NEWSLETTER 1 - APRIL 2000

Welcome to the first of a new style newsletter, published to keep everybody up-to-date with society events.

The committee are aware that those not directly involved in the current production can sometimes feel left out of things, and we hope that this will address the matter.

The content of the newsletter will be discussed and agreed at every third committee meeting, and it will be produced and distributed soon thereafter, resulting in four issues a year. If you have any ideas about the content or style of the newsletter, or maybe there’s an article you’d like to write for us, please be sure and let us know.

Spring Concert Tour

Rehearsals for the Concert Tour are well underway, and all the dates and venues have been agreed. We all now need to sell lots of tickets, remembering that we make a profit of £1.75 for every seat sold. Apart from Cookhill, which we have already sold out, there is plenty of room at all five of the other venues.

The performances are:

• Friday 5 May at St Luke’s Church in Headless Cross. Tickets £5.00, to include light refreshments.
• Saturday 6 May at Hanbury Church. Tickets £5.00.
• Friday 12 May at Alcester Baptist Church. Tickets £4.50, to include coffee and biscuits.
• Saturday 13 May in the Ecumenical Centre, Redditch Town Centre. Tickets £4.50, to include tea/coffee and cakes.
• Friday 19 May at All Saints’ Church in Bromsgrove. Tickets £5.00 to include light refreshments.
• Saturday 20 May at Cookhill Village Hall. Tickets £5.00, to include buffet supper.

As always, everybody is welcome to these concerts, so please do your utmost to sell as many tickets as possible. All enquiries to Ann Duffin on 01527 527363.

Millennium Cavalcade

We are joining with Astwood Bank Operatic Society for this special concert, to be performed at the Palace Theatre on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 June 2000.

Astwood Bank will be performing selections from Gilbert and Sullivan and other operettas, whilst we will be performing some of the highlights from our more recent shows such as Me And My Girl, Guys And Dolls, Anything Goes, Half A Sixpence and many more.

There will also be a section of songs from shows likely to be chosen for our new spring productions, before everybody joins for a rousing finale.

All tickets are £5.00, and are on sale already from Ann Duffin on 01527 527363.

Suggestion Box

We have now created a suggestion box so anybody can pass their ideas or recommendations on to the committee. This may be done anonymously, if required.

All suggestions will be read and considered at each committee meeting and, if they’re good, your suggestions will be implemented as soon as possible.

We have already had one very good idea, regarding being taught breathing techniques and voice exercises and doing these as a warm-up prior to rehearsals, which we are considering.

So, don’t be shy about using the suggestion box. It’s now the surest way of getting your point, in your own words, across to the whole committee at the same time (besides, Michelle Hill will be awfully upset if nobody uses it now she’s gone to all the effort of making the box!).

More Charity Donations

How many of you realise that through direct charity donations and proceeds from our spring concert tours, we have raised over £12,000 for good causes in the past decade?

It’s quite surprising, isn’t it, to know just how generous we’ve been, thanks to our fund raising activities and sensible financial control.

A complete list of our charity payments since 1989 can be seen on the web site, but the latest was to the Primrose Hospice in Bromsgrove. This was for a swimathon by Christine Spencer ,who completed 2 miles (108 lengths) on 7 March at Hewell Road Pool. We donated £75, to bring Pearl Taylor’s own collection for the hospice to an amazing £700.

New Spring Shows

As many of you know there has been much discussion about attracting new talent to the Society and staging shows in the Spring that are not really the sort of shows a full company with such a wide age base can do.

Keeping our fingers crossed, the first production will be in Spring 2001.

I have negotiated a good deal with the Palace Theatre and a small committee is preparing to book our first show.

The cast list will be open to everybody, as long as they fit the remit for the requirements of that particular show, be it a younger cast, a smaller cast, predominantly one sex, or a dancing show, etc.

Please be assured that the new Spring shows will in no way compete with the successful concerts and Autumn shows that we do at the moment. They are intended to complement each other. And people know me well enough to know the high standard will be retained - or it won’t go on.

All I ask is that everyone supports this exciting new venture and continues to celebrate the huge talent that we have, and the high standards that our audiences can always expect from ROS.

Tony Lacey, Business Manager

Annual General Meeting

The AGM will be held on Tuesday 16 May at Community House, Easemore Road.

It is again time to start thinking of the people you would like to see on the committee. Each year we hope to get new people on board, but all too often it’s the same old faces nominated back on.

The nomination forms are already available on the Notice Board and, once completed, should be given to Ann Duffin before the AGM.

The following positions are up for election: Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Business Manager, Subscription Secretary, Social Secretary and four general committee members. We would particularly like to encourage non-acting members to become more involved on the committee, so please give this important matter some thought.

Millennium Dance

A big thank you must go to the organisers of the Millennium Dance on Saturday 29 January, and to everybody who attended – all of whom had a great time.

Sadly, the turn-out for this event was very poor. We needed to sell at least 100 tickets to break even, and only managed 70-odd, resulting in a £120 loss. Once again, we saw the same faces who can always be relied upon to support the Society. Others were conspicuous by their usual absence.

A great deal of time and energy goes into organising all our social events, purely for the benefit of YOU – our members. We cannot afford losses like this again, so please bear this in mind. And please be sure to come along to the next social event.

Accompanist Anybody?

We are still looking for a second accompanist who can take some of the burden from Michael Higgins’ very capable shoulders.

Our search is becoming increasingly important, considering all the extra things we want to do from next year.

If you know of anybody who can play the piano to a good standard, and who would like to earn themselves a bit of extra money, please let one of the committee know as soon as possible.

ROS On The Web

Finally, some of you may be unaware that the Society now has its own Internet web site. See pictures of yourselves, together with news and reviews of our shows and links to other operatic sites at www.redditch-operatic.co.uk

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