         

·     After Words:Join the director and cast of the show for an after-show Q&A on the play, playwright and play’s themes, on Wednesday 1 May 2019

What’s On- Neighbouring Areas

26 April-4 May 2019

Questors Theatre, Ealing, will be performing King Charles III, Mike Bartlett’s play set in the near future.

The Queen is dead, and Charles is at last King. Determined to assert his power, the new ruler vetoes a bill restricting freedom of the press, in disagreement with the Prime Minister. But the conflict cannot be resolved and he dissolves parliament, causing chaos. 

As protests erupt across the country and the social fabric begins to fray, William and Kate try desperately to restore stability, but at a considerable cost. Meanwhile Camilla frets, politicians plot and Harry seeks a life and love beyond the confines of his royal role.

Where:The Questors Theatre (Playhouse), 12 Mattock Lane, London W5 5BQHow To Get There: Nearest Tube- Ealing Broadway Bus: 65/E3

Performance Times Friday 26 & Saturday 27 April 2019 7.45pm Sunday 28 April 2019 2.30pm Tuesday 30 April- Friday 3 May 2019 7.45pm Saturday 4 May 2019 2.30pm & 7.45pm

Box Office :http://www.questors.org.uk

Tickets £7 All tickets- 26^thApril 2019 only £14 Adult (except 3^rdand 4^thMay 2019) £18 Adult (3rd and 4th May 2019) £12 Concessions £7 Under 16/student£

UPDATE ON BLAST FROM THE PAST

It is with regret that I have to cancel the May Production of Blast From The Past due to casting difficulties. This is a great pity as this was an exceptionally well written new piece of drama.

I would like to thank everybody who worked tirelessly and assisted in trying to bring this production about.

Ellie Hopkins, Artistic Director, Theatre West Four

SEPARATE TABLES – Our 2017 May production

 Images from a wonderful production

Directed by Tony Traxler

Cast includes:  Ellie Hopkins, Alice Klapwyk, Nicola Foster,  Gerri Heneghan, Mary Ennis,
David Bickerstaff, Juliet Cassidy, Clare Pengelley, Daniel Davis, Richard Scott, Sofia Morin. Lauren Powell, Tony Traxler