Our autumn production for 2018 is to be It’s a Wonderful Life, a “radio on stage play” adaptation of the classic movie.
Our regular reader will know that we planned to put this on last year but were unable to do so due to a lack of available acting talent at the time. It’s such a good show though that we’re determined to make it happen this time round.
We will be holding open auditions on June 28th and 30th at the Old Day School in Bluntisham. All are welcome to come along and read for a part. No prior acting experience is necessary and you don’t need to prepare anything beforehand – just come along to the ODS, have a chat with Peter the director and meet some of us in a relaxed and friendly setting. We’ll be reading excerpts from the script, chosen by Peter to showcase each of the characters in the play. There may even be tea and biscuits!
All welcome – no experience necessary
Now, you might be thinking that this acting lark looks like fun but you’re not sure if it’s really for you. I know I thought that before I joined BaCStage. I saw several shows and was tempted to get involved but never quite got around to it until Zoë persuaded me to give it a try. I made my stage debut in Breezeblock Park (having never done any acting before) and the rest, as they say, is history. The only regret I have is that I didn’t get involved sooner.
Don’t just take my word for it though – here is what one of our newest members Gary had to say about his BaCStage debut as Count Puchlik in our most recent production:
Secondary Cause of Death was the first play or any form of acting that I’d done since 1986. Having never acted as an adult or worked closely with a group like BaCStage that regularly put on performances I didn’t really know what to expect when Luke invited me along to the ODS back in August.
You have all been so welcoming, patient, supportive and amazing to work and be with. There was never any criticism from anyone only suggestions or alternative ways of performing, delivering a line, moving on stage or interacting with another character. It was always done with positivity and encouragement. I couldn’t have asked for anything more or anything better.
It’s now been 3 days since we departed Bagshot House and I find myself on a Tuesday with an huge empty hole where it once stood. This has been a fantastic experience and I feel completely deflated now that we’re no longer meeting for rehearsals or performances. I walked into Cambridge at lunchtime today and went through my lines, not out loud as I’d probably be arrested, but I really miss Puchlik and the rest of the cast of characters in this play.
So, really all I wanted to say to each of you was THANK YOU for welcoming me into your family and for delivering what we and the audience agreed was a great show.
If you’d like a piece of that for yourself, come along and meet us in June!
About It’s a Wonderful Life:
Starring James Stewart and Donna Reed and directed by Frank Capra, It’s a Wonderful Life first appeared in cinemas in 1946. Today it is considered a timeless classic, one of the most popular and critically acclaimed films of all time. Although not originally intended as a Christmas movie it has become synonymous with the festive season. It tells the story of George Bailey, a selfless man who dedicates his life to helping others in his home town of Bedford Falls. Events conspire against him until he concludes he’d be worth more dead than alive, and contemplates suicide. At this point his guardian angel Clarence intervenes to show him just how much he means to his family and friends and that his is truly a wonderful life.
